Does this card do Hardware MPEG encoding or not?

[richie_r1ch]

Hi, i just bought this card a few days ago thinking it did hardware mpeg encoding. But i might have been wrong.

Here's the link to where I bought it from. The description is very detailed and it lead me to believe that it did. Or maybe I'm just doing something wrong.

http://stores.yahoo.com/ambery/aldvvicatvtu.html

also this one looks like it does have hardware encoding as well
http://stores.yahoo.com/ambery/2dvmpvicasy1.html
but I went with the other cause it also included a tuner. I'm confused!

the software that came with it was powervcr II 3.0 and PowerDirector. Are there settings I need to check to enable hardware compression? I tried capturing dvd quality but was dropping frames at high bitrates. I thought hardware encoding didn't have that problem?

My system specs are on my profile.

Thanks for anyone that can help. If this doesn't do hardware encoding im sending it back at a 20% restocking fee

[lordsmurf]

PowerVCR II is software MPEG program, so mostly likely, the answer is NO.

[richie_r1ch]

thanks for the reply. Thats what I was thinking.

This is a quote from the link I posted.

Built-in hardware MPEG Decoder to provides the best picture quality preservation at the highest speed, reducing the impact of multiple recompressions, not like similar cards using the software for MPEG encoding.

This is what got me to buy it. If it's BS thats false advertising and i'm complaining!! hopefully i'm wrong tho.

By the way. Since PowerVCR is software encoder, what software is used when using hardware based encoders?? Maybe I can give it a try and see what happens.

Thanks again

[FT Shark]

It may be a hybrid encoder. When I say hybrid I mean it is part software encoder and part hardware encoder, just like the ATI cards.

[bugster]

thanks for the reply. Thats what I was thinking.

This is a quote from the link I posted.

Built-in hardware MPEG Decoder to provides the best picture quality preservation at the highest speed, reducing the impact of multiple recompressions, not like similar cards using the software for MPEG encoding.

Thanks again

It say it has hardware MPEG Decoder, not encoder. Thats a big difference. As to how any hardware (or software) can help with "reducing the impact of multiple recompressions", I don't know, but I would take that claim with a very large pinch of salt