Good capture device for pci-e board?

[ingeborgdot]

I am looking for a good capture device for my new computer that I am building. I will be using an amd 64 board (939) which you can only use pci-e cards and NO more AGP. This is making it tougher finding a good quality all in wonder card from ATI. I have been looking at this ati http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=2594349 compare to this video card????

or also the ati aiw x800xl but I can't seem to find much info on this one but someone just told me that it is faster than the 600.

or this one--
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814122201
This is the card I really want.
I could maybe use a pvr 150,250 or 350? The 350 has more of the options I like but if you have any suggestions throw them at me. How do you think the ati compares to the geforce?

I do believe by going with the faster leadtek card I will be ahead in the long run for overall things but I don't believe I get as much for the money as with the ati card. I just want something of real good quality and don't really want to upgrade later.

[ebenton]

ATI makes good capture cards. You *always* have to upgrade later, who are you kidding?

[SHS]

Well at $400 for that All-in-Wonder X800 XL I so go for Leadtek PX6600GT $154 plus PVR 150MCE $65 you have lot more option with 3rdparty PVR software SageTV, BeyondTV, GB-PVR just name a few..

[ingeborgdot]

Why only the 150mce and not 350?

[impmon2]

I don't have the spec for your board (you never stated what mobo anyway) but if you don't mind you can just grab an ATI TV Wonder PCI card. Most PCI-e board have at least one standard PCI slot available that you can use and you can save the PCI-e for a decent video card.

I've seen TV Wonder Ve as cheap as $30 locally and they are probably available for less online.

[ingeborgdot]

It will be the board from epox ep-9NPA+ ultra.

[ingeborgdot]

ATI makes good capture cards. You *always* have to upgrade later, who are you kidding?

I don't. If I need a big upgrade I just build a new computer.

[SHS]

Becuase the 350 well know for not want to work with a lot newer motherboard if your after Hardware Decoder and on screen OSD thur SageTV on your TVset and fact that run's hot then 250 (revision2) and 150.
Note same apply to 250 (revision1) it run hot.
I have screenshot of all the card on SHSPVR.
If you want spent more on the Retail card then go for it but other then just get an OEM 250MCE, 150MCE or if you want there alway the 500MCE Dual Tuner.

My server box has SageTV and BeyondTV on this setup as well for testing
Intel 1.6GHz
Intel motherbaord
512MB
nVidia GF MX 4000
(3) 250GB drive
WinTV-PVR 500MCE
PCI A/V bracket for PVR-500
USB-UIRT
old 14" monitor and Mid tower case
(2) Digital Cable Box
Also have (2) MediaMVP with SageTV UI being display

[ingeborgdot]

I have not had a lot of replies. Someone said all the experts were here. I came expecting to find an answer fast. Maybe I am asking too much.

[ingeborgdot]

How does the canopus advc 50 compare to many of these mentioned here????

[FulciLives]

How does the canopus advc 50 compare to many of these mentioned here????

If you want to go that way better off with the Canopus ADVC-100 (harder to find) or the newer Canopus ADVC-110 or the DataVideo DAC-100 which is cheaper but basically the same as the Canopus ADVC-100

The ADVC-50 is internal the other are FIREWIRE external and work better as a result.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[FulciLives]

You might also want to check out the ADS Instant TV Deluxe USB (model USBAV-705) which is an external USB 2.0 hardware MPEG encoder. It comes with an IR blaster so it can be used with a cable/sattelite box and works with Beyond TV. Even comes with a remote control.

Here is a link ---> CLICK HERE

I just ordered the ADS DVD Xpress which is similiar but without the remote or IR blaster although it will work if a IR blaster if you buy one separately.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ingeborgdot]

What do you guys think of this one?
Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Video Editor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102186

and this one from ati
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16815116312

[FulciLives]

What do you guys think of this one?
Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Video Editor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829102186

and this one from ati
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16815116312

I never heard of that Creative Labs device. It must be new? It looks interesting though although a bit on the high end price wise.

The ATI TV Wonder Elite is supposed to be good but if I am not mistaken it uses the 550 chipset which I understand has some "issues" though what they are I forget now. Another point is that the audio is handled by your sound card which means it is possible and much easier to have out-of-sync audio with a capture card of this kind than with something that has locked audio such as the Canopus ADVC-100/110 etc.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ingeborgdot]

What about the canopus advc50? Are you saying the ati does that with the sound or the creative or both? I think the creative might do well with my sound card as it is a creative audigy 2zs gamer.

[mike909]

From what I gather, the sapphire theatrix 550 is the same card as the ati, at half the price. comes with different remote though.

[ingeborgdot]

I am going to go with the 6600gt tdh as gc with canopus advc50 as the capture device but I don't know about just a tv tuner yet. Any suggestions.

[mike909]

the thaeatre 550 pro chipset like the two mentioned above (ati tv wonder elite/sapphire theatrix 550) are both tuner cards w/ hardwre mpeg2 encoding. You may want to decide which software you want to use before deciding on a card.

[ingeborgdot]

If I have the canopus 50 what would you do? What software and what tuner? Help me out a little on that would you. thanks.

[edDV]

I'm not fuly following this thread but consider this.

The Canopus ADVC (50, 100, 110) is older but well proven in many applications

Anything USB 2.0 is new and not fully evaluated.

ATI 550 pro chipset is new and not fully evaluated. The drivers seem to have many problems.

Beyond TV is the only one I have seen that claims to have the 550 pro chipset working as a MPeg2 hardware encoder. There may be others.

[edDV]

If I have the canopus 50 what would you do? What software and what tuner? Help me out a little on that would you. thanks.

My ADVC-100 does many things.

I leave it parked on my HD cable box S-Video output feeding 480i DV to multiple computers. One computer is a dedicated PVR that realtime converts the DV stream to MPeg1 or DVD MPeg2 using ULead Video Studio 8.

The resulting file can be directly authored to DVDR at correct levels.

[edDV]

The Creative USB 2.0 Interface Sound Blaster Audigy2 ZS Video Editor is a 3rd party product made for Creative.

Uses that same DoMiNo LSI chipset used on the front end of may low end DVD recorders.

There is little enthusiast following of this product. I would assume it performs at budget consumer level.

[Nelson37]

Some thoughts.

IMO, a tuner is nearly useless. Will not decode any premium channels. On most units, it introduces additional noise into the video. Uses Coax cable connection, the worst of the three commonly available. I use cable or sat box to tune, S-video out to capture card.

Hauppage cards are good quality. Many happy users. AVI capture not normally available, doable but apparently only thru multiple real-time conversion. Not good. MPG capture of good quality.

Not at all happy with USB devices for video capture. Simply too much throughput for these devices. Real-time MPG largely solves this issue, at the expense of AVI capture ability.

ATI cards offer both AVI and hardware-assisted MPG. Inexpensive, good software. Macrovision easily defeated on most models. IMO, the most cost-effective and versatile solution.

Guess which one I own? To most everyone, the best one is the one they have, that's why they have it. Many variables, such as do you want VHS capture? This is a major factor, but not something that concerns me.

Real-time MPG carries advantages for hardware encoders, but IMO this advantage is minimized as the CPU gets faster. When Hauppage introduced the 250, I had an 800 MHZ CPU. The 350 is their latest, no real performance gain. But now I am at a 2.5 GHZ processor. Hardware-assisted ATI capture at 800 marginal, 1200 good, 1400 excellent, 1700 no real improvement, 2.4 again no noticeable improvement. But no major gain from Hauppage in all that time.

PCI-E not yet firmly entrenched in the marketplace, therefore availability and development of capture cards for that interface has not yet hit its peak. This is the wrong time to buy such a device, unless you are in a real hurry. That is never good when choosing PC hardware.

[ingeborgdot]

I have ruled out the creative as it also is a external soundcard. That's what they tell me. Anyway I want to use the canopus 50 as my capture device from vhs and cam etc. What I so unclearly stated is that I need a tv tuner and some software to watch tv etc. What would you recommend for this???

[TheFamilyMan]

Some more info, though it sounds like you know where you want to go.

This may be worth checking out:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121523
This card uses the rage theater chip for video. If you got a VCR, use its tuner and you can also plug your camcording into the VCR. This is what I do.

I'm considering a new system using this card, which in in the same class as the GF 6600. The X800 is better, but pricier. Good Luck.

[edDV]

Normally I would say try the ATI AIW series but you say they are expensive for the X.

[ingeborgdot]

Some more info, though it sounds like you know where you want to go.

This may be worth checking out:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121523
This card uses the rage theater chip for video. If you got a VCR, use its tuner and you can also plug your camcording into the VCR. This is what I do.

I'm considering a new system using this card, which in in the same class as the GF 6600. The X800 is better, but pricier. Good Luck.

Yes, the x800 is better but then you move up to nvidias 6800 and the x aint better than that.

[dj4monie]

You can get the 600x, but it doesn't come with the remote, that's an extra $30 I believe from ATI.

I'd say if you want it simple get a AIW card. If you want to install a video card and then a capture card, then I would look at any of the suggested cards and run a decent nVida based card, of course depending on your demands during gameplay.

I have a 9600XT and I can play alot of stuff at full detail@1024x768

I saw the Creative unit last night for the first time and its seems interesting... If you need something external.

[ingeborgdot]

I got my capture card and what I want now is just a tv tuner for a little added fun etc. Is the haup. 150mce the way to go? I have noticed the new 550 ati chip in sapphire, and some others for a lot less than ati sells them for. What is your thought on this. Anybody????????????? Thanks.

[edDV]

150mce doesn't come with full xp software.

550 ati has suspect drivers. Make sure you get software that will get this card to work. When you get it working, let the rest of us know how you did it.