Review: Terratec Grabster AV400 peripheral

When you think how difficult it used to be to convert VHS and other analogue video tapes to DVD, products like Terratec’s Grabster AV400 seem like modern miracles in comparison.

In fact, the Grabster AV400 is a deceptively simple piece of kit.

Plug your analog source (VCR or camcorder) in one end and your computer (via USB) in the other. Then use the supplied software to perform the digital equivalent of holding down pause on one deck and pressing record on the other, just like the old days of tape-to-tape recording.

Once your video has transferred to the computer's hard disk in its entirety, you can either do a spot of home editing using Ulead VideoStudio 7 or burn it straight to disc using Ulead DVD MovieFactory 3.

Both programs are much older than the current shop-bought software versions, but do their respective jobs perfectly well and are easy to use.

The Grabster AV400 is a sleek little brushed aluminium box with composite video, S-video and analogue stereo (red and white) inputs.

Unlike the cheaper Grabster AV150, the AV400 comes with all the cables and Scart adapters. A printed quick start guide is also provided and we were able to set up the unit in a matter of seconds, which surprised even us.

The Grabster is USB powered, so it doesn’t need to be plugged into the mains. It also uses hardware to do all the video digitisation, which means you don’t need a terribly fast computer to capture at DVD quality.

We use the term ‘DVD quality’ advisedly, however.

The device can certainly capture at DVD resolution (720 x 576 pixels), but t he nature of VHS and analogue video in general is that picture and audio quality doesn’t always live up to the high standard of DVD.

It’s a shame Terratec didn’t take the opportunity to incorporate analogue audio and video outputs onto the same device, as it would be useful for some people if video conversion worked both ways.

As it stands, the Grabster AV400 is an extremely straightforward, if slightly expensive, analogue-to-digital video converter.

Related reviews 
Terratec Grabster AV150 peripheral
Verdict: The AV400's younger sibling is cheap, cheerful and will capture video well but it isn't fully functional straight out of the box
Rating: 3/5
Price: £40