Is built-in video capture any good on HP computers?

[Keitho]

I'm in the market to buy a new computer. I have a Dell 1.4 GHz computer which is 4 years old. I've been using an ATI All In Wonder Radeon 7500 card to capture video and watch TV, which has worked well. I have a digital camcorder now, so I will only use firewire for myself, but I'll still need the analog capture for projects for other people.
I saw some HP computers in Sam's that have a door in the front which hides some analog video and audio inputs, as well as firewire and USB ports. This would be very convenient for me, but I don't know who makes the capture device.
Would I be better off not getting Windows Media Edition and just installing a Hauppauge 150 card or something similar myself?

[bits]

I have no experience wth media center PCs but I have shopped around and toyed with the idea of getting one. I concluded that if I purchased another PC I would get one that had the right motherboard/CPU but was bare bones on the other stuff such as capture card, video, audio, HDD and RAM. This works for me because I have a good idea of what specific capture card I want for example.

I currently have an HP 792 that I have owned for (4) years. I ordered this just before Media PC existed. It came with the ATI AIW7500. About a year ago I replaced the AIW7500 with a Hauppauge PVR250 because I wanted something that used a lot fewer resources(CPU) than the AIW7500. The AIW7500 is a good card but it is a CPU hog because it does not have hardware encoding. My HP computer has worked flawlessly and I will continue to use it for at least the next few years.

So, in a nutshell, my personal advice is to order the right basic system and then add the cap card of your choice later. On the other hand if the Media PC you are looking at has the cap card you want then.....

[Keitho]

So, it sounds like you're happy with the PVR250, so that gives me something to shoot for. The problem with the HP is that I have no idea what brand of capture card they use.

Does anybody else recommend Windows Media Center Edition over an add-on TV/capture card?

[zoobie]

The OS? I chose not to use wmc because it was very specific on what cards and programs to use...(not necessarily the best)...or else it didn't work properly. You'll still need video card with wmc. Try searching wmc here for more info.

[bits]

Keitho wrote:

The problem with the HP is that I have no idea what brand of capture card they use.

That information should be readily available from the sales person if your not shopping on line. If you are shopping on line you should be able to get all of the details. And if all else fails give them a call.

In fact you give me the Model Number I will see if I can find the information for you.

[Keitho]

Well, I would be surprised if anyone at Sam's would know what kind of capture card would be in the computer. But, no matter, I think I'll avoid the Windows MCE and just get XP, and install a card by Hauppauge.
Thanks for the helpful comments.

[sctig]

I've been having problems with my video capture card on my HP MC PC (which I posted yesterday on this forum).

Incidentally the capture card in my HP MC PC is ASUS PVR-416 which is based on Conexant 23880 chipset.

It does an adequate job of capturing tv signals, but I'm having problems with composite analog with crackling audio. Until I get this sorted out, I wouldn't recommend it if you're looking to use it for capturing purposes.

Other than that, it's a very fun toy for other purposes.