Need help picking a capture card.

[JamesB69]

I havent been here in a LONG time. I recently *upgraded* my computer to a 1.4ghz Celeron @ 1.54ghz, 512MB SDRam. I have an 80GB and 40GB hard drive, set up as master and slave respectively.

Here are the cards I am currently looking at:

Software based
- MSI TV@nywhere Master - $49 - here
- Leadtek Winfast TV2000 XP Expert - $51 - here

Hardware based
- Kworld Hardware Mpeg Xpert - $57 - here
- ATI E-home Wonder - $62 - here
- AverMedia UltraTV 1500 MCE - $73 - here

I have a couple of concerns -
1. What quality should I be able to capture with on the software cards? I would like to capture in real time mpeg2 or divx/xvid (with no dropped frames).

2. On the hardware cards that I have listed, they seem to be limited to mpeg2 hardware compression. Are they still capable of other compression in software? Also, in order to utilize the hardware compression, must I use the software that comes with the card or would I be able to use other capturing software?

3. I have read that the hardware based Hauppage cards have a delay. Is this delay in all hardware-encoding cards or just in the Hauppage ones? If its in all, is it all of the time or just during recording. This is an issue because I would like to be able to play video games through this thing.

4. Would it be possible with any of these to burn direct to VCD without having to go to the harddrive? I figure this just depends on what software I am using. While we are at it, how about direct to DVD? (not likely)

I looked for reviews for these three hardware cards, but came up empty. I am not opposed to a different card, but I do not need to go over the price range I have listed above.

thanks

[Capmaster]

Software based
- MSI TV@nywhere Master - $49 - here
- Leadtek Winfast TV2000 XP Expert - $51 - here

Those are both hardware encoders, not software. Software is an app on your PC that usually takes DV and encodes it into DVD-compliant video.

1. Those are hardware cards. Quality is in the eye of the beholder. Some people are fine with one-pass encoding and others demand 2-pass, which requires software encoding.

2. No. What you get is what you get. It'll capture in MPEG1, MPEG2 and sometimes MPEG4 (Divx, etc.). They won't take a DV file, for example, and encode it to DVD-compliant video. Only what passes through the hardware.

3. Read through the user reviews in the "Lists" section to the left, under "Capture Cards" and see what other users say.

4. No. I've seen and tried real-time DVD -burning apps that burn as you capture, but they're full of bugs. If you want real-time burning, buy a standalone DVD recorder

[JamesB69]

maybe you dont understand the whole hardware vs. software thing..

They are all hardware interfaces (i.e PCI cards), but the software-based ones use software to do the encoding/compression. The hardware based ones do the compression ON THE CARD. Software-based requires a fast computer and is easy to get dropped frames from high CPU utilization, while hardware based use very little CPU power.

I do not think you understood anything I typed.

Please do not treat me like I have never been here by telling me to click a menu on the left of the screen. If you had read my original post you would have saw that I did look for the reviews for the 3 hardware-based capture cards and there were none. You also would have saw the same had you done it yourself. The 2 software-based cards I listed have hundreds of reviews everywhere.

[mats.hogberg]

I only have experience with Hauppage (PVR250) and:
1) Mpeg realtime encoding at 12000 kbps, dvd res.
2) Only mpeg. If you want AVI, you have to reencode after. Not dependant on soft that comes with the card, but needs custom capture app.
3) Yes, a few secs delay, even when just watching (cool effect hearing live TV in one room, and hearing/seeing the same a few secs later on monitor) I think it builds a 4 sec buffer before recording/displaying
4) No.

/Mats

[tipstir]

Kworld Hardware Mpeg Xpert cards are good but avoid the ATI All-in-Wonder cards well the ones without the Video Graphics just the capture and remote.

I use Pinnacle PCTV Pro Stereo dbx, PCI card is unlike the others it gives you 3 audio connections 1 - 1/8 female to your stereo sound card external input, 1 internal output audio 3-pin connector (same connector used on CD-ROMs) to your stereo card internal AUX 3-pin connector. (Best way to do it listen and record from that same output)

There is also input internal audio, I don't use it. The internal audio output frees up your sound card audio input external if you only had 1 input. This way you can hookup a VCR, DVD Home Player, Camcorder at the same time.

CATV RF
Super-Video
Standard -Video
Stereo Audio Output

Still not a bad card cost is $79 bucks. Oh yes it's software based MPEG 1/2 but there are DVR software that can use your CPU features to help improve the PIC just as good as hardware MPEG Encoder.

[vhelp]

The winfast card you posted in your list above is not a hardware mpeg. Its a
real-time mpeg encoder (software) I know, because I have (and used) this card.

Yes, there is a few second delay with these hardware MPEG cards. Even on
my DVD Xpress (by ADS) has a few second delays. I used to think that it
was the Hauppauge to blaime, but then I got the ADS and it suffers from this
too. I hate it. You always have to give it about a good ~10 second head
start, if you want to be sure you get it going. But luckly the "software" that
came with my box (Ulead) v7.1 has a "start - hit ok" feature. (but I haven't
really used it yet ..just thought I'd mention it)

The DVD Xpress runs aprox $77 - got mine at Wal-Mart.
Its bitrate however, goes as high as 15k. So, if you really are a "transcoder"
than I would give this box a test run. After all, quality is our main concirn (as
it should always be )

-vhelp

[lordsmurf]

ATI All In Wonder cards are great, but I think your PC is too slow for any non-hardware (100% hardware, no hybrids!) capture devices, if you seek MPEG or other AVI codecs that are not minimally compressed (HuffYUV, MJPEG, uncompressed, etc).

Same goes for perfect DIVX,XVID caps. Besides, that's not a capture format, it a final output format best reached by software encodes post-capture.