Another benefit of the S-video input is for capturing true BW video, which is pure 60Hz vs the 59.94Hz of color NTSC. Also, the composite video input has a notch filter for the color signal that smears the BW video mid-band. BW captured through the Y channel of the YC input looks fantastic. Get a YC breakout cable, plug in your BW source (Y) and just ignore the (C) chroma . I did this recently with a silly project on my channel called the Cartrivision Portapac, where I was repurposing the BW camera for that obsolete video tape system. I used the ClearClick 1 for my recorder. Worked great.
thanks to your vid, i bought a 3.0! and bro do i love it so much, using it with my Sony TRV99 that i bought for $100 local to me in SUPER GREAT condition. going to have a lot of fun with this, thank you 🙏🏽
I had to send mine back. Maybe it was only mine, but I had the jitters on the screen that were unacceptable. The recordings on the SD were okay but the screen and HDMI output was useless. And the 16:9 screen on a device that only records in 4:3 is bizzare.
Great idea with the screw mount! I would wish for that too! About firewire - Sony did make the small memory card recorder that took in Firewire DV video. I was expensive but not too expensive. Alternatively you could take an old laptop with firewire interface and record directly to hard drive too, but that is not for tapeless handheld video, maybe if you shoot from a tripod that could work. Usually the video over Firewire is the same digital video (DV) format as on MiniDV tape.
updated question. I recorded a short sample and when I tried to play the MP4 file on my computer, I got a message that it was unsupported format or the codec is not compatible. I have many MP4 videos that p[ay fine so not sure what to do. Suggestions?
Thanks for your sharing your clearclick solution. Currently my DV taping and playback from tape is working on my sony vx 2000, but now thanks to you. I have something that is better. I just tested my DV fire wire to my mac mini 2 and I am able to record footage directly to imovie software. I had to mute the sound on my mac though, gawd the feedback squealing was terrible.... like fingernails running down a chalkboard.
I have a Sony Handycam DCR-TRV130 would it still be compatible with this device? There's no red, white, yellow inputs on this camera so how would I go about connect this devise to my camera if it does work?
I just received it and a flashing white line appears just below the screen... I have no idea what this could be, everything is well connected, and the firmware version is the same as that shown in your video. I don't know What can happen, can you help me, greetings, thanks.
My VCR only has a Scart connector and an audio left and right (white and red). I tried a scart adapter with all 3 but it doesn’t show up on the Clearclick when the video is playing. Any ideas/advice?
@@brandoncameracollection looking forward to this video! Please talk about if it has any scaling issues like the ImmersionRC Powerplay did. And include test footy and any post processing tips or quirks if there are any!
Can you stop and start to select portions of your input. And can you stop one recording and add another recording to it so basically your filling the usb with more than one tape
It is a white line that flashes just below the screen of the finite image, it does so when I plug it into the VHS to switch to USB. I've been looking at the previous model and I've seen in videos that when people plug it into the VHS and start recording What I say comes out.. I don't know if the model you have is clear to me.. Does it?
I am looking for the highest quality picture and audio conversion of my old VHS recordings (trying to preserve them in original quality or the closest possible next best thing to original quality) in order to create the best digital archive versions. Convenience is less of a concern, same for file size, or cost. It sounds like this isn't the right option for me. I just wonder what would be.
So I have a video on how I currently capture footage I’ll leave a link to it. It’s a great all in one system. You just need a vcr/dvd player with a hdmi out on the back of it. But it has to be a vcr/dvd player. Capturing VHS, HI8, or Mini DV Videos With A VCR/DVD Player - The Easy Way th-cam.com/video/G3Yju9TZAN4/w-d-xo.html
love this video. I am copying mini-DV tapes to the usb drive that came with the kit. I am noticing a "buzzing" sound on the audio coming from the clear click speaker. I used S-Video for video signal and then connect the audio cables as you instructed. I have not tested the video on computer to see if buzzing is there, but do you have any thoughts on this?? Have you run into it??
Ok so 1: make sure you have the audio turned all the way down on the clearclick 2: if that doesn’t work some cameras create that buzzing noise and I’m not sure why. But what I have done is I have had to unplug one of the audio cables. Either the white one or red one. Now you will only have mono audio so you won’t hear your video out of 2 speakers but if you plan to edit your videos you can adjust it in your editor
Contacted clear click and they also recommended unplugging one audio cables. Their theory was that my camcorder may have only had mono sound . Unplugging res cable did the trick!!! Thank you
I’m not sure how you could convert it because s-video is a video only signal you don’t get audio out of it. That’s why you have to use the audio cables from the rca cables. But you can try that method and see if it works. If you do let me know I’d be curious to see if it does work
I got the Digitnow FHD Video Capture with 5 inch OLED screen. It has AV in and AV out as well as HDMI in and HDMI out. Very nice but doesn't have the S-video input.
I have a video where I explain how to go tapeless with pretty much any camera. [How To] Easily Go Tapeless With Any Camcorder th-cam.com/video/r9z6AhqssLI/w-d-xo.html
Thank you. Also I just started digitizing and for some reason my picture isn't quite centered but I'm not entirely sure why. Any idea as to how to fix ?
I have an old thermal imaging camera that can output video via RCA. The camera natively displays a 60Hz picture, does this device record at 60fps? Thanks. I need something modern so I don't have to record with a Hi8 player anymore lol.
Great recommendation for the FireWire. It is amazing that they include a S port and not FireWire. It's also shocking how computer and laptop companies completely ditched FireWire overnight. I was working on TV in the 90s and early 2000s. FireWire was everywhere. In cameras, laptops, edit computers. I have hundreds of MiniDV tapes I'd like to transfer but you can not get a FireWire now anywhere. It's a complete pain in the ass! There are literally millions and millions of digital tapes out there crying out for this. Camera stand is a good one too 👍🏼
Wow, this has so many applications. If you wanted to edit your movies to show all the best parts, you could just press REC and pause, Just think, with your Laserdiscs, you can pause and resume, making it seamless when you play B side or change discs. The pause and resume feature to me is one of it's best options, it gives you the chance to edit as your recording so you can make cuts as you game play or skipping thoughs long play commercials on old 90.s shows on a VCR or DVR. It would also be cool if the offered a component breakout cable input.
Hey great review. I just want to confirm with you about the recording. l want to put dvd's on a usb/external hard drive. I can plug this 3.0 into my dvd player and record to usb/external hard drive? Also the 2.0 mini would do the same job? Thanks!
How do I put the video from the USB stick on to the computer and then on to a dvd have tried and when I put it into the dvd player it keeps saying error cannot play disc thanks.
Hello mate, great review. Few question though, whats recorded video bitrate in H264 codec? What size is recorded one hour file? Whats video size per full recorded clip? Cheers.
Please make a follow up! I'm really into seeing the pros and cons when using it for tapeless in specific. I'd love to see a comparison of the footy from Svideo to the RCA. Maybe your thoughts on battery life, and compare it to the ImmersionRC Powerplay if you have experience with one of those! I literally thought to my self... I wonder if there's a 3.0 version of the clearclick, and boom 7 days ago you review it! Nice. Love the content!
Question about framerates: what framerates do the various ClearClick models record at? Surely we need 25 or 29.97 fps recording modes, as I'm guessing that is what the camera will be recording at?
@@brandoncameracollection I just checked the specs, and indeed they do. Doesn't that render them useless (especially for VHS conversion), or do those old video cameras display at a higher fps than VHS standard?
Hope they make a 4th gen. and incorporate your ideas. The firewire only + threaded mount would be game changing.. you've probably seen the Sony HVR-MRC1, datavideo DN-60, and all the Firestore FS options... a cheaper firewire converter with a screen would be brilliant.
@@brandoncameracollection Even a less expensive/more compact version without a screen would be amazing.. i've been struggling to pick which digital converter to buy for a while now. Its hard to commit to one when the best options are hard to come by/very pricy. And the more budget friendly ones seem to slightly lack in certain areas.. trying to go tapeless is hard work lol
@@brandoncameracollection right! Spend more to preserve quality but not have a screen.. or spend less to slightly butcher quality and have a screen. I'm holding my breath until somebody creates or finds that balance lol
@@brandoncameracollection ended up purchasing one of these and received it a few days ago. Figured it's probably the best budget tapeless option at the moment. I have a near mint TRV900 that I bought off ebay a few months ago that I am going to be using this with. A few more thoughts on this item- Wish they would have included an S-video cable with the converter. An option to turn down the brightness on the converter to preserve it's battery life would have been ideal. Or maybe some kind of low power mode. Also needs an option to disable the startup screen or ability to import your own custom startup screen. Wanted to also mention that an iPad or tablet clip shoe mount might be helpful.. this way you could clamp the sides of the converter and not have to worry about any outlets being in the way. Planning on trying it out someday! Appreciate the vids man- helped me a lot! Much love
Hi mate, really could do with your input. Just got one of these to go tapeless with this canon xl2 Ive got. I'm pulling my hair out because I spent good money on the camera, tried one external recorder that was DOA, now I've got this 3.0 which seems great but has some weird problems. On the monitor while recording or indeed not, the picture quality is great. Seems to be exactly what the XL2 is outputting. However, when I playback the recorded footage, it's pretty dreadful. I don't understand where the drop in quality is coming from. It's a 480p recorder, 480p camera, I don't know if I'm being dumb but the footage just looks dreadful once it's been recorded and played back. Any ideas?
Are you using s-video? You will get a much better video quality from it. And you can look in the settings for the video quality you can change. It think it’s normally on auto. You can look at the instructions for the troubleshooting section as well and even email clearclick about your issue if you have too they are really good about working with you on it. I know some of them can be defective as well so you might be able to send it back and get another one as well. Sorry I don’t have the exact answer, everyone who has an issue seems to have a very unique issue with the converter and the camera.
@@brandoncameracollection yeah I'm using s-video. Will have another look later when I'm back from work, have tried a couple of things in the settings and not a lot seems to change. I'll give them an email as well. Cheers man
Why do you need this device, again? The old cameras usually had Firewire ports on them. I just went through this process. The MiniDV cam only required a Firewire cable and adapters which fit my computer. The Hi8 cam also had Firewire out, but it only seemed to carry the visual part of it, so I needed to run the RCA cables into a cheap USB adapter for the audio. I downloaded the free OBS app to be the capture device, but any non-linear editor or even Quicktime will capture it, too. I ran experiments, and, to my eye, the OBS transfers looked better.
These devices I think are great for people who are wanting to get into filming with these older format camcorders. They are easy to use and compatible with pretty much any camera
Firewire definitely carries audio, it's copying data exactly as it's stored on the tape - it's very similar to using a USB cable, it's only really the tape drive(in the camera) at the other end that makes it seem different. For example, there were also firewire external hard disks, hubs, and various other firewire external devices. The problem must've been with the setup on your computer, presumably you were re-compressing it when capturing. Ideally there would be no re-compression when using firewire, just direct copying - the quality is identical no matter which software is used. The free app WinDV(which has been around since MiniDV cameras were new, but is still compatible with modern Windows) is good for this, but other apps also support it. You can always recompress it afterwards if wanted. Hi8-only cameras don't support firewire(as Hi8 is analog), but Digital8 cameras do - many of which also allow you to play Video8(aka "standard 8" / "8mm") & Hi8 tapes, internally converting the analog recording to digital. All consumer video cameras prior to MiniDV & Digital8 recorded in an analog format.
It would be nice to know your personal converting tests from VHS into this digital device and with audio tapes also, because I read a few days ago that converted VHS image quality is just good BUT not like the original. Hope to hear from you soon!
Great video Brandon and yes, a FireWire port would be nice but you'd probably need one of those small hard drives because FireWire is AVI files and those are better but much bigger.
Great and easy to follow review. I like the speed at which you explain things. Im going to buy 2.0 or 3.0 and was wondering if the pic quality is any different...also i know some vhs players cuz i used to have one had s video out but it woulsnt have the same audio output jack.... could you use the whitw and red rca cables with s video?
Yes the have the same picture quality and if you want to use s-video you have to use the red and white audio cables from your AV cables to get audio since s-video is only a video source.
That was a great video, you answered a lot of my questions. But I have more, which is better using a flash drive or the disk? And what about the type of files it save? Is one better than the other? I looked online and found this clear click 3 for $199 or $219 that comes with editing software. Some say the software is not any good. But I have Sony Vegas and Davinci Resolve. About 3 years ago I saved some things onto a flash drive that I wanted to keep. When I got ready to use it the flash drive was dead, everything on it was gone. I got it to reformat and save some crap but a day or two later it was blank. I wondered about using the fire wire I remember that being one of the selling points when I bought the Cannon GL2 camera. Hell of a thing, I bought the GL2 then tried to hook it up to my newer computer. It would not work. I bought one card then I was told I need a newer card. Then I was told I needed to install new drivers to run the new card. Downloaded all kinds of crap, Nothing worked. My old XP computer worked downloading the video. But then could not handle the editing software.
"About 3 years ago I saved some things onto a flash drive that I wanted to keep. When I got ready to use it the flash drive was dead, everything on it was gone." I ran into this same issue when i tranferred old MiniDV cassette videos to usb thumb drives, then 3 months later those same thumb drives WITH the files on them were all GONE and erased. Come to find out that those thumb drives were counterfeit. It would save everything but then when you came back and inserted the thumb drive to power it, it would format itself and erase everything. THANK GOD i kept all the MiniDV cassettes.
Finally sat down & watched this video again opening my clear click 3.0 & used a old monster cable from my Sony hi8 camcorder & it works flawlessly. I got sound & a great pic quality with a 23 yr old monster cable. The videos are 15 to 20 yrs old & the quality is still very good.
Thanks for your suggestion to ClearClick for the FireWire connection. That's the main reason I bought my 3.0, is because I have a Sony video camera I spent a lot of money on years ago and this ClearClick was suggested to me as a way to get the video from the Sony into the computer, instead of keeping around an old computer that has FireWire ports.
firewire to clearclick 4.0 would be awesome. I am just trying to use dv cam firewire to firewire 800, then firewire 800 to apple thunderbolt 2, then thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 then to mac mini 2. The thunderbolt 4 on my mac should work with the thunderbolt 3. I am still waiting for some parts to arrive, then try to record to my mac using quicktime or final cut pro for a NLE session. Not a portable solution, but I pulled my old sony vx 2000 and discovered that all of old NLE stuff won`t work unless I buy a new windows 98 computer, which I am not going to do to make my old Canopus hardware and software to work.
i saw these Clear Click devices, but never bought one. i have a Sony VDR-MC5 video conversion device, which has a built-in DVD recorder. I simply connect the RCA cables from the VCR to the DVD recorder, and hit record as the tape is playing. Sadly, it doesn't do a decent job converting my old 30+ year old tapes. I tried digitizing a tape and it looked horrible when i played it on my laptop. I am currently looking at these various shops here in my city that digitize videos. One of these shops charges $34 per every 2 hours, and my tapes are 6 hour ones, so that one place charges $102 to digitize the tape. Another place charges $25 per tape. Sometimes, a low amount will result in a low-grade conversion. I don't know which place i will try. I figure that these places are in business, and have been for 5 years or so, so they must be doing something right to stay in business. I have about 25 tapes of precious family memories that need conversion. Thank you for sharing your video!!!!
Thank you for your video reviews! 😊 Do you know if I can record PAL tapes in 720x576 25fps? I have ElGato and it works like a breeze but it records in max 640x480. I'd like to get the highest resolution from my old VHS PAL tapes.
ElGato can record at 720x576 you just need to use OBS instead of ElGato Software, can record at NTSC 720x480 or PAL 720x576 using OBS and then you can upscale it to whatever you want while recording the video.
Currently, I transfer my vhs to a DVD recorder....then rip the DVD to mpeg2 and convert that to mp4. Does anyone who has used this method and bought this device ...find that it produces a better , equal or lower quality mp4 ? Of course, I realize it saves time and is more conveniet.
I have a video where I explain how to capture with a vcr/dvd player and the footage from it looks super good. But these kinds of converters definitely have less picture quality. But they are very convenient, easy to use, and your can use them with your camera to go tapeless.
They have a new HD version that has a 1/4” screw thread in the bottom and also a NPF battery slot, which is great! They should do this to this SD version.
Hey i have the Canon GL1 / XM1 too, i want to record (live) tapeless using S-Video (with the clearclick 2.0) does it work without tapes in the camera? or if you have a tape and press record does it also record on the clearclick?
Yeah you don’t need a tape in the camera to record tapeless. And yes you could record on a tape and the clearclick at the same time if that’s what you are asking. If you want to record on tape you would obviously push record on the camera. If you want to record from the clearclick you would push record on the clearclick
You know, a problem these older camcorder have I've noticed is poor audio. Either locked to mono, or having dirty microphone jacks, or a dying internal DAC/AMP. A possible solution could be to use a battery powered external microphone and use a 3.5mm to RCA audio splitter, and run it directly into the Clear Click 2 Digital 3.0's Audio RCA ports instead of the camcorders. Granted, the audio would sound too high quality for the video footage, but that could be a good trade off for someone who wants good quality audio but the low quality video of an older camcorder. I don't suppose you'd be willing to give the setup I've just suggested a try?
Yeah I’d be willing to try that out. I could make a video out of it if that’s what your asking. I usually show the footage with the on board mic so that people can hear what the audio is like along with the video quality
The good thing about this unit it does NOT need a PC and won't ever get software out dated. Where the other units need a PC and need a specific windows OS to work.
I don’t understand why new laptops especially Mac books don’t have any ports besides a power supply. It just makes them so much less useful for anything you want to do
Another benefit of the S-video input is for capturing true BW video, which is pure 60Hz vs the 59.94Hz of color NTSC. Also, the composite video input has a notch filter for the color signal that smears the BW video mid-band. BW captured through the Y channel of the YC input looks fantastic. Get a YC breakout cable, plug in your BW source (Y) and just ignore the (C) chroma . I did this recently with a silly project on my channel called the Cartrivision Portapac, where I was repurposing the BW camera for that obsolete video tape system. I used the ClearClick 1 for my recorder. Worked great.
thanks to your vid, i bought a 3.0! and bro do i love it so much, using it with my Sony TRV99 that i bought for $100 local to me in SUPER GREAT condition. going to have a lot of fun with this, thank you 🙏🏽
For sure glad I could help 😁
I had to send mine back. Maybe it was only mine, but I had the jitters on the screen that were unacceptable. The recordings on the SD were okay but the screen and HDMI output was useless. And the 16:9 screen on a device that only records in 4:3 is bizzare.
Just received mine. So far it is great.
Great idea with the screw mount! I would wish for that too!
About firewire - Sony did make the small memory card recorder that took in Firewire DV video. I was expensive but not too expensive. Alternatively you could take an old laptop with firewire interface and record directly to hard drive too, but that is not for tapeless handheld video, maybe if you shoot from a tripod that could work. Usually the video over Firewire is the same digital video (DV) format as on MiniDV tape.
Yes the Sony MRC1. I actually just got myself one they record to compact flash cards. I plan to make a video about it here soon
updated question. I recorded a short sample and when I tried to play the MP4 file on my computer, I got a message that it was unsupported format or the codec is not compatible. I have many MP4 videos that p[ay fine so not sure what to do. Suggestions?
I would try formatting your ubs drive or sd card first you should be able to while it’s in the clearclick
Thanks for your sharing your clearclick solution. Currently my DV taping and playback from tape is working on my sony vx 2000, but now thanks to you. I have something that is better. I just tested my DV fire wire to my mac mini 2 and I am able to record footage directly to imovie software. I had to mute the sound on my mac though, gawd the feedback squealing was terrible.... like fingernails running down a chalkboard.
I have a Sony Handycam DCR-TRV130 would it still be compatible with this device? There's no red, white, yellow inputs on this camera so how would I go about connect this devise to my camera if it does work?
I just received it and a flashing white line appears just below the screen... I have no idea what this could be, everything is well connected, and the firmware version is the same as that shown in your video. I don't know What can happen, can you help me, greetings, thanks.
My VCR only has a Scart connector and an audio left and right (white and red). I tried a scart adapter with all 3 but it doesn’t show up on the Clearclick when the video is playing. Any ideas/advice?
I’m not sure what a scart connecter is but just make sure the AV ports on the VCR are an outport and not an inport
the only thing im wondering if it still gets colors darker than usual like the other versions
I’ll be making a how to go tapeless video here soon so you will be able to see then
@@brandoncameracollection looking forward to this video! Please talk about if it has any scaling issues like the ImmersionRC Powerplay did. And include test footy and any post processing tips or quirks if there are any!
Cool product. Would love 1/2 the size screen, then a RCA to 3.5mm input for slimming it down.
I was never able to get audio from my VX2000 using S video cable using my clear click 2.0, does audio work now using S video?
If you run s-video you have to run the red and white audio cables from your AV cables as well to get the audio
@@brandoncameracollection oh wow I never knew that!!
Yeah it actually took me a long time to figure that out as well haha
Can you stop and start to select portions of your input.
And can you stop one recording and add another recording to it so basically your filling the usb with more than one tape
I’ve got at least 75 videos. I’d like to combine and edit them
Yeah you can start and stop whenever you need so you can have a bunch of smaller clips instead of on big clip for each tape
It is a white line that flashes just below the screen of the finite image, it does so when I plug it into the VHS to switch to USB. I've been looking at the previous model and I've seen in videos that when people plug it into the VHS and start recording What I say comes out.. I don't know if the model you have is clear to me.. Does it?
I actually haven’t recorded anything with me 3.0 yet I’ve been out from surgery. But if you are having issues with yours I would definitely return it
I am looking for the highest quality picture and audio conversion of my old VHS recordings (trying to preserve them in original quality or the closest possible next best thing to original quality) in order to create the best digital archive versions. Convenience is less of a concern, same for file size, or cost. It sounds like this isn't the right option for me. I just wonder what would be.
So I have a video on how I currently capture footage I’ll leave a link to it. It’s a great all in one system. You just need a vcr/dvd player with a hdmi out on the back of it. But it has to be a vcr/dvd player.
Capturing VHS, HI8, or Mini DV Videos With A VCR/DVD Player - The Easy Way
th-cam.com/video/G3Yju9TZAN4/w-d-xo.html
love this video. I am copying mini-DV tapes to the usb drive that came with the kit. I am noticing a "buzzing" sound on the audio coming from the clear click speaker. I used S-Video for video signal and then connect the audio cables as you instructed. I have not tested the video on computer to see if buzzing is there, but do you have any thoughts on this?? Have you run into it??
Ok so 1: make sure you have the audio turned all the way down on the clearclick 2: if that doesn’t work some cameras create that buzzing noise and I’m not sure why. But what I have done is I have had to unplug one of the audio cables. Either the white one or red one. Now you will only have mono audio so you won’t hear your video out of 2 speakers but if you plan to edit your videos you can adjust it in your editor
Contacted clear click and they also recommended unplugging one audio cables. Their theory was that my camcorder may have only had mono sound . Unplugging res cable did the trick!!! Thank you
Whenever playback the videos on my clear click they are so glitchy but they aren’t when I play them straight on my camcorder, how can I fix that?
I have had that issue as well and I’m not sure what the issue is. It seemed like it would happen with some cameras and others it was fine
what is the best way to transfer pvr to pc can clear click do that
I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure firewire can be converted to s-video. So could you use firewire on this device that way??
I’m not sure how you could convert it because s-video is a video only signal you don’t get audio out of it. That’s why you have to use the audio cables from the rca cables. But you can try that method and see if it works. If you do let me know I’d be curious to see if it does work
How does the final clip quality hold up compared to shooting on minidv tape???!??!
Well it’s not gonna be as good as FireWire since it doesn’t have a FireWire port
I got the Digitnow FHD Video Capture with 5 inch OLED screen. It has AV in and AV out as well as HDMI in and HDMI out. Very nice but doesn't have the S-video input.
I wonder if you can find a cable that can convert s l-video to hdmi🤔
Anyone got tips to going tapeless for SONY Handycam Vision HI8 CCD-TRV46 330x
I have a video where I explain how to go tapeless with pretty much any camera. [How To] Easily Go Tapeless With Any Camcorder
th-cam.com/video/r9z6AhqssLI/w-d-xo.html
If I have a USB to SD card connector, would it record onto the SD if the USB is plugged in?
You could definitely try it. If not you can always just use the SD card then blue it into your usb adapter to get the footage to your computer
I can't believe this guy's doing a view when he don't know very much about the product i'm believing
What’s the battery life like while running tapeless?
I would say about 1 hour or so
Thank you. Also I just started digitizing and for some reason my picture isn't quite centered but I'm not entirely sure why. Any idea as to how to fix ?
I have an old thermal imaging camera that can output video via RCA. The camera natively displays a 60Hz picture, does this device record at 60fps? Thanks. I need something modern so I don't have to record with a Hi8 player anymore lol.
Got a sony ccd trv67 perfect condition for 40 bucks with battery and cables and carry bag. Definitely going to go tapeless with the clearclick.
Great recommendation for the FireWire. It is amazing that they include a S port and not FireWire. It's also shocking how computer and laptop companies completely ditched FireWire overnight. I was working on TV in the 90s and early 2000s. FireWire was everywhere. In cameras, laptops, edit computers. I have hundreds of MiniDV tapes I'd like to transfer but you can not get a FireWire now anywhere. It's a complete pain in the ass! There are literally millions and millions of digital tapes out there crying out for this. Camera stand is a good one too 👍🏼
Wow, this has so many applications. If you wanted to edit your movies to show all the best parts, you could just press REC and pause, Just think, with your Laserdiscs, you can pause and resume, making it seamless when you play B side or change discs. The pause and resume feature to me is one of it's best options, it gives you the chance to edit as your recording so you can make cuts as you game play or skipping thoughs long play commercials on old 90.s shows on a VCR or DVR. It would also be cool if the offered a component breakout cable input.
Hey great review. I just want to confirm with you about the recording. l want to put dvd's on a usb/external hard drive. I can plug this 3.0 into my dvd player and record to usb/external hard drive? Also the 2.0 mini would do the same job?
Thanks!
Yes as long as you’re dvd player has an AV or s-video output it can capture your dvd videos. And yes the 2.0 mini should work the same.
Can I pause a recording and then start recording again for if I want to record footage from different tapes in different orders?
No you can only start and stop recording
How do I put the video from the USB stick on to the computer and then on to a dvd have tried and when I put it into the dvd player it keeps saying error cannot play disc thanks.
Hello mate, great review.
Few question though, whats recorded video bitrate in H264 codec?
What size is recorded one hour file?
Whats video size per full recorded clip?
Cheers.
Please make a follow up! I'm really into seeing the pros and cons when using it for tapeless in specific. I'd love to see a comparison of the footy from Svideo to the RCA. Maybe your thoughts on battery life, and compare it to the ImmersionRC Powerplay if you have experience with one of those! I literally thought to my self... I wonder if there's a 3.0 version of the clearclick, and boom 7 days ago you review it! Nice. Love the content!
For sure I’ll do my best to talk a little more in depth on my next video about it
@@brandoncameracollection ohhh! Lol, sorry to bombard you... but do you know if these have the option to record in 60fps?
Yes the 2.0 I believe does as well
Thank You, Good, precise, and clear.. BUT I have a Mac and I don't seem to be able capture video onto a USB. Any clues? Thanks
Question about framerates: what framerates do the various ClearClick models record at? Surely we need 25 or 29.97 fps recording modes, as I'm guessing that is what the camera will be recording at?
I believe the 2.0 and 3.0 record at 60fps
@@brandoncameracollection I just checked the specs, and indeed they do. Doesn't that render them useless (especially for VHS conversion), or do those old video cameras display at a higher fps than VHS standard?
No I’ve used vhs with my clearclick and it works fine.
Hope they make a 4th gen. and incorporate your ideas. The firewire only + threaded mount would be game changing.. you've probably seen the Sony HVR-MRC1, datavideo DN-60, and all the Firestore FS options... a cheaper firewire converter with a screen would be brilliant.
Definitely. Not sure how capable getting something up like would be though. I think a company will figure it out somehow soon though
@@brandoncameracollection Even a less expensive/more compact version without a screen would be amazing.. i've been struggling to pick which digital converter to buy for a while now. Its hard to commit to one when the best options are hard to come by/very pricy. And the more budget friendly ones seem to slightly lack in certain areas.. trying to go tapeless is hard work lol
Yeah it’s like do you want better quality and spend more? Or do you want less quality and spend less?
@@brandoncameracollection right! Spend more to preserve quality but not have a screen.. or spend less to slightly butcher quality and have a screen. I'm holding my breath until somebody creates or finds that balance lol
@@brandoncameracollection ended up purchasing one of these and received it a few days ago. Figured it's probably the best budget tapeless option at the moment. I have a near mint TRV900 that I bought off ebay a few months ago that I am going to be using this with.
A few more thoughts on this item-
Wish they would have included an S-video cable with the converter.
An option to turn down the brightness on the converter to preserve it's battery life would have been ideal. Or maybe some kind of low power mode.
Also needs an option to disable the startup screen or ability to import your own custom startup screen.
Wanted to also mention that an iPad or tablet clip shoe mount might be helpful.. this way you could clamp the sides of the converter and not have to worry about any outlets being in the way. Planning on trying it out someday!
Appreciate the vids man- helped me a lot! Much love
Thanks. I have been on fence with similar competing devices but always liked the Clear Click layuts. Compared to it.... This is a good review.
Just ordered one
Hi mate, really could do with your input. Just got one of these to go tapeless with this canon xl2 Ive got. I'm pulling my hair out because I spent good money on the camera, tried one external recorder that was DOA, now I've got this 3.0 which seems great but has some weird problems. On the monitor while recording or indeed not, the picture quality is great. Seems to be exactly what the XL2 is outputting. However, when I playback the recorded footage, it's pretty dreadful. I don't understand where the drop in quality is coming from. It's a 480p recorder, 480p camera, I don't know if I'm being dumb but the footage just looks dreadful once it's been recorded and played back. Any ideas?
Are you using s-video? You will get a much better video quality from it. And you can look in the settings for the video quality you can change. It think it’s normally on auto. You can look at the instructions for the troubleshooting section as well and even email clearclick about your issue if you have too they are really good about working with you on it. I know some of them can be defective as well so you might be able to send it back and get another one as well. Sorry I don’t have the exact answer, everyone who has an issue seems to have a very unique issue with the converter and the camera.
@@brandoncameracollection yeah I'm using s-video. Will have another look later when I'm back from work, have tried a couple of things in the settings and not a lot seems to change. I'll give them an email as well. Cheers man
so i have a hvx200 do i use a s video route to make it compatible? thank you
Great video. I would like to record my old VHS tapes using this device. Can you do a video of VHS tapes to record?
I kind of did that in this video here: [How To] Going Tapeless With The ClearClick Video 2 Digital 3.0
th-cam.com/video/Mq6pmdxO38M/w-d-xo.html
Why do you need this device, again? The old cameras usually had Firewire ports on them. I just went through this process. The MiniDV cam only required a Firewire cable and adapters which fit my computer. The Hi8 cam also had Firewire out, but it only seemed to carry the visual part of it, so I needed to run the RCA cables into a cheap USB adapter for the audio. I downloaded the free OBS app to be the capture device, but any non-linear editor or even Quicktime will capture it, too. I ran experiments, and, to my eye, the OBS transfers looked better.
These devices I think are great for people who are wanting to get into filming with these older format camcorders. They are easy to use and compatible with pretty much any camera
Firewire definitely carries audio, it's copying data exactly as it's stored on the tape - it's very similar to using a USB cable, it's only really the tape drive(in the camera) at the other end that makes it seem different. For example, there were also firewire external hard disks, hubs, and various other firewire external devices.
The problem must've been with the setup on your computer, presumably you were re-compressing it when capturing.
Ideally there would be no re-compression when using firewire, just direct copying - the quality is identical no matter which software is used. The free app WinDV(which has been around since MiniDV cameras were new, but is still compatible with modern Windows) is good for this, but other apps also support it. You can always recompress it afterwards if wanted.
Hi8-only cameras don't support firewire(as Hi8 is analog), but Digital8 cameras do - many of which also allow you to play Video8(aka "standard 8" / "8mm") & Hi8 tapes, internally converting the analog recording to digital.
All consumer video cameras prior to MiniDV & Digital8 recorded in an analog format.
It would be nice to know your personal converting tests from VHS into this digital device and with audio tapes also, because I read a few days ago that converted VHS image quality is just good BUT not like the original. Hope to hear from you soon!
So quality is bad I have 3.0 version I haven't used it yet
@@gospelclassictv5167 OK
Thanks for sharing
Great video Brandon and yes, a FireWire port would be nice but you'd probably need one of those small hard drives because FireWire is AVI files and those are better but much bigger.
why do you need firewire ??
You don't really need it. It's just an option. @@ACommenterOnTH-cam
HI, Can the 3.0 converter export to an external 5T HD? Thanks...
Great and easy to follow review. I like the speed at which you explain things.
Im going to buy 2.0 or 3.0 and was wondering if the pic quality is any different...also i know some vhs players cuz i used to have one had s video out but it woulsnt have the same audio output jack.... could you use the whitw and red rca cables with s video?
Yes the have the same picture quality and if you want to use s-video you have to use the red and white audio cables from your AV cables to get audio since s-video is only a video source.
@@brandoncameracollection Do you have any recommendations for a good vcr or ive heard of super vhs...for really good quality?
I have a vcr I use I’m not sure what model it is I’ll have look and let you know but it’s Panasonic
@@brandoncameracollection Thx! Would just be nice to get the same output quality and people in reviews say its possible.
Ok it’s the Panasonic DMR-EZ485V
Can u record tapeless ?
Yes definitely you can. Same way you would with the 2.0 you just now have an internal battery
That was a great video, you answered a lot of my questions. But I have more, which is better using a flash drive or the disk? And what about the type of files it save? Is one better than the other?
I looked online and found this clear click 3 for $199 or $219 that comes with editing software. Some say the software is not any good. But I have Sony Vegas and Davinci Resolve. About 3 years ago I saved some things onto a flash drive that I wanted to keep. When I got ready to use it the flash drive was dead, everything on it was gone. I got it to reformat and save some crap but a day or two later it was blank.
I wondered about using the fire wire I remember that being one of the selling points when I bought the Cannon GL2 camera. Hell of a thing, I bought the GL2 then tried to hook it up to my newer computer. It would not work. I bought one card then I was told I need a newer card. Then I was told I needed to install new drivers to run the new card. Downloaded all kinds of crap, Nothing worked. My old XP computer worked downloading the video. But then could not handle the editing software.
"About 3 years ago I saved some things onto a flash drive that I wanted to keep. When I got ready to use it the flash drive was dead, everything on it was gone."
I ran into this same issue when i tranferred old MiniDV cassette videos to usb thumb drives, then 3 months later those same thumb drives WITH the files on them were all GONE and erased. Come to find out that those thumb drives were counterfeit. It would save everything but then when you came back and inserted the thumb drive to power it, it would format itself and erase everything. THANK GOD i kept all the MiniDV cassettes.
Just bought mine!
Sweet! Have fun 🤙
I skipped the 2.0 version for this upgraded 3.0 based on your review.
Finally sat down & watched this video again opening my clear click 3.0 & used a old monster cable from my Sony hi8 camcorder & it works flawlessly. I got sound & a great pic quality with a 23 yr old monster cable. The videos are 15 to 20 yrs old & the quality is still very good.
I wonder if Atomos had a similar unit back then?
can i update the ac500st, some link?
To clarify, it isn't meant to be a DVR device, correct? Mostly for digitizing anything from an RCA source?
how long does the battery last?
I haven’t ran it down to 0% from 100% but I think it would last about 2 hours
@@brandoncameracollection about the gl2 you have for sale on ebay do you ship to the Netherlands? Im considering buying 1?
Yeah I can do international shipping. Calculating the cost to ship it to the Netherlands would be about $70 though
Thanks for your suggestion to ClearClick for the FireWire connection. That's the main reason I bought my 3.0, is because I have a Sony video camera I spent a lot of money on years ago and this ClearClick was suggested to me as a way to get the video from the Sony into the computer, instead of keeping around an old computer that has FireWire ports.
Will this convert video 8 tapes? Not Hi 8. I found numerous Video 8 my mom had recorded of my kids and her family. Appreciate your videos!
Yes you can use it to capture any camcorder footage even vhs
firewire to clearclick 4.0 would be awesome. I am just trying to use dv cam firewire to firewire 800, then firewire 800 to apple thunderbolt 2, then thunderbolt 2 to thunderbolt 3 then to mac mini 2. The thunderbolt 4 on my mac should work with the thunderbolt 3. I am still waiting for some parts to arrive, then try to record to my mac using quicktime or final cut pro for a NLE session. Not a portable solution, but I pulled my old sony vx 2000 and discovered that all of old NLE stuff won`t work unless I buy a new windows 98 computer, which I am not going to do to make my old Canopus hardware and software to work.
i saw these Clear Click devices, but never bought one. i have a Sony VDR-MC5 video conversion device, which has a built-in DVD recorder. I simply connect the RCA cables from the VCR to the DVD recorder, and hit record as the tape is playing. Sadly, it doesn't do a decent job converting my old 30+ year old tapes. I tried digitizing a tape and it looked horrible when i played it on my laptop. I am currently looking at these various shops here in my city that digitize videos. One of these shops charges $34 per every 2 hours, and my tapes are 6 hour ones, so that one place charges $102 to digitize the tape. Another place charges $25 per tape. Sometimes, a low amount will result in a low-grade conversion. I don't know which place i will try. I figure that these places are in business, and have been for 5 years or so, so they must be doing something right to stay in business. I have about 25 tapes of precious family memories that need conversion. Thank you for sharing your video!!!!
Very thorough:)
Thank you for your video reviews! 😊
Do you know if I can record PAL tapes in 720x576 25fps?
I have ElGato and it works like a breeze but it records in max 640x480. I'd like to get the highest resolution from my old VHS PAL tapes.
I’m not sure if it records in pal or not. But it does record up to 720p and 60fps
ElGato can record at 720x576 you just need to use OBS instead of ElGato Software, can record at NTSC 720x480 or PAL 720x576 using OBS and then you can upscale it to whatever you want while recording the video.
Game changer
Currently, I transfer my vhs to a DVD recorder....then rip the DVD to mpeg2 and convert that to mp4. Does anyone who has used this method and bought this device ...find that it produces a better , equal or lower quality mp4 ? Of course, I realize it saves time and is more conveniet.
I have a video where I explain how to capture with a vcr/dvd player and the footage from it looks super good. But these kinds of converters definitely have less picture quality. But they are very convenient, easy to use, and your can use them with your camera to go tapeless.
They have a new HD version that has a 1/4” screw thread in the bottom and also a NPF battery slot, which is great! They should do this to this SD version.
Yes I agree maybe when they make the 4.0 version 🤔
Which version is that? Link pls
They don’t have a 4.0 out yet just a 3.0
Hey i have the Canon GL1 / XM1 too, i want to record (live) tapeless using S-Video (with the clearclick 2.0) does it work without tapes in the camera? or if you have a tape and press record does it also record on the clearclick?
Yeah you don’t need a tape in the camera to record tapeless. And yes you could record on a tape and the clearclick at the same time if that’s what you are asking. If you want to record on tape you would obviously push record on the camera. If you want to record from the clearclick you would push record on the clearclick
@@brandoncameracollection Thanks so much man, the answer really helps me :) Love the channel btw, saw a few videos already : D
Thanks glad to help and I’m glad you like the content 😊
Answered my question as well! Thanks homie!
Thank you 🙏
Question. So can I just record without a tape? Or it’s only for converting video you already have in tape?
Yeah you can record with out a tape. I have a few videos on my channel on how to go tapeless
@@brandoncameracollection *heavy breathing* I need one! Does clearclik ever do sales?
@@brandoncameracollection thank u r the best!
You know, a problem these older camcorder have I've noticed is poor audio. Either locked to mono, or having dirty microphone jacks, or a dying internal DAC/AMP.
A possible solution could be to use a battery powered external microphone and use a 3.5mm to RCA audio splitter, and run it directly into the Clear Click 2 Digital 3.0's Audio RCA ports instead of the camcorders.
Granted, the audio would sound too high quality for the video footage, but that could be a good trade off for someone who wants good quality audio but the low quality video of an older camcorder.
I don't suppose you'd be willing to give the setup I've just suggested a try?
Yeah I’d be willing to try that out. I could make a video out of it if that’s what your asking. I usually show the footage with the on board mic so that people can hear what the audio is like along with the video quality
That'd be great if you could do that. I feel as if it'd be useful to know for anybody shopping for an old camcorder.@@brandoncameracollection
Aiiintttt no wayyy.
Yes way and it’s a definite upgrade from the 2.0
S VIDEO NOTE: make sure its a 4 pin & not a 6pin type!
The good thing about this unit it does NOT need a PC and won't ever get software out dated. Where the other units need a PC and need a specific windows OS to work.
UVC capture devices work with Android devices that support USB OTG.
Bangladesh price
Hi , i don' t know if anyone told you but the music is over shallowing your voice.
Thanks 😊 I’ll make sure to turn it down in future episodes
Thanks for saying upfront you go tit from the manufacturer
Sorry, but your review was rather useless in that you didn't show the Quality of the captured video or your analysis of the video quality.
Firewire is extinct. 🤷♂
No there are ways you can do it just takes much more time and effort
Newer computers don’t really have usb or sd on them. Seems kind of out of date
I don’t understand why new laptops especially Mac books don’t have any ports besides a power supply. It just makes them so much less useful for anything you want to do
@@brandoncameracollection yes, so disappointing.
Does this only record playback or can I just record what the lense is seeing at that moment ?
Yes you can use I for either. So it’s technically a tapeless method
How long does the battery last?
I would say about 1.5 hours
@@brandoncameracollection Thanks for the info
How long does the battery last?
I’d say about 1.5-2 hours