Cendyne Dvd Writer $169-Need Advice

[Joy B]

I am considering buying The Cendyne(Pioneer) DVD writer from Office Max for $169

However I am not sure what else I will need to capture from tv and make high quality DVDs and how much it would actually cost.

I've looked at numerous capture cards ranging from $50-$300.
About a year ago I even tried a Dazzle connector ($70)-that turned out to be a waste of money.
So I know you get what you pay for. I just want the highest quality for the most reasonable price.

Finally my hard drive is about 11 gigs- would I also have to upgrade it as well?

And is this going to cost me a bundle & would be better off buying a stand alone dvd recorder?

I'd appreciate any advice. I've been trying to figure this out since the DVD writer went on sale during Thanksgiving! And when I've asked at different stores the salespeople were very rude.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I assume you live in the US,
To capture:CompUSA has the I/O Magic PVR pci-card which captures up to 720x480 MPEG-2 9000kbps and includes PowerVCR(an excellent capture program)for $49.I use an ATI all-in-wonder card($150)
HDD:11GB is small in todays standards but sufficient for capturing MPEG-2.
I highly recommend Sonic MyDVD(Ulead VideoStudio 6 or MovieFactory 2 are also good)to author and burn.
Those desktop DVD writers cost around $800 but the quality is excellent

[donpedro]

CompUSA has the I/O Magic PVR pci-card which captures up to 720x480 MPEG-2 9000kbps and includes PowerVCR(an excellent capture program)for $49

Did you use it ? How do you know if it is good ? I am thinking about som capture card too.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I haven't tried the card but a friend has and likes the results.I have tried
PowerVCR and like the results.

[bertmartin]

I called OfficeMax today (here in FL) and they said people were lined up for these drives yesterday (Sunday) when they opened. Needless to say they were sold out. I think I'll wait for the Sony.

[Joy B]

Thanks for replying to my message. Well, I will defintely be looking for that capture card!

But as for the Cendyne drive it is just too expensive. What really annoys me about stores like Office Max are rebates-I wish the price was just $169. I miss the days before there were so many rebates. I mean why even bother telling us we get an instant rebate (just lower the price). Plus the rebates you have to send away for- you will also be paying tax on at the register.

So I guess I will get the capture card and practice with VCDs until prices drop a little more.

Thanks again

[Roy2001]

I went to OM yesterday (Friday) and they have 4x model.