Recommend Capture card/stick pls

[jubbely2]

Hi, I am based in the UK. I have been browsing the forums today and still can't really find what I am looking for. I have used Hauppauge USB capture devices before and they have worked acceptably, albeit not fantastic, but source material is not great, so no point in trying to dress up mutton as lamb. My new PC I got last month runs on Windows 7 and the old stick+software don't seem to work anymore, and Hauppauge website tells me they won't be updated for windows 7, so I need some advice.

My set-up is Digital tuner ->(scart) VHS ->(Coaxil or s-video/RCA) PC

(I route the digital through VHS machine so I can record the tuner signal in realtime as it plays only, maybe there is a better way?)

I use DVD-LAB Pro to author my DVD, so need to be mpeg in the end, although I am quite happy to convert from .avi if necassary.

I would like some advice on a capture card and software (preferably free) that will work here in UK and with Windows 7.

Cheers Jub

[nharikrishna]

This is a costly option (but works very well for me). I use a Canopus ADVC 110. It accepts S-Video or Composit (RCA) Input from your Digital tuner and it sends the signal to the PC via Firewire as DV. You can use the FREE program WinDV to capture on PC. It captures as an AVI file.

Then you can use your favourite software to encode the AVI file to DVD-Compliant files.

Hope this helps.

[pippas]

Another vote for the Canopus unit here --although I use the 'one way' version (currently the ADVC55). A bit cheaper, if you have no need to send DV back to analogue.

You do have to remember to allow for 13GB per hour storage for the DV output stream though - although if you're then converting to Mpeg2, that only temporary.

[victoriabears]

How many vhs tapes are you wishing to convert?

[2Bdecided]

What digital tuner?

[TimA-C]

What exactly are you recording? Are you capturing VHS video tapes or digital TV from your digital tuner? If digital TV from your tuner what kind of tuner is it and what digital service are you viewing with it? (Freeview, Freesat, Sky+, Sky HD, Virgin, etc) If you're capturing digital TV from your tuner to the PC then I don't get why you've got a VHS recorder between the two?

If you're wanting to record either Freeview or Freesat digital TV then just get a Freeview or Freesat card/usb dongle for your PC and keep the same quality as it was transmitted at.