DigitNow HD VIDEO DONGLE REVIEW | VIDEO STREAMING ON THE CHEAP? | Magewell Killer?[REVIEW]

Video capture dongles are a live streamer's magic wand. They allow for capturing video sources and make them available to streaming software. However, they come with a price tag. The digitNow video capture dongle tries to be an affordable solution in this space. Can it compete to Magewell or Elgato?
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Video capture dongles are a live streamer's magic wand. They allow for capturing video sources and make them available to streaming software. However, they come with a price tag. The digitNow video capture dongle tries to be an affordable solution in this space. Can it compete to Magewell or Elgato?

DigitNow Hd Video Dongle – Video Streaming on the cheap?

Before we get into reviewing this device, I want to give some information about how I found this piece of hardware.

I recently found interest in creating more videos, not just for this blog but also for other purposes and went on to find cost-efficient ways to incorporate video recording and live streaming into my workflows.
After doing some research on which hardware I would need, I was considering going for a portable capture card. Most manufacturers offer different models and their latest and greatest gear was all around $200-250USD.
A heavy pill to swallow, right?

Left with the question if video streaming was possible on the cheap I dived into the topic looking for affordable solutions.

Going back and forth looking up gear and reviews on YouTube, Google and Amazon, I found this video dongle, which really sounded promising:

DigitNow! HD Video Dongle Specs

  • A very small and portable device that converts HDMI to USB
  • HDMI video recording
  • HDMI pass through without time lags
  • easy upload to Facebook and YouTube
  • And this all came in at a much lower price as most competitor video capture cards. around $100 bucks

Let’s first have a look what comes in the package

After opening up the box you will find the usual stuff like a welcome card, a users manual and an installation CD. Further, You will then be presented with the small dongle. Underneath you will find additional cables you might need. A short HDMI cable and a USB3 Cable.

Looks Promising, right?!?

The frustration came shortly after! I was trying to find a driver’s download on a DigitNow website. And in short: There is NO DOWNLOADABLE DRIVER!! I had to go find my USB CD drive and use the CD that comes in the box.

More Disasters Ahead!

After installing the driver, I was hoping to get things going, connected a camera to the device and plugged in the USB cable. Nothing. The device is implemented in the Operating system and it simply does not work. OBS just freezes again and again.

I then was hoping to get things working with the software that comes with the dongle. The software’s interface is a mess and looks ancient. Functionality is close to zero. To my disappointment, it only allows to recording into a file. No streaming capabilities and noting. Not to mention that the video capture is stuttering and contains weird artifacts.

This piece eventually turns out to have no use and I am left with the question who this is for or if it simply is a really expensive piece of plastic!

Total waste of money. Don’t buy!!!

The journey of finding a better solution is yet to be continued. Looking forward to testing out the Elgato Capture Card HD60S!!!
I hope you will follow me, subscribe to stay updated and show me some love.

Yet Another Solution Just Capturing A Camera Signal

 ELGATO CAM LINK

I was just browsing for some deals on Amazon and was surprised to find Elgato coming up with a new product and competitive pricing if you are just looking to capture a video signal that does not require a pass through. This little dongle allows for capturing a lot of video sources from camcorders or DSLRs and only requires a device providing a clean HDMI out signal.

 

If someone ever managed to get this thing to work, I would happily find out what I did wrong.

Until next time
Over and out!

Daniel
Daniel
I have a background as a touring musician, and in the tech industry, working in tech support for internationally operating brands. When I was a child, I started opening up every device I could get my hands on. Later, this lead to me building my own computers out of other people's trash computers. Today, I still like tech and gear, talking about it, and sharing my knowledge.
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