Hello i need some help on choosing a capture card to convert my multiple VHS tapes to DVD so i can watch them again. I have a VCR and a computer. I have been looking at this capture card to do the job. Can someone please help me?

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/...oducts_id=2078

or can you find one that will do it from here.

http://www.centrecom.com.au/catalog/...=1&cPath=93_86



Regards from Damien.

I'm not comfortable with the term 'Capture', that's what one does with wild animals and criminals. Now, say Receive, Encode, Convert, Record or Transfer and I'm ok with that. Each describes a specific action. Capture is vague and really prohibits a specific answer without the responder having to ask more questions before a useful answer is likely.

Ok, that said, my experience with digitally recording VCR output for later watching indicates best performance, and therefore happiness, comes from using a card that incorporates hardware derived video compression. These sorts of cards employ a dedicated chip for this, taking almost all of the load off the computer. Otherwise, the computer has to devote it's entire power in compression efforts while keeping up with the video stream. Too many times it will fail to do so. This results in skipped segments of video, distortion of the pictire and/or out-of-sync audio.

All the card makers I know of will prominently state their product has a compression chip if there is one. When it doesn't they will omit or put in fine print the possibilty their video recording may be worthless. This one, the WinFast TV2000 XP Expert, does not state on it's webpage it has a compression chip but does have the disclaimer "Note
The capture performance depends on the system configuration and video parameters setting"

To me this is a clear warning and I will avoid such a product.

As to the rest of your list, I leave researching their details to you.

__________________
Fav quote - "Experience is whatcha don't get 'till ya don't need it no more."

System - Athlon 1.4GHz, Win98, Hauppauge PVR250 receiver and compressor.
Software -Magix Movie Edit Pro 10, Nero 6 + NeroVision Express, Moho 4.61, PSP 8.1, Bryce, Quicktime 6.52 pro, Goldwave 5, DVD-Lab.
Cameras - Panasonic GS9, Canon ES8400V, Canon EOS D20 and Canon A70

Unfortunately 'Capture' is the word used by everyone for bringing video in to a computer so we are all stuck with that.

Just a couple of points to look for when trying to figure out which card or add-on to get. It must capture in avi format to be able to do much of anything with the video. Boxes that say they will convert to DVD maybe be capturing directly in mpeg2 format which is DVD but once captured in that format you will not be able to edit, put titles over it, change it's length or choose a different bitrate. Well, maybe you will be able to do some of this with the right editiing software but there will be a sacrifice on quality and a huge amount of time spent doing it. Also, be sure that the capture size is the full video frame of the standard you are using. In US it's 720 by 480. Look for full frame rate too, 30fps.

My background is broadcast engineering and have watched the growth of computer editing and seen many of the mistakes in equipment purchasing. The lack of usefull specs on the Leadtek site would send me away. There is no info on the captured video what-so-ever. No frame rate, videosize, color sample rate, nothing. I would also buy a card or add-on that only does video capture not a tunner, fm radio, dishwasher, etc. I have had direct experience with the top of the line Dazzle by Pinnacle and it's OK for what you are dong. For the home market ADS and Canopus is very good. Here is another site with a pretty good list although you are not it the US so it may not be of a lot of use. http://www.videoguys.com/vidcap.htm

BTW, if you have a newer camcorder it might let you send in a video signal and output a firewire signal. That would be all you need.

Yes i should be looking for that because thats all i want it to do. I am an Australian just so you know that we use PAL Can someone help me find a "Card" dedicated to this sort of stuff on an Australian site please? Much appreciated

Is this one okay? http://www.scorptec.com.au/product/16940

What about a Radeon all in wonder 9700 pro? Will that do a good job of it? thanks.

Regards from Damien.

The Pinnacle card doesn't seem to have an encode/compression chip, it relies on software to do the job, so there's a good chance your computer wouldn't be able to keep up with the video stream.

Since your main purpose is to make DVDs from VHS tape and not do extensive editing, I can only recommend what I know works, the Hauppauge PVR250. This is a TV receiver and video converter on a PCI bus card that also has an MPEG1 and MPEG2 compression chip. This means it can produce the DVD required multiplexed MPEG2 video and MPEG1 Level II audio file in real time without skipping or losing audio sync. It does come with a 'cuts only' video editor and a DVD authoring program from Ulead. I wasn't impressed with either of these and instead purchased the Nero 6 Ultra Edition, which comes with good DVD authoring and burning abilities.

As Evereddie said, the MPEG2 format isn't readily editable, other than simple cuts at I frames. (This is an MPEG compression term, I frames are frames that are complete in themselves and don't depend on prior or subsequent frames for reconstruction f the original picture.) There is a distressing tendency for any editing on an MPEG2 file to cause the authoring program to insist on recompressing the video, and this wastes time plus introduces very noticable distortion.

Now, on a practical note, if you have a 90 minute tape, expect to spend 90 minutes recording it and at least another 60 minutes authoring and burning the DVD. The authoring process requires modifying the MPEG2 file, converting it to several .VOB files along with other files DVD players require.

If the authoring program insists on recompressing, that will take another 120 to 360 minutes. If you intend on watching the movie a lot, it's worth the effort, but if it's to be watched only once a year or longer, well, I don't think it is.

__________________
Fav quote - "Experience is whatcha don't get 'till ya don't need it no more."

System - Athlon 1.4GHz, Win98, Hauppauge PVR250 receiver and compressor.
Software -Magix Movie Edit Pro 10, Nero 6 + NeroVision Express, Moho 4.61, PSP 8.1, Bryce, Quicktime 6.52 pro, Goldwave 5, DVD-Lab.
Cameras - Panasonic GS9, Canon ES8400V, Canon EOS D20 and Canon A70

Oh okay thanks. So this is just a capture card or does it do TV aswell? Because i just need the capture part of it.


Thanks much.