Having trouble finding a good Capture Card, sugestion needed

[mick.ca]

I have bought a few cards already only to be disappointed and a wasted trips to the store.

Can anyone suggest a card that meets the 4 requirements or provide info on the ASUS MyCinema P7131 TV Tuner Card (i have tried finding info on this with little results and would hate to have to buy this and take it back and waste more time)

I want a card to do 4 of the following things

1) capture satellite via svideo, composite and coaxial.

2) produce good quality picture for watching tv on a computer monitor in the bedroom.

3) a good pvr program, ease of use and stable, i don't want to spend money on a third party pvr software or try to figure out what ever freeware there is.

4) i prefer to spend under 120 dollars


I tried a couple of msi cards, that were total junk, i tried two different cards on two different computer. The drivers would not install. JUNK!

I tried a wintv-card but it had no svideo or composite connection.

I'm looking at this Card now

ASUS MyCinema P7131 TV Tuner Card w/Remote PCI

http://www.top-logix.com/Products/details.asp?Number=Video%20Card-TV%20Tuner:1083901753

I can not get much info on this card model number anywhere. Does anyone have any info about it ? The main thing i heard about the asus cards is that the software is crap.

Thanks to all those who respond

[free is better]

I have found the leadtek 2000xp capture card to be excellent with the included drivers. It has composite inputs which I connect to my cable box. I capture at full dvd and various bitrates with no dropped frames. Conversion to disk produces excellent results.

ecs 7s5a xp2100+
512 mb ddr
leadtek 2000xp capture card
adaptec aha2940 u2w scsi controller
18 gig cheetah 10,000 rpm for OS
36 gig cheetah 10,000 rpm for capture
maxtor 250 gig for storage/capture

The scheduling feature works well with an easy to use interface and has pip playback of recorded material. You should be able to pick one up for sixty dollars more or less.

[mick.ca]

thanks for the info, does it capture via svideo as well ?

[koinhelgo]

I too have the Winfast 2000, it is a good card but I don't think it locks onto channels very well and also needs a good TV input signal. Also the pip function does not work very well- only gives top half of "live" screen when displaying recorded capture and picture in picture.
The PVR prog is easy to use although the settings/configuration takes a wee while to get used to.

It has s-video in- see the specs below from leadtek site:

WinFast TV2000 XP
Hardware Interface 32-bit PCI 2.1 bus mastering
Compatibility Graphics drivers must include DirectX 8.1 software Video Standards
Video Standards NTSC, PAL or SECAM
TV Tuner NTSC, PAL I/DK, PAL BG/DK, PAL M/N, SECAM BG for respective model
Full 181 channels supported
Video Display True color overlay in scaleable video-in-a-window
Video Format RGB32/RGB24/RGB15/YUY2
Drivers WDM drivers for Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP
Connectors
1 RF TV source reception
1 audio output connector
1 S-video input
1 composite video input
1 phone jack for IR sensor
Bundle software WinFastDVD


Note the audio out refers to an onboard connection to run a lead to your soundcard- it is passive and hence you need to connect this to get sound recorded- via your sound card.

I have another TV card that has a dedicated audio in and records direct via it's own drivers but doesn't allow the soundcard to capture audio seperately- well when you record video you get two seperate streams which you will have to mux.
I think the passthrough is a better way cos it is easier and you can use the Winfast configuration prog to specify which device does the capturing.

[FulciLives]

I would try the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 (which is an internal PCI card) or the Hauppauge WinTV PRV USB2 (which is an external USB 2.0 device).

Sounds like it will do everything you are looking for it to do. Both work pretty much the same more-or-less it just depends on which version you want and the price you want to pay (the USB 2.0 model is a bit more expensive than the PCI version).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[robbynaish]

I would try the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 (which is an internal PCI card) or the Hauppauge WinTV PRV USB2 (which is an external USB 2.0 device).

Sounds like it will do everything you are looking for it to do. Both work pretty much the same more-or-less it just depends on which version you want and the price you want to pay (the USB 2.0 model is a bit more expensive than the PCI version).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

Hi,

i think there is the new PVR 150 instead of the old PVR 250, at least in italy.
Do you know if the usb box too can use third part software too as the pci card?

Many Thanks

Alessandro

[hudsonf]

I would try the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 (which is an internal PCI card) or the Hauppauge WinTV PRV USB2 (which is an external USB 2.0 device).

Sounds like it will do everything you are looking for it to do. Both work pretty much the same more-or-less it just depends on which version you want and the price you want to pay (the USB 2.0 model is a bit more expensive than the PCI version).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

Hi,

i think there is the new PVR 150 instead of the old PVR 250, at least in italy.
Do you know if the usb box too can use third part software too as the pci card?

Many Thanks

Alessandro

I use my PVR USB2 and PVR 250 with Beyond TV 3.

[winifreid]

I have the 2000 expert and had the 2000 XP Deluxe. Not a lot of difference in quality between them. I think they stopped making the deluxe. Neither will "tune" satelite; you will have to select the channel on your sat box and then capture, so the channel guide function of the PVR will be useless. You can capture via s-video. This card only costs $45 and comes with a good pvr. Your computer is fast enough to capture straight to mpeg at dvd quality.

[FulciLives]

I would try the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 (which is an internal PCI card) or the Hauppauge WinTV PRV USB2 (which is an external USB 2.0 device).

Sounds like it will do everything you are looking for it to do. Both work pretty much the same more-or-less it just depends on which version you want and the price you want to pay (the USB 2.0 model is a bit more expensive than the PCI version).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

Hi,

i think there is the new PVR 150 instead of the old PVR 250, at least in italy.
Do you know if the usb box too can use third part software too as the pci card?

Many Thanks

Alessandro

The Hauppauge WinTV PVR 150 has a lot of unresolved issues. It is to be avoided.

The Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 (as well as the external USB 2 version) have been around a lot longer and work rather well for the most part.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[robbynaish]

I would try the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 (which is an internal PCI card) or the Hauppauge WinTV PRV USB2 (which is an external USB 2.0 device).

Sounds like it will do everything you are looking for it to do. Both work pretty much the same more-or-less it just depends on which version you want and the price you want to pay (the USB 2.0 model is a bit more expensive than the PCI version).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

Hi,

i think there is the new PVR 150 instead of the old PVR 250, at least in italy.
Do you know if the usb box too can use third part software too as the pci card?

Many Thanks

Alessandro

The Hauppauge WinTV PVR 150 has a lot of unresolved issues. It is to be avoided.

The Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 (as well as the external USB 2 version) have been around a lot longer and work rather well for the most part.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

Hi,

thanks for your replay.
Im sorry that in Italy PVR 250 is out....

I could find

PVR-USB2 abt 108 euro + tax
TV PCI WinTV-PVR-150 abt 65 euro + tax
TV PCI WinTV-PVR-350 - Radio abt 105 eurp + tax

Which one u suggest and why?

many thanks for all

Alessandro

[FulciLives]

Hi,

thanks for your replay.
Im sorry that in Italy PVR 250 is out....

I could find

PVR-USB2 abt 108 euro + tax
TV PCI WinTV-PVR-150 abt 65 euro + tax
TV PCI WinTV-PVR-350 - Radio abt 105 eurp + tax

Which one u suggest and why?

many thanks for all

Alessandro

I would probably go for the WinTV PVR 350 because it is a PCI card (which I tend to prefer over USB devices) and it also features output as well as input. Very nice feature.

Second I would go with the USB 2.0 version of the WinTV PVR as it should work the same as the PCI card but keeps you from opening up your computer. It does not have output but as nice as that is to have it really is not something you need.

The WinTV PVR 150 is to be avoided. It is the newest one but has a lot of video and audio problems. Hauppauge has released a number of drivers to "fix" these issues but they just can't seem to get it correct. I would avoid this model and go with the 350 model or the USB 2.0 model.

I realize the lower price of the 150 model is appealing but trust me that card just does not work correctly and you will be very unhappy if you get it.

The other two have been around a lot longer and all the "bugs" have been worked out which is something I think that will never happen with the 150 model.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
For more info on the Hauppauge WinTV PVR cards/devices please see the following website:
http://www.shspvr.com/

[robbynaish]

I would probably go for the WinTV PVR 350 because it is a PCI card (which I tend to prefer over USB devices) and it also features output as well as input. Very nice feature.

Second I would go with the USB 2.0 version of the WinTV PVR as it should work the same as the PCI card but keeps you from opening up your computer. It does not have output but as nice as that is to have it really is not something you need.

The WinTV PVR 150 is to be avoided. It is the newest one but has a lot of video and audio problems. Hauppauge has released a number of drivers to "fix" these issues but they just can't seem to get it correct. I would avoid this model and go with the 350 model or the USB 2.0 model.

I realize the lower price of the 150 model is appealing but trust me that card just does not work correctly and you will be very unhappy if you get it.

The other two have been around a lot longer and all the "bugs" have been worked out which is something I think that will never happen with the 150 model.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
For more info on the Hauppauge WinTV PVR cards/devices please see the following website:
http://www.shspvr.com/

Again thanks for your great replay...

I dont need Radio and output of the 350, and i think that usb2 is easier to install, without irq or other conflicts. am i right?
If u assure me that USB 2 is equal to pvr 350 for encoding quality, for compatibility with 3th parts software... i will take the usb

thanks again

Alessandro...

[flemming kristiansen]

I strongly recommend either the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 or the WinTV PVR USB2 version as I have had both. They work great without bugs and give high quality captures. I use them with ChrisTV.