Dazzle Multimedia DM-2200 Hollywood DV Bridge

by Dazzle Multimedia

Product Details

Product Manual [3.14mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 3.5 x 1 x 6.8 inches ; 1.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000063WPO
• Item model number: DM-2200
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #81 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Components > Video Capture Cards
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 16, 2002

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Canopus ADVC100 is far superior, September 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Dazzle Multimedia DM-2200 Hollywood DV Bridge (Personal Computers)

I've owned a Hollywood DV Bridge for more than a year, and also a Canopus ADVC100. The DV Bridge is adequate for importing analog video into Adobe Premiere. Just adequate. But having the benefit of owning both products, I have no hesitation about recommending the ADVC100 over the DV Bridge. The ADVC100 allows you to lock audio to video during capture, the image quality is superior to that captured with the DV Bridge, and I have yet to drop a frame during capture with the ADVC (even with older vhs tapes). The DV Bridge might look cool to some (I thought so when I bought mine), but it's simply not as functional as the ADVC100 because it tends to fall over when it has cables plugged into the front and back of the unit, whereas the ADVC100 is a nice looking box that sits flat and cables fit snugly. Snug cable fit is an issue with my DV Bridge because my S-Video cable fits somewhat loosely and works best if I wrap scotch tape around the unit and plug to improve the integrity of the S-video input connection. Finally, the ADVC100 has a built-in on-off switch while the DV Bridge does not. It's a small thing I suppose, but I'd rather not have to plug and unplug the DV Bridge's power supply from my power bar after each use. It can get dusty down under my desk sometimes. Since getting the ADVC100, my DV Bridge is officially retired. In my opinion, the Canopus product is superior to the DV Bridge in every way, and is the way to go for those interested in purchasing a product for capturing analog video.

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars DO NOT BUY, November 16, 2002

By 

Mike (Bergen County, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dazzle Multimedia DM-2200 Hollywood DV Bridge (Personal Computers)

Please, I beg you, do not buy this product.

The reason why? It was a waste of [X]. I had an analog camcorder and was looking for a way to get the video on my computer. I sure wasn't going to buy a USB capture device, so I figured a stand-alone Firewire (IEEE 1394) capture device would work good, and Dazzle was pretty much the only brand that made one. Or so I thought. What I didn't know was that just about EVERY DIGITAL CAMCORDER has an Analog to Digital converter (before you buy one, make sure it does- it should say it somewhere on the box or webpage, as it is a popular feature). So, for an extra hundred bucks, I could've bought a decent Digital Camcorder that, along with being able to digitally capture video without being hooked up to a computer, converts analog video to digital MUCH better than the Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge. If only I knew that today.

Why do I regret buying the DV-Bridge? I have had mine a little over a year, and it didn't always work the best. It makes it extremely hard to capture segments from my analog camcorder. It will often drop frames, making the video you are trying to capture worthless. When the Hollywood DV-Bridge drops a frame, that frame is a mess of colors and a loud noise will accompany it on the audio track.

When it is capturing regular, the video it captures is just OK quality- nothing spectacular. I also stopped trying to output video using the DV-Bridge, as it just doesn't work. The longest I was able to get it outputting without stopping or the picture becoming distorted was around 40 seconds. However, I tried outputting the same exact DV file using the same program to a Sony Digital-8 Camcorder, and it worked fine.

I would call Dazzle to complain or to see if maybe I got a defective product, but phone support is only free for 30 days- after that you have to pay [X]. The support it provides online is worthless and didn't help me at all.

So please, learn from me and absolutely do not buy this product, as paying [X]for peice of garbage that gives you a headache just isn't worth it.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Does not support ANY capture software except what is bundled, September 17, 2002

By 

Richard C. Drew "Anaal Nathra/Uthe vas Bethod... (Oak Lawn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dazzle Multimedia DM-2200 Hollywood DV Bridge (Personal Computers)

I found it impossible to capture video with any software except the feature poor software that came with the device. Adobe Premiere? Can't capture. Adobe After Effects? Can't capture. Windows Video? Can't capture. NOTHING can capture from the device but that freebie software. I left tech support a question about this. It took FIVE WEEKS (yes - 5) to get an answer!

If you are happy with the included software, you're all set. If you want the "professional" results Dazzle brags about, forget it.