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#1
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graphics card question
just a short question.
I am going to have a try at converting my vast vhs video film collection to DVD and would like to know 1) Does a graphics card with built in capture device exist? 2) Is it worth purchasing? 3)And finally will I get a better result with a stand alone device for example Dazzle etc? looking forward to your replies. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date: 01/11/2004 |
#2
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"Humpty" wrote in message ... 1) Does a graphics card with built in capture device exist? 2) Is it worth purchasing? 3)And finally will I get a better result with a stand alone device for example Dazzle etc? Yes,such cards exist are there some excelent examples out there.Take for exampple ATIs line of cards All-In-Wonder.Almost every ATIs GPU has an All-In-Wonder version(from the low-end 9200 to the high-end X800).My choice with the All-In-Wonder series would be the 9800 PRO(256MB) All-In-Wonder. |
#3
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On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 11:45:02 +0100, "Glitch"
wrote: "Humpty" wrote in message ... 1) Does a graphics card with built in capture device exist? 2) Is it worth purchasing? 3)And finally will I get a better result with a stand alone device for example Dazzle etc? Yes,such cards exist are there some excelent examples out there.Take for exampple ATIs line of cards All-In-Wonder.Almost every ATIs GPU has an All-In-Wonder version(from the low-end 9200 to the high-end X800).My choice with the All-In-Wonder series would be the 9800 PRO(256MB) All-In-Wonder. Excellent? An All-In-Wonder is about the worst product possible. The ATI software is buggy and unsupported by most 3rd party apps. You're locked into the video card and lose the video in/out/tuner functionality when the card is replaced. Note that AIW also costs disproportionately more, and that OP doesn't need a tuner at all. Many video cards have "VIVO" functionality which is all that's needed, or a relatively cheap PCI capture card with S-Video in is also a better choice if it comes with usable software. External boxes are not a good choice unless: - No editing is desired - Output format will ALWAYS be MPEG2 (see supported format for product, it must compress before transferring over USB). - System has unused USB2 port, not USB1 - It is absolutely impossible to make a PCI slot available for an internal card instead, and video quality or versatility is not important. |
#4
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Humpty:
I am going to have a try at converting my vast vhs video film collection to DVD and would like to know 1) Does a graphics card with built in capture device exist? 2) Is it worth purchasing? 3)And finally will I get a better result with a stand alone device for example Dazzle etc? If I had a bunch of tapes to convert I would definitely invest in something like http://www.govideo.com/Index.asp?GV=VR3930 -- Mac Cool |
#5
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On Tue, 2 Nov 2004 00:20:01 +0000 (UTC), "Humpty"
wrote: just a short question. I am going to have a try at converting my vast vhs video film collection to DVD and would like to know 1) Does a graphics card with built in capture device exist? 2) Is it worth purchasing? 3)And finally will I get a better result with a stand alone device for example Dazzle etc? looking forward to your replies. For capturing VHS probably almost anything would work with the right software and a decent system. You can get cheap cards that dont have any tuner just to input video. Ive used cards that were $5-15 and have a Pinnacle that was top of the line a few years ago that doesnt have hardware encoding. Basically you have two types - The PVR 250 type that has hardware encoding. This was covered at another site recently because it was on sale at compusa last week for $80 or so. There are several other cards too that are fairly popular that have hardware encoding. The vast majority of capture/tuner cards rely on your PC/software to do it so you have to have a decent system. The thing is nowadays unless you have a really feeble system -- it can usually handle it. Ive used a 1700 XP AMD and a 3200 AMD XP with no problems capturing S-video inputs from a digtial box at 640x480. So my inclination is to say you dont need hardware encoding unless you have a real wimpy PC in which case youll probably want to upgrade anyway. -If you want to do the PVR thing then I recommend the PVR 250 or something similar cause owners claim it works wonderfully that way. Thats because the one problem I noticed with my non-hardware encoding card was using the instant rewind feature when watching TV which frankly I never use so I dont care. But I tested it recently just to do it and a box kept popping up saying "Buffering blah blah" and there was a pause. Fairly annoying if you were watching TV. The older ones and I still see cards selling now that use the old BT878 etc Conexant chips have slightly less max res etc. The Conexant came out with a new line CXxxxx chips that have a bit better specs but heres a test of an early card with it: http://steve.kittelsen.com/cx2388/ It seems to suggest the newer chips arent all that much better but that was one card a while ago. Are cards that use the new chips the same? I dont know. Darn maybe I should have bought this. I thought since it uses the Conexant it wouldnt be any different in image quality than my old card with the BT878 since according to Kittelsen he was disappointed with new card. And I already dont have problems capturing at 640x480. But here is raving about the WIN PVR 250. : http://steve.kittelsen.com/pvr250/ The Hauppague WinTV PVR-250 is the best hardware mpeg capture card I have ever tried. It does a good job at VCD captures, something that most other cards lacks. The SVCD and DVD captures are very good, at the same level as the best software encoders. Even at only 4Mb/sec, you can capture good quality DVD 720x480 resolution video. The card also comes with good software support. I actually bought and returned the ATI wonder Pro because it didnt have the Theater 200 chip. Strangely ATI uses Conexant chips for all their cards except the USB 2.0 Wonder. Why would I do that when I said I hated Pinnacle and other cards that used proprietary drivers? I agree Ive had nightmarish problems and so have others with other cards that use proprietary drivers including the ATI cheapo VE a neighbor bought. I ended up using BTWIN generic WDM drivers for my Pinnacle and the ATI so that they could work with all the software out there. I ranted about it for a while. Right now theres a lot hype about the Theater 550 chip. However some users SWEAR -- though its not a universal claim that the Theater 200 chip has better quality. Sure I hate the ATI software too. Even when it worked. Just dont like the cluttered aspect of it. But I thought I had a problem cause I couldnt capture below 640x480 and get decent captures for TV. However now I think I dont have a problem after finding out digital TV std res = 640x480. So I really dont need the new conexant or the ATI. Ironically the one card I passed up cause I thought it was merely an improvement in PVR usage (rewinding while watching in real time) may actually be better all around even for lower res captures. Id really like to try that card. The sale was last week though or the week before that at compusa. So your best bet is to get an inexpensive capture card with a new Conexant chip if your PC isnt too wimpy and try some popular packages. If you have problems try one of the cards with hardware encoding like the PVR though its expensive. I think its usually $100-150. It was at Compusa for 80-89 after rebate as I mentioned. Wait for Thanksgiving sales and Xmas sales theres bound to be another one. This one has a Tuner which you dont need though. Some others have mentioned others that are cheaper but I have no idea if they are the same quality. The great thing however for the PVR 250 type card if it does capture significantly better at lower res is that you dont have to waste time converting a 640x480 capture to something else if you want to burn to a CDR as a SVCD or VCD. |
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