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VC500 & VC500SE – Installation Guide

Free software · About 10 minutes to set up · Windows & Mac

We’re switching everyone to OBS Studio because our previous software no longer works reliably with modern computers. Please follow this guide instead of the older instructions included in your box.

Welcome! This step-by-step guide will walk you through setting up your Diamond VC500 or VC500SE capture device to save your home video tapes onto your computer. If you prefer to watch a video, follow along with our YouTube Video Tutorial here. Timestamps in this guide match the video exactly.

1 What You Need & How to Plug It In (0:03)

  • Computer: Windows PC or Apple Mac.
  • Your Diamond Device: VC500 or VC500SE capture dongle.
  • Cables: The included RCA cable (Yellow = Video, Red & White = Sound). It connects your VC500 to your VCR, camcorder or other video player.
  • Video Player: Your VCR, Camcorder, or DVD Player.

Step-by-Step Connection Guide (0:18)

  1. Plug one end of the included RCA cable into the OUT jacks (not IN) on your VCR, camcorder or other video player, matching the colors: yellow, red and white.
    Yellow, red and white RCA cables plugged into the VCR's OUT jacks
  2. Plug the other end into the matching yellow, red and white jacks on your VC500.
  3. Plug the USB connector directly into a USB port on your computer. (For best results on desktop computers, use a USB port on the back).

Check: all three cables are pushed in firmly, the USB end is plugged into your computer, and your tape is in your player, ready to play.

2 Downloading OBS Studio (0:34)

No disc or drivers needed. Your computer finds the Diamond device on its own.

  1. Download OBS Studio with the button below, install it, and open it.
    Download OBS Studio

    Free · opens the official OBS website (obsproject.com)

  2. If an “Auto-Configuration Wizard” pops up, click Cancel (1:14).

Check: OBS Studio is open, with a big black preview area and a Sources box near the bottom.

3 Setting Up Picture & Video (1:30)

  1. In the Sources box near the bottom of OBS, click +, choose Video Capture Device, name it “VHS” and click OK.
  2. In the Device dropdown list, choose USB 2.0 DEVICE (1:36).
    OBS Video Capture Device Selection
  3. Set Resolution/FPS Type to Custom, Resolution to 720×480 and FPS to 30 (1:50).
  4. Go to top menu bar: Settings > Video, and set both Base (Canvas) Resolution and Output (Scaled) Resolution to 720×480 (2:01).
  5. Fitting Your Screen: Right-click the video preview screen, move your mouse over Transform, and click Fit to Screen or Stretch to Screen. Stretch to Screen fills the whole screen with no black borders, but the picture may look slightly stretched.

Check: press Play on your player. You should see your tape playing in the OBS preview. On a Mac the preview stays black until you finish Section 4, and that’s normal.

On a Mac? Continue to Section 4. On Windows? Skip to Section 5.

4 Mac Settings (Only do this if you are on Mac)

Notice for Apple / Mac Users. On Mac computers, your video preview will remain black until you select the audio device inside the video settings below.

  1. In OBS Studio, double-click your “VHS” source under the Sources box (or right-click it and select Properties).
    OBS macOS Custom Audio Settings
  2. Scroll down to the bottom of the window and check the box next to Use custom audio device.
  3. Click the Audio Device dropdown menu and select Microphone (USB2.0DEVICE).
  4. Click OK. Your picture and audio will now display and play properly.

Check: your tape is now playing in the OBS preview. Still black? See No Picture in Section 8.

5 Setting Up Sound & Audio (2:28)

  1. Click Settings in the bottom right corner, then click Audio on the left side.
  2. Find Mic/Auxiliary Audio 2 and choose Microphone (USB 2.0 Mic) (2:48). Click Apply, then OK.
  3. Look at the Audio Mixer section at the bottom of OBS. Click the 3 dots next to your audio meter and select Advanced Audio Properties (3:09).
    OBS Advanced Audio Properties
  4. Change Audio Monitoring to Monitor and Output so you can hear the sound through your speakers while recording (3:32).

Windows 11: if the sound is muffled or fades in and out, turn off audio enhancements. See Sound Is Muffled, Fading, or Cutting Out in the FAQ.

Check: with the tape playing, you hear it through your speakers and the green bar in the Audio Mixer moves.

6 Choosing Where to Save Your Videos (3:38)

  1. Click Settings, choose Output, and set Output Mode at the top to Advanced.
  2. Click the Recording tab, set Recording Format to Hybrid MP4 (if you don’t see Hybrid MP4, choose MP4), and click Browse to choose the folder on your computer where you want your videos saved (3:51).
    OBS Output Recording settings with Hybrid MP4 selected

Why Hybrid MP4? It plays like a normal MP4, and the part already recorded is kept if your computer freezes. On a Mac, pick Hybrid MP4 even if Hybrid MOV is shown.

7 How to Record Your Tapes (4:36)

Recording happens in real time, so a 2-hour tape takes 2 hours to record.

  1. Click the Start Recording button in the bottom-right control panel of OBS Studio. How to tell it’s recording: the button changes to Stop Recording, and a red dot with a running timer appears at the bottom of the OBS window.
    OBS Start Recording button
  2. Press Play on your VCR, camcorder or other player.
  3. When your video is finished, press Stop on your player and click Stop Recording in OBS (4:52).
  4. Finding Your Video File: At the top menu of OBS, click File > Show Recordings. This will automatically open the folder containing your recorded video.

Check: open your new video file and play the first minute to make sure the picture and sound are good before you record the rest of your tapes.

Next Time You Record

You don’t need to set anything up again. OBS remembers all of your settings.

  1. Plug in your Diamond device and open OBS Studio.
  2. Put in your next tape and click Start Recording.
  3. Press Play on your player. When the tape ends, click Stop Recording.

8 Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting

Jump to: No picture or picture looks wrong Sound problems Recording problems Editing & DVDs Older computers

Video Problems

No Picture (Black or Blue Screen):

  • Make sure the tape is actually playing. Many VCRs show a blue screen when stopped.
  • Check that the yellow cable is in your player’s VIDEO OUT jack, not VIDEO IN.
  • Black Screen on Windows: Open Windows Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and make sure “Let desktop apps access your camera” is turned ON (5:42).
  • Black Screen on Mac: Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and make sure the switch next to OBS is turned ON (6:12). Also, go to Section 4. Mac Settings (Only do this if you are on Mac) if you have not done this yet.
  • If you still have black screen: Connect your Diamond device directly into USB ports built into your computer (rear USB ports on desktop towers work best). Avoid unpowered USB hubs or extensions.

Picture Is Stretched, Squashed, or Too Small:

Make sure both resolution options under Settings > Video are set to 720×480 (Section 3), then right-click the preview and choose Transform > Fit to Screen or Stretch to Screen.

Fix Dark, Dull, or Washed Out Video:

Right-click your video preview in OBS, select Filters, click the + icon under Effect Filters, and pick Color Correction. You can adjust the Brightness and Color sliders to brighten up old tapes.

Fix Jagged Lines on Moving Objects (Deinterlacing):

Right-click your video preview in OBS, select Deinterlacing, click Enable, and choose Yadif 2x or Linear. This smoothes out jagged lines on fast movement.

Sound Problems (No Sound, Poor Sound, or Out of Sync)

No sound:

  • Please make sure you have followed 5. Setting Up Sound & Audio (2:28).
  • Windows Privacy Setting: Open Windows Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and ensure “Microphone access” and “Let desktop apps access your microphone” are set to ON.
  • Windows 11: if the sound is muffled, fades, or cuts out, see Sound Is Muffled, Fading, or Cutting Out below.
  • Alternative Audio Selection: follow Section 4. It works on Windows too.
  • Cable Ports: Ensure your Red and White RCA cables are plugged into the AUDIO OUT ports on your player (not Audio IN).

Sound Is Muffled, Fading, or Cutting Out (Windows 11):

Windows 11 has built-in “audio enhancements” (like noise cancellation) meant for voice calls. On VHS tapes they can make the sound muffled, fade in and out, cut out, or play from only one side. Turning them off fixes it:

  1. Right-click the speaker icon in your taskbar and select Sound settings.
  2. Scroll down and click More sound settings.
  3. On the Recording tab, right-click USB 2.0 DEVICE and select Properties.
  4. On the Advanced tab, uncheck Enable audio enhancements, then click Apply and OK.

Audio Out of Sync with Video:

Open Advanced Audio Properties in OBS and set a positive Sync Offset (start with 100 ms to 200 ms) (6:35).

Recording Problems

Recording Stutters, Skips, or Freezes:

  • Close other programs while recording, especially web browsers with many tabs.
  • Save your recordings to your computer’s main drive (Section 6), not a USB stick.
  • Plug the Diamond device into a USB port built into the computer, not a hub.

Video Editing & DVD Burning

Editing or Putting Videos on DVD:

To trim or edit your videos, free tools like CapCut or Shotcut work great. To put them on a DVD for family, email us at [email protected] and we’ll send you DVD burning software at no cost.

Older Computer & Software

My Computer Is Older Than Windows 10 or macOS 13:

The newest OBS Studio won’t install, but an older version usually works. Email us at [email protected] with your computer’s Windows or macOS version and we’ll send you the right OBS version to download. Some menus may look a little different from this guide.

Still stuck? Ask our chat, email [email protected], or call 818-534-1414 (Mon–Fri). Please have your model number ready.

Updated on 10/20/2026