Need a high quality, low cost, basic video capturing device

[tonysolomon]

@brainstorm69, thank you. That one is at the top of my list, but I don't see it on Fry's website. However, it is $20 on Froogle, so I'm going to check out the customer reviews.

Try this Outpost.com link (I think they changed the name a little, but this is the card):

http://shop4.outpost.com/product/3446523?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

EDIT: Don't confuse it with the AverMedia DVD EZMaker 1394 PCI, which is a firewire only card

Yeah, that's the one. I had my eye on that one for a while. However, Fry's doesn't offer the rebate, anymore. I've spotted one for $25, after shipping.

EDIT:
I might wait until I can afford to buy a TBC, due to the negative customer reviews, on this webpage, for the Aver DVD EZMaker and ADS Instant DVD:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=573674&Tab=11&NoMapp=0

Since, a decent video capture card or device is at least $100, it makes sense for me to spend the extra $100 for a TBC. I just hope that I can find a good VCR, for a low price.

[tonysolomon]

For hunder of VHS tapes, I would use a TBC, a good VCR, a Canopus 55, virtualdub (editing), TMPGenc (encoding), TMPGenc Author (authoring).

An alteranative could be: A TBC, a good VCR, a Canopus 55, mainconcept 1.5, mpeg2vcr (editing), TMPGenc Author (authoring)

A third alternative combines a good VCR, a TBC, a DVD standalone recorder, mpeg2vcr, TMPGenc author

For 70$ I would go for a cheap bt8xx based card and start learning this hobby from scratch.

I just realized that you said a TBC and a Canopus ACVC. I can't afford a TBC, let alone both.


I would prefer to buy a bt8xx based card that gets mostly good reviews, but I'm having a tough time locating one.

[FulciLives]

The Avermedia EZ DVD Maker PCI card is an excellent card for what it is but with those types of cards you can very easily experience A/V sync issues that ... depending on your computer ... can or cannot be solved. No way of knowing until you try. This was the way I captured for a very long time until I got a new computer that just would not keep A/V sync with this kind of card no matter what I did even though an older much slower computer worked fine.

As for the ADS Instant DVD 2.0 ... well it is a most excellent device and bad comments are usually towards the first version or by those that aren't using it properly. You just have to use it correctly. No A/V sync issues if you follow the rules for A/V sync which means you capture to a single muxed MPEG file with MP2 audio. Those that experience A/V sync issues (with this device) are trying to capture the audio as a separate file and/or are trying to use WAV audio. It doesn't work that way. You can always seperate the audio afterwards, convert to WAV for processing (like normalize) then convert to AC-3 for the DVD. That's how I did it and I never had A/V sync issues. I always used 384kbps MP2 audio for capture. That's high enough quality that you shouldn't notice any real loss in quality when converting to WAV format.

Now granted the device can have a heat problem but it is easy to fix. Prop it up so air can get under it and put a small fan on it. I have a small 4" or 5" fan that cost me $15.00 and it worked fine. I had no problems with it and I tested it hardcore for about 2 weeks. Again the only reason I returned it was lack of scheduling options.

I'm thinking of maybe buying it again for some VHS tapes that I can't copy with the Pioneer DVD recorder. Remember the ADS Instant DVD 2.0 will copy anything that is copy protected. The Avermedia will work the same in this regards.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Baatfam]

The Avermedia EZ DVD Maker PCI card is an excellent card for what it is but with those types of cards you can very easily experience A/V sync issues that ... depending on your computer ... can or cannot be solved. No way of knowing until you try. This was the way I captured for a very long time until I got a new computer that just would not keep A/V sync with this kind of card no matter what I did even though an older much slower computer worked fine.

I can back FulciLives up on this. This card works for me and it works well. My PC isn't the fastest, but it isn't slow either.
AMD64 2800+ with 1 Gig of Ram....
I've got the ASUS K8N-E MB with on board sound, AC97 I think and I have yet to have a sync problem.

It does take more work to use...but that's why it's cheap

Later,
Bob T.

[lordsmurf]

No. That video clarifer is worthless. I have one, I'd love to sell it, get my $20 back.

[MeekloBraca]

"Although, I actually have a video clarifier, from Clearline Concepts"

I tape from tape to tape. What did this device do and it still possible to get them?

Im not looking to get too fancy. Id like a video card or capture device that at the very least will capture the same quality of the vhs tape it is capturing off of. I have a good vcr with S-video cables, Just need a good capture card to compliment it.

Also is it possible to capture into avi or mpeg format? I have a divx dvd player and dont need the conversion to mpeg2.

[Clevie]

For conversion from VHS to DVD, I use a video stabilizer called the "Clarifier" from "Facetvideo". My system includes a VCR, the stabilizer in the video line and a DVD recorder. Get the VHS tapes transfered to DVD and the hard parts done. I've trided my ATI All-in -Wonder capture card but in the end the computer seems to much just for dubbing VHS tapes. Hpoe this helps

[MeekloBraca]

I still dont get what a clairifier does? Does it clean up the picture from VHS? Make it more DVD quality?

[tonysolomon]

@FulciLives, thanks for the explanation. What do you think about my computer setup? Will it prevent me from having any of those issues?

@lordsmurf, it bypasses the copyprotected VHS tapes, but it uses a lot of batteries.

@Clevie, thanks.

@MeekloBraca, it bypasses copyprotection on some older VHS movies(I'm not sure if that was level 1 Macrovision). I bought it about 10 years ago, for about $45, and Radio Shack sold them about 4 years ago. I think that the movie industry has upgraded the protection on the new movies, though, and I'm not sure that it did any clarifying, anyway. I don't think that it works on (level 2 Macrovision) copywrited DVDs.

[MeekloBraca]

Oh ok. So nothing quality related then. I remember trying to copy movies like titanic and U571 and couldnt.

[tonysolomon]

Oh ok. So nothing quality related then.

Well, it is nice when it works, unless there are a lot of bright white scenes, such as explosions. It doesn't record those scenes too well.

[tonysolomon]

I can get that Aver DVD EZMaker for $25, including shipping, but there's this one for about $27, after rebate, and it has more inputs, but isn't a name brand:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=674000&Tab=11&NoMapp=0

They both actually have good customer reviews.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=674000&Tab=11&NoMapp=0

These Aver reviews contradict the negative ones from the above post:
http://pcworld.pricegrabber.com/rating_getprodrev.php/product_id=617250/id_type=M

I'll probably get the one with the most features and the most good reviews.

[lordsmurf]

In the end, realize this card is not very good. It's a starter card, until you can afford a better one down the road.

So do your least important projects first, not last.

[FulciLives]

In the end, realize this card is not very good. It's a starter card, until you can afford a better one down the road.

So do your least important projects first, not last.

The Avermedia DVD EZMaker PCI has excellent picture quality but it can be hard to keep sync with that type of capture card.

Also realize that this card will do MPEG captures using software which is not as good as a capture device that can do MPEG captures using built-in hardware. A real-time software MPEG capture is never going to be as good as a real-time hardware MPEG capture.

So in the end the Avermedia and similar capture cards are best suited for AVI capture (where you capture using no to very little compression) then you convert to MPEG using software ... this way the software does not have to work real-time thus giving quality every-bit-as-good as a real-time hardware MPEG capture card/device.

For AVI capture some programs to try:

1.) VirtualVCR
2.) iuVCR
3.) TheFlyDS

For the AVI format you have to pick a codec. The two most popular is HuffyUV and PICVideo MJPEG.

There is an excellent guide over at the doom9 website on using a capture card such as the Avermedia card. I highly suggest you give it a read.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[tonysolomon]

I thank you both. I am grateful for the help that I've received on this thread. Take care.

[thecoalman]

I thank you both. I am grateful for the help that I've received on this thread. Take care.

Hey what about meeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!


Have fun and Good Luck! BTW, before purchasing a TBC if that is your final plan you could always try it out beforehand without one.

[Baatfam]

The Avermedia DVD EZMaker PCI has excellent picture quality but it can be hard to keep sync with that type of capture card.

Also realize that this card will do MPEG captures using software which is not as good as a capture device that can do MPEG captures using built-in hardware. A real-time software MPEG capture is never going to be as good as a real-time hardware MPEG capture.

So in the end the Avermedia and similar capture cards are best suited for AVI capture (where you capture using no to very little compression) then you convert to MPEG using software ... this way the software does not have to work real-time thus giving quality every-bit-as-good as a real-time hardware MPEG capture card/device.

For AVI capture some programs to try:

1.) VirtualVCR
2.) iuVCR
3.) TheFlyDS

For the AVI format you have to pick a codec. The two most popular is HuffyUV and PICVideo MJPEG.

There is an excellent guide over at the doom9 website on using a capture card such as the Avermedia card. I highly suggest you give it a read.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

John is absolutly right.
I'm using the "cheap" AverMedia card right now to transfer a bunch of instructional kayaking tapes I have.
Using VirtualVCR to capture to AVI with HuffyUV codec.
Encode/filter using AVI Synth and TMPGEnc Plus.
DVD Lab to author.

On my 51" Toshiba, the DVDs look BETTER than the original tape.
And that's all I'm askin' for.

Good Luck,
Bob T.

[MeekloBraca]

Im curious about what you just said Bob. How can I tell if my capture device is compatible with VirtualVCR? I have the MovieBox USB.

[Baatfam]

MeekloBraca...I'm really not sure.
I tried Virtual VCR because my card didn't work with the first program I tried and it was free...
I'd do a search on your card and see what you can find in the forums and guides....
Or just try it...like I said it's free.

See...Questions like this is why guys like me need experianced guys like John.

Later,
Bob T.

[MeekloBraca]

Well when I start up VirtualVCR the thing should automatically work right? Or am I missing something in the settings.

[Baatfam]

No....I believe there are some things that need to be set.
There is a good guide somewhere that I used.
I think I found it in a search on this site.
If I find it again, I'll post it.

Or go to http://virtualvcr.sourceforge.net/
They have a lot of information.

Later,
Bob T.

[MeekloBraca]

ok> i tried to look for a guide but couldnt find one. If you have one that would be awesome.

[FulciLives]

Most ... meaning almost no ... external devices work with VirtualVCR. Sames goes with iuVCR and TheFlyDs.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman