Questions on Low Bandwith Capture Quality - Card Suggestions

[pjtgrizzly]

I work at a company where we capture video to eventually be streamed on the web. We use the Microsoft Mpeg 4 v2 codec to capture because it keeps the file size down. This is a big concern for my position because I capture A LOT of video and it gets moved around a network multiple times. It is captured at 240x180 at 15 fps. I use VirtualDub to chop up the video. These requirements are set in stone for the time being.

My question is twofold.

1) I'm looking to improve some of the video quality that comes into our business. Currently we're using basic Osprey 100 capture cards. Some of the video that comes thru really looks like ass - what is the best way or improving the quality? It need to be done on the fly - no software. Would a better quality capture card make a big impact considering the codec that it's being captured with? Would a hardware processor make a big differece?

2) In regards to the above point - I need recommendation for a decent quality capture card that supports the MS Mpeg 4 v2 codec. Does the Canopus ADVC-50 support this codec? I'm needing a card that has locked audio support because of prior issues with audio/video sync.

Anyone that has any recommendations for a solution to the above requirements/issues - I thank you.

[java-fan.trojanhorse]

Hi there,

Thera are lots of factors to be involved when it comes to quality. In my experience, I use Prolink capture cards which is less than $100. It's got a very good performance despite of the price! I use VirtualDub with Huffyuv codec on it. I normally capture 400x576 or 640x480 at 25fps with my Camcorder! The result is fantastic ... Unfortunetly, this would result a very large file which cost lots of HD space!

In my experience, I tried using Microsoft WMV format. It's got the best Compression:Quality ratio of all, better than MPEG. Note: Codec does involve a vital part during capture, trust me! I've spent lots hours studying different codecs. Each of them has different quality and compression. Just like what happened to me few days ago, I was installing a sound card to a computer. Windows used a generic driver for it and sounded really "muddy" but when I installed the commercial driver(YAMAHA DS-XG) suddenly kicks a crystal clear sound! That means it not just the "HARDWARE" that affects the quality but "SOFTWARE" as well.

Honestly speaking, capturing a framesize of 240x180 at 15fps really gives you a nasty quality. You can't expect too much from that! The mininum should be at least 352x240 at 30fps which would result roughly 2MB of space & 20 secs. of video clip using MPEG 1 format but WMV is less than that. Try using other codecs and see if it improves the quality.

I've also tried MS Mpeg 4 v2 codec but it's no match with Huffyuv codec when it comes to quality using the same capture card. Huffyuv is the finest codec ever created which uses AVI format followed by DIVX! But would result a large file though which is not recommended for Web Streaming unless all people have 12mb/s ADSL connection.

My conclusion: Use Microsoft WMV codecs/format with your current capture card using a framesize of 352x240 at 30fps for Web Streaming application. Try also MPEG 1 with the same framesize and framerate! Other words, you can choose between Higher framesize with Lower framerate OR Lower framesize with Higher framerate. Depends on your priority.

Problems with Audio/Video sync? Again, it's the codec that has a problem! This is one of my biggest problem when I was still new in Video Editing. The software I used before has a codec that wasn't compatible with my sound card so it went out of sync until I've replaced with another one. Just make an experiment with other codecs and that will take you to decision later!

For me, it's kind of pointless buying an expensive hardware if a cheap one can do the same job. "Cheap car vs. Ferrari Enzo" - it can still take you wherever you want to go, doesn't it?

Regards,

[junkmalle]

Some of the video that comes thru really looks like ass - what is the best way or improving the quality?

Depends on what's wrong with it.