Avermedia DVD EZMaker USB 2.0 review

30 June 2004 2:46 GMT / By Dan Leonard

You might still be using an analogue camcorder, but that doesn't mean that any foray into editing and sharing your finished movie has to be analogue as well. The aim of the Avermedia DVD EZMaker is to allow you to transfer video to DVD and VCD, with or without the help from a PC.

The premise is a USB-powered cable that connects the two together. The USB element means no additional power source is required and makes this tuck tidily away into any camcorder case with ease. Direct input recording to a DVD player can be achieved via s-video in, stereo line in and 3 way analogue
out. While the possibility of data transfer via this widget might sound awesome, what's the reality?

First off, you are limited to analogue as an input. Maintaining a VHS or DV camcorder transfer is ok, but when transferring disc-to-disc, the quality does fade slightly. The EZMaker is only suitable for Windows XP machines (there is no Mac support), and for best results we would suggest a beefy P4 machine with plenty of memory. With an up to date USB 2.0 chip transfer to a PC is quick although users with a standard USB still won't be that disappointed with performance.

The software is suitable for 98SE and ME, but our test machine loaded with ME and an Intel PIII just couldn't cut it playing back the large files we had transferred. No fault of the software though, Ulead's Movie Factory 3SE is certainly good enough to offer you basic editing facilities and on our other test machine (the P4 WinXP number) it worked fine.

Verdict

Overall this cable is ideal for VHS/Analogue fans. The USB-powered super lead is a nice addition to any start-up video-editing set-up and is great for regular users of analogue equipment. However, unless you are planning to transfer analogue VHS to digital formats on a regular basis you may find this being sold on eBay once you've finished transferring your collection. The EZMaker's a simple device that admirably serves a well identified niche, so it's handy when required.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: AverMedia
Price as reviewed: £60
The good: Transfer VHS to DVD with or without your pc. Supports a wealthof sound formats, NTSC and PAL. DVD editing capabilities
The bad: Limited to analogue
Quick verdict: A simple device that admirably serves a well identified niche
Score