Good capture device for me?

[crackedvenom]

ive been going through the threads, some have helped but im not too picky about the capturing.

all i want is a card, or device that can capture the tape. if it looks how it looks on the tape, im happy.

The main things i will be doing is uploading them, and burning some to a disc. I know ive burnt previous stuff to a disc and it will get pixilated.

i saw there was a nice capture device but it needed firewire which it seems my computer doesnt have.

so what are your thoughts? any good devices?

itll be coming from a vhs.

//SPECS//
win 7, 64bit, 4gb ram, quad core @ 2.4ghz.

[crackedvenom]

65 views and noone can help me out?

[M Bruner]

Where is the video coming from, what kind of computer do you have, etc.

[crackedvenom]

Where is the video coming from, what kind of computer do you have, etc.

win 7, 64bit, 4gb ram, quad core @ 2.4ghz. itll be coming from a vhs. and like i said, main things are, i just want to burn it without it getting worse, and uploading it to sites for people to see. also, ive noticed a lot of them have sync issues, would love to have a card or device that doesnt do this.

[usually_quiet]

If you want to use a capture device that requires a firewire connection and have a desktop PC, adding a PCI firewire card is not expensive. You don't list your location, but if by chance you are in the US, here is an example of one that is plug-and-play with Windows 7 32/64: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815265002&cm_re=firewire_card-_-...-002-_-Product.

I suspect you should do more research on capturing before you start buying hardware, but the people helping you may make more useful recommendations if they knew your equipment budget for this project.

[crackedvenom]

If you want to use a capture device that requires a firewire connection and have a desktop PC, adding a PCI firewire card is not expensive. You don't list your location, but if by chance you are in the US, here is an example of one that is plug-and-play with Windows 7 32/64: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815265002&cm_re=firewire_card-_-...-002-_-Product.

I suspect you should do more research on capturing before you start buying hardware, but the people helping you may make more useful recommendations if they knew your equipment budget for this project.

well im not looking to spend a whole bunch. its just a old vhs tape. if someone could just throw out some reccomendations and i could go from there. i was searching and i found, PixelView Xcapture USB and all the reviews from this site gave it at least an 8. i was thinking about that one.


also yeah im in the US. so what are some good ones that use firewire? i forget which one i was talking about before. so yeah if people could list some reccomendations, thatd be great.

[INFRATOM]

The easiest way is to get hold of a set top dvd recorder, just connect VHS out to DVD recorder IN and record it. Then take the dvd to the computer and take the digital file. If you go the capture route you end up spending almost the same and if your computer does not have firewire it must be from older generation and does not worth spending money on and end up with dropped frames and a lot of headache.

[edDV]

If you want to use a capture device that requires a firewire connection and have a desktop PC, adding a PCI firewire card is not expensive. You don't list your location, but if by chance you are in the US, here is an example of one that is plug-and-play with Windows 7 32/64: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815265002&cm_re=firewire_card-_-...-002-_-Product.

I suspect you should do more research on capturing before you start buying hardware, but the people helping you may make more useful recommendations if they knew your equipment budget for this project.

well im not looking to spend a whole bunch. its just a old vhs tape. if someone could just throw out some reccomendations and i could go from there. i was searching and i found, PixelView Xcapture USB and all the reviews from this site gave it at least an 8. i was thinking about that one.


also yeah im in the US. so what are some good ones that use firewire? i forget which one i was talking about before. so yeah if people could list some reccomendations, thatd be great.

One tape? Get is done at a good dub house to a flash drive(s) in DV or MPeg2 format. Est cost less than $50 + flash drive.

From there is it easy to produce DVD or high compressed uploads.

If you want to do it yourself, there is cost and learning curve.

[usually_quiet]

well im not looking to spend a whole bunch. its just a old vhs tape. if someone could just throw out some reccomendations and i could go from there. i was searching and i found, PixelView Xcapture USB and all the reviews from this site gave it at least an 8. i was thinking about that one.


also yeah im in the US. so what are some good ones that use firewire? i forget which one i was talking about before. so yeah if people could list some reccomendations, thatd be great.

I'm all that knowledgeable on this area, but getting a capture to look as good as the tape isn't always easy. Additional equipment may be needed in between the VCR and the capture device to correct some problems you may not notice when watching the tape on your TV. Also the VCR used to play back the tape has a lot to do with the outcome. You might want to do more reading in that area. There are several good threads to be found on that topic.

If maximizing quality and control over the conversion process are not your greatest concerns, have you thought about using a DVD recorder instead? They sometimes include built-in filters to reduce noise. MPEG-2 video from a recorded DVD is not hard to work with or to copy onto a PC for editing and converting, if necessary. The fire-wire capture devices that are reviewed on this site cost $150 and up. A DVD recorder would be in the same ball park.

PixelView Xcapture USB was last reviewed 7 years ago. It is still being made and costs $25 at https://www.prolink-usa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PC&Product_Code=VDO-CX850U , but its hard to say if it will work with Windows 7 64-bit.

There are newer solutions available. Some of our members like the Diamond HD 750 USB as a capture device. It uses software encoding and would double as a TV tuner for over-the-air viewing. It should work well with Windows 7 Media Center. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815306019&cm_re=diamond_750-_-15...-019-_-Product

[crackedvenom]

The easiest way is to get hold of a set top dvd recorder, just connect VHS out to DVD recorder IN and record it. Then take the dvd to the computer and take the digital file. If you go the capture route you end up spending almost the same and if your computer does not have firewire it must be from older generation and does not worth spending money on and end up with dropped frames and a lot of headache.

not that old, its just custom and whoever built it didnt include firewire. i have great specs.

I'm all that knowledgeable on this area, but getting a capture to look as good as the tape isn't always easy. Additional equipment may be needed in between the VCR and the capture device to correct some problems you may not notice when watching the tape on your TV. Also the VCR used to play back the tape has a lot to do with the outcome. You might want to do more reading in that area. There are several good threads to be found on that topic.

If maximizing quality and control over the conversion process are not your greatest concerns, have you thought about using a DVD recorder instead? They sometimes include built-in filters to reduce noise. MPEG-2 video from a recorded DVD is not hard to work with or to copy onto a PC for editing and converting, if necessary. The fire-wire capture devices that are reviewed on this site cost $150 and up. A DVD recorder would be in the same ball park.

PixelView Xcapture USB was last reviewed 7 years ago. It is still being made and costs $25 at https://www.prolink-usa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PC&Product_Code=VDO-CX850U , but its hard to say if it will work with Windows 7 64-bit.

There are newer solutions available. Some of our members like the Diamond HD 750 USB as a capture device. It uses software encoding and would double as a TV tuner for over-the-air viewing. It should work well with Windows 7 Media Center. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815306019&cm_re=diamond_750-_-15...-019-_-Product

well ive seen that the dvd recorders arent the greatest. i mean, i want it to look decent but it doesnt have to be great. im checking out the last link you just posted. also didnt notice that last time it was reviewed was 7 years ago for the pixelview.

yeah i think i might try that usb device.

[usually_quiet]

The easiest way is to get hold of a set top dvd recorder, just connect VHS out to DVD recorder IN and record it. Then take the dvd to the computer and take the digital file. If you go the capture route you end up spending almost the same and if your computer does not have firewire it must be from older generation and does not worth spending money on and end up with dropped frames and a lot of headache.

Look at his specs. Its a newish computer. Lots of good motherboards don't have fire wire these days, at least that's what I found when I built my computer (with fire wire) last fall. ...but we do agree about DVD recorders being an option.

[Edit] Sorry, not ganging up on you. I'm just a slow typist.

[crackedvenom]

The easiest way is to get hold of a set top dvd recorder, just connect VHS out to DVD recorder IN and record it. Then take the dvd to the computer and take the digital file. If you go the capture route you end up spending almost the same and if your computer does not have firewire it must be from older generation and does not worth spending money on and end up with dropped frames and a lot of headache.

Look at his specs. Its a newish computer. Lots of good motherboards don't have fire wire these days, at least that's what I found when I built my computer (with fire wire) last fall. ...but we do agree about DVD recorders being an option.

well i mean if the quality is going to downgrade by getting a dvd recorder, id rather go another route. i said in the previous post ive read a couple threads, and sites, and they seem to say the dvd recorders degrade quality.

i said it didnt have to be the greatest, but i dont want it to be worse than the vhs if possible

[usually_quiet]

well i mean if the quality is going to downgrade by getting a dvd recorder, id rather go another route. i said in the previous post ive read a couple threads, and sites, and they seem to say the dvd recorders degrade quality.

Not all are bad, it's just that people who know how can do better using a computer. ..but they have good equipment, tools and experience on their side. Capturing with a computer does involve more work and a bigger learning curve than using a DVD recorder. If it is just a few tapes, hiring the work out makes a lot of sense too.

[crackedvenom]

well i mean if the quality is going to downgrade by getting a dvd recorder, id rather go another route. i said in the previous post ive read a couple threads, and sites, and they seem to say the dvd recorders degrade quality.

Not all are bad, it's just that people who know how can do better using a computer. ..but they have good equipment, tools and experience on their side. Capturing with a computer does involve more work and a bigger learning curve than using a DVD recorder. If it is just a few tapes, hiring the work out makes a lot of sense too.

well i think im going to try the usb device. im good with computers, plus there are some good guides on this site. and theres a 30 day warranty so if it doesnt work out as good, i can return it