TV or Capture card

[djkool]

hi,
I'm looking into buying a TV or capture card but I'm not sure what the difference between the two is so that's my first question,
so if i explain what i want it to do for me hopefully someone can tell me what one i need an also the best make and deals.
i mainly wont the card for recording console games (ps2/xbox)
to my PC and later on to disc,but i want to be able to copy the TV to PC also,
now i know some of theses card do digital TV an some don't,
we have no out door areal so all my TV is done through the sky dish so i do i need a card that supports digital???
and last of all i would like to know if the cards come with all the necessary cables to connect the PC to the TV??
thanks in advance guys.

p.s this is my first post so i am very sorry if this is not the right board.

[pchan]

Hi djkool,
Welcome to videohelp !

There is no many capture card now. Mostly are TV card with s-video and composite input for capturing. Essentially, it has a TV tune where there is an inlet for for antenna or cable. For capturing your ps2 or xbox, you can use s-video or composite input. Some higher end TV cards have hardware encoding to MPEG(VCD or DVD) format.

Most TV cards come bundle with video editing software, antenna cable, and remote control.

Latest TV cards are HDTV(i.e. digital tv) capable.

[FulciLives]

One of the more popular capture cards is the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 but this card introduces a slight delay in the video/audio so you can't use it to play a video game unless you also have the video game machine hooked up to a TV and use the TV to play.

The delay is due to the way it processes the A/V signal. Quality of this capture card is very good though and the price is not too bad either (last I checked it was about $130 I think give or take).

Another option would be a stand alone DVD recorder like those made by Pioneer or JVC etc. but you are looking at about $200 or so for a basic model so this is more than a capture card such as the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[djkool]

that's kool thanks mate.
so do i need to have a TV card that supports digital,
because like i said i only have a sky dish to receive my TV signal.
I'm not sure about this stuff but sky digital must be digital as the name suggests so i guess i will need to have a digital capable card??

[reboot]

do i need to have a TV card that supports digital

No. Analog cards will record what you want.
The Hauppauge cards have a method to bypass the mpeg-2 encoder on the board, so there is no delay for PS2/X-Box.
Digital cards can only record over the air (via an antenna on the roof) signals. They do not record digital signals from a set top box, so you don't want a digital card.
The "retail" version of any of Hauppauge's PVR series cards (not the WinTV Go types), will work with your sky dish.
If set up right, you can even have the PVR software control the sky box, to change channels for you.

[djkool]

ok,
i thought that there were only 2 types of card (analogue and digital) but if neither of them are appropriate for what i wont then what is the type of card i want called so i can maybe look around??
thx for your help.

[reboot]

Let me clarify.
Current digital cards do NOT work with output from any set top box. They are ONLY for digital signals received from a roof top antenna.
Current analog cards can record from any source that has outputs.
You need an analog card, which will take the signal from your box, and make it into a format you want, on the PC.
Two types of analog cards do this.
"Soft" cards rely on your CPU power and software, to convert the signal, and record it on your hard drive.
"Hardware encoder" cards have chips, that convert the signal to mpeg-2 format, then write it to your hard drive.
Any analog card with a TV tuner will let you watch TV on your computer monitor, If that's all you want to do.
If you wish to pause, timeshift, or otherwise use the card to record TV, then burn DVD, or pipe it out to a TV...essentially using the card as a PVR (Tivo type device), then you should probably consider some of the better hardware encoder cards available.

[djkool]

Great reply man that explained alot to me and answered most of my questions thx m8,
ye i have been looking around at different cards and some of the system requirements have been quite high (well you know what i mean)
so i guess these are the ones that rely on the CPU so ill start looking for the other now.
thx once again.
dj

[reboot]

The hardware cards to look at would be the Hauppauge PVR-150/250/500, as they only require a P3 800mhz or faster.
ATI's Theatre 550 Pro chipset cards require more, but not that much more.
The software you choose to run the PVR can also make a huge difference.
For example, I wouldn't run MediaPortal on anything but a 2ghz or faster computer, with a DirectX 9 capable video card, but GBPVR can run on the aforementioned P3 800, with a Radeon 7000 PCI card. (I've done it)
Other software varies in it's requirements too, and what you are going to see on the screen, as the interface to the card, should be a major deciding factor in what system you use (CPU power, video card, etc.) and what Tuner/Capture card you purchase.