SanDisk SDMV1-R V-Mate Video Memory Card Recorder

by SanDisk

Product Details

User Guide [204kb PDF]

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Product Sheet [1.18mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 2.6 x 0.8 inches ; 1.6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000IN72KK
• Item model number: SDMV1-R
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 7, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description If you've been looking for a quick and easy way to get your video onto your favorite devices, the SanDisk V-Mate Video Memory Card Recorder is just the right solution.

The device features all the connectivity and media compatibility you need. View front and rear.

The V-Mate makes it easy to get your media onto your favorite devices.

Easy Set-up
Simply connect the V-Mate to your TV and any composite video source, including your cable/satellite/terrestrial set-top box, DVD player, VCR, personal video recorder (PVR), or camcorder. The V-Mate allows you to select your desired playback device "profile," or manually set video format, resolution, and quality levels via a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on your television screen. The GUI makes it very easy to navigate through the menu and select recording and viewing options.

Easy Recording
The V-Mate allows you to schedule recordings of television programs based on channel, date, and start/stop times, including daily and weekly repeats. You may program up to 30 time slots. And because the V-mate is compatible with all major memory card formats, you can record to the media that works with your devices.

Playback on Your Device
You can view your recorded video content by simply inserting your flash memory card into a compatible portable device. Now your mobile phone, handheld game console, PDA, video music player personal media player (PMP), and PC are just a few steps from playing your video on your terms.

Product Description

If you''re tired of missing your favorite TV shows or never have the time to watch TV recordings or movies at home because you''re always on the go, then the SanDisk V-Mate is for you! Characterized by its ease-of-use, the SanDisk V-Mate is a video memory card recorder that captures video content from an analog source directly onto a flash memory card. You can then playback recorded video content by simply inserting your flash memory card into a compatible mobile device. Enjoying video content on the move has never been easier!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gotta start somewhere, November 8, 2006

By 

C. Bartlett (McCloud, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SanDisk SDMV1-R V-Mate Video Memory Card Recorder (Personal Computers)

This idea is a long time coming. I am using this daily for video on my Pocket PC using a 4GB SD card. It accepts almost all other cards, although sadly not Compact Flash for some reason. Consider San Disk makes CF cards, its a shame it doesn't support them.

The recording quality is about what one would expect. On the small screen, it is beautiful, plays smoothly, and is easy to configure for your device. (It will automatically set itself to your device by simply choosing it from a list, or you can set it manually in about 5 minutes). Your options include size/resolution; format (mp4, 3gp, etc); and FPS (15 or 30). I use MP4, 320x240, and 15 FPS. This records about 500+MB per 1 hour of recording. This allows almost 8 hours of recorded video on my one card.

One tip: I use TCPMP on my device installed to a different SD card. However, by putting a copy of the TCPMP folder on both cards, I can swap them out and still see the video recorder to the card without hassle. Works great!

Back to the video quality, this is NOT a device for recording video files that look great on your TV. Even at the highest resolution and 30 FPS, the video on the TV is quite fuzzy. This is only slightly dissapointing, however, as you don't buy it for your TV - you buy it for your portable. (If you want something like this for your TV, get a TiVo already! =)

So in the end, I love this product so far! It installs in minutes (just a couple of cables to route in your system). From there it has a rudimentary yet simple system for either recording on the fly, or setting a schedule to record things later. My 'best practice' is simply to check the 'satellite' for interesting shows/movies over night, schedule them, and then in the morning I have a full card. Simply put the card in the PDA and start watching!

Finally, it is worth noting that the San Disk site has already posted a firmware update. It is nice to see they will support and fix things as the need arises.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars EASY TO USE - LACKING SOME BASICS, February 15, 2007

By 

Daniel Ciccone "Chicago Dan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SanDisk SDMV1-R V-Mate Video Memory Card Recorder (Personal Computers)

I agree with everyone else that this item is easy to set up and schedule recordings. However, my complaints, and some seem obvious, follow:
1. Resolution is OK - good for playback on a portable device - but not your computer.
2. The channels on the SanDisk menu only go up to 199 - my digital cable goes up to 899 - there's a lot that I can't record.
3. The included remote is tiny, all black (easy to misplace) and isn't labeled very well.
4. The menu blocks out the entire screen and doesn't go away - kind of annoying if you want to schedule a recording and watch something else.
5. Different quality for different channels. Not sure why this is as most of my analog channels look the same.
6. The included IR emitter totally whacked out my remote for the cable box - can't seem to figure out how to fix it.

If you have a small TV in a bedroom or office and want a cheap alternative, or if you are looking to copy programs and make them even smaller for your iPod, iRiver, etc., it's a good CHEAP alternative. But if you are looking for quality recordings to save in a collection or play back on a bigger TV, buy something else.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Picture quality lacking, December 30, 2006

By 

David J. Dodaro - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SanDisk SDMV1-R V-Mate Video Memory Card Recorder (Personal Computers)

I tested this along with the Neuros MPEG4 and must say hands down the winner in picture quality is the Neuros. The picture with the SanDisk is very pixelated, especially with fast action sports like football and basketball.

The SanDisk does have a better interface, and is easier to understand and set up quickly, but in the end the picture and sound quality are poor.

FYI - I'm using a PSP as my viewer.