What device should I use for capturing?

[Heyjoojoo]

With capturing media from a VCR or DVD player, I've been using the Plextor Convertx 402U device. It works beautifully with other applications like WinDVD. However, I do not use that application, as I prefer Premiere Elements. But Premiere Elements doesn't support USB capturing that the Plextor Device requires.

Should I get a different capturing device or switch to a different DVD authoring application. (I would prefer Premiere Elements.)

Windows Vista ultimate
Duo 2 core 1.86

- Kareem

[redwudz]

Can't you capture first, then put that file into Elements to process it?

[Heyjoojoo]

wouldn't that cause a one level degradation in video quality? in order words, if I capture into WinDVD (for instance) then I would need to export to Premiere Elements, right? would there be a degradation in video quality?

[redwudz]

No. Any degradation would be after you edit in Premier and then save out the edited version. And that would only be if you do other than simple cuts and pastes. For those there isn't usually any degradation.

Now this is assuming you capture in the same format that you are editing in. And I assumed that to be DVD compliant MPEG-2. If you have to re-encode what you have captured in order to put it into Premier, then you will have losses.

If the Plextor unit captures DVD compliant MPEG-2 and you do simple edits with Premier, you should be able to author and burn that with no loss. Even if you do transitions, fades, resizes, etc., there should just be the one re-encode back to DVD compliant MPEG-2.

I thought WinDVD was a software player?

Unless I am missing something.

[Heyjoojoo]

WinDVD Creator or something like that... not exactly sure how the name appears...

I just wanted an all-in-one solution.