ClearClickHD Video Capture Box Ultimate 3.0 (Third Generation) - Capture or Stream Video from HDMI, DVI, SDI, S-Video, RCA, AV, VHS, VCR, DVD, Camcorders, Hi8

Overall this is an excellent video capture device for a professional filming rig. At the very least it gives you an external 7" viewing monitor, and it supports a massive number of inputs. It can run off of standard batteries, and has a foot-pedal control feature so you can keep your hands on your rig.It's highly configurable and has many nice features. The only drawbacks would be that it only supports a max of 1080p recording resolution, and the included hard-shell box is poorly designed internally (it has cut-outs for included flimsy part-boxes, not the individual parts themselves). There's some other peculiarities as well, but for the most part this is an exceptional tool to add to your filming rig.

The media could not be loaded. I run the livestream and we needed a portable monitor / field recorder and this little box does it allI did a few trials and this is what I discovered1. SDI 3G only works with 1080p60hz - this is what it said on the box and it does work with my 1080p60 cameras. However, it does not work with my Blackmagic ATEM studio HD which is outputting 1080p59.94So I don't know why the strict tolerance with this box but I guess it did state that. I wish it did work with my Blackmagic SDI devices since these devices are standard in the video industry.I would have like to use SDI cabling for distance and reliability with my ATEM Studio.Maybe a firmware update will allow 59.94 huh ClearClick tech?!2. It had NO problems with the Blackmagic ATEM mini which is outputting 1080p60 on HDMI3. It was able to convert S-VHS input for recording to digital. This is a great addition for converting old tapes.4. It did NOT work with my Crucial X6 500GB Portable SSD USB-C drive. In fact when I plugged in the USB-C the ClearClick shutdown5. It did work with my USB-A HD 500G no name brand and I was able to record over 1hr without any issues6. Audio adjustments can only be done with the remote while recording. Not a show stopped, but have to keep that remote handy7. I don't know why it's not mentioned or shown in the product page. But there is a line input and mic input. Although I don't use that mainly because the ATEM Mini Pro analog input to encode to hdmi works fine and I like to switch in and out the audioBottom-line, this is a very powerful video recorder in a small form factor with a lot of features. The menu system could be a little better designed. Especially while recording you can't enter the menusPair this with a ATEM Mini Pro and a few cameras - you have yourself a complete field video recording studio. That's pretty awesome

Pros:- Tons of different input sources - Composite Video, S-Video, YPbPr, VGA, HDMI- No trouble with input resolution switching- Durable construction- Large clearly visible buttons- Self-Contained- Options for mounting- Options for battery power- Petal for hands-free operation- Remote control- Full size screen- Comes with a caseCons:- For the case to hold the device securely, you are expected to continue using the flimsy cardboard boxes the accessories come in.- Only has three capture resolutions - 1080p, 720p, VGA (1024x768)- Volume buttons are not labeled on the device- Aspect Ratio can only be switched with the remote- Improper handling of 240p sources- High display lag- Short power cordOverview:This is my second ClearClick video capture device, and I really like them because they're completely self-contained. You don't need a computer to use them, just an SD card or USB drive and a video source.The unit is solid, has large buttons that are easy to see even in low light, give you a nice tactile click when pressed, and are arranged in such a way you could easily learn to operate it by feel. It's also built ruggedly like it could survive occasional drops.This unit comes with a nice hard case. The case is made out of a pretty flimsy plastic, and I wouldn't trust it to take much punishment to tolerate much weight being stacked on top of it, but it's super convenient for storage. The case has foam cutouts for the device to hold it securely in place, however for some inexplicable reason, instead of just making foam cutouts for the video adapters, USB cables and power adapter, they made cutouts for flimsy cardboard boxes in which these things slide around freely. That was a terrible decision. It's only a matter of time before the cardboard boxes lose integrity and the foam pieces can no longer hold things securely in place.Unlike my previous ClearClick, this one does not have an internal battery. That's a good thing in the long term because rechargeable batteries have a limited lifespan and they can be a right pain to replace when they go bad. This one does, however, have sockets for rechargeable batteries on the back, so you can use it without a power adapter if you want to shell out more money on batteries and a charger.It comes with a 12V 1A power supply which actually screws onto the device to ensure that the cord doesn't accidentally slip out, however the cord is only about 4 ft long meaning you will almost definitely need to use an extension cord.To economize, the device only comes with a single, multipurpose analog video adapter that re-purposes an HDMI plug to connect to the device. Not only does this mean you'll always have unused cables dangling off the end of the device, but it would be super easy to accidentally plug this into the wrong socket. I have no idea what damage would be done by mixing these up, but dumping composite video into an HDMI socket cannot be good for it. I remember reading somewhere that re-using the plug for other signals is an HDMI licensing violation, but I don't know for sure.Despite being able to accept quite a few different video input types, you're very limited in terms of recording format. You get 1080p, 720p, or VGA. These are not terrible choices, but they are also not ideal, especially if you're capturing something from VHS, for example, because the extra resolution is basically a waste of space. This is limited to recording in H.264. It's not precisely bad, but it is very old and I expected such a high priced device to at least be capable of H.265 (which is also a little old at this point).In "High" quality mode, it captures 1080p at ~60Hz, and does a fairly good job not introducing encoding artifacts.The USB-C connectivity allows you to connect it to a PC and use your own capture software (like OBS) if you like, so if you REALLY want to capture in h.265 or even just stream the raw video from the device, you can.It does an okay job upscaling from lower resolutions to 1080p as long as you're not trying to capture from old video game consoles. It improperly interprets 240p as 480i and just destroys the image with interpolation artifacts.It has the ability to switch between capturing in a 4:3 aspect ratio and a 16:9 aspect ratio, however the only way to change this is with the remote control. There are no buttons on the device nor options in the menu which can change this setting. This is a very irritating design.It does a fantastic job with 1080i sources. In particular I used it to capture some old D-Theater video over YPbPr and it looks and sounds awesome.Conclusion:The ability to stream and capture from so many sources is pretty great, as is the fact that is rugged like a tool should be. The fact that it is self-contained is also a huge plus. However in my opinion this device is overpriced by half at least.For this to justify its $500 price it should:- come with batteries- capture IN 4K@30 instead of just reading it- be able to encode in h.265- support other capture resolutions such as 480p- come with separate cables for composite, YPbPr and VGA input- have the aspect ratio as a menu item- come with a case that does not rely on cardboard boxes- properly detect and capture 240p