choose a real-time mpeg capture card with filter

[syeager]

I need some opinions on video capture cards. I have an ATI TV Wonder Pro (with an ATI 9500 Pro video card) and capture 704x480 at 8mbps+ and get great results, but it could be better. I captured movies at its maximum 20mbps and as AVI file, then rendered to fit on a DVDR at more normal DVD bit rates using TMPGenc plus. I also used TMPGenc's noise filter. Good results (not great) but on my PC took between 20-40 hours to encode.

I tried to experiment with ATI's VideoSoap. That works pretty good in real time, but even after experimenting for hours (and hours) with various settings, I could get good filtering but also several overfiltering artifacts. If I used less filter, I still get quite a bit of noise. And it's filter does not seem to analyze the scene to detect scene changes for filtering (this is where the greatest filter flaws exist - when a scene changes and the frames blur into each other somewhat). So it is nice and fast but not quite good enough.

I experimented with using AVIdemux and it's filter selection is excellent. Better in general than TMPGenc's and much faster. But it's mpeg rendering is a little random - both in size and quality. It is still good, most of the time comperable to TMPGenc, but still lacks just a bit.

Long ago, I tried the Hauppage (spelling?) 250. I did not like the interface for the software all that much, and it's abiltiy to watch TV seemed weak. However, when capturing with smoothing on, it did an excellent job of creating DVD compatable video with effective noise removal in real time (it was a little over filtered and soft or fuzzy, but definiately clean on a particularly noisy TV station). However, I was unable to keep the card.

Now, after much trial and error, effort, tim and money, I would like to return to my original effort - identify a capture card and software that can capture, filter, encode mpeg2, DVD quality, acceptable video that I can burn to a DVD (after editing commericals and such) in real time.

I know I am asking for the Holy Grail of PC TV capture, but where as I would like perfect quality, I am willing to sacrifice a little quality for the convenience of some good-to-excellent realtime solution. Any suggestions?

[harley2ride]

If you check out www.videoguys.com, they have a lot of reviews and comparisons of everything from home user, to professional nle setups.

[syeager]

Wow. I have always heard that you can spend a lot of money, but Wow.

I was looking for some more modest alternatives, such as Happauge's cards or ATI's (possibly their HDTV version or their 550 theatre chip). Mostly, I need decent realtime filtering and some adequate realtime rendering. ATI does a pretty good job, but I find it difficult to use the VideoSoap and estimate properly on the average bit rate as the bit rate seems to be applied before the filter, theirfore I get much smaller files than I expected, and thereby lots of mpeg flaws.

Anybody have a good solution they use that they can suggest?

[davideck]

I think it will be hard to beat the Hauppauge PVR-250 overall.
Let us know if you find something you like better...

[lordsmurf]

If your ATI card is THEATRE-chipped and you can use ATI MMC, then you should get good results, used effectively.

TMPGEnc, by the way, is not a suoer-high quality encoder. It's only decent for it's many filters. Procoder is far cleaner and better at encodes.

ATI MMC videosoap is good as long as you make your own settings. For example, try a 17% despeckle filter and nothing else. That's great for grainy VHS sources.

Noise is what caused artifacts, by the way.

[syeager]

Thanks for the input.

I would like to try the 250 again. Compare it and see, so I will have to see what I can get one for.

Lord Smurf, thanks for responding to me again. You are always helpful.

I have tried despeckle, but it almost always seems to show nasty overfiltering artifacts on scene changes and makes the motion jumpy. I have had pretty good luck with combo filter 1 at 40% or so, but it does produce some over filtering affects, but smooth motion and fewer of the overfiltering affects.

I am interested in using the ATI 550 chip. Any feedback on that? Sounds like it has a good filter there and decent hardware compression.

[Abbadon]

OT:

Lordsmurf, not to sound like a know it all, but "El día de los muertos" looks better.



Now, if you are referring to some European celebration:
"El día de la muerte"

Saludos.

[lordsmurf]

OT:
Lordsmurf, not to sound like a know it all, but "El día de los muertos" looks better.

Yeah, but there's not that many characters in the space available.