LIVEdigitally

We live in the age of ginormous hard drives. The price of a hard drive was approximately one dollar per gigabyte, today the prices are even less. With such huge hard drives available, we’re stuck with tons of space and nothing to fill it. Downloading mp3 files is one way to go, but they’re so tiny that you’d have to spend thousands of dollars at something like the iTunes online store. The best way to utilize your ample digital storage is by filling it up with video!

That’s where the Video Advantage USB by Turtle Beach comes into play. Record video to your PC, and fill those lonely hard drives up. Gazing at the box, I read promises of recording from many different mediums such as VHS tapes, video cameras, Television, DVD’s and anything else you could find to hook up with svideo or composite connections.

I have never worked with a Turtle Beach product before, and wondered what else the company produces. I found an array of headphones, sound cards, and video capture devices. They seem like they know what they’re doing, but I’m ready to find out for myself. I wanted to record off of three different devices, my TV, DVD player, and laptop.

Opening the box I found a CD, user manual, Svideo cable, composite (RCA) cables, a USB cable, the adapter plug with three composite female connectors, and finally the actual Video Advantage itself. (more…)

By Ron Bell

8:25 a.m.: on the way to an early meeting with the new boss. What topics will she cover? Last week’s email bulletin comes up quickly on the handheld. While poring over lines of text, the jostling train commute becomes more tolerable, if a bit cramped: sharing space with a slim, sexy laptop and friendly, rather large person named Pat who works in the office down the hall. Wait — was the name Pat or Sandy? No matter, just nod and smile, we’re almost there.

8:28 a.m.: standing at the front entrance to the office building. A frigid shock of panic strikes: the notebook! Gone. Never realized the shirt collar was so bloody tight, the necktie a noose. Where does Sandy, no Pat, where does this person work: an office phone number, perhaps? Long forgotten. Wait, the cell phone address book, under “S.” No, that’s not it. Look under “P.” Ah, there it is. “Yes,” comes the ever-so-cheerful response, “I picked it up after you rushed out in such a hurry. But to ensure its safe and pleasant return,” the voice concludes sweetly, “we absolutely must spend a pleasant hour together for lunch.”

How often have you tried to remember an emotionally charged experience (more…)