Please review my PC hardware+capture card, and suggest software...

[jaibubwan]

I built a custom HTPC for myself a few years ago. Now I am interested in recording, so I am adding a capture card to my PC.
I was hoping you guys could look over my hardware setup for anything that could be a potential problem.
Also, I would like suggestions about the ideal software for my situation.
My primary goals are to record TV via HDMI...and also convert my parent's old VHS tapes to digital.

HARDWARE

First, let me point out my PC setup...

Motherboard: MSI Z9Z XPOWER AC (Intel)
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K (4.00 GHZ)
Memory: RipJawsX - F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL (8.00 GB)
GPU: Zotac Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 (4 GB)
Capture Hard Drive: Western Digital WD Blue WD20EZRZ (2 TB)
Operating System: Windows 8.1 Pro (64 Bit)

I did a little research, and settled upon the following recording hardware:

Cable TV Source: NetBox HD Terminal (non-PVR, only live broadcast)
https://www.rogers.com/web/Rogers.portal%3F_nfpb%3Dtrue%26_pageLabel%3Dcable_hardware_page

HDMI/HDCP Splitter: ViewHD 2 Port 1x2 Powered HDMI Mini Splitter for 1080P & 3D (VHD-1X2MN3D)
https://www.amazon.ca/ViewHD-Powered-Splitter-1080P-VHD-1X2MN3D/dp/B004F9LVXC

Capture Card: Magewell Pro Capture HDMI Card (1-Channel)
http://www.magewell.com/pro-capture-hdmi

Can you guys tell me if this setup looks okay for recording?
I am concerned about things like frame drops, sync, etc.

What do you guys suggest for the hard drive?
In my list above, I currently have a WD Blue 2 TB hard drive that will be dedicated to recording.
But I think capturing is very intensive, so I am not sure if this hard drive is appropriate for recording.
I have never used an SSD before. But if it's necessary for the work of recording & capturing, I would consider that as well.

SOFTWARE

My capture card is still being delivered.
But I took a look at the official manual on their website.
This is what the manual said about compatible software:

Compatible Software:

• VLC
• VirtualDub
• OBS
• XSplit
• vMix
• VidBlaster
• Wirecast
• Microsoft Media Encoder
• Adobe Flash Media Encoder
• Any other DirectShow/V4L2 encoding/streaming software

Can you guys suggest the ideal software for my purposes?
Again, my intention is to record HD Television content. And also record from VHS.
Please consider factors like quality & codecs...not price.

Can you guys also give any opinion on video compression?

I will probably keep my VHS conversions lossless.
I read online that Huffyuv is the best lossless codec solution.
I don't care if a codec is free or paid. I would just like to know the best lossless codec in terms of file size/quality.

My TV shows will definitely have to be compressed, because I can't afford to store them as lossless.
My preference is to generally follow "scene" ripping standards.
For the codec, I am thinking of either H.264 or H.265.
For the file format, I don't mind any format (MKV, TS, MP4, etc.).
For file sizes, I would probably aim for standards like 1 GB+ for for 720/1080 TV shows...and 4 GB+ for 720/1080 movies.
Again, I don't care if a codec is free or paid...please suggest best codec solutions considering file size/quality.

And in terms of video compression...my big concern is: when should it be done?
I notice most recording software let you set compression codecs during the recording stage.
But then I read some articles that said to maintain best quality, record to lossless like Huffyuv first...and then perform compression afterwards.

[hech54]

Threads like these almost always end up with fanboys arguing over their preferred hardware company, baseless opinions over video codecs, and finally ridiculously long and convoluted "scripts" about getting AviSynth to whiten your teeth.

[jaibubwan]

Threads like these almost always end up with fanboys arguing over their preferred hardware company, baseless opinions over video codecs, and finally ridiculously long and convoluted "scripts" about getting AviSynth to whiten your teeth.

I don't mind. On some of these questions, I'm completely lost.
I'd value any opinion. I can always research the claims myself & form a personal opinion.
So please...if anyone has any opinions, please do post.

[usually_quiet]

I used a capture device to record from a regular cable box for about a year using PVR software and a Hauppauge Colossus with my HTPC. My cable box could be controlled via Firewire/IEEE 1394, or with a special cable connected to its built-in IR receiver port for channel changing. (I tried a standard stick-on IR blaster but found it somewhat unreliable.) There is PVR software that works with Hauppauge's HD-PVR, HD-PVR 2, Colossus, and Colossus 2 capture devices, but only because the PVR software can be tricked into seeing their output as the output from a TV tuner card. There is no PVR software (software which schedules recordings using a program guide) that I'm aware of which would work with your device.

I suggest that you get a DVR from Rodgers and use it to record first, if you want to capture cable TV programming with your device. Things can easily go wrong during capture, and with a DVR you have as many chances as you need to get a good recording.

AmaRecTV is another program that you might try for capture, although it is not on the list.

[jaibubwan]

There is no PVR software (software which schedules recordings using a program guide) that I'm aware of which would work with your device.

I suggest that you get a DVR from Rodgers and use it to record first, if you want to capture cable TV programming with your device. Things can easily go wrong during capture, and with a DVR you have as many chances as you need to get a good recording.

AmaRecTV is another program that you might try for capture, although it is not on the list.

Unfortunately, I can't afford the cable box with the PVR option.
So yes, I will forego scheduling features & have to record live.

Thanks for the AmaRecTV suggestion. But I'm looking at its website, and it only seems to support up to Windows 7 32-Bit (I have 8 64-Bit).

[usually_quiet]

Thanks for the AmaRecTV suggestion. But I'm looking at its website, and it only seems to support up to Windows 7 32-Bit (I have 8 64-Bit).

Version 3.10 supports Windows 8.1 64-bit according to Google translate: http://www.amarectv.com/download_amarectv.htm

You don't have to buy the recommended codec. Any VFW codec installed on your PC will work.

[lordsmurf]

Threads like these almost always end up with fanboys arguing over their preferred hardware company, baseless opinions over video codecs, and finally ridiculously long and convoluted "scripts" about getting AviSynth to whiten your teeth.

I've noticed too many VH old-timers getting cranky these days. He asked a fair question. And at least he asked. Too many simply buy some cheap crap at Best Buy, see the quality is awful, yet stupidly assume "that's how all digital recordings must look".

[TimA-C]

Thanks for the AmaRecTV suggestion. But I'm looking at its website, and it only seems to support up to Windows 7 32-Bit (I have 8 64-Bit).

As usually_quiet says, AmaRecTV 3.10 works on 64-bit Windows 8.1 and can use many of the Codecs you have installed on your system. I can confirm that version 3.10 also works fine on 64-bit Windows 10. (Don't use any version later than version 3.10 as you will have to purchase their Codec!)

With my Hauppauge USB2 Live2 capture device I get the smallest lossless capture files using Lagarith (YUY2). UT Video is not far behind in terms of file size (and is still being developed), probably followed by MagicYUV (the free, older version 1.2) and then HuffYUV. I also use the x264VFW Codec to capture standard def x264 CQ16 Very Fast on a 2.6Ghz Intel Core2Duo with two ageing sata hdds with no problems. (In my case it's interlaced so I have to add the "tff" command to the special options field. The audio is stereo PCM 1536 kb/s so that generally has to be encoded to either aac or ac3 depending on what I'm doing with the file.) I would say that if you're going to do anything more than just edit out the ads in a captured video then you're probably better off capturing to a lossless (or near lossless) codec. If you're just going to watch it & delete, or keep it on your server as-is then I might just capture it as x264 - you'll have to try it yourself and see if you're happy enough with the results you get.

p.s. I'm not familiar with your capture device but it looks like it can capture both SD and HD? Some of the codecs mentioned here *I think* can only handle SD resolutions which is fine if you're OK using different codecs for different sources but not so good if you're looking to use just one codec for everything.

p.p.s. Let us know how things go and what you think of the Magewell card. (Some examples would be nice too?)

[jaibubwan]

p.s. I'm not familiar with your capture device but it looks like it can capture both SD and HD? Some of the codecs mentioned here *I think* can only handle SD resolutions which is fine if you're OK using different codecs for different sources but not so good if you're looking to use just one codec for everything.

p.p.s. Let us know how things go and what you think of the Magewell card. (Some examples would be nice too?)

TimA-C & anyone interested,

FWIW, here's an update to my situation.
I recently received & setup all the components described in my OP.
So I was able to capture for the first time last night.

The splitter mentioned in my OP worked great.
It can feed my capture card content from a variety of HDMI sources, without any "limitations".

It's also a simple install for my Magewell capture card.
Stuck it in the PCI 2 port of my motherboard. Started the computer. Downloaded the driver from the website & installed it.
The driver installer doesn't include any GUI or user software.
To access its properties & start capturing, you have to install a capture software.

One happy surprise (that eluded me before I posted this topic) is that Magewell has a capture software called "CaptureExpress".
It's a simple, two panel, software that's very easy to use for a beginner like me.
Here are some pictures (these pictures maybe low quality because they were taken from a "Remote Desktop" session).
The first panel previews the video & audio feeds, and provides access to the capture-card driver properties (via the 'Property' button):
http://imgur.com/Y2VmGq7
The second panel is for capture settings. This program only lets you record in H.264 to an MP4 file, but it has decent quality options:
http://imgur.com/IrOzgAe

The recording results?
I am very unfamiliar with capture software, so I presumed it would be a painstaking process of recording to a gigantic uncompressed format first & then long compression would take place later. But this was not the case. Instead, it simply recorded to compressed video. And as soon as I pressed "stop" on the recording, the file was ready without delay.

For example, I recorded a soap opera for my mom.
I set it to "1920 x 1080" size & "6000 kbps" bitrate in the options.
It resulted in a 1.3 GB file for a 30 minute recording.
Keeping in mind this was compressed video, with only the 3rd highest bitrate setting...I thought the quality looked exactly like what aired on television.

One problem I did notice was that my recordings had sync issues if I set CaptureExpress to use the "Software Encoding (CPU)" option. Whereas the "Hardware Encoding (GPU)" option used my NVidia graphics card and always produced perfect recordings.

Video samples?
I settled on using higher values of "8000 kbps" or "16,000 kbps" bitrates for my future recordings.
I have uploaded & attached three short recordings.
Two of the recordings are 1-minute clips of a live 1080 TV broadcast. One is at 8000 kbps, while the other is the max 16000 kbps bitrate of CaptureExpress.
The third recording is a 2-minute clip of streaming internet 1080 content from my PS4. This was recorded at 8000 kbps bitrate from CaptureExpress.

[Brad]

Thanks for the samples. The MediaInfo report is a little concerning:

Frame rate mode                : Variable
Frame rate                     : 59.940 fps
Minimum frame rate             : 58.824 fps
Maximum frame rate             : 62.500 fps

Since TSN is 1080i, it would arguably be better to set the cable box to output in the original format. Maybe.

The streaming movie clip would turn out better if you are able to set the PS4 to output it at 1080p23.976.

I will probably keep my VHS conversions lossless.
I read online that Huffyuv is the best lossless codec solution.
I don't care if a codec is free or paid. I would just like to know the best lossless codec in terms of file size/quality.

Well, quality is identical between lossless codecs. That's what lossless means. In my testing, Ut Video always produces the smallest filesize with VHS sources. But MagicYUV decodes much, much faster and isn't much larger. Huffyuv, Lagarith, etc. are all older and slower codecs that produce larger filesizes.

Other people claim a different ranking, but they haven't posted filesizes/stats:

With my Hauppauge USB2 Live2 capture device I get the smallest lossless capture files using Lagarith (YUY2). UT Video is not far behind in terms of file size (and is still being developed), probably followed by MagicYUV (the free, older version 1.2) and then HuffYUV.

The only advantage to the old codecs may be if you are concerned about other factors like cross-compatibility, likelihood of a decoder existing in 20 years if you archive the lossless files, etc. Or for people using old processors that don't support the speed optimizations of the new codecs.

[jaibubwan]

Thanks for the samples. The MediaInfo report is a little concerning:

Frame rate mode                : Variable
Frame rate                     : 59.940 fps
Minimum frame rate             : 58.824 fps
Maximum frame rate             : 62.500 fps

Since TSN is 1080i, it would arguably be better to set the cable box to output in the original format. Maybe.

The streaming movie clip would turn out better if you are able to set the PS4 to output it at 1080p23.976.

Sorry, but I'm a little out of my depth when it comes to this video encoding stuff.
Can you tell me what is "concerning" about the frame rate stuff you pointed out?

Also, I have a suspicion that I've set the frame rate option incorrectly in my recording option...and this is what is causing the issue you pointed out.
Here are the recording settings I set: http://imgur.com/a/i704P
If you notice the "Frame Duration" option, I manually set it to "59.94 FPS".

Why did I do this? I looked at my Capture Card driver properties.
I assumed the "Input" tab would give me the dimensions and frame rate of my cable feed (or any other feed, like PS4).
Here's what the MageWell input tab said about my cable feed:
http://imgur.com/a/p8WLR
http://imgur.com/a/xsrhM

So I set those approximate values in my "Video Size" & "Frame Duration" sections of my recording settings (the first image I linked to, in this post).

Again, I don't really know what I'm doing...so please set me straight.

[Brad]

Also, I have a suspicion that I've set the frame rate option incorrectly in my recording option...and this is what is causing the issue you pointed out.

Naw. The software is using variable frame rate encoding mode (VFR). Maybe to handle dropped frames more gracefully, or something?

Your settings look correct.

I assumed the "Input" tab would give me the dimensions and frame rate of my cable feed (or any other feed, like PS4).
Here's what the MageWell input tab said about my cable feed:
http://imgur.com/a/p8WLR
http://imgur.com/a/xsrhM

59.95 Hz. Weird. Does it say 59.95 for both?

[jaibubwan]

59.95 Hz. Weird. Does it say 59.95 for both?

Sorry for the late response.
But yes, the capture card's "Input" section shows "59.95 Hz"...when I connect EITHER the Cable Box or my PS4 (running NetFl*x app).

[TimA-C]

vaporeon800, interesting that you find UT Video gives you smaller file sizes than with Lagarith. Can I ask you which version of UT Video you're using and how you've got it set up as whenever I do the occasional tests on size and processing speed etc. Lagarith always gives me the smallest files and MagicYUV gives the fastest encoding.

My last test (actually yesterday and prompted by this thread) an uncompressed capture of 6 minutes 57 secs gives me an avi file (UYVY 4:2:2) that's 8225.8Mb (including audio). Loading that into Virtualdub and saving out (audio untouched) gave me:- Lagarith (YUY2 4:2:2) 2119.3Mb, UT Video (ULY2 4:2:2) 2761.0Mb and MagicYUV v1.2rev2 (YUV 4:2:2) 2506.1Mb. Not massive differences but if I can get smaller files with UT Video then I'm interested in learning more. (My UT Video settings - YUV422 BT.601: Frame Divide Count: 4, Predict Left, Assume Interlaced Video)

As to the rest of what you were saying, I don't disagree. I only use these files as an intermediate step, and am not archiving them or anything. If I were, then I would probably use UT Video as a) it's still being developed which has got to be a good thing. b) I don't see much (if any) hate for it on the forums, so the alarm bells aren't ringing. c) It's free.

[Brad]

Thanks for the numbers. For some reason you chose the less-compressed option for Ut Video. I use Optimize for compression ratio (predict median). My frame divide count is also 4 (quad-core here).

jaibubwan: I would love to see some VHS samples with your Magewell card, since the only VHS tests we've seen here were PAL. Preferably a short (10s) lossless sample with vertically-running lines onscreen (electrical power poles, lamp posts, etc.). But I will take whatever I can get.