I'm going to purchase an Analog to Digital converter because there are some old Camcorder analog tapes of the family I want to convert to digital and burn to CDs/DVDs. Through investigating I have learned that there are varying qualities, some so bad that the sound is out of sync with the video!

I've seen prices run from $150 to $500. I'm leaning toward Ospray right now, seems to have a good reputation for the money.

Anyone got any experiences with these things?

Well, since your post was from April, '04, I assume that you've already made your choice.

But, for the benefit of many interested viewers of your post, I've had very good experiences with the "Hauppauge! WinTV USB". I purchased it years ago, when digital cameras with 16x zoom optical and 3" LCD color monitor were horrendously expensive. But my trusty Sharp Viewcam with 8mm video tape, MP type, proved to be a perfect match. I purchased the Hauppauge! unit years ago for $ 99.00, but still find it on the retail shelves for about $ 50.00. But I'm sure they can be found on ebay. And Hauppauge! still provides online support, with up-to-date downloads. It's obviously a reliable unit that is holding its own quite well.

The Hauppauge! device will work with any RCA or S-Video output and runs the audio as a separate line-in into your system. I freely let my kids take an even older, bulky, hopelessly outdated VHS recorder on their rough and tumble adventure outings. The point is, I found the Hauppauge! unit is compatible with everything, all video systems, and is compatible for input on PC's as well as Mac's. And it will play broadcast (even comes with an antenna) and cable TV on your computer screen, and can copy live clips.

Any problems with the Hauppauge! unit, such as loss of audio sync, or frame drops, are probably more than likely because of the limitations of one's computer, and not the Hauppauge! unit. I noticed definite limits (although entirely satisfactory) on this with my old 233MHz laptop. But my more recent 1GHz laptop has complete capability. But most of the video images I produced were 240x360 pixel snapshots and 120x160 3fps video clips that I emailed to family and friends, or uploaded to my website.

Be advised that 240x360 30fps finished videos, with sound, will work quite well most computers today, but most people, including myself, are unwilling to take on such an ambitious hobby that would tie up the capacity and storage of my computer system. But, for those who are so inclined, the software that comes with the Hauppauge! unit is totally compatible with all of the video editing software that I tried.