Capture card with HD input?

[DiabloTerrorGF]

Either by HDMI, DVI or component? I haven't looked this stuff up since like 2006 so bare with me please >_<

[redwudz]

From what I've seen, that type of card would be rare and expensive. Probably pro or semi-pro equipment most times. But there may be a few less expensive ones that can use component video.

It might help to decribe your application or what you plan on doing.

But, stand by, someone may have some better suggestions.

[SatStorm]

Hauppauge HD PVR has component in and accept signals up to 1080i
www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html

But it captures on H264 not avi / mpeg

[JimmyS]

Take a look at this and see if it meets your needs.

http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/

[Zen of Encoding]

Take a look at this and see if it meets your needs.

http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/

Blackmagic looks like a good capture card for about $200.

However, the HDMI inputs would be almost useless, except capture & editing of your own
footage shot on a camcorder. HDCP would prevent you from using the HDMI connectors for
Satellite (dish), Cable, AT&T, or Blu-ray disc Hi-Def capture.

If you're looking for a card that can capture Hi-Def video (1080i) without any DRM problems,
you should concentrate on using Component video (Y-Pb-Pr) connectors. That's the Red, Green, Blue
cables that use RCA style jacks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YPbPr

Both the Blackmagic card and the Hauppauge HD-PVR can record 1080i component video.

[JimmyS]

After neglecting to do this before my last reply, I went back and viewed your computer details to see if it could handle Hi-Def files. It would be a waste of time and money to try and do HD with your current equipment. The blackmagic card is not an option for you, as your board would not have PCI E expansion slots. Also, your system would probably utter obscenitys at you if you tried to force H.264 through it.

[DiabloTerrorGF]

I apologise, that computer is old... like when I first made the account old <_<

I now run a P8600 2.6ghz, 4 gb ddr2(although only 3gb cause of XP), geforce gt 120m. And while my monitor resolution is 1366x768, I had used s-video and other capture devices before and the quality is horrible.

As for my use, I don't want a tv but something to play my console games on. I work in the military so I move a lot and an extra tv is just too much.

[edDV]

Which consoles? XBox360 has a VGA output option.

The only reason to "capture" to a PC is for recording your gameplay. The delay is usually too great for gameplay on the computer monitor.

It is also possible to buy a computer monitor with direct HDMI and/or analog component inputs.

[JimmyS]

No apology necessary, DiabloTerrorGF. Your current system specs. should be able to handle HD stuff quite adequately. You probably should update your profile to reflect your equipment.
Correct me if I'm not reading you correctly, but after your last post, your goal is mainly to use your PC's monitor to view HD output from a game console. If you only want to display the consoles output (and not capture it as a video file on your hard drive) a capture card or device will probably not be the proper solution. Assuming you have an Xbox 360 or PS3, all you would need to do is convert the HDMI output to DVI input for your monitor. There are probably others that on this site that have much more experience with this, as I am not a game player, so maybe they can verify this.

I did a quick Google search and came up with this:

http://www.hdtvsupply.com/ps2hdtodviad.html

This item give reference to the following item

http://www.hdtvsupply.com/hdtodvico.html

Im sure there are many other suppliers for this type of equipment as well. Whether or not this is the solution you need, you should contact tech support of the company and have them verify it will work so as not to create any extra aggrevation for your self.

[DiabloTerrorGF]

I should probably add that it is a laptop <_<

[TBoneit]

Hauppauge HD PVR has component in and accept signals up to 1080i
www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html

But it captures on H264 not avi / mpeg

This is a USB2 device so it should work on desktop or laptop.
On a Q6600 3+ Gig memory with capture preview it runs about 30% CPU usage. Most all of which is the capture preview.

At at 1080i @ 9 Mb capture rate a 1hour 40 minute film takes about 7.2 gig of drive space, looks good and is a reasonable quality and fits a DL DVD for backing it up.

To put it another way, I like it. It is already h.264.

Ther latest software upgrade allows capture settings for Playstation3. AVCHD, or XBox 360.
AVCHD now shows capture types of m2ts, ts or mp4 as an example.

Cheers

and it plays on a Western Digital Media player. Fast forward on that is not real good however 10 minute jump works and playback looks good

[DiabloTerrorGF]

Damn that Happauge is expensive D:

What to do...

[SHS]

Yes the Happauge is a bit expensive but it is Realtime H.264/AVCHD Hardware Encoder unlike the Blackmagic Producd which need Software to encoder the video mean you need lots hosepower to encode with the Blackmagic.
And best of all the Hauppauge HD PVR is only one that record up to 1920 x 1080i

[JimmyS]

Looks like you are limited to two choices. As edDV suggested, get an LCD monitor w. HDMI input (21.5" 1920x1080 ~$160 @ NewEgg). Or, go with the Hauppauge HD PVR (you would need an HDMI to component video adaptor cable). Either way you have an extra piece of equipment to move with you. The PVR would be smaller, lighter and much less fragile than the monitor though.

@TBoneit: Since the OP wants to display the output of his game console (realtime), do you have any idea if there would be any noticable display latency due to all of the extra processing that is occuring between the console, PVR and laptop?

[jagabo]

There is about a half second delay between the incoming component video signal and what you see on the computer screen with the HD PVR. You cannot play games this way.

The HD PVR has a component pass through that has no delay. You can hook up a TV to that to play games.

[TBoneit]

As jagabo stated the capture is delayed however I don't see any delay in passthrough.

IOWs all my TV passes through it and a delay between the remote keypresses and the display on the screen would make me crazy.

So you can feed it component, have it feedout component with no delay and also capture via USB2 with some delay. The problem would be is the OP's computer OK for playing what it captures?

System Requirements
Processor Requirements (minimum):
Dual core CPU
Graphics with 256MB memory (or greater)
Note: the playback of high definition H.264 requires a fast CPU and at least 256MB of graphics memory
Sound card

BTW Intels website says that the p8600 is a dual core 2.4Ghz processor

Bottom line if you want to capture with it to the computer and use the computer display the delay will kill you. If you only want to capture that becomes a different thing.

[jagabo]

(HD PVR) System Requirements
Processor Requirements (minimum):
Dual core CPU
Graphics with 256MB memory (or greater)
Note: the playback of high definition H.264 requires a fast CPU and at least 256MB of graphics memory
Sound card

I don't think the "at least 256 MB graphics memory" is accurate. You need either a dual core CPU (with software h.264 decoding) or a graphics card with hardware h.264 decoding. If you have a dual core CPU you can get away with a minimal graphics card. You can test your laptop by downloading some sample files from the HD PVR. The following web site has a few samples you can try out:

http://blog.arogan.com/2008/06/hauppauge-hd-pvr-model-1212.html

[TBoneit]

jagabo, that is possible they play fine on the built-in intel graphics in my computer, I don't play games so it is enough. OTOH it is a Q6600 w/3.24 GB memory. Windows blocks off the other .76Gb of memory, oh well. 3.24gb memory is enough for me with XP.

That info came straight from the makers site. They are probably doing that as CYA. Otherwise someone with built-in set to 8mb and a lowend CPU would be complaining.

Cheers

[jagabo]

That info came straight from the makers site. They are probably doing that as CYA. Otherwise someone with built-in set to 8mb and a lowend CPU would be complaining.

Agreed.

[DiabloTerrorGF]

Guess I'll just go SD then. What is a good external/usb/notebook express that has little latency time?(I noticed DScaler removed the horrible latency a happauge card was giving me on my old desktop in comparison to VDub, VLC and Happauge's horrible pvr)