Can I upgrade the Creative Vado with a new firmware for higher resolution recording?##Abhinav Patel

Hello I have a Creative Vado which can record videos at a resolution of 640x480 and has 2 GB storage. Can I increase the internal memory in any way? Can I upgrade the firmware and gain full high definition video recording? Also there is a red LED light at the back of the video recorder which comes on when I am recording. I want to switch that LED off, but there are no settings for doing so. Can you help me with this? Can I use the Vado as a media player? Can I store a movie on it and watch it later? Finally, if all these issues cannot be solved, what can I use the video recorder for which has such limited memory storage? I seem to have made a bad decision by buying one of these products. Kindly give me some advice. Thanks.

- Abhinav Patel

Hello Abhinav. The Creative Vado cannot record high definition videos, but it can shoot videos at a maximum resolution of 640x480. There are no firmware upgrades or settings that can increase this resolution. The internal storage memory is limited to 2 GB and there are no expansion slots. The red LED on the rear panel near the lens is provided for two reasons—firstly to know that the product is in record mode and secondly to avoid you from shooting videos of another person without he/she knowing about it.

The red LED is an indication to the opposite person that you are recording a video. Invading another person’s privacy without their consent is against the law and can land you in trouble. But if you intend using it for personal reasons at home only, you can get rid of the red light. A temporary solution is to cover the red LED with some black tape.

How do I upgrade to get higher res recording?

The permanent solution is to physically remove the LED itself. To do this, remove the battery cover and the battery, and then carefully pop out the transparent plastic cover of the lens using a flat screwdriver or a blunt knife. This cover is glued on to the shell using rubber glue and can be replaced back without any effort. Once opened, locate the red LED and cover it with a small piece of black sticky tape. If you wish you can also de-solder the LED using a soldering iron. But de-soldering the LED can also cause damage to the surrounding components if you are not careful. Once done, replace the transparent plastic on the lens, remount the battery and check the camera. Do this at your own risk.

You can place the camera on your car windscreen and record your journey around the city to make time-lapse videos or use it for security purposes such as proof of an accident or such. Finally, you can also mount it on the main door of your house or office and use it as a security camera.

Lastly, you cannot transfer any videos to the device and use it as a portable media player. Compability issues with codecs and formats might stop you from playing external videos on the Vado.