which mpeg2 hardware capture card to buy

[buzz86us]

right now i want a solution that doesnt hit triple digits pricewise that i can capture video with and burn the result to dvd with minimal processing but i am torn between two tv tuner cards
Sapphire Theatrix Theater 550 PRO PCI TV Tuner
Hauppage Win-TV PVR-150
i need to know which one to get i am looking for many things
customizability in video templates (i would like to try making kvcds)
great picture
great sound
one question i have is is there any mpeg encoder cards in this price range that can compress video thats already on the computer to mpeg 1 or 2 or can all of them do it

[buzz86us]

cmon people help me out

[junkmalle]

Lots of complaints about the PVR-150 and audio.

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=248637

I have the PVR-250 and like it. No problems. It doesn't compress video already on your computer.

[gshelley61]

You can also use a standalone DVD recorder as a MPEG2 hardware capturing device. That's what I do.

Oh, I see you want a solution that is less than $100. Maybe a used one?

[lordsmurf]

Save more money, or shop eBay.

[SHS]

Sapphire Theatrix Theater 550 PRO PCI TV Tuner: It lack good 3rdparty support what dose work it not very customizability

Hauppage Win-TV PVR-150/250: Good 3rdparty it very customizability

As for Transcoding your only option is Vidac VMagic Product but I can you rigth now not at price range your looking for I think that still run $300 lowend up $400 for high end.

Now as for KVCDs sorry your SOL with it becuase no Hradware Capture card do thoses odd resolution.

[buzz86us]

well is the sapphire worth the extra 30 dollars or should i get the wintv PVR-150 i know of the audio problems with the pvr-150 but that can be fixed with registry tweaks

[The_Doman]

well is the sapphire worth the extra 30 dollars or should i get the wintv PVR-150 i know of the audio problems with the pvr-150 but that can be fixed with registry tweaks

At the moment ONLY the audio recording volume of the tuner can be adjusted.
There is still NO fix yet to adjust the line input recording levels. Because of this I have here 2 PVR-150's waiting for a definitive fix from Hauppauge.
All audio recordings I make with the line inputs are too loud and distorted.

[mats.hogberg]

Hauppage PVR250. Tried and true. Simply great without any fuzz.

/Mats

[dman777]

What about Pinnacle PC TV deluxe? I haven't heard much about that one. Also, I'd like hear about how the actual ATI TV Wonder Elite performs compared to the WinTV 250. I'm not talking about the Theatrix 550 pro, I'm talking about the actual ATI TV Wonder Elite. Even though they both have the Theater 550 pro chip in it, the ATI TV Wonder Elite cost twice as much which leads me to believe it could be much better(but could it be better than WinTV 250?).

-Dman

[SHS]

dman777 Sapphire Theatrix Theater 550 Pro is actual a ATI TV Wonder Elite and far I can tell there no diff other then board die color.
Pinnacle PC TV deluxe is a Hardware MPEG2 encoding know as Broadcom Kfir-II BCM7040.

[buzz86]

so how many think i should but the theatrix and how many the pvr-150 what is soo bad about the audio recording level problem is it that bad can anyone upload a sample but it cant be a vhs it has to be a clean cable signal

[mats.hogberg]

AFAIK, Hauppage 250 (if still available) and 350 don't suffer from the audio problem 150 has.

/Mats

[junkmalle]

The PVR-150's audio problem isn't only that it's too loud, but it's soo loud it becomes distorted. Even if you reduce the volume later it will remain distorted.

You can simulate this yourself. For example, open a normal AVI file in VirtualDub. Enable Audio Full Processing mode. Go to Audio -> Volume. Crank the volume slider all the way up. Listen to the output audio.

I wouldn't take a chance on the PVR-150 until this problem is fixed. Get a PVR-250 instead.

[buzz86]

whats the main differences between most of the series of wintv cards like the pvr-150, the pvr-250, and the pvr-350 it seems to me the only difference is price and the pvr-250 costs too much i froogled it and it is like 118 dollars am i better off just buying the sapphire or should i stay with one of these wintv cards

[junkmalle]

The PVR-150 is a new design which uses a single chip for audio and video. The 250 and 350 use separate audio and video chips. The 350 also includes an FM tuner and audio/video outputs.

I've also heard that the 350 captures video in 4:2:2 format rather than the 4:1:1. But I have found no reliable information about this.

The PVR-150 would be a great deal if the audio worked properly all the time. NewEgg sells it for $72 vs $139 for the PVR-250!

[The_Doman]

Yeah the PVR-150 (MCE) would be the perfekt cheap PVR TV-card.
Great picture quality, but until they solve the AUDIO problems properly I just can't recommend anyone to buy it now.

[BobK]

You can also use a standalone DVD recorder as a MPEG2 hardware capturing device. That's what I do.

Oh, I see you want a solution that is less than $100. Maybe a used one?

I just started using a standalone to capture. I still edit on the computer. The quality is better than anything I ever got with any of the capture cards I used (mostly Pinnacle and Snazzi cards). And there are many standalones available now for $150 or less. Not quite less than $!00, but very close.

[LRD]

I am very happy with my 2 150's, which I use with GBPVR. The audio is a bit loud, but it has good, rich sound. I, too, am waiting on a driver fix.

lrd

[AlecWest]

Hauppage Win-TV PVR-150

I'm a happy PVR150 owner and use it to make DVDs. And, while others have experienced audio or video issues with the card, I haven't ... and my system is not "state of the art" either. I suspect it would a wonderful job if, as you say, you're only trying to make VCDs (or SVCDs).

One warning, though. Your profile doesn't mention what OS you use. If you're using Windows 98 or ME, you might be dead in the water. Read my reply in this topic:

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=258880

[Dj3stripes]

what about the pvr 150 mce? is there a differance between the mce and the regular versions, other than it seems the mce doesn't use that dongle for the rca leads?

[AlecWest]

I have no info or experience with "MCE" versions of the PVR products.

[mats.hogberg]

MCE is for Windows Media Center Edition - not regular Windows versions.

/Mats

[Dj3stripes]

well right, it comes with mce drivers, but all over hauppage's website it states it supports 3rd party software vendors as well.......i was trying to find out of the mce version had the same problems with audio as some of the other 150's have had in the past

[Loudmouse]

Hi, I had the PVR 150 MCE and it had the audio problem. I used it with the WinTV2000 software from Hauppauge and it still had audio problems. The captured video looked great so if you can find one with working audio, it would be hard to beat that card for the price.
As far as differences between the the two,
150 has;
Remote
Mini phoneplug audio input
NO F.M. radio
150 MCE has;
NO remote
RCA type audio input jacks
F.M. radio hookup

[jpconard]

There is also the AverMedia UltraTV 1500 MCE. Compatible with MCE2005 but I think should work with standard XP/2000 versions. Comes with some software.

Seems to work pretty good in MCE2005, haven't tried Ulead capture through it yet.

$79 at TigerDirect and direct from AverMedia.com