Snappy Video v. 4.0

Play's Snappy Video Snapshot (now in version 4.0) is compact gadget that connects directly to the parallel port of your Windows PC and allows you to capture still images from a camcorder, VCR, or TV.

Hardware

The hardware in the package includes the Snappy Video Snapshot, one RCA cable, and a 1/8 inch (mini-plug) to RCA adapter. Connecting the Snappy into your computer is not hard at all. The unit has two blue thumb wheels that really help in tightly fastening it to the computer. We found that this is very important when we first connected the Snappy. We didn't initially have it tight enough, and the computer couldn't find the Snappy. After we tightened it, everything worked well. We really liked everything about the unit, especially that it's small and compact. One feature that would be nice, possibly for future releases, is a parallel port pass through that would allow you to plug your printer into your computer while you're using the Snappy.

Software

Play provides a nice looking, user-friendly software installer that made the Snappy set-up, well, a snap. Once we had the it securely plugged in, we were able to get it running without any problems. It actually went so smoothly that we didn't need to consult the manual once. Snappy's image capture software allows complete control. You can chance numerous aspects of you captures including the resolution, brightness, contrast, file type, and number of colors. Snappy also comes with Adobe PhotoDeluxe, which is basically a very simplified version of Adobe Photoshop. Don't get me wrong though, PhotoDeluxe is capable and offers some of Photoshop's features with a more elementary outward appearance. PhotoDeluxe allows you to easily import your images then using a series of buttons change just about attribute. It's a great product for people who don't have the time or desire to get involved in the full version of Photoshop.

Performance

Image quality is really exceptional. It did much better at capturing stills than my video capture card. The Snappy can capture pictures at up to 1500 x 1125 resolution while video capture cards are typically limited to 640 x 480. To accomplish this, Snappy enhances the image. It does an awesome job of capturing high resolution stills, even from relatively low resolution video pictures, through the composite (RCA) input. You can look at a snap that we took at 1500 x 1125, by click Here (long download).

Verdict

For under $200, you get a excellent still image capture system. The stills look really good and it includes a terrific software package. Because the Snappy is such a great product, were awarding it the camcorderinfo.com Editors Choice Award for outstanding quality in its product class