Diamond vc500 or Not ?

[smartel]

After reading tons of threads i'm just more and more confused

AGC issues that may (or not) be bypassed by a TBC* ? (i have both TBC-1000 and Panasonic ES10)

Proc-amp settings that may be difficult to access with virtualdub on W7 and even reset when pressing record ? contrast and/or brightness inconsistencies ?

but this device would not crush or blow black and whites below and above 16-235* ?

*or even an auto IRE adjustment ? or Macrovision ?

and the Hauppauge USB live-2 that may be a better alternative , that may have the same chipset (and/or video decoder) than the VC500 ( and maybe another Elgato device also)

I Know that these devices have been on the market for more than 10 years and that they must have change over the years ...

What should i expect from the current models ?

Is their maybe another model or brand that i am missing for around 50$ ?
Would i have to go deeper into my pocket ?

Could anybody offer some clarification for me before i go and buy something i won't like

[lingyi]

Read and maybe post in this thread at digitalfaq.com: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/9970-vc500-usages-quality.html

Even better, contact lordsmurf as he may still have some ATI USB devices for sale.