Adaptec VideOh! Media Center

With the right equipment, you can use a PC to record video footage from your TV. As far as Adaptec is concerned, its VideOh! DVD Media Center is the right equipment.

It can be used to watch, control and record video and TV on a PC. An independently powered break-out box connects to the PC via USB 2 and offers connection ports for analogue video sources - such as a video recorder or camcorder. It also houses a television aerial socket, allowing live, full-screen TV footage to be captured.The supplied WinDVR software provides the interface to automatically tune all available TV channels.

Once configured, you can then record or pause a live broadcast. To resume, just click play and it will carry on from wherever you left it. It works by storing the real-time footage on the PC's hard disk, allowing the viewer to watch whatever was missed, or fast-forward to catch up with the live broadcast. During recording, you can skip ads or activate an instant replay mode to review the last five seconds of action. The only downside is a one-second gap of missed footage when you resume watching. Also, every minute of recorded video takes up around 45Mb of hard disk space.

The software captures video in MPEG-2 format and in a choice of three recording qualities. The lower the quality, the less hard disk space is needed. An online programme guide can be accessed using the internet. However, we found it created all sorts of problems when trying to use it without an internet connection being present. Capturing video from a video-cassette recorder or camcorder works in the same way, but employs the three analogue and one S-Video sockets on the front of the break-out box.

Extra software includes the ArcSoft Showbiz video-editing package and Sonic MyDVD for creating DVDs and photo slide shows from acquired footage.For £150 it's not a bad external capture device. Providing you have the right software, however, a TV tuner card can do the same job for less money.

Contact: Adaptec 01276 854500
www.adaptec-uk.com