Will anyone help a newbie?

[sparq-l]

Here is what I am looking to do.

1. Capture analog video. Composite connections are all I need.
2. Create MPG form the video for distribution across the net.
3. Also take the same videos from step 2 and create VCD for use in my DVD player.

Which is a good card to get that will work well w/my system. Specs below? I would like to spend less than $100 if possible.

my sys. specs
800Mhz P3
512MB PC133
2X 30GB ATA100 7200rpm
Win 2kpro
Soundblaster live
Geforce 2GTS video card.

Thanks a lot!

[Feslmogh]

There are some bundled software that does that for under $100. Got to Pricewatch.com and see what they got.

[sparq-l]

Ok, but the problem is, I don't really know what I shoulf buy.

[Feslmogh]

Do You have AGP or PCI? I found a 3dFx SINGLE FRAME & VIDEO CAPTURE W TV & FM TV,FM COMPOSITE VIDEO & SVHS INPUTS from Pricewatch for $38 under capture cards. That shoud get you started. Keep looking!

[Ricardo]

It depends to some extent what sort of quality you want to create for. If only VCD (not SVCD) then you can get away with any capture card and capture 352x240 (assuming you're NTSC and not PAL)

At this size you'll only be capturing half the fields so the strain on your PC won't be too great(so you shouldn't drop frames) but you may need a big HDD if you're capturing to raw (uncompressed) AVI. VideoWave3 will let you capture directly to Mpeg, but quality not great.

I've opted for a pinacle DC10+ which allows me to capture at full frame size without using too much disk. It uses Mjpeg encoding which is done in hardware (realtime) so saving load on the processor. You'll need something more like this (or a fast processor for a standard card) if you intend to make SVCD that you've captured yourself.

Hope this helps.

[sparq-l]

I think high resolution is not super important. Primarily, I would like to be able to capture animated programs and transfer them to VCD for personal use. I dont think SVCD would be neccessary.

Agree/disagree?

[Feslmogh]

Hey, I found a great site to help you a bit...

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/answerstips/story/0,23008,3308675,00.html

[sparq-l]

Thanks for the insight everyone. I will be going with a Hauppauge card. Probably the wintv-theater $89 clearance at OMAX. I will post my results.