Ads Tech DVDXpress DX2 review

Full Review

The DVDXpress DX2 is a compact, lightweight little silver brushed aluminum and black liveried box that boasts a set of inputs on the back and a USB port for connecting it to a Windows computer. A power and a capture lamp illuminate on the front when it’s plugged in and working through data.

What makes this device so neat is the hard work of processing the video is done by a processor inside the DX2, not your PC, making it fast and reliable. Composite Video and left and right audio inputs and an S-Video input get the video in with a fast USB2.0 connection linking the whole with your PC.

The bundled CapWiz (Capture Wizard) software is easy to use and lets you record in PAL, SECAM or NTSC formats, while Ulead’s bundled VideoStudio 9SE basic video editing package combines with CapWiz to make the whole ensemble tick along nicely. CapWiz helps get the video into the machine while VideoStudio 9SE can be used to edit the video on your PC later and if required.

Basic adjustments to video such as brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue can be made via the DX2 and CapWiz and the video can be saved in a variety of formats. These include MPEG1, MPEG2 and MPEG4 and DivX (the latter two ideal for transferring and playback on a video iPod or Sony’s PSP or for use on the web for example) as well as DVD, SVCD and VCD formats.

In a nice touch, the ADS Tech's software provides a neat fact sheet explaining video compression and a quick guide on how much space the various formats it uses will take up on a disc. When recording to your hard disc, the software kicks in and allows you to preview and then record the footage. Then further editing (drag and drop clips) and finally burning can be achieved using the VideoStudio 9SE package. If recording directly to a disc, the wizard starts up and guides you through the steps to get the video directly onto a CD or DVD depending on the compression format you choose.

There are a couple of minor issues, you can only capture using the CapWiz software, so it seems a tad limiting in that respect, but once captured your footage can actually be edited and burnt using any video editing and burning software. Finally, there’s no Digital Video transfer support (MiniDV, for example), which would make this device even more versatile and open it up to an even larger audience.

Verdict

The Dx2 is a reasonably priced, easy to use analogue video capture device that comes complete with neat software to help you though the process of getting your home videos back out of the box and onto the tele.

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