Capture from TV to Computer in BEST quality. Recommended software/hardware?

[mob]

I need some help choosing a capture card and software.

There is so much to choose from, and I've read through so many posts and reviews of so many different products and I am just completely lost when it comes time to choosing one.

All I care about is the ability to capture from my digital cable tv in perfect, crisp high quality.

I know a lot of you guys are good at this kind of stuff so if you can spare a minute of your time and point me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate your help.

I need some recommendations on good software and hardware to produce high quality captures from TV.

[pchan]

Here is the good place to start ...
http://www.shspvr.com/

[mob]

Thanks for posting that link. But actually already checked that site before posting this topic. I came across it while searching the forum earlier today.

I guess what I want out of this topic I started, is for people to post their set-ups.

You know..

What capture card do you use?

What software do you use with it?

How is the quality of your captures from TV?

Would you recommened it to another person or not?

Have you ever had any experience with a capture card that produced extremely nice quality captures from TV, and would recommened it?

Things like that. I want to know what you are using, I want to know the experiences of people who actually own the capture cards and software and see what they have to say.

I'm want to base my decision on the good/bad experiences of others.

So tell me tell me tell me :P

[Barnabas]

Buy a DV device, such as a Canopus ADVC-55 or higher. You will have to encode to mpeg-2, but the results can look as good the original. Done this way, you can even use VirtualDub to remove logos from the Canopus captured file if you like, then frameserve to TMPGenc. I also have a Hauppauge PVR-250, and like it, but to get the same quality as what I see on dishnetwork. I use the Canopus.

TMPGenc has tons of settings you can use to tweak the final output.

It is also possible to use software like Ulead Video Studio to capture and encode in realtime to mpeg-2, but the results will not be as good as capping to an avi file, and then using TMPGenc to encode.

[victoriabears]

Ok have used the following:-

remember depends on your input device(VCR?) and if you use a TBC as well.

"TV" Capture card around C$99,TV ANYWHERE = CRAP

Canopus advc300 = Very Good and can be used with software that will encode on the fly to MPEG, variable results.

PVR 350 Hauppage, very good but suffers intermiitent problems solved by computer restart usually.

Canopus MPEGPRO MVR = best if you want reasonable price.
I spent a lot trying different things and this is the best,go for it if its your budget.

Your PC needs to be tuned well, have dedicated hard discs and at least 3ghz, 1GB ram.

A dvd recorder can make it easier then take the disc to your computer and use TMPG mpeg editor or one of the other pegasus products, myself unless it is a really special project encoding from avi to mpeg really takes too long and the results are often only at most 10% better.

[FulciLives]

Buy a stand alone DVD recorder with a built-in HDD.

For TV recording (where one tends to record every day or at least multiple programs within the week) it is the only way to go.

Pioneer is great. So is JVC. Some of the old Toshibas were not so good but the new bunch seems A-OK now.

If you want to do it on the computer then I would get a Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 or 350 (both PCI cards) or the Hauppauge WinTV PVR USB 2.0 which is an external USB 2.0 device.

The Hauppauge capture direct to MPEG formats including DVD ready MPEG files (although it uses MP2 audio whereas a stand alone DVD recorder will use AC-3 audio).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Nelson37]

What is your intended storage and playback methodology for the video files created by your proposed new card?

Future goals?

Willingness to research and solve problems? Or, desired level of idiot-proofing?

Best quality? A properly adjusted ATI card capping to uncompressed AVI. You will need several, very large, hard drives to store a dozen movies.

[pchan]

Alternatively, you can consider getting a DVD recorder with hard disk. Record all your favorite shows on hard disk and rip them to your PC. Use MPEG Video Wizard to edit out all commercial and TDA to author to DVD. Save you all the hussle of getting a TV card or HDTV card.

[mob]

What is your intended storage and playback methodology for the video files created by your proposed new card?

Future goals?

Willingness to research and solve problems? Or, desired level of idiot-proofing?

Best quality? A properly adjusted ATI card capping to uncompressed AVI. You will need several, very large, hard drives to store a dozen movies.

OK, my main concern is getting them onto the computer. It doesn't matter how they get to the PC, just as long as the quality is as good as can be.

Once on the PC, I will edit out commercials and things like that.

Some recordings will then be authored and burned directly to dvds. While others will just be converted to xvid for storing on the hard drive.

I do have the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB2. The quality is OK. Im kind of happy with it. But I am open to new ideas and recommendations from people who know more than me. That's why I started this topic.

Now some of you guys have some interesting ideas. I really like the suggestion that FulciLives, victoriabears and pchan gave me (About using a DVD-Recorder with a hard drive to record my TV shows). This seems like an excellent idea!

Alternatively, you can consider getting a DVD recorder with hard disk. Record all your favorite shows on hard disk and rip them to your PC.

Are you absolutely 100% sure this is possible?

What I would hope to be able to do is transfer the recordings from the dvd-recorders' hard drive, straight to my computers' hard drive (without losing quality).

Is it possible?

That would be pretty amazing. Since then I would be able to edit and burn the videos right on my computer.

Does anyone have experience with this? I'd appreciate your input.

As mentioned in my topic title, all I want to do is capture from TV to PC with best quality. I don't mind going from TV to DVDrecorder hard drive to PC as long as there is no loss of quality in the process. It actually seems like an easy fool-proof way of handling it. I'd like to know more if anyone can spare the time to reply.

Thanks.

[FulciLives]

If you have a stand alone DVD recorder with a built-in HDD you must first BURN your recording to a DVD because that is the only way to get it to the computer.

You can't transfer directly from the built-in HDD to the computer.

What you can do is transfer from the built-in HDD to a DVD-RW or DVD+RW then rip that to your computer. You can then erase the DVD-RW (or DVD+RW) and re-use it over and over again.

As for editing ... you can do it on the stand alone DVD recorder (while it is on the HDD) or you can do it on the computer. Normally I just trim the start and end of the program (on the HDD) ... transfer to a DVD-RW ... rip to the computer ... do the fine editing on the computer (like cutting out commercials) ... then re-author and burn on my computer burner.

The trick here is to use a bitrate on the stand alone DVD recorder to "fit" the final edited TV show.

For instance. One 60 minute TV show is about 42-45 minutes once you trim out the commericials. So when I record a 60 minute TV show I use the 95 minute mode (you could use the 90 minute mode but I like to make sure there is enough room left over for DVD authoring overhead). Now one 60 minute episode will be so large that unedited you can only get one on a DVD-RW but once you transfer it to the computer and edit it you got 42-45 minutes. Now do that with another 60 minute episode and you have two 42-45 minute videos that add up to around 90 minutes or so and will fit with optimal bitrate on a single DVD-R disc.

Truth be told though I tend to record SO much TV I just use the SP mode (about 2 hours per DVD disc) and just trim the start and end of each TV show while on the built-in HDD and leave it that way when I burn to a DVD. I don't have time to trim ALL of the commercials from ALL of the stuff I record

I could go on and on with more tips but I think you get the idea.

One last thing I would like to point out ... the Pioneer line of stand alone DVD recorders with the built-in HDD (this includes the 531/533 model and the 633 model) have a special recording mode called XP+ where the recording is done at a super high bitrate of 15,000kbps which is a great "master" recording that can then be edited on the built-in HDD(frame accurate) and then after you edit it you can burn it to a DVD-R (or DVD-RW) and the recorder will re-encode using a bitrate that will make it perfectly fit the DVD disc (remember that 15,000kbps is too high for the DVD standard). This is how I do 2 hour (or longer shows) when I feel like cutting out the commercials.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ronnylov]

You should capture the digital stream directly to get the best capturing from digital cable TV. It's an exact copy of what is broadcasted in digital form.

Use a DVB-C TV card. Works well for me here in Sweden at least.

[mob]

Well I am really starting to like the sound of these DVDrecorders w/ hard drives.

Seems like an easy solution that will get the job done (getting the TV recording on my PC). But how is the quality?

FulciLives, You own the Pioneer 633 right? How is the quality on that?

Do you think I will get better results with that than with my Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB2?

Anyone here try any of these products for TV -> PC capturing and would like to give some input, you're welcome to join the conversation.

[Barnabas]

mob,

In addition to my Canopus ADVC-55 and Hauppauge PVR-250, I also own a Lite-On DVD recorder. While the quality of the Lite-On is very good, it's still not up to that of the Canopus, and re-authoring files made on the Lite-on is sometimes VERY hard to do, due to some sort of file errors. My Lite-on does not have a harddrive however.

I used to own a Hauppauge USB device, and found the 250 to produce much better results.

[FulciLives]

Well I am really starting to like the sound of these DVDrecorders w/ hard drives.

Seems like an easy solution that will get the job done (getting the TV recording on my PC). But how is the quality?

FulciLives, You own the Pioneer 633 right? How is the quality on that?

Do you think I will get better results with that than with my Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB2?

I have the Pioneer DVR-531H-s which is the nearly the same as the 633 model except mine has a smaller HDD (80GB instead of 160GB) and mine lacks a DV input whereas the 633 model has a DV input (for camcorder use only ... can't connect it to a computer). Otherwise they have all the same "guts" and performance is the same. The units (even the remotes) look almost 100% alike.

I'm very happy with the quality of my Pioneer. I am using it mostly for cable TV to DVD but I have done a few VHS to DVD copies and the quality is very acceptable. I do ... only for VHS ... miss the "old school" way of using a capture card that can do uncompressed AVI captures ... allowing the user to process the video and audio with "noise reduction" filters etc. and then doing a final VBR MPEG-2 DVD spec software encode with someting like CCE. VHS sources can be "noisy" and I miss that ability. Having said that the Pioneer still manages to do a very good job even with VHS sources.

One nice thing about the Hauppauge PVR cards (including the external USB 2.0 device) is that you can capture 15,000kbps CBR MPEG-2 for the video which gives you a nice "master" capture that can then be processed the "old school" way with filters and then a final software MPEG-2 DVD spec encode. It is a nice ability to have for VHS sources that need a bit of cleaning up. The drawback is that while this works well even a 15,000kbps CBR MPEG-2 is not as "clean" as uncompressed AVI (even HuffyUV and PICVideo MJPEG use less compression) and on top of that the Hauppauge PVR cards only do MP2 audio capture which is not the best plus it requires extra work to demux and convert to a WAV then convert to AC-3 format.

Bear in mind also that the Hauppauge PVR units ignore copy protection. If you will be making back-up store bought VHS to DVD copies this is key as all stand alone DVD recorders are made to not record from a copy protected source. Of course there are ways around this from a simple $20.00 (some as much as $120.00) "black box" that strips out the copy protection to a Full Frame TBC which is $190.00 or more.

However the Hauppauge PVR units don't like VHS tapes that aren't in good condition and you may end up needing a Full Frame TBC anyways for proper capture of those less-than-steller quality VHS tapes (such as those recorded in LP or SLP/EP etc.) whereas the Pioneer seems to do a decent job with such tapes.

Here is an old thread where I posted a bunch of pics of recordings that were done with my Pioneer DVR-531H-s ---> CLICK HERE

Before I bought the Pioneer DVR-531H-s I tried the ADS Instant DVD 2.0 which is an external USB 2.0 capture device that does hardware MPEG captures ala the Hauppauge WinTV PVR USB 2. I really liked the quality of the ADS Instant DVD 2.0 and thought it handled unstable VHS sources very well but I returned it because of it's lack of being able to schedule unattended captures making it useless for TV recording (actually you can schedule one at a time but only one and you have to have a tuner as it has no RF input).

Here is an old thread where I posted a bunch of pics of recordings that were done with the ADS Instant DVD 2.0 ---> CLICK HERE

After the ADS Instant DVD 2.0 I tried the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 150 but that was a disaster. The 150 model has both image issues and audio issues (though the audio issues only happen when using the Line In audio input ... sound through the RF input is fine). I did like the Hauppauge software and it's ability to schedule unattended recordings etc. but the 150 sucks. Now I have seen pics and even short video clips of captures done on the 250 model and from all I've read the 250 and 350 and USB 2 model all seem to work well with great quality.

However it was then that I decided that instead of getting the WinTV PVR USB 2 that I would instead get a stand alone DVD recorder with a built-in HDD because I realized it would be nice to have such a device and not have to rely on the computer ... or having the computer "tied up" all the time recording this or that etc.

In my opinion I made the right choice

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[FulciLives]

I used to own a Hauppauge USB device, and found the 250 to produce much better results.

Everything I have read seems to indicate that the WinTV PVR 250 and the WinTV PVR USB 2 produce the same results.

Maybe you had the older USB 1 version or the non PVR USB 2 version (which is NOT a hardware MPEG encoder)?

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[mob]

mob,

In addition to my Canopus ADVC-55 and Hauppauge PVR-250, I also own a Lite-On DVD recorder. While the quality of the Lite-On is very good, it's still not up to that of the Canopus, and re-authoring files made on the Lite-on is sometimes VERY hard to do, due to some sort of file errors. My Lite-on does not have a harddrive however.

I used to own a Hauppauge USB device, and found the 250 to produce much better results.

Hi Barnabas,

I actually read up a lot on that Canopus ADVC you recommended.

I see that the Canopus ADVC-100 has the best reviews here on videohelp.com.

But I just don't understand how it works. What format does it capture to? MPEG2?

How can I hook it up so that I can capture from TV to PC? From what I've read, it is mostly used for converting beta and vhs tapes to digital.

There is no doubt that the reviews HERE don't lie. I am really wanting to learn more about this capturing device.

What would be the process of capturing with this device from TV to PC and then burning to dvd or converting to xvid?

I know with a dvdrecorder I would have plain VOBs (MPEG2) to work with and I am very comfortable working with MPEG2.

But what does this Canopus output to? Is it also MPEG2?

I see they have another product for MPEG2 capturing (I'm assuming it is basically the same as my Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB2): http://www.canopus.com/products/mpegencoding.php

And then there is the much talked about ADVC which I have no clue what it does or how it is to be used:
http://www.canopus.com/products/videoconversion.php

The reviews for the Canopus ADVC are enticing. I'd like to find out more about it.

So far I am thinking either that or some DVDrecorder.

[mob]

FulciLives,

thanks so much for taking the time to post that reply.

I am definitely considering getting that Pioneer (either the 533 or the 633).

I just wish my local retail store carries it so I can buy it with confidence knowing that I can return it for a full refund if need be.

I definitely don't need to worry about copy protected sources because all I care about is getting TV recorded onto my PC. So DVDs and VHS copies will not be an issue.

I also agree with you on the fact that by having the DVDrecorder, I can free up my PC from doing recordings all day and that is a big plus.

Thanks for linking me to those posts with your pictures. I will definitely check them out. I really care about quality more than anything. The product I choose in the end will matter most on the quality of the recordings it can produce.

I have an old dvd-recorder (with no hard drive). I got it as a present years ago. I never used it until today when I decided to test it out. The quality is not good at all, even on the highest setting. But this is a crappy and old no-name brand dvd-recorder. I definitely want to try out the Pioneer in my home. If the quality is as good as I think it will be, then it will definitely be a keeper.

[FulciLives]

I bought my Pioneer DVR-531H-s at Walmart for $337 but they now sell it for $296 but you have to find it. Last I looked it is not on the website and usually only the really big SUPER STORE type of Walmarts will have it available for sale. Other people have told me that finding one for sale in a Walmart can be a trick these days.

As for the Canopus ADVC line of products ...

They convert to DV AVI format. This is a high quality format but you must use a software MPEG encoder (such as CCE or TMPGEnc Plus) to encode the capture to MPEG-2 DVD spec. This does provide most excellent quality but it takes A LOT of time. Not good for TV recordings unless you only record a couple of shows a week or so.

If you go this route I suggest the ADVC-100 or the ADVC-110 both of which are external units (the 100 is no longer made the 110 is the replacement model and works basically the same). These seem to have less issues than the internal versions (like the ADVC-55). Also easy-to-use as they connect via FireWire which means no opening the case etc.

To use the Canopus you would have to have a way of doing unattended scheduled recordings. I believe this can be down with ScenalyzerLive which is a fairly inexpensive program. The units do not feature a RF input ... they have no tuner ... so you would have to use a cable or satellite box as a tuner and one that can be programmed to turn on and off and tune to a specific channel (which I think is all standard anyways).

With the Pioneer DVR-531H-s I use the following method (which is common). I have digital cable and my cable box has a built-in DVR function (has a built-in HDD). My cable wire is split so that one goes into the cable box and one goes directly to the Pioneer via the RF input. I record all "analog" cable channels direct to the Pioneer using the RF input. For digital channels I first capture them to the DVR box. Since these channels are digital the DVR is making a 100% back-up of the digital stream so there is no loss in quality when you capture and play back later. I then later play back the recording from the DVR and in real time record it to the Pioneer via the S-video and RCA Stereo audio jacks.

Another benefit of using the DVR for digital channels is that if I play back direct to the TV using component video I get full HDTV if it is an HDTV channel. When you use the composite or S-video output HDTV gets converted to 4:3 WS 480i which is what you want for the DVD recorder but it's nice to record HDTV and watch it later in HDTV which is only possible with the DVR which was supplied to me by the cable company. I have COMCAST and this special cable tuner box with built-in DVR costs me $9.99 a month on top of my regular bill.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
From what I've read all the cable boxes will only output 4:3 WS 480i from an HDTV source when using composite or S-video out ... tis a shame they will not do 16x9 WS out in 480i but they do not. You either get full blown 16x9 HDTV via component or 4:3 WS 480i. This is for cable boxes ... I don't know nothing about satellite.

One last thing ... the Canopus MPEG devices (they make a PCI and external USB 2.0 version) are no good as they have been "hard wired" to accept video at 0.0 IRE BLACK whereas all NTSC (except for Japan) is 7.5 IRE BLACK. Only Japanese NTSC is 0.0 IRE BLACK. Canopus has never fixed this ... they say firmware can't do it and although these devices have been out for a couple of years or so they have yet to replace them with new models that function correctly. Plus they are overpriced. Last time I looked they were $500 to $600 U.S. Dollars. They do have a "top end" unit that works the same but has selectable 7.5 IRE or 0.0 IRE settings but that model is well over $1,000 last I checked. In fact I think it is close to $1,500 !!!

[xxiangg]

Have you ever considered to capture DTV instead of analog TV?
I used to capture TV show using ACDV100 to DV flow six months
ago. But now I only capture digital TV. Digital TV carries the same
or even more programs than its analog station in a lots of areas.
Its quality is significantly better than its analog station in almost
every situation. And its captured file is easy to process in the future.

[FulciLives]

Have you ever considered to capture DTV instead of analog TV?
I used to capture TV show using ACDV100 to DV flow six months
ago. But now I only capture digital TV. Digital TV carries the same
or even more programs than its analog station in a lots of areas.
Its quality is significantly better than its analog station in almost
every situation. And its captured file is easy to process in the future.

I have no idea what you are talking about here?

Are you talking about OTA HDTV ???

With my cable the analog channels look better than most of the digital channels except for the HDTV channels of course which look best even when downsampled to 4:3 WS 480i format.

My digital cable channels that are non HDTV have way too many MPEG artifacts. Some are actually OK looking but most are pathetic.

Also on my cable system those channels that are still "analog" are "analog" only and have no digital form be it standard defination or HDTV.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[lacywest]

FulciLives says ...

With my cable the analog channels look better than most of the digital channels except for the HDTV channels of course which look best even when downsampled to 4:3 WS 480i format.

My digital cable channels that are non HDTV have way too many MPEG artifacts. Some are actually OK looking but most are pathetic.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would say your lucky ... but I can't ... in my area .... Comcast out of Fresno CA ... the channels up to CH 65 ... look like crap.

I've got about 2 to 3 thick lines rolling up from the bottom constantly. Sometimes bad ... sometimes barely seen ... but still there.

CH 66 ... [HBO] and above are clear ... but the ones below are not clear at all .... I will be having Comcast come out and bitch at them for the lousy service.

In a post I made around 2 PM on Feb 3rd ... I am going to mount a antenna up on my roof and set up a feed to my bedroom - living room - and to my computer room. At least ... Surface and Smallville will come in clear without those stupid lines. I do have several stations in the area broadcasting HD.

My problem is ... getting ready for Spring clean up ... spraying the weeds with Round-UP ... getting the vegetable garden ready for the summer. And planting flowers everywhere ... and planting the California Poppy seeds my wife bought ... recently.

Hopefully ... I wont fall off the roof ... stringing all this cable wire everywhere.

[ZAPPER]

Just curious. Do you have a camcorder with passthru?

The "BEST" part of your post is subjective.

I have done passthru capture/transfers with my sony cam using the RCA composite out from the TV with the RCA to Mini jack cable that came with the cam and then out of the cam using a Firewire cable that has the mini firewire end to the regular firewire plug on the other end to the PC/Laptop/Desktop. This is the basic setup for cam passthru. Some cams have S-video jacks on them too.

At any rate, I won't call this the best just because it is all an opinion, but I will stand my ground and say that it is definatly an upper middle class setup.

Most of how you do things really depends on where you start and what you want when you are done.

Doing it with the cam passthru can give you several options to choose as file types in Windows Movie Maker alone. And the list of other software is almost endless.

It has got to the point where a set top DVD recorder is maybe one of the best ways to simply copy TV programming for later playback, but adding a PC to the mix will give you the sense of control or greater options. (But don't be fooled, while you may have more options with a PC, the PC is always the one in control !)

[FulciLives]

Just a note ...

Doing an analog-to-digital passthrough with a digital cam (miniDV or Digital8) is basically the same process as using a Canopus ADVC-100 or Canopus ADVC-110 or a DataVideo DAC-100.

The difference is some digital camcorder's can do what those boxes above can do.

So the point is ... it's the same concept. You basically use the same tools and have the same expectation of quality ... yet time consumed.

I agree that DV AVI conversion/capture is a great quality method but I say the time involved is counter productive to getting a lot done. In other words not a good option for TV capture unless you capture very very little TV.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[ZAPPER]

@FulciLives

Yep. I know.

I did fail to mention that a firewire port on the PC makes this work a lot better.

The only reason I mentioned it was because I would have figured that there are many folks that already own a cam that has passthru features.

Kind of on the same topic and not to threadjack. Is there much, if any, quality difference between a cam passthru and a macic box? (any of the converters)

[Barnabas]

mob,

The Canopus captures in DV format, so will write an .AVI file. The Canopus is basically an analog to DV converter. You just hook it up to your source via S-Video or Composite video cables and audio cables, and capture to avi with Movie Maker, Win DV, Ulead Video Studio, anything that can capture as DV. Once capped, you will have an . AVI file you can convert to anything, MPEG-2, DIVX, etc.

[FulciLives]

Kind of on the same topic and not to threadjack. Is there much, if any, quality difference between a cam passthru and a macic box? (any of the converters)

Funny you should ask that ...

Here is a thread you may want to look at ---> CLICK HERE

That thread seems to indicate that at least some digital camcorders with analog-to-digital passthrough feature a built-in (and often unadvertised) TBC that works better than what one would think compared to results with full fledged Full Frame TBC devices ala the AVT-8710 and DataVideo TBC-1000

The Canopus ADVC-100/110 and the DataVideo DAC-100 do not feature a TBC. The very expensive Canopus ADVC-300 does feature a Line TBC but reports indicate that it does very little correction and is more-or-less worthless.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[bits]

I have a Canopus ADVC100 that does a great job. I prefer working with DV avi over any other video format but when it comes to capturing TV shows you really need a good TV guide/scheduler otherwise it is a pain in the a.... Also, you will need a huge amount of HDD storage if you cap a few shows per day for example. If you do go the Canopus route I suggest CCE Basic for conversion of DV avi to mpeg2. It is fast, solid and produces great quality.

I also have a Hauppauge PVR250, which is what I use for my TV show captures. The quality is good and it has been rock solid. Hardly uses any cpu resources, I cap with the video turned off, and the included TV guide (Titan) and scheduling software is quite usable.

I use VideoredoPlus to cut commercials and I use TDA to author to DVD. I rarely author to DVD anymore since getting a networked media player. I play the commercial free mpegs from my HDD on my TV via a LAN connection to the media player.

If you are going to do a reasonably large number of caps then go with something that produces decent video quality, requires the least amount of repeatative steps and that has a good TV guide and scheduler.

[ZAPPER]

@FulciLives (And anyone else for that matter)

Are there any posted direct comparison test results around between digicams and magic boxes?

My old Sony 330 has TBC too, but I don't know the specs. It seems to work I guess. My biggest problem as far as doing comparison test or claiming high quality results is (1) I don't have a whole bunch of different stuff to test and (2) the stuff that I have is not the highest priced top of the line stuff. (It doesn't help that the four screens that I am looking at right now are as different as you can get. 15" PC monitor, laptop screen, 10" portable TV/VCR combo and a "DOT_X " 24" monitor with none of them adjusted right)

[FulciLives]

@FulciLives (And anyone else for that matter)

Are there any posted direct comparison test results around between digicams and magic boxes?

My old Sony 330 has TBC too, but I don't know the specs. It seems to work I guess. My biggest problem as far as doing comparison test or claiming high quality results is (1) I don't have a whole bunch of different stuff to test and (2) the stuff that I have is not the highest priced top of the line stuff. (It doesn't help that the four screens that I am looking at right now are as different as you can get. 15" PC monitor, laptop screen, 10" portable TV/VCR combo and a "DOT_X " 24" monitor with none of them adjusted right)

In reference to that thread ... you could always download that test pattern and try it yourself. That thread also has a link to another thread with a bunch of test patterns that can be downloaded for testing purposes.

Without a TBC you will always get some sort of "wavyness" in a VHS capture so I realize you only have your cam for capture purposes but if you use it and you get no "wavyness" then it is safe to say it is working well.

The test pattern on that thread makes it very easy to see if you are getting any "wavyness" at all.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[TurboRunner]

man i would of thought the dvd recorder manufacturers would have included a datatransfer option to the standalones by now so you could copy the videos from the standalone hdd to the pc hdd without having to burn them and re ripping maybe sometime in the future.