In and Out Capture and Playback

[sotch]

I recently read some features on a capture card where it would be possible to capture video from any source, store on your HD, and replay
it back through your TV without the need of burning to a CD or DVD.
Can anyone tell me if I read it right and what make it could have been.
Thanks

[reboot]

Any capture card, and any video card with TV out.
Some of the ATI cards can do this.

[sotch]

Thank you for that reply.
I am very new at this stuff, so hope that was,nt too dumb a question.
The biggest problem I am having is understanding the language of this video hobby. Your answer was very simple.
I only have a one way Tuner card, so I always had to capture my photos
then burn them to be able to see them on my TV.
I have read so much literature on models of in and out cards, I am totally
confused as to what to buy. Even the posts in here, with everyone giving
their pros and cons (experts I suppose) don't make it easy.
Is there a manual "Capture Cards For Dummies" (he he).
Thanks again.

[reboot]

Not really. If you have a capture card, and can already encode and burn to watch on TV, then that's (more than) half the battle.
All you need is any decent video card that has a "TV Out" option. There are hundreds!
It will replace your current video card, that goes to your monitor. You will still hook up the monitor to it, but it also has the outputs (usually called S-Video Out) to hook up to TV. Instructions and drivers are all included with the card.
Prices range from about $50 to $500.

[non-linear]

All you need is any decent video card that has a "TV Out" option. There are hundreds!

There are lots out there, and I don't know about the quality of them, but I do know that the video out on ATI cards blows (I have an AIW 9600). If you want decent quality, you'll probably have to spend lots of money for it.

[reboot]

Here's an excellent guide on the subject: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=113495

[sotch]

There you GO. ATI out sucks.
What is AIW.? Does that suck too?
I hate to tell you that my card is ATI (in) LOL.
One of the downfalls of forums is there does'nt seem to be a majority of
opinions a lot of the time, and someone like me needs to rely and decide
on these mixed opinions.
One of the mods on here lives by the ATI if you read his comments.
I think I'll try all of them (100's is scary) and if I don't like them I'll return them. hehe
Thanks for the input.

[reboot]

AIW=All In wonder, a type of ATI card.
Doesn't much matter what output you have. If you can see a picture on your monitor and it's not flickering, then it's working. Video out has nothing (much) to do with capture/encode quality.
You've successfully captured and encoded, burned and watched the result on your TV, so that part of the process is not in question.
What you DO need, is a better video OUT card, that has TV OUT as one of it's options.
Higher end ATI and Nvidia chipset cards all usually come with TV OUT. Even some lower end (Radeon 7000 pci, some models) have it (mine does), as well as my Nvidia GeForce Ti-4200. Neither of these cards is anywhere NEAR state of the art, they're both at least 2 years old, but TV out works just fine.

[MOVIEGEEK]

There are lots out there, and I don't know about the quality of them, but I do know that the video out on ATI cards blows (I have an AIW 9600). If you want decent quality, you'll probably have to spend lots of money for it.

Not true,I have a ATI Radeon 7000($40US) on another PC that outputs decently.If you don't already have a videocard with TV out you can buy a VGA to TV scan converter($50+).

[sotch]

Thank you Reboot.
When you say output to TV is good, can you give me an example.?
DVD-real good
SVCD-Good
VCD-Poor
Also I have experimented a little with capture, convert.
XViD gives me the best playback on my PC player.
DiVX & DVD (to me) look the same.
DVD comes second.
SVCD - third
VCD pixelizes badley.
Of course I may not be getting the max returns from my converter because of lack of knowledge. I'll learn that though.
I have tried a lot of converters.
I use AVIto DVD.
CuCuSoft Pro.
dvd Santa.

[reboot]

If you use the right cables, it's DVD good.
Way better than SVCD, but not quite store-bought DVD.
If you think avito dvd, cucusoft, and Santa give you good quality, you should try Canopus Procoder

[non-linear]

Not true,I have a ATI Radeon 7000($40US) on another PC that outputs decently.If you don't already have a videocard with TV out you can buy a VGA to TV scan converter($50+).

I know what I see. Video looks like crap (washed out, very little contrast). I've tried adjusting the video out settings for hours and never got anything near what I would consider acceptable quality.

[reboot]

I love my Radeon 7000! With the right cables (yes, they're a little pricey) the quality is excellent. (Better than my GeForce). I have a run of almost 40 feet, from computer to TV, so crappy cables/connectors can have a huge impact.