This dvr claims to record from any source to a pen drive, is it any good?

[SHS]

I should read the posting below any way Trouffman said firmware had PL330 in it I check and sure it did have it in three so most be that it a Sigmas Design PL330 HD Encoder.
I didn't see any ref to Sigmas Design at all so they must have hidden it or replaes all name to AverMedia which odd usely they don't do that.

[ezcapper]

I should read the posting below any way Trouffman said firmware had PL330 in it I check and sure it did have it so most be that Sigmas Design PL330 HD Encoder.
I didn't any any ref to Sigmas Design at so they must hidden it or replaes all name to AverMedia which odd usely they don't do that.

You're right again, wow you're good at this. Here is the PL330:

It is also interesting that the pvr rocket firmware upgrade file and the hdmi cloner firmware upgrade files share the same name. When my yk918h comes, I will try both firmware upgrades to see if one will work to get rid of the file size limit. I think, like you said, there's a good chance that all three use the ITE 9919 chip

[ezcapper]

ok yk918h box came in. I think this was fast shipping for $1.99 Chinapost. Don't have usb drive until monday my $3 ebay hello kitty usb drive comes in. But flipping through the manual was very encouraged that it is the exact same manual as the hdmi cloner-box. The manual actually refers to the device as the HDMI Cloner-Box, it never uses any other name, except the front page where it says HDMI CaptureBox Mini. I ordered it from here $53:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Arrival-HDMI-HD-HDD-Video-Capture-Box-YK918H-/390960385216...item5b070e0cc0

The box itself (not manual) has the words velocap tbox mini painted on. This is good, because if the firmware works, you know what to type in google to buy the same exact box.

[ezcapper]

It looks like the HDMI Cloner-Box firmware update works on this device, the lights blinked as expected. I can't find anything wrong with the video or audio output, I cannot tell a difference between the recorded video and the live video. However it takes a long time to get over 2gb, so I'll leave it on for the next 5 hours while I sleep and get back to you guys.

So, far, I'm very confident that the HDMI Cloner-Box and yk918h are the same device. Windows recognizes the device as an audio device called Suntech PVR, if that helps anyone.


edit: was recording laptop screen and monitor went to sleep after 10 min, corrupted recording. Will try again changing monitor settings. Will post in afternoon.

[SHS]

edit: was recording laptop screen and monitor went to sleep after 10 min, corrupted recording. Will try again changing monitor settings. Will post in afternoon.

That not uncommon even the Hauppauge HD-PVR device will have same problem with source input that can cuase the corrupted recording.

[ezcapper]

edit: was recording laptop screen and monitor went to sleep after 10 min, corrupted recording. Will try again changing monitor settings. Will post in afternoon.

That not uncommon even the Hauppauge HD-PVR device will have same problem with source input that can cuase the corrupted recording.

Thanks for the comment. It wasn't as easy as I thought. I think because the firmware is still in beta. The drive is formatted ntfs, I get a file that's says it is about 3.7 gb, when I click on it, it says 0 kb. It is an empty file. I'll switch to the stable firmware I think until cloneralliance releases the next stable firmware. I still think it's a great device. Great quality, no problems. I will post a sample file soon.

[ezcapper]

ok i kept the beta firmware and switched the usb stick to a 16gb one, it seems to be working now. I think it's one of either two things, but definitely could be wrong.
1. Maybe if the file size is more than half your drive space, you get a corrupted file.
2. Maybe the other USB stick was bad.
3. Maybe the file size depends on the allocation unit size, so if you select 8192, the max file size is around 8gb

Just to make it clear, my understanding is you won't ever get a corrupted file with the standard firmware, I'm not interested in that. I'm trying to understand the beta firmware

Still feeling like this is probably the same device as the hdmi clonerbox.

next I will try to make a 10 - 14 gb recording, leaving it on all night.

edit: spoke too soon, the recording still fails unexpectedly sometimes, this time it did after 2.4gb.

[ezcapper]

Here are the specs of how the device recorded off my 1280x720 laptop screen. Not as impressive specs as I thought, but next time I'll try hd video instead of just messing around
I wonder if at higher bitrates, it still records Baseline@L3.1
[Video]
ID : 2
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Baseline@L3.1
Format settings, CABAC : No
Format settings, ReFrames : 1 frame
Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=120
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 52mn 28s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 7 965 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 59.940 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.144
Language : English

[Audio]
ID : 1
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 52mn 28s
Duration_FirstFrame : 21ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 192 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Language : English

[ezcapper]

For the next test, I will upload a full 720p noncopyrighted movie ripped from my computer screen along with the original, to see how the box handles it.

[ezcapper]

okay, now the stupid box is not recording long files even after going back to the stable firmware. Aaarrggggh, don't buy this cheap chinese crap, get the hdmi clonebox instead.

The video quality on this (broken) device is good though, uploading an hour long clip from one of the few times it worked at the moment.

[jagabo]

don't buy this cheap chinese crap, get the hdmi clonebox instead.

this is probably the same device as the hdmi clonerbox.

If it's the same box it's the same cheap "chinese crap".

Be sure your flash drives are really the size they claim to be. There are many disreputable dealers who buy small drives, format the to look like bigger drives, then sell them as big drives at a big profit. There are utilities that can verify drive size.

[ezcapper]

don't buy this cheap chinese crap, get the hdmi clonebox instead.

this is probably the same device as the hdmi clonerbox.

If it's the same box it's the same cheap "chinese crap".

Be sure your flash drives are really the size they claim to be. There are many disreputable dealers who buy small drives, format the to look like bigger drives, then sell them as big drives at a big profit. There are utilities that can verify drive size.

I'm pretty sure it's the same box. The difference is the cloner-alliance support. They only will mail you boxes that are fully working. My box works sometimes, sometimes doesn't work. That sucks. If it's a short file, it will work all the time. But longer than 2.5gb, you're looking at maybe a 33-40% success rate. This was a problem with some of the earlier clonerboxes, but they don't ship bad boxes anymore.

[ezcapper]

Below are the details from my first 1080p recording. I gave up and I'm using the new firmware. It went smoothly without splitting the file. I think because the box likes the tv better than my computer. As much as I hate this device's finnickiness, the picture quality to me is as good as the famous brand name dvrs, despite the BaselineL4 profile. Maybe that profile is more stable than L3.0? Don't know because I won't be able to make too many recordings like this, used someone else's tv.


Details:

File size : 2.57 GiB
Duration : 37mn 14s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 9 889 Kbps
[Video]
ID : 2
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Baseline@L4
Format settings, CABAC : No
Format settings, ReFrames : 1 frame
Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=60
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 37mn 14s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 9 692 Kbps
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.156
Stream size : 2.52 GiB (98%)
Language : English
[Audio]
ID : 1
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 37mn 14s
Duration_FirstFrame : 21ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 192 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 50.4 MiB (2%)
Language : English

[Clydesdale]

ezcapper, thanks for all your posting/testing on this device. It seems the Cloner Alliance box costs more than the Chinese box but works all the time? So that would be the one to buy? Particularly since Amazon sells it, so it could be shipped back for refund if it doesn't work.

By the way, has anyone tried this with the hdmi signal from a cable stb?

[ezcapper]

It will work with cable set top boxes. I have the beta firmware still installed on there. So it doesn't split files. The problem with big files is it is very hit or miss. Sometimes it will record 5gb no problem like this (this particular file is a computer screen capture):
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B695hmOChptNTWhYZzZ2c1hvSWc/view?usp=sharing

Sometimes it will be a 0 kb file after 2 hours of recording. I'm really banging my head against the wall on this.

You won't have a problem if you get the hdmi cloner-box, because their support staff is very responsive, they even answer my support questions right away and I own the other box. If your box from them does what mine does, send it back to them and they will send you a new one. If you look at their reviews by people who have bought it after the new firmware came out, people say it does what it is supposed to do. It records off anything with an hdmi out, no restrictions except a normal resolution (1080p/i 720p Pal NTSC, etc etc)

[jagabo]

Amazon doesn't sell the Clonerbox. It's sold by ClonerAliance, shipped from China. Ordering via Amazon does give you some assurance that it's not a complete ripoff and you can get a refund or exchange if you're not happy, and maybe more support. But there's no reason to believe at this point that the devices sold by ezcapper's ebay source are any more or less reliable than the ClonerAliance devices. A sample size of one doesn't mean anything.

[ezcapper]

Amazon doesn't sell the Clonerbox. It's sold by ClonerAliance, shipped from China. Ordering via Amazon does give you some assurance that it's not a complete ripoff and you can get a refund or exchange if you're not happy, and maybe more support. But there's no reason to believe at this point that the devices sold by ezcapper's ebay source are any more or less reliable than the ClonerAliance devices. A sample size of one doesn't mean anything.

The Clonerbox is more reliable. People who have bought the box since the end of May firmware update have been writing reviews. The reviews are good. Mail2tom has the box. He says it works perfectly. Nobody who has updated the firmware has said that the box starts erasing files. That only happens to them when they don't erase files. The reviews for this box are good. I have an LGP lite, and the video quality from this box at 8 or 9 mbps is better than the lgp lite at the 60 mbps setting for me.

[ezcapper]

Here is a guy who got a defective one from cloner-alliance. They sent him a new one, it works perfectly, he loves it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1Z7P6GQ99B8G8/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&...SIN=B00TF9MCXU

[jagabo]

The Clonerbox is more reliable.

YOUR sample size from the ebay seller is ONE. You might have been unlucky and got the one out of a thousand that doesn't work. Or maybe they all don't work. You just don't know. You cannot make a general statement of reliability from your experience with your one purchase.

[ezcapper]

The bottom line is, if you are one of the minority of people who get a defective device from cloner-alliance, they will take your word and replace the device for free. They also have english customer service that is responsive and wants to make sure you are happy, even if you are not their customer. Their customers since they updated the firmware are happy with the device, not just one of them. They are also the only company to put forth the effort to make the firmware for the box available. Without the firmware, the box is defective period. It does not record past 1gb with 480p/i sources. People can keep debating technicalities, but we're trying to figure out who to buy this box from. You might not have a need for this box, but other people will.

[ezcapper]

last post on this for a while, I won't keep spamming the forum. I have went back to the stable firmware, the files are easy to combine with avidemux, and if/when it get's corrupted, you only lose the 2gb chunk and anything after instead of the whole video. I will probably keep this box until they release a 4k one, it's good enough because it does short files well and that's what I really need. Here is a sample file a little over 4gb recorded with the beta firmware (no splitting files) you can download so you can see the how the box captures. If you stream it, make sure to select 720p, but it will be processed, so downloading is better:

capture:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B695hmOChptNTWhYZzZ2c1hvSWc/view?usp=sharing

original:
http://www.valkaama.com/download.php?target=media/movie/Valkaama_720p.mkv

My best guess is that the clonerbox and the yk918h are the same box. ClonerAlliance has good customer support, so if you order from them, you are much more likely to be satisfied with your purchase, however they charge $40 more.

firmware page:
http://www.cloner-alliance.com/download.html

sample split file details (bitrate, etc) recorded with stable firmware:
Complete name : Sample File
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media
Codec ID : isom
File size : 1.95 GiB
Duration : 27mn 27s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 10.2 Mbps

[Video]
ID : 2
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Baseline@L4
Format settings, CABAC : No
Format settings, ReFrames : 1 frame
Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=60
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 27mn 27s
Bit rate : 9 990 Kbps
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.161
Stream size : 1.92 GiB (98%)
Language : English

[Audio]
ID : 1
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 27mn 27s
Duration_FirstFrame : 21ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 192 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 37.2 MiB (2%)
Language : English

Review's of the cloner-alliance one:
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Cloner-need-Capture-streaming-videos/dp/B00TF9MCXU/ref=sr_1...hdmi+clonerbox

yk918h ebay page:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Arrival-HDMI-HD-HDD-Video-Capture-Box-YK918H-/390960385216...item5b070e0cc0

[jagabo]

capture:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B695hmOChptNTWhYZzZ2c1hvSWc/view?usp=sharing

I can view the video there but the download link doesn't work.

[ezcapper]

capture:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B695hmOChptNTWhYZzZ2c1hvSWc/view?usp=sharing

I can view the video there but the download link doesn't work.

Thanks for letting me know, I'll try to fix it now.

edit:
ok, sorry about that. There is an error in google drive that doesn't let people download files larger than 2gb. There's nothing I can do. I'll split the file and upload it next week. Thanks!

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/drive/vrU8o5ajRtw

[jagabo]

ok, sorry about that. There is an error in google drive that doesn't let people download files larger than 2gb.

LOL. It's ironic that you worked so hard to record files larger than 2 GB and now Google doesn't work with files over 2 GB.

[ezcapper]

haha, you're right man. I'm an idiot lol

[SHS]

haha, you're right man. I'm an idiot lol

LoL
By the way did check see if it had any directshow support?.

[ezcapper]

haha, you're right man. I'm an idiot lol

LoL
By the way did check see if it had any directshow support?.

sorry man, i don't have a usb cable to find out. I rethought your earlier post and think maybe you're right. I ordered a sandisk extreme usb drive to see if it will help. i was using a sandisk cruser. Another guy was having a similar problem with the yk918h and he mentioned this:

"Um yeah I had the same problem, you have to wait awhile after you end recording. The longer the recording the longer you wait. Sometimes I had problems with USB drives"

when i get bad recordings, the recording stops completely on its on, so its not a taking out the stick too soon problem

[SHS]

Have look at this ezcapper ?.
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/367146-hd-pvr-rocket

Can test your sandisk cruser and posted screenshot of your finding

[ezcapper]

Have look at this ezcapper ?.
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/367146-hd-pvr-rocket

Can test your sandisk cruser and posted screenshot of your finding

Thanks SHS!

[SHS]

Man that look pettey piss poor just like tj1080i as it like they cut cost replace the flash controller with lower speed ver mine is on other hand is a 1st gen