2. The Product

• DVD XPRESS DX2
• • Mwave.com
  • $72.38
• • ElectronicsPLUS
  • $74.99
• • NextWarehouse
  • $82.23
• • NextWarehouse.com
  • $82.23
• • UnbeatableSale
  • $82.45

The DVD Xpress DX2 is actually ADS' second version of the product, which we first reviewed back in 2004. The main difference between the original and the DX2 is updated styling and output options that include prepping content for Apple's iPod, Sony's PSP and Creative's Zen Vision portable media players.

The product enclosure is plastic, but with a top and bottom finished to resemble brushed aluminum (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The DVD Xpress DX2

The rear ports (Figure 2) are clearly labeled and easy to access.

Figure 2: A look at the rear ports

The DX2 is designed to capture video from any external source that can output video through composite video or S-video ports. Most commonly, a DVD player or VCR would be used, but a PC with video-out can also be used as a source. Since a PC is capable of playing so many different types of video files beyond the common DVD, using a second PC as the video source can expand the functionality of the DX2 significantly.

The DX2 transfers captured video to the recording PC through a USB 2.0 port. The video is then stored either on the hard drive or directly onto a recordable DVDR. The DX2 also derives its power from the USB port, so it does not need an external power source to function.

In the box:

The DVD Xpress DX2 capture box Driver CD containing: CapWiz 3.8 capture software Ulead VideoStudio 9 SE DVD DivX Player Instruction manual USB cord S-video cable RCA AV cable

Updated 7/26/2006 A look inside the DX2 (Figure 2A) shows that encoding is handled by a Micronas / WISchip WIS GO7007SB. This is a multi-format video encoder that can produce output encoded in MPEG-1/2/4, MJPEG, H.263, or GoStream formats.

Figure 2A: DX2 Board (click to enlarge)