Questions about capturing with component...

[Kisai]

Can anyone suggest some decent capturing devices for component video? I currently have a simple USB capture device known as DVDXpress. This uses the old three audio/video cables, but the software itself isn't capable of recording in high-definition or widescreen. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I recently got a widescreen TV. My old USB capture device isn't capable of recording at the resolution and quality my widescreen can display, and I think that it's about time I got a capture device a little more up-to-date. Something with component video perhaps, and maybe with multiple audio/video or component outputs and inputs so I can easily connect my consoles to it in high-definition and have them connected to the new widescreen.

I hope I explained this all well-enough, and if not, just tell me what needs a bit more clarification. ^^; I'm a bit bad with explanations sometimes. Regardless, I was wondering if anyone knew of any good capture devices to help with what I want here...

[redwudz]

Capture cards with component input are fairly rare. A few here: http://www.videoguys.com/vidcap.htm

What's your source for video? A satellite or cable connection? What format output do you want, DVD? Or just for display on the TV?

And welcome to our forums.

[prouton]

Can anyone suggest some decent capturing devices for component video?

Hauppauge is scheduled to release a product this year to do this, but until it hits stores the price won't be known. They demo'd it at CES 2008, gave a suggested price of $250, and quoted availability as 1st quarter 2008 (but they're already late delivering it).

[Video Head]

www.blackmagic-design.com/products/hd/

www.avid.com

[Kisai]

What's your source for video? A satellite or cable connection? What format output do you want, DVD? Or just for display on the TV?

Well... er... I... watch satellite TV, but that's hardly what I have any interest in recording in the first play. ^^; And... what output? What do you mean?

And I took a look at that, and... well, the only choice available to me are those capture devices that are external. I can't use a "capture card" or some such because that requires opening a computer, and I'm using a laptop here. ^_^; Some of those external ones look nice, although they CAN output to the TV as well, right? Another thing I'm confused abuot is if they're capable of recording component, why do they only have three outlets for cords? Isn't component five cables, while composite is three?

And welcome to our forums.

Thanks. ^_^

[redwudz]

Composite video uses one connection, component, three. Any other connections such as audio may be handled separately, depending on the audio format.

A Wikipedia entry about component video: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_video

[Zen of Encoding]

Can anyone suggest some decent capturing devices for component video?

I've been whining about this issue for *months*....... Why aren't there more (any?) video capture
cards with just the red - green - blue RCA sockets for 1080i video capture with the red & white
RCA sockets for the associated sound right next to the R-G-B video inputs on the card?

This connection set-up seems to be the most common HD output on cable and satellite boxes.
My ANCIENT DVD player has the red-green-blue RCA style component output jacks on it.
These inputs have been on HD TVs since the very first models hit the market YEARS AGO !!!!
Why haven't the capture card makers gotten off of their duffs and made a PC card accepting
the R-B-G inputs?

Is the issue technical, as in a lack of processing power in most PCs to multiplex the 1080i signal and sound?

Is the issue legal, as in some sort of DRM issue where the capture card manufacturer could get
sued for facilitating the capture of 1080i HD signal?

[Video Head]

Can anyone suggest some decent capturing devices for component video?

I've been whining about this issue for *months*....... Why aren't there more (any?) video capture
cards with just the red - green - blue RCA sockets for 1080i video capture with the red & white
RCA sockets for the associated sound right next to the R-G-B video inputs on the card?

This connection set-up seems to be the most common HD output on cable and satellite boxes.
My ANCIENT DVD player has the red-green-blue RCA style component output jacks on it.
These inputs have been on HD TVs since the very first models hit the market YEARS AGO !!!!
Why haven't the capture card makers gotten off of their duffs and made a PC card accepting
the R-B-G inputs?

Is the issue technical, as in a lack of processing power in most PCs to multiplex the 1080i signal and sound?

Is the issue legal, as in some sort of DRM issue where the capture card manufacturer could get
sued for facilitating the capture of 1080i HD signal?

The Blackmagic can capture component, and a whole lot more:

[redwudz]

Is the issue legal, as in some sort of DRM issue where the capture card manufacturer could get
sued for facilitating the capture of 1080i HD signal?

I suspect that is part of the answer. I doubt Hollywood wants a better way to copy video. But the real reason may be that not that many people want to capture with a compnonent source to help a manufacturer decide to produce a low cost component converter. JMO.

EDIT: The other reason that I probably should have included is component is a 'display' format, and so are HDMI, VGA and DVI, none of which have much support for capture.

[Zen of Encoding]

Why haven't the capture card makers gotten off of their duffs and made a PC card accepting
the R-B-G inputs?

The Blackmagic can capture component, and a whole lot more:

The Blackmagic card looks *way* too expensive and too feature rich, like it's trying to be everything
to all potential users using every possible video connector.

I just want a simple PC card that has one Red, one Green, and one Blue RCA
socket to input the component video, and for the associated sound, one Red and one White
RCA socket....... nothing more, for under $300....... is that so incredibly difficult? Seems so?

[Video Head]

Yes it is. That's because, to date, that technology has only been in the pro realm...it is seeping down and will be available, at a reasonable cost, to the consumer base in a few years. How copy protection will be addressed at the consumer base will be the big question. ATI's AIW cards always struggled with the issue in the SD world.

[Zen of Encoding]

Can anyone suggest some decent capturing devices for component video?

Hauppauge is scheduled to release a product this year to do this, but until it hits stores the price won't be known. They demo'd it at CES 2008, gave a suggested price of $250, and quoted availability as 1st quarter 2008 (but they're already late delivering it).

WoooHooo !!! It appears that my wish has been granted....... well not exactly.
It isn't an internal PC card, the new Hauppauge PVR box is a USB connected device, but it does
seem to have the component inputs we've been hoping for.

I'm ignorant, anybody care to comment on the drawbacks of the manditory AVCHD recording format?
How about the H.264 compression or is this related to the above format?

check it out:

http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html

[TBoneit]

Yup it looks good, However I wonder if the Broadcast flag will hinder its usefulness?
No darn QAM tuner. My locals on basic cable are QAM and would be a easy capture if this thing had a tuner. Maybe I'll just go with the $149 box that that has ATSC & QAM...

Decisions
Decisions.

[edDV]

I'm ignorant, anybody care to comment on the drawbacks of the manditory AVCHD recording format?
How about the H.264 compression or is this related to the above format?

check it out:

http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html

1. Hardware AVCHD or other h.264 will be easy to cap but difficult to edit or author to a SD or BluRay DVD. It will also be difficult to play except on fast computers with leading edge display cards at HD resolution. Computers will get better at this in time.

2. Copy protection schemes are unknown at present.

3. OTA only. Otherwise needs a cable/sat box and cable/sat HD subscription.

4. "(up to 2 hours of video at 5MBits/sec)" won't be top picture quality. Why only 2 hours?

Otherwise looks OK. We shall see.


PS: "Optical in" looks good but will it pass Dolby 5.1 or just stereo mixdown?

[jagabo]

4. "(up to 2 hours of video at 5MBits/sec)" won't be top picture quality. Why only 2 hours?

On DVD.

burn your TV recordings onto a standard DVD disk (up to 2 hours of video at 5MBits/sec)