HDMI Grabber seems to have died

Hi everyone, my HDMI grabber seems to have died. If I remember correctly, its a $10 hdmi to usb device.

1. Is it common for these to die within 3 years?

2. If it's not common, do bad wiring schemes for the LEDs cause this issue? (doesn't make sense that it would, just curious if it can)

3. Are there definitive ways to verify that my grabber did in fact die without going through a trial/error process of testing other cables & output devices? The logs give an uninteresting error code 19 saying it cannot find any valid video feed. When I get home, I can post the actual error (going off memory for now).

4. Are there "best in class" versions of this hardware that are recommended?

Thanks pclin, is there a way to access terminal on Hyperbian (whatever it's called)? If not, I have a few other Linux machines lying around to play w/.