Datavideo DAC100 hardware capture to MPEG2.

[troublechuter1]

Hello.

What I'm trying to do is capture directly to MPEG2 via hardware so that I can save loads of encoding time.

Someone had told me that Datavideo's DAC-100 will allow this. But, I downloaded the manual for the DAC-100 and couldn't find any reference to this in the manual. What I did see was discussion merely of capturing to .AVI.

Can the Datavideo DAC-100 be used to capture directly to MPEG2? If so, can someone PLEASE provide some information on how this is done?

Thank you!

[vhelp]

Evening.

Someone had told me that Datavideo's DAC-100 will allow this. But,
I downloaded the manual for the DAC-100 and couldn't find any reference to
this in the manual. What I did see was discussion merely of capturing
to .AVI.

Noop. The DAC-100 is a hardware DV capture device.
Still an AVI container.

What the confusion might be, is this.. there are some software (sw) apps
that allow real-time MPEG encoding via capture (from this DV device) and
encode to MPEG. It's not hardware, but rather software.

I think that MainConcepts encoder allows this.. to use your DAC-100
[and ADVC-100] to capture real-time to MPEG.

-vhelp 3729

[edDV]

I think that MainConcepts encoder allows this.. to use your DAC-100
[and ADVC-100] to capture real-time to MPEG.

-vhelp 3729

The only version of Mainconcept's MPeg 2 encoder that I have gotten to work realtime with a DV transcoder input is the one found in ULead's Video Studio v8 and v9. It will just barely keep up using a P4 2.4GHz and will run approx. 90% CPU nominal and peak to 100%. Shut down all background processes and keep your hands off during encoding.

Mainconcept's own version lacks the critcal setting to defeat device control. It treats the DV transcoder as if it is a camcorder and hangs after sending a preroll command.

[troublechuter1]

Thanks, Ed and vhelp. That's what I thought.

If anyone knows of a firewire based-device that will allow direct-to-MPEG2 over firewire to PC hard drive, I'm all ears.

[FulciLives]

You should get a hardware MPEG-2 capture device then such as the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 (an internal PCI card) or for an external try the Hauppauge WinTV PVR USB2 or the ADS Instant DVD 2.0 (both USB2 external boxes).

These all capture real-time (using hardware) to MPEG. To keep sync you have to use MP2 audio but the new ADS InstantDVD+MP3 does support capture to AC-3 format (only computer capture device capable of this).

The ADS InstantDVD+MP3 is the replacement for the popular ADS Instant DVD 2.0 (which is only capable of MP2 capture). Not much on how well it works but the internal "video" guts are the same as the Instant DVD 2.0 so it should work well but beware overheating issues (raise it up off the desk and put a small fan on it).

In my experience the ADS Instant DVD 2.0 was better than the Hauppauge products.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[mikiem]

"What I'm trying to do is capture directly to MPEG2 via hardware so that I can save loads of encoding time."

FWIW & all...
Don't need hardware compression to capture to mpg2, or mpg4, wmv, DivX etx. assuming a 1.8 cpu or faster. All you do need is to get the video signal into your PC. You can do this with a TV or capture card, or one built onto a graphics card like the aiw.

Boxes keep it external so you don't have the installation hassles, and are portable. Mpg2 boxes usually compress the video so it'll transfer over USB at lower bandwidths, & I think the general opinion is they don't capture top quality, but they work. DV boxes on the other hand compress the video in hardware, basically the same way a DV camcorder works, then simply transfer that encoded file to your HD via firewire. As vhelp posted, there are a few apps I think that will let you use them to provide a video stream to a software encoder, rather then simply copying data as with a camcorder, and Canopus makes a couple of cards I think might work for this sort of thing.

If you can get away from the firewire aspect, might even check out the theater chips from ati -- supposed to do a great job if all you want is an mpg2 capture device, and cheaper then any box I've seen.