First, my application was not recording games, rather video -- specifically copying movies and shows off my DirecTV DVR. I've been looking for a solution for a couple years now and have tried other (eg (Haup....) boxes. This works, and while it's not perfect, I am VERY happy.
The Good: It records HDMI. Most solutions do not. Simply connected my DirecTV receiver (HDMI) to the "Box" and then pass *the included* HDMI cable to my TV. Press "PLAY" on the DTV remote and press the "RECORD" on the BOX. Done.
The Bad... There's no timer. You must press REC again to stop. For gamers, I suspect this is a non-issue, but I'd like to set it up to copy and go to bed. I've done that, and it works, but ended up with a VERY large video file. Since I'm working with a 3 TB HD, not really a major problem. Just takes longer to copy the file to my laptop where I then edit the first minute or 2 and the last 'X' minutes to net-out the video.
Again, none of this is major, it's just not as smooth as it could be.
I am on my second unit. As others have said, their Customer Service is OUTSTANDING. The company is based in China and every thing is via Email -- so there's a 24hr lag, but I got *useful* responses EVERY time.
My first unit was bad and they *immediately* offered a replacement and paid the shipping costs for my return (and shipped the replacement for free !) . THEY followed up asking if I'd shipped the unit.... I did not need to chase them ! Additionally they shipped the replacement as soon as I sent them a tracking number, which was exceptional.
The replacement arrived and when I tried, the DirecTV receiver shut down as the (paraphrase) "Connected device does not support copy protection".
I thought I had a new software build that would not allow me to do the 1 thing I wanted -- record the movies/TV shows that I wanted.
An email to Customer Service and 24hrs later I had a "Do this..." (long key-press-reset)
FIXED.
Also, on my original unit I tried multiple storage devices. USB thumb drive (included with the purchase), my own (8Gb) and several USB HD's (including a 240Gb SSD). I had mixed results and believe a POWERED USB drive works better than an 'unpowered'. The 2Gb thumb-drive worked, but the 240GB SSD did not. The unpowered (read as requiring the BOX to power my drive) drives (several different sizes and manufacturers) did not. The 2TB powered work the best. I believe POWERED is the key element, although I haven't tested with the replacement BOX I received (just haven't tried). I suspect the USB powre out-put 'out' may be on the edge of underpowered. (just IMHO)
Again, the company is based in China, but their manual is in *ENGLISH* as was there email correspondence. I *highlighted* 'ENGLISH' as their instruction manual was fairly complete and clear, and the emails were as well. For me, a unique experience with a China based company.
The BOX is not perfect. On occasion it won't recognized the re-attached HD.
My pattern was: I would record a movie and then disconnect from the BOX and connect to my laptop. Copy off the file and then re-attach to the BOX to copy another movie..(copied the video file to my laptop for editing and then re-attach to the BOX to record another video.)
A LONG (5+ sec.) key press of the REC button resets the unit (I think) and it's good to go.
I had been looking for something that would work with my SnapStream BTV. This does not. It doesn't need to. As long as you're willing to press "start" and "stop" (or have a large (eg 60GB) file, it works REALLY well. A little post recording editing (Wondershare !) and I'm done, and frankly it's as easy to edit a 8Gb file as it is a 50Gb file. I'f I did have a DVR, recording a 3am movie would be a pain -- the BOX cannot record the 3am movie (automatically) as there's no timer/tuner control, but I use the Recorder function of the DTV and the PLAY to off-load onto the Box and my HD.
HD quality recording for under $100-- Wow !
Finally, I work with Technology for a major tech company (not the BOX manufacturer ! :-) )
So I understand (and appreciate) good documentation, GREAT support and especially a well made product.
This is a lengthy review and hopefully useful as I am a happy customer.
If you're looking for a solution to offload your DVR, this is it !
Added 1 month later...
Still working well but I am still only able to use the 2Tb powered drive. Going on the road and I'd like to take something smaller. Picked up an 128Gb Sd card and USB adapter, and it also has difficulty working, but...
What I have found is:
1. with the USB drive plugged in, unplug the power from the box.
2. Holing down the Rec. button, plug the power back in and continue holding.
3. After a short boot-up, the LED will switch to Green. keep holding until it goes Blue, then release.
I will the unit did a better job working with USB drives, and I haven't tested my other drives, but I thought I'd add this as it seems to fix my problem and I know others are having it as well. Good luck.
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Product Description
H.264 Video Recorder for Your HDMI Stuff
Recording HD videos from various HDMI source devices such as set-top box, video player or gaming console. Simply create a library of your favorite videos! Just press the REC/STOP button on the video capture box and it will do the rest for you!
Standalone video grabber. Free up your PC!
Are you still recording videos on your PC? The specially designed storage recording mode frees up your PC and allows you to record video directly to a USB flash drive or mobile hard drive, launching a new way of video capture!
One record button makes it easy to record your video/gameplay.
- Play your video/gameplay first and click REC/STOP button, then HDML-Cloner Box will start recording automatically.
- Its compact size allows you to just put it in your pocket and take it with you anywhere as convenient as possible.
- With an H.264 hardware encoder built into its core, your video will be saved as MP4 format, easy to edit and compatible with various platforms.
Audio Tip:
- The product records PCM or Stereo audio format. Please adjust the audio output of your source device to PCM or Stereo before recording.
Tips to choose a right USB storage device:
- FAT32 (32GB and below size are recommended) and NTFS format are available. Note: exFAT format does not work with ClonerAlliance products.
- Using NTFS formatted storage device, the video will be recorded as a single file.
- For external hard drive, MBR partition type is required.
- It's recommended that the reading speed and writing speed are both 50Mbps or more. The faster the speed is, the better the performance will be.
Excellent design gives you more flexible choices.
- Supports various HDMI video devices including Xbox One, PS4, Switch, video player, set-top box, drone, medical device, etc.
- HDMI pass-through without lags when you are gaming.
- 3.5mm mic jack allows you to add own live commentary to your gameplay/video.The mic audio will get mixed with the HDMI audio automatically. Note: Please do use a 3.5mm TS connector.
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Amazing HD video quality with quick 1080p/720p switchEasily record unlimited footage in flawless 1080p or 720p quality. Just press and hold the REC/STOP button for a while to switch between 1080p and 720p. |
Ultra-low lag HDMI Pass-throughUltra-low lag gameplay is of great importance to have the best gaming experience. Thus, HDML-Cloner Box delivers Ultra-low latency Full HD pass-through video, and you can enjoy your gameplay as it is meant to be. |
Capture live commentary or voice-overCapture your live commentary with the microphone jack, which is built into HDML-Cloner Box. Plug a microphone and then capture your gameplay with your live voice! Note: HDML-Cloner Box only supports to record to your USB storage devices. It doesn't support livestreaming function. |
Bundled video editing software ready for your post productionMP4-Cloner and HDML-Cloner Helper are versatile programs to edit MP4 video files recorded with our video capture tool. It enables you to trim a video, combine video clips, convert to other video formats and burn your videos to discs. Tip: The bundled software HDML-Cloner Helper and MP4-Cloner can only work under windows OS(Windows 7 or above). |
From the brand
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ClonerAlliance was founded in 2014, which is dedicated to developing standalone video recorders, video capture devices, and software programs.
We strive to develop robust products and value every customer's comments. Our team provides you with professional and timely services to ensure your satisfaction.
Our goal is to make sure every precious memory is permanently recorded and shared, without regrets.
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Compliance and Satisfaction
We've been working closely with U.S.-based law firms to ensure product compliance and provide the best usage experience.
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Compare with similar items
This Item  HDML-Cloner Box, Standalone Mini 1080p Gaming and Video Capture Box. Lag-Free Video Pass-Through. No PC Required. |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $278.90 | $273.00 | -25% $179.90 List: $239.99 | $178.99 | $268.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 |
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| Sold By | — | ClonerAlliance | SabrePC (SN Rec-5 Yr HDD Wty) | ClonerAlliance | ClonerAlliance | ClonerAlliance |
| hardware interface | usb2.0 | hdmi, usb2.0 a, 3 5 mm audio, usb2.0 micro b | usb3.0, usb, hdmi | hdmi, composite video, component video, vga, usb2.0 a, 3 5 mm audio, usb2.0 micro b | usb3.0 | usb3.0 |
| video output format | mp4 | MPEG-4 | MPEG-4 | MPEG-4 | — | — |
| operating system | pc | — | Operating System | Windows | Linux,Windows,Mac,Android | Linux,Windows,Mac,Android |
| style | HDML-Cloner Box | — | — | Box,Digital | ClonerAlliance Flint 4KP Plus | — |
Reviews with images
I was actually planning to perform my own "hack" utilizing an HDMI splitter (with HDCP passthrough like a ViewHD) along with an
Before I even knew this device existed, I was actually planning to perform my own "hack" utilizing an HDMI splitter (with HDCP passthrough like a ViewHD) along with an Elgato Game Capture HD in order to record some programs that I wanted in 1080p HD off the HDMI port on my cable set top box. This little jewel happened to pop up in the search when I was looking to see how much the Elgato currently costs.It turned into a no brainer for me to add this to my cart as this was a much simpler and cheaper solution. HDCP passes through this device so it will record the output from almost any HDMI source. This review is specifically about the device. Myself, I don't really need the HDMI Cloner Helper software to create DVD/Blu-ray's from the recorded files since I've gone diskless for most of my content; the H.264 MP4 files are good enough since I'll just stream them from a DLNA media server to my PS4 (I also have Air Video Server running where I use Air Video on my iPad), or just use something like an AirPlay app like Beamer or AirParrot 2 to stream to my Apple TV box where I can watch them at my leisure. Furthermore, the helper application is Windows based (I'm primarily Mac now and while I could use it under VMware Fusion, I do have a Mac compatible app like Roxio Toast that does the same/has more advanced functionality).I purchased a couple of 32GB SanDisk Extreme USB flash drives for the faster read speeds when transferring the videos off the drive to my computer. I formatted them to NTFS to get around the 2GB split files (so long as the device has/is flashed with the firmware that supports this; mine was already flashed to handle it). The included 2GB flash drive is good for around 20 minutes of recorded video (enough to test); like others, I'm using it for firmware upgrades.The product is shipped direct from China and took just a little over a week to arrive in the mail (well before the estimated 4-5 week delivery). The device itself is small and lightweight (maybe a little too light to where it won't sit flat via its own weight once you have the HDMI cables connected). The box naturally needs to placed in an accessible area to hit the button to start/stop recording. So the only real annoyance (a minor one though) I have with the device is one of aesthetics since the ports are located on a right angle corner (HDMI In and Out on separate faces) with the power adapter input on the face with the On/Off button; so it kind of looks like a mess (see attached photo).As noted, it does run on the warm side even when not recording (so keeping it well ventilated is important).For my setup, the device works as advertised where I was able to record off my cable set top box (1080p); I let it run for around an hour to test. That video came out to around 4.3GB (it had a constant bitrate of 10.11 mbit/sec). Re-encoding it could reduce the file size significantly using variable bitrate encoding. The video quality is more than acceptable given the source though (most broadcast HD is far from being the best quality due to the amount of compression they use). Given that I was previously just using a standard DVD recorder (where its recording at 640x480), this is a huge improvement. I also tried it out on my PS4 just to see if it would capture without disabling HDCP; no issues at all.Sure, I'd like to see just a little more user functionality like being able to set it to stop recording after 30/45/60/90/etc increments (timer/scheduling type functionality would really make this awesome - the firmware likely uses embedded Linux so its possible to build a web interface for it - I'd pay a reasonable premium for that kind of functionality though). Overall, I'm really happy that I came across this and have no problems recommending this to others.
Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
4.5 out of 5 stars if I could.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2016Mr. M. D. MCMAHON
It does what it claims. Well pleased.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2020Eastern Canada Prime Customer
Does the job - low end and not easy to set up - UPDATED
Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2018