Capture from DVI or Composite

[bb69]

Hello,

I am new to video capturing. Our company develops training simulators which the output is sometimes composite video or VGA/DVI depending on the system. I would like to get something that can be used on a laptop USB to capture the video and put in a demo DVD. I would prefer not to install any software on the development systems. I have researched some items but do not know how good they are. One item is the Pinnacle Video Creator Plus - Video Capture. How good is that item for capturing? Since this demo DVD would be for prospective clients, I guess I would need something that does high quality capture.

Is there anything out there that captures from VGA/DVI and Composite video? Also what software would be suggested?

Thanks
B.

P.S. Sorry, I should have posted this in the newbie forum.

[Nelson37]

Almost anything does composite capture, S-Video also, which is usually better. Very few do VGA/DVI directly.

Pinnacle software is a steaming pile of crap. Don't take my word for it, do a few searches here. In over 10 years of reading this site and many others, I do not recall a single case of someone using Pinnacle software who was happy with it. This excludes the large number of folks who could not get it to work at all.

Their hardware, seperated from the software, might be just slightly better. Maybe.

There are some hi-end screen capture progs which might be your best bet. Camtasia is often mentioned, though I have only used these briefly so have no informed opinion.

Making it DVD-ready may, or may not, be a good idea. The demo is for PC software, right? So those playing it would be assumed to have a PC, correct? So why limit the resolution severely to DVD standards. Average PC has more than double the resolution available. If you want to sell a silk purse, don't demo a sow's ear.

Other than screen cap, SFAIK the only other option for hi-definition capture would be one of the Blackmagic Intensity cards combined with a video card with HDMI-out. Some serious Hard Drive performance is required.

[bb69]

Thank you. I will try the Camtasia and see how well it works for me.

The reason for a DVD is to show customers a video of how the simulation looks, similar to a video game preview.


B

[Nelson37]

Video game previews are usually designed to playback on a PC, the ultimate intended format. They are done this way as opposed to standard DVD for TV playback because the PC playback will look DRAMATICALLY better.

Unless the simulation software runs at a VERY low resolution, I would not even consider a standard DVD video. If you need a long video, sure, use a DVD. But use the higher resolution and possibly framerates that a PC can provide.

Nobody plays games at 720x480. 30 FPS framerates are considered very low. Yet these are the maximums for DVD-video.

Do it both ways and compare. My guess would be that if a standard DVD-video were used for demo purposes, the creator of the simulation would come over and beat you with a stick. The difference is that big.

If this is some sort of display demo where TV usage is mandatory, I would use an HDTV with an appropriate PC for output, or author a Blu-Ray. If standard TV and DVD player MUST be used, I would insert frequent disclaimers that the actual software is much more detailed, with more vibrant colors, and smoother motion, when played back on a PC. Preferably, you would make a demo that shows the actual product you are trying to sell, instead of a second-rate imitation.