PSP-Hacks.com

Reviewed on: 02/20/06

I received this snazzy little device earlier in the week, and I must say I'm quite impressed with the results. The device in question? The Neuros MPEG4 Video Recorder 2. What does it do? It works in the same manner as a VCR, allowing you to record shows directly to a Memory Stick or Compact Flash (CF) card in MPEG4 format, resulting in immediate playback on your PSP or any other portable device which utilizes one of the two media types.

The unit is very small and sleek looking. It comes equipped with a remote and all the required cables to get started. Installation is a breeze - the manual isn't even necessary for the initial wiring/setup. Now you're not only limited to recording video - the device also functions as an audio player and image viewer!

The on-screen display (OSD) needs a bit of work. I've noticed the remote isn't always responsive - it seems a bit slow. Although I'm sure this will be improved with future releases. You'll more than likely need to refer to the included manual for usage instructions.

So onto the tests:

My first attempt worked flawlessly; I recorded a 30 minute show onto a 1GB stick with 883MB remaining. At 320x240, with the Economic setting (384kbps bitrate), I had approximately 230 minutes of recording time. The device supports various configuration settings for optimal performance:

Video resolutions:

• 30fps @ 320x240 resolution - QVGA
• 30fps @ 368x208 resolution - 16:9, WQVGA (wide screen)
• 30fps @ 640x480 resolution - VGA

Video Bitrates:

• Economic = 384kbps
• Normal = 768kbps
• Fine = 1mbps
• Super Fine = 2mbps

Once recording was complete, my PSP played back the video without a problem - the quality was great too, very impressive! Of course my second recording failed due to the simple fact I was clueless to realize the PSP does not support a resolution of 640x480 (thanks Mitwang ;)). Everything else worked without a hitch - both the audio playback and image viewer.

What other features does this sexy little device hold?

• 5 programmable recording schedules (once,daily,weekly or monthly)
• Transfer files between cards
• Background music for slideshow
• One-click record feature from remote

Below are some additional technical specs from the Neuros Technology website:

Video Player
MPEG-4 SP with MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3) audio,30fps up to D1 resolution
DivX 3.11@ CIF Resolution; DivX 4.x,5.x,30fps up to D1 resolution
Quicktime 6; MPEG-4 AAC-LC stereo, MP4 format at up to resolution
ASF, AVI, MP4

Photo Viewer
JPEG decoder (baseline), BMP, GIF (non animated)
Resolution up to 16M pixels (4096x4096)
Thumbnail view (when photo has the EXIF header)
Zoom in/out (2x, 4x)

MP3/AAc Music Player
Stereo MP3/WMA decoding @ 30-320kbps CBR & VBR
Stereo MPEG-4 AAC-LC decoding
G.726 Decoder

Overall, I'm very pleased with this solid device. It retails for $149.99 which I think is fair. It avoids having to do any messy re-encoding on your PC to accommodate your favourite shows, that's right - No PC Required - all the encoding is done directly on the device! Great for lazy people! ;)

Many props to Neuros for this kick-ass device! It'll definitely serve its purpose! Thanks.

For those interested in this device, head over to Neuros Technology!

or click the banner below: