Rating: 
Summary: Nothing but trouble
Review: The device I purchased is only capable of capturing about 1-2 minutes of video before it starts dropping frames from older tapes. The Dazzle forum is full of similar complaints. Dazzle has done nothing to rectify the problem, and they blame PC setup as the cause. I tried all of the tech suggestions for Win XP and the problem was not fixed. Some newer tapes captured with only minimal "choppiness" problems, but the majority of my tapes are older and caused the bridge to lose sync and produce a choppy, noisy, unwatchable DVD. After a month of troubleshooting, I replaced the Dazzle with a Canopus ADVC-100. The price is similar, but the results are far superior to the Dazzle bridge. No lost frames anymore, even from the older tapes, and the picture quality is superior to the Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge. I just wish I would have done the research before I bought the Dazzle unit. The Canopus ADVC-100 is an outstanding performer, and it actually delivers what is promised from Canopus, unlike the false claims from Dazzle. If you are smart, you will steer clear of the Dazzle unit.
Rating:
Summary: Avoid the Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge
Review: The Hollywood DV-Bridge was easy to set up and use, but it will randomly disconnect from the 1394 bus. In my case, it disconnects every 10-40 minutes. This seems to be power related - if the source is on the same supply as the bridge and computer, I can up the disconnect interval to several hours....>The worst part is support. My original complaint to Dazzle was submitted 2 Jan 03, and the first response came 13 Feb 03!! Today I tried calling tech support this morning and hung up after being on hold for more than an hour on their toll number. The two responses I've had from them so far (via email) have only repeated information in the database you can search yourself on the web plus one reference to an irrelevant Microsoft knowledge base article. The support alone should be enough for anyone to avoid this product.
Rating:
Summary: Avoid the Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge
Review: The Hollywood DV-Bridge was easy to set up and use, but it will randomly disconnect from the 1394 bus. In my case, it disconnects every 10-40 minutes. This seems to be power related - if the source is on the same supply as the bridge and computer, I can up the disconnect interval to several hours. ...>The worst part is support. My original complaint to Dazzle was submitted 2 Jan 03, and the first response came 13 Feb 03!! Today I tried calling tech support this morning and hung up after being on hold for more than an hour on their toll number. The two responses I've had from them so far (via email) have only repeated information in the database you can search yourself on the web plus one reference to an irrelevant Microsoft knowledge base article. The support alone should be enough for anyone to avoid this product.
Rating:
Summary: great...WHEN IT WORKS!
Review: this is a great product in theory. i was only able to get it to capture a few minutes of video at a time before the product would shut down. goto dazzle website and read the pages! and pages! of customer complaints. be wary!
Rating:
Summary: great...WHEN IT WORKS!
Review: this is a great product in theory. i was only able to get it to capture a few minutes of video at a time before the product would shut down. goto dazzle website and read the pages! and pages! of customer complaints. be wary!
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood DV Bridge Makes an Expensive Doorstop
Review: Top Five Reasons NOT to buy a Dazzle Product: 1 - Technical Support is non-existant. 2 - The video editing software sold with the bridge is buggy, and you need to immediately order an update CD from [website]. (The only way to discover that you need the update is by going to their web page after you start experiencing problems with the software that is supplied with the bridge.) 3 - Hollywood Video Editing Software (The updated "non-buggy" version) frequently locks-up for no apparent reason...but it does work better than the "buggy" version. My PC is a 1.8MHz P4 with 256 MB of RAM, 37 GB hard drive, and 32 bit video. My Windows-XP task monitor does not indicate that I am using up my system resources, however I need to save my storyboard everytime I make an edit because the software locks up with no warning.
4 - Audio/Video Output is poor. Audio playback is slightly faster than video, and by 20 minutes you will feel like you are watching an old Chinese Kung-fu movie. This is true when watching the video on the PC, or after it has been recorded to an external device. 5 - When you FINALLY get the software/hardware to output to a VCR, you will find that the picture is poor, and audio is plagued with occasional high-pitched "pops". I have not attempted to burn a DVD yet, but I am prepared to be disappointed because nothing else has worked as advertised. (Oh, did I mention that the technical support is non-existant?) Dazzle does provide a users forum that you can subscribe to after you purchase their product. The advantage of the forum is that you will learn that you are not alone. The disadvantage of joining the forum is discovering that you are not alone, and there are few solutions to the many problems.
Rating: 
Summary: works great, ignore the previous reviewer
Review: You do not need to use the included software to edit your videos, only to capture and convert them. Once captured, you can use Adobe Premiere or the editing program of your choice. Also, the included Ulead and Main Actor editing software is used by many and far from freebie 'junk.' Why slam Dazzle for including this extra where others wouldn't have bothered? For most people it is more than enough, and saves the cost of additional apps.
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