Neuros MPEG4 Video Recorder 2

If you have a Sony PSP, you probably
already know that it is designed for video as well as gaming. There
are plenty of movies available on UMD,
but what if you want to carry around a few TV shows, your favorite
DVD, or something you shot with your
camcorder? The Neuros MPEG-4 Video
Recorder 2 is one way to do that: it’s a “digital "caps">VCR” which records from a video source directly onto
a Memory Stick Duo or CompactFlash card, in formats compatible with
the PSP, video iPod, and other mobile
devices.

Neuros makes two versions of their "caps">MPEG-4 recorder. The one reviewed here is the second
version; the original has a SD slot instead of Memory Stick,
different software, and a different recording format which is not
PSP compatible.

Physical Description

The Neuros MPEG-4 Video Recorder 2 is
a small black box, about the size of two decks of playing cards
side by side. On one edge are CompactFlash and Memory Stick slots
as well as the window for the remote infrared receiver. The
opposite edge has 1/8-inch input and output jacks and the power
connector.

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The recorder comes with a typical “wall wart” power supply and
two audio/video cables, each of which has the usual three
RCA plugs (no S-video) at one end and a
1/8-inch connector at the other. A software CD containing media
player applications for popular mobile platforms is included. The
remote (which is the only way to operate the recorder, so don’t
lose it!) is a flat, credit-card-shaped black slab with rubber
membrane buttons.

Usage

Setting up the recorder is simple: attach the audio/video inputs
and outputs, insert a Memory Stick or CompactFlash card, and turn
the recorder on using the remote. A live preview is available on
the main menu:

Recording is started from the full screen video passthrough. An
information overlay shows the recording quality and space
available.

Pressing the Menu button from this screen allows you to select
the recording quality and timer options.

Once everything is set up to your liking, you can start and stop
recording using the remote. Each recording is stored as a separate
video file which you can play on the PSP
or another mobile device or copy to your computer. Videos are
recorded in MPEG-4 format with
AAC audio.

You can, of course, play back the videos you record. The video
player also supports DivX and Quicktime "caps">MPEG-4 files.

You can also use the recorder to display photos and play music
from your memory card. The music player supports "caps">MP3, AAC, and WMA formats
but does not play protected (purchased) music files.

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Finally, if you have both supported memory cards, you can use
the built in file manager to copy files back and forth. Also shown
below is the setup menu. Note that a firmware upgrade option is
available, in case Neuros fixes bugs or improves the software.

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Recording Formats and Quality

The Neuros recorder captures video in several different
resolutions and quality levels. If you record video to watch on a
portable device, you will probably use the "caps">QVGA (320×200) resolution. "caps">QVGA recordings can be played directly on the
PSP and should work without additional
conversion on the iPod and most PDAs as well. The "caps">PSP’s wide screen is also supported with a
WQVGA (368×208) option. Finally,
the recorder can capture at VGA
(640×480) resolution. The PSP can’t
play VGA recording (due to hardware
limitations), but they should work well on high-end PDAs.

The recorder has two quality levels for "caps">QVGA and WQVGA recording
and four for VGA. These affect video
quality only; audio is always recorded as 128 kbps "caps">AAC. The following table shows the average bit rate
of each format, how many megabytes are required per minute of
recording, and how much video will fit on a 1GB memory card. All
values are based on various test clips I recorded while writing
this review, and are estimated conservatively.

Sample Clips

The following sample clips (all of the same 30 second scene)
show the effects of the recorder’s resolution and quality settings.
This particular scene has a lot of movement in it, so it should be
a good test of how well the Neuros’ encoder does under
pressure.

[ "caps">QVGA Economic] [ "/assets/neuros-mp4-qvga-norm.mp4">QVGA
Normal] [ "/assets/neuros-mp4-wide-norm.mp4">WQVGA
Normal] [ "caps">VGA Economic] [ "/assets/neuros-mp4-vga-norm.mp4">VGA
Normal] [ "caps">VGA Fine] [ "/assets/neuros-mp4-vga-super.mp4">VGA
Super Fine]

Viewed on a PSP, there are visible
artifacts in the QVGA and "caps">WQVGA clips but the “normal” quality is still quite
watchable. I wouldn’t recommend the “economic” setting for an
action movie like the one the sample clip is from, but it should be
adequate for normal television shows.

One thing of note about the WQVGA clip
is that the top and bottom are cropped. That resolution is meant to
be used only with widescreen video, so the recorder trims off the
edges of the input to remove the letterbox bars.

The VGA recordings at “fine” and
“super fine” quality are appropriate for TV playback or computer
viewing. The “economic” and “normal” settings are probably not
worth using at VGA resolution, as they
have to cram four times as many pixels into almost the same amount
of bandwidth as QVGA mode.

Likes and Dislikes

The Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2 does
exactly what it claims to: it is an easy way to record video to
watch on a PSP. But there a lot of small
ways in which it falls short of perfection.

The use of 1/8″ mini jacks for input and output is one example.
You have to use the provided cables, and there is no way to
directly plug into devices (such as game consoles) that don’t have
their own A/V jacks. Not having proper A/V jacks on the box isn’t a
dealbreaker, but it would be more useful if they were there.
Similarly, S-video support would be nice, and its omission seems
odd for a device made in 2006.

Another drawback of this product, from my perspective as a
gadget lover, is the choice of supported memory formats. I have
devices that use both Memory Stick and SD, and I suspect I’m not
alone in that. The recorder would be much more useful if it had all
three memory formats in one box; perhaps Neuros will do that in the
next version.

I also don’t like the user interface. The on screen menus are
somewhat ugly and feel clunky to me, especially in combination with
the membrane click buttons on the remote. But it gets the job done,
and making recordings is simple enough.

On the whole, the Neuros MPEG-4 Video
Recorder (both versions) is an interesting first entry in the new
product category of “recording for mobile devices,” and there is
clearly a lot of room for growth and improvement. In a few years,
PVRs and set-top DVD recorders will
probably include memory card slots, but until then this product is
a convenient way to put video on your PSP
or PDA without the complexity of PC video
capture. I’m not entirely convinced there is a big market for this
product right now, especially since USB
video boxes are in the same price range, but it fills its niche
well.

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