Introduction

Let’s face it – It’s pretty cool to own an iPod video but how in the world are you going to get videos onto that player? You can certainly purchase television shows off of iTunes or look for videos on the net that you can download (but of course then you’d have to deal with converting the content to the proper format) but shouldn’t there be something simpler? Back in the good old days, one would simply record television shows onto a VHS tape for later viewing. Couldn’t someone come up with something similar to that? Well guess what folks – someone actually has. It’s called the Neuros MPEG4 Video Recorder 2 and it’s made by the good folks over at Neuros Audio. Think of the MPEG-4 Video Recorder 2 as a digital VCR device. This small and simple device connects to your analog video sources and captures video into a digital format using the MPEG-4 codec. Once in this format, you can easily transfer the videos to the Apple iPod video or the Sony PSP. Join us as we take a look at the Neuros Audio MPEG-4 Video Recorder 2.

 

Features

The main features of the Neuros MPEG4 Video Recorder 2 are as follows:

• Display images (JPG, GIF, and BMP formats)
• Play audio files (MP3 and WMA formats)
• Play videos (ASF, AVI, MP4 formats)
• Record video from a TV, DVD, VCR or Camcorder

 

Specifications

Video Encoder:

For the PSP

• QVGA (320 x 240) MPEG4 + AAC-LC 30fps
• 368 x 208 (16:9) MPEG4 + AAC-LC 30fps
• VGA (640 x 480) MPEG4+AAC-LC 30fps

Video Decoder:

• MPEG4 SP, MPEG1 Layer 3 (MP3). 30 fps at D1 resolution
• DivX 3.11 @CIF resolution,4.x, 5.x 30 fps at D1 resolution
• Quicktime 6; MPEG-4 AAC-LC stereo, MP4 format at D1 resolution

File Formats:

• ASF, AVI, MP4

Audio Decoder:

• Codec: G.726
• MP3 decoding @ 30 - 320 kb/s CBR and VBR
• WMA

Still Image:

• JPEG decode, BMP, GIF (animated not included)

Resolution:

• Up to 16M pixels (4096 x 4096)

Thumbnails:

• Supported when the photo has the EXIF header

Image Processing:

• Zoom in, Zoom out 1x/2x/4x

Storage:

• Memory Card: CF Card, MS Duo Card, MS Pro Duo Card

TV System:

• Video Out format: NTSC, PAL

Power Source:

• External 5V AC/DC Adapter (100 ~ 240V, 1.4A)

Dimensions and Weight:

• 118 x 87 x 18 mm, 140g

Typical Recording Times on a 1GB card

MPEG-4 video at 30fps @320 x 240 resolutions

• 143 minutes for normal (768k)

• 250 minutes for economic (384k)

 

MPEG-4 video at 30fps @ 368 x 208 resolutions

• 143 minutes for normal (768k)

• 250 minutes for economic (384k)

 

MPEG-4 video at 30fps @ 640 x 480 resolutions

• 60 minutes for super fine (2M)
• 111 minutes for fine (1M)
• 143 minutes for normal(768k)
• 250 minutes for economic (384k)

 

Physical Overview

We received the Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder 2 over the holiday season but we really didn’t get a chance to look at the device until recently. Here’s a look at the packaging:

Let’s take a look inside the orange box shall we?

Here’s a shot of all the accessories that come with the unit.

The packaging includes:

• MPEG-4 Recorder
• Power Adapter
• Remote Control
• 2 Component Cables
• User Manual
• CD

We’ll walk you through a guided tour of the externals. The front of the MPEG-4 Recorder looks as follows:

From left to right, you’ll find:

• Two LEDs (the Power LED in Green, and the Recording LED in Red)
• IR receiver
• CF Card Slot
• Memory Stick Duo Slot

 

The back of the MPEG-4 Recorder looks as follows:

From left to right, you’ll find:

• DC Power
• AV Out
• AV In

 

Here’s a snapshot of the included remote control. You operate the MPEG-4 Recorder solely through the remote control so do yourself a favor and don’t lose it.

Setting things up

The Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder is extremely easy to set up. There are only three cables to connect with the recorder – the video input cable, the video output cable and the power cable. So the basics are as follows – connect the video source to the recorder; connect the output video cable to your television set and then plug in the power cable.

 

Why do you need to connect the AV out to your television set? The recorder has an on-screen user interface which you need to use in order to change settings, record video and view your media content.

Of course your own setup could differ. Another possible scenario is to connect the Neuros recorder to an A/V receiver for either the input or the output port.

 

For our testing, we used a 512MB Compact Flash card and the Apple iPod video device. Unfortunately we did not have any Memory Stick Duo card on hand nor a Sony PSP to play with but the outcome should be similar if not the same as the Apple iPod experiments here.

 

Using the recorder

The Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder has two basic functions – media play back and video recording. The recorder is capable of playing back digital images, digital music, and digital videos. The on screen user interface is fairly simplistic although not necessarily the easiest to use with the remote control. The top row of icons represents various functions – from playing back pictures to recording videos to setting up the device. The lower two thirds of the user interface is a file browser for the media card.

 

Here’s a snapshot of the user interface for viewing pictures:

 

Here’s a snapshot of the user interface for listening to music:

ID3 tag information is displayed on the right hand side of the screen for any selected music file stored on the flash card. In our example, we selected a Dave Matthews song to play back via the television set. To play back music, you simply press the play button the remote control and the music starts being read off the card. Don’t expect any visualizations or fancy animations here – the device is just a simple music player.

 

Here’s a snapshot of the user interface for viewing videos:

Have some videos you’d like to play back on your television set? No problem. Copy them on to your flash media card and then play back on the Neuros recorder.

 

Finally, you can use the Neuros to navigate through the directories and files stored on your media card.

 

Recording Videos

Now onto the main feature – video recording! The Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder 2 allows you to record video into three different resolution formats – QVGA, WQVGA, and VGA. For every resolution, you can select a quality setting which will affect the video recording quality and the resulting compression performance. Check the specifications above for estimated recording times based on resolution and quality settings.

 

Here’s a snapshot of what the recording menu looks like:

To test the Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder 2, I hooked the unit up to my home theater receiver and recorded video coming from my Xbox 360 console. We use the Xbox 360 as both a game console and a DVD player here at home so it made sense for us to try out the recording capabilities with the 360. What was our test video? Well it was none other than the four hour mini series Battlestar Galatica DVD (if you haven’t seen the mini series, you should!).

Setting up the testing was fairly straight forward. The output from the Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder was directed to my television set and I viewed the user interface directly on my display. Whatever video coming from my Xbox 360 was fed right into the MPEG-4 video recorder and then displayed back out on the television screen. It’s important to note that we had to update the video out on the Xbox 360 to deliver standard definition video since HD output is not supported by the Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2.

 

When I found a segment I wanted to record, I simply pressed the record button on the remote and the unit began recording and encoding the video into MPEG4 video.

We tested recordings using the three video resolutions available to the MPEG-4 recorder – QVGA, WQVGA, and VGA. Once the recordings were finished, the files were moved from the CF card to our desktop PC. All movies are recorded with a .mp4 extension and depending on your PC setup, you should be able to view them within Windows Media Player or the Apple Quicktime Player.

 

You can directly use QVGA and WQVGA formatted videos with iTunes and the iPod video. You won’t be able to transfer VGA resolution video to the iPod – it needs to be first converted by iTunes and then uploaded to the iPod. The conversion process could take some time depending on the length of your video and the speed of your processor. Here’s a snapshot of iTunes with the MP4 files imported into the library.

If you plan on recording widescreen video content, you should consider using the WQVGA format which is already in 16:9 format. When you use this format, you will only record the widescreen video and not anything above or below the video thus resulting in both a smaller file size and a cleaner picture.

 

Here’s a snapshot of the iPod video playing back the imported MP4 file.

There’s something to be said about watching Battlestar Galatica on the small screen. There are plenty of moments where I would love to just sit down with my iPod video and watch a quick flick or two. The Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder makes all that possible for me. I can now easily record my favorite shows on television without the hassles of encoding and converting videos on my PC. Just record, and transfer video to the iPod (or Sony PSP) and you’re done.

 

Of course the iPod isn’t the only portable device capable of playing back MP4 files. Nearly all current portable media players are capable of playing back this format and thus the Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder is a handy device for these players as well.

 

But let’s consider a basic question – why would one even consider purchasing this device? Well let’s face it – it isn’t easy getting videos onto a PC let alone an Apple iPod. There’s a good chance that your home PC doesn’t have a TV tuner card or a video capture card. Yes you could download videos onto your PC but remember – most of the good stuff is most likely illegal to download or in an incompatible format. And yes you could also purchase videos on iTunes but there are many out there who are unwilling to pay money for a television show that would normally be free on network TV. So what is the average Joe to do? You need the Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder of course. When you think about it – it’s really another type of DVR – minus the integrated hard drive. There’s no need to run additional software applications to convert videos from one format to another. Set your Neuros to record in QVGA and you’ll instantly have a way to get Will & Grace right onto your iPod video without forking up more cash to Apple.

 

Is it a perfect device? Not completely. During testing, I did come across a faint high pitch sound in the background which was noticeable during quiet moments. It’s not enough to be totally annoying and I honestly can’t discount the fact that there could have been something wrong with my home theater setup. I just wanted to mention it in the review nevertheless.

 

One other annoyance – the on screen user interface could use some touch ups. The UI looks like something you’d find in a DOS command line application from the 80’s! However, it does work and once you get used to the remote control, it’s trivial to set up a video recording and bring it over to your iPod or PSP.

 

Summary

The Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder is a convenient way to record and encode analog video into MPEG4 files. You can then use these files with all sorts of portable media players including the popular Apple iPod video. There’s no fuss involved and you won’t have to deal with any software conversion tools on your PC. You simply use the recorder as if it was a VCR – pop in a media card, press record, and then transfer the video to your PC where you can then upload it to your favorite PMP device. On top of this, the Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder also provides media playback capabilities which we view as icing on the cake.

Oh yes.. one more thing. You did indeed see me use the Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder 2 to record a commercial DVD. I was pleasantly surprised to see the device handle the Macrovision protected content.

The Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder 2 is available for an MSRP of $149.99.

 

We’d like to thank Neuros Audio for sending us the evaluation unit to review.

– This is Neuro’s response to the audio issue I brought up:

FYI, we had a handful of people that reported this small background noise. It was occurring with very few units and we could not reproduce this with the units ourselves. It sounds like it could be due to environmental interferences. In any case, our engineers corrected this and it should no longer happen.

Sounds good to me. It could very well have been electrical interference from my A/V equipment that caused that sound.

 

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