i need to upgrade to a better capture card/device

[mutt1961]

hi,
i need some really good advice from everyone,i've been capturing and editing for some time now,and want to upgrade .
i currently have a plextor convertx,and a pinnacle studio movie box for capturing video,and converting vhs to dvd. both are usb devices.
both of these external devices,are pretty bad,along with the bundled software.
there are the usual a/v sync problems,and time rendering the files.
i'm looking for a really good pci capture card. i have heard and read about the canopus,and others..but which one is the best for captuing,without having bundled software?
i'm running a pentium 4, 2.6 ghz,with an external 80gig hard drive,with 1 gig of ram.
i need to upgrade to a better capture card/device..what do you all recommend?
thanks for your input on this..

[Baldrick]

i updated your subject. please don't use need advice please...it doesn't say antyhing about your topic.

[MaxBlack]

i need some really good advice...

You're asking a lot without giving any details on what you are trying to accomplish!

I have a Canopus MVR1000 which does a great job capturing direct to MPEG2, but maybe you don't want MPEG2!!?

Another great capture option is to get a DV or Digital8 camcorder w/passthru, record to DV, and from there you can do virtually anything you want.

Sorry mutt, but asking for "the best" is like asking "what's the best vehicle out there that I should buy"? Well, it depends doesn't it...

[mutt1961]

perhaps,i made it a little lenghty,about my topic..lol
i was just asking for advice,or input from people,on what type of capture card to use,for capturing video?
which type have people had good success with,and works well.
i want to capture in mpeg2.
considering there are hundreds of capture devices on the market..i was just asking for a general opinion,on which pci card is good to use, that is within a reasonable price ,around 200 bucks or so.
thanks..

[pfh]

I'm quite pleased with my ConvertX but since you've got an external HD perhaps a pci solution is better for you.

A lot like the Hauppage 250
A lot like an ATI AIW solution
I don't think Canopus offers a pci in your price range.

[spectroelectro]

The Hauppauge PVR 250 (or PVR 350) and the ATI AIW are both excellent choices. Several caveats: you have to run the mpeg-2 stream generated byt he Hauppauge PVR 250 through converter software in order to edit it in Womble or some other mpeg-2 editor, and this can be time-consuming. Also, the ATI AIW works very well on some folks' computers, has some intermittant problems on other people's machines, and in a few unlucky cases the ATI AIW is a trainwreck.

If the ATI AIW works on your system it will do a fantastic job. Trouble is there's really no way to be sure beforehand whether it will. All depends on a "voodoo" combination of mobo + OS version + processor. Some combos of Windows and chipsets work great, others don't work with the ATI AIW very well, or at all.

You might consider buying an older ATI AIW on ebay. You can pick 'em up for around $70 or less. That way, if it doesn't work on your system, you can always resell it on ebay for little or no loss.

Sounds like you're trying for a real-time MPEG-2 system. Both the Hauppauge PVR 250/350 and the ATI AIW will do very well for you. Be aware that you MUST have a pretty fast computer to do real-time MPEG-2 with the ATI, since it's not fully hardware mpeg-2 conversion, just "hardware assisted." Meaning, better have at least a 2 Ghz computer if you want to do real-time mpeg-2 with the ATI.

[reboot]

you have to run the mpeg-2 stream generated byt he Hauppauge PVR 250 through converter software in order to edit it in Womble or some other mpeg-2 editor

Totally false.
You're referring to the very old (circa 1998) PVR-250 original. This hasn't been an issue for at least 5 years.
Any mpeg editing software will work. I've used Womble, VideoReDo, Cuttermaran, Vegas 4 and 5, Ulead 2 and 3, et al.

[thecoalman]

From experience I can tell you.....

For AVI capture: Either a ADVC or if your in the market for a new cam get one with passthrough ability.

And from seeing it posted about thousand times for MPEG capture:

Either Hauppauge 250 or a standalone DVD recorder.

[thrasimacus]

All depends on a "voodoo" combination of mobo + OS version + processor. Some combos of Windows and chipsets work great, others don't work with the ATI AIW very well, or at all.

LOL. Not true at all.

You might consider buying an older ATI AIW on ebay. You can pick 'em up for around $70 or less. That way, if it doesn't work on your system, you can always resell it on ebay for little or no loss.

Bad advice. The old Ati cards are not as good as the new ones.

[reboot]

And the new ones aren't all that great either