Does this capture device exist?

[fourthquark]

Folks,

The "Capture Cards" section does not allow selection on the following parameters, and I am hoping some knowledgeable people can let me know if there exists an external capture device with ALL the following characteristics:

External
USB 2.0
Hardware MPEG2 encoder
TV tuner
Uses power from USB (no separate power cord)
FM tuner

If necessary, I would forgo the FM tuner. Thanks for your help.

[yoda313]

Hello,
Try companies like pinnacle or ulead. I think some of them make usb add ons that have quite a few features. Though I don't know if they are technically "hardware" mpeg encoders, probably avi only. Try searching the big companies like bestbuy or circuit city for specs.

I don't think your going to get away without having to use an external power source. I guess it takes a lot of power to capture and digitize video sources. Good luck.
Kevin

[DVD_Ripper]

Also, look at ADSTech, they have a few good USB Boxes... but know that you will have to have a external power on all of them.

http://www.adstech.com/

[overclockxp]

It would be impossible to run anything that power hungry off of the usb ports. I had a usb powered flatbed scanner one time. It was slower than maple syrup in a Vermont winter and not that good of quality either.

[aguillon]

Would probably look at the Pinnacle PCTV USB2 - Fits the bill all the way (MPEG2 capture, tuner, USB, bus powered) except for the FM radio which it does not have.

http://www.pinnaclesys.com/ProductPage_n.asp?Product_ID=2123&Langue_ID=7

[aguillon]

I have also found Hauppage WinTV PVR USB2
http://www.hauppage.com/pages/products/data_pvrusb2.html

Which has everything you requested, including FM radio.

I have not tested any of these devices myself so I cannot comment on their quality / stability.

Cheers

[paulw]

The thing you have to watch for is. Do they send the video and audio over seperate paths rather than all thru the USB2 port. I bought a MSI Vox last week and discovered to my dismay that it sends the audio seperatly to my PCs sound card and the video via the USB. The problem I get is anything capture greater than 4Megbits give audio video sinc problems. If I have known of this before I bought it I would not have bothered. It is very hard to find this out from reviews on line..

Good luck in your serch. Pleaze let us all know what you get and how it performs..

[fourthquark]

Thanks for your help aguillon. I checked the Pinnacle link and I can't find anywhere where they say it is a hardware encoder. The high system requirements lead me to suspect it is a software-based encoder. Does anyone know for sure?

And the Hauppauge unit has everything I am looking for, but uses an external power supply.

Paulw, good point to be aware of. Most newer devices send the audio over the USB wire. They use newer encoding chips that encode both video and audio, so no AV sync problems.

Looks like the device I am looking for doesn't exist yet!

[SaSi]

As stated before, MPEG h/w capture devices are so power hungry that the USB port power cannot feed them.

I have used the Pinnacle PCTV USB2 device which capture(d) from composite, S-Video and the internal TV tuner.

It ran so hot, I had to open the plastic case and place a 8cm fan on top of it while it was operating. Otherwise it appeared to lock-up from overheating.

Don't buy a pinnacle capture device. They don't really perform what they should.

You should take a look at the Hauppauge WinTV PVR USB2. It has a TV, FM radio, is USB2 and can also capture from S-Video and Composite.

[SaSi]

Some USB capture devices operate at 5V or 12V. Such a device can be powered from the PC's Power supply, using a cable extension to take power out of the case in the back. That way you can avoid an extra power brick.