[VHS conversion] Sound Card, Video Card?

[bessiecat]

Dear all,

I am a newbie in converting some VHS tapes into the digital format. To get a better quality of the output files, I plan to build a new desktop computer for this purpose. I have some naive questions and hope they won't annoy you.

1. Can the video chip and the sound chip on the motherboard handle the job well? If not, do you have any recommendations on the sound card and the video card? (I have got a Osprey 240e)

2. How many RAMs do I need? 4GB DDR3? 8GB DDR3?

Thanks a lot.

[edDV]

VHS tapes are very low quality. Somewhat annoyed by your know-it-all icon.

1. Not likely. Back later on the 240e.

2. Depends on your OS 1-2GB probably. You need to tell us why you think more will help?

[jagabo]

You should spend money on an S-VHS deck with a line time base corrector before worrying about a new computer. That's where the quality starts. It's the single most important component.

Standard def video capture requires very little memory. 1 GB is fine for XP. 2 GB for Vista and Win7. Obviously, more doesn't hurt. And you need a 64 bit OS if you want to use more than 4 GB. Be aware that using a 64 bit OS can lead to a lot of headaches because you end up with four video systems 32 and 64 bit versions of VFW and DirectShow. Codecs and software for each are incompatible with the others.

[bessiecat]

Thanks to all of you.

I have followed the advice from many of you in this forum. Except the computer, I have got all the necessary equipment. Since I am going to convert some PAL VHS tapes, I have spent quite a while to get a S-VHS VCR for this purpose. During the process, I find that there are so many fake sellers on e-Bay.

My plan: AMD phenom II x4 (3 GHz), 4GB DDR3 RAM, two hardisks, Windows 7 (64 bits)
Do you guys have any other suggestions?

Thanks again.

[jagabo]

Onboard audio is usually fine. Integrated graphics can be weak. The newer ATI chipsets are decent. You can always add an PCIe graphics card if you find the onboard graphics not to your liking. Consider a dual boot setup with 32 bit XP.

[victoriabears]

fake sellers on ebay, what leads you to that conclusion. ?

and what country are you in?

[sanlyn]

I have followed the advice from many of you in this forum. Except the computer, I have got all the necessary equipment. Since I am going to convert some PAL VHS tapes, I have spent quite a while to get a S-VHS VCR for this purpose. During the process, I find that there are so many fake sellers on e-Bay.

Yep. Met a few of them myself.

My plan: AMD phenom II x4 (3 GHz), 4GB DDR3 RAM, two hardisks, Windows 7 (64 bits)
Do you guys have any other suggestions?

Expect problems with 64-bit. I'd stick with 32. If you want to build an XP machine, you can get XP Pro and Home from several eBay dealers at discount. You might get cleaner audio with any Creative Audigy sound card, even from their most basic models. Many filter plugins for various video software apps might misfire at 64-bits.