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  1. Banned
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    After almost 10 years of yeoman service, I had to junk my old computer for a new HP Pavilion (HP 500-056) which has Windows 8. To capture VHS tapes I had been using a Dazzle 150 that came with a stripped down version of Pinnacle Studio. The Pinnacle software was lousy, but I had to use it for capturing and fortunately it was able to do that function. Once captured, I migrated the captured video file over to ArcSoft Showbiz to do the editing and burning. Maybe not the best products, but they served my needs. I'm sure the old device and Pinnacle software won't work on my new machine. In fact, I don't even have the ArcSoft Showbiz software any more because that was a freebie that was pre-installed on the old computer.

    My question is: is there anything similar I can get for my new computer that will work with Windows 8? The specs for the newer Dazzles I've seen only go up to Windows 7. I found something called "Honest Technology VHS to DVD 7.0 Deluxe Software & Hardware" that's supposed to work under Windows 8. But it says it needs Windows Media Player, which also wasn't included on the new computer (at least the video part, that is). Does anybody know anything about this product? Does it really need Windows Media Player, or will any other DVD playing software suffice? I do have Cyberlink Power DVD on the new computer, which will play DVD's. It would be nice not to have to get another Dazzle and the lousy Pinnacle software that comes with it.
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    Hauppauge's USB Live 2 has Windows 8 support, Hauppauge, the manufacturer, supplies their own Win TV7 capture software but the USB Live 2 reportedly works with a number of third-party capture programs, such as Magix Video Easy and Virtualdub
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  3. numerous capture cards out there. depends on your budget and whether you an internal card or external device. personally, I think you should get a device that has a built-in encoder so that there's very little strain on your system while recording. A hardware encoder does boost up the cost of the device though.

    I own a number of Hauppauge devices and they've all served me well for recording modern broadcasts, but they also record old VHS tapes as well. I have the WinTV-HVR-1600 and the WinTV-HVR-1800 as internal cards. I also have the HD PVR which is an external device that connects via USB 2.0 which can also record video tapes. The HD PVR comes with ArcSoft TotalMedia Extreme so if you're used to Showbiz, you'll feel at home.
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    Originally Posted by OnlySublime View Post
    numerous capture cards out there. depends on your budget and whether you an internal card or external device. personally, I think you should get a device that has a built-in encoder so that there's very little strain on your system while recording. A hardware encoder does boost up the cost of the device though.

    I own a number of Hauppauge devices and they've all served me well for recording modern broadcasts, but they also record old VHS tapes as well. I have the WinTV-HVR-1600 and the WinTV-HVR-1800 as internal cards. I also have the HD PVR which is an external device that connects via USB 2.0 which can also record video tapes. The HD PVR comes with ArcSoft TotalMedia Extreme so if you're used to Showbiz, you'll feel at home.
    It is true that hardware encoding does make few demands on a CPU but if one doesn't like the manufacturer-supplied software for capture, there will be only a few other options available (if any) that support using any device that does hardware encoding. USB 2.0 devices that use software to encode generally give more options for capture software.

    Just so the OP knows, the WinTV-HVR-1600 and WinTV-HVR-1800 are internal devices. Hauppuge indicates they have Windows 8 support, but they appear to have been discontinued, as is the WinTV-HVR-1850.

    The HD-PVR is an external USB 2.0 capture device which hardware encodes to H.264, however if the OP is capturing with the idea of making DVDs, it is not an ideal choice because its captures will need to be converted to MPEG-2. The WinTV-HVR-1950 is a better choice for DVD if the OP wants a a USB 2.0 external TV tuner/capture device that encodes via hardware since it can be set up to encode DVD compliant MPEG-2.
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  5. The HD-PVR records MPEG-2 in .TS which is very easy to work with.
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    Originally Posted by OnlySublime View Post
    The HD-PVR records MPEG-2 in .TS which is very easy to work with.
    You are mistaken. Hauppuge says the following at its product page http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html
    HD PVR Specifications
    Hardware encoder
    H.264 AVCHD video encoder
    AC-3 audio encoding

    Recording datarate: from 1 to 13.5 Mbits/sec (user selectable)
    Recording format:
    up to 1080i from component video (YCrCb or YPrPb)
    NTSC: 720p60, 1080i60, 480i60, 480p60
    PAL: 720p50, 1080i50, 576p50, 576i50, 480p50, 480i50
    Note: the video input format determines the recorded format. For example, 1080i input records at 1080i, 720P records at 720P, etc. Any other format conversions needs to be done with the MediaConvert program (supplied).
    NTSC or PAL supported
    Since the HD-PVR hardware encoder can only output an H.264 transport stream, a MPEG-2 TS can only be obtained by re-encoding the H.264 transport stream with the supplied software or another video converter. Needing to re-encode with software somewhat defeats the purpose of having a hardware encoder in the first place, and reduces the quality to some extent from the original.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 19th Aug 2013 at 16:11.
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  7. Yes, I believe I was thinking my 1600 and 1800 cards.

    here is the mediainfo for my hauppauge 1600/1800 cards:
    Image
    [Attachment 19418 - Click to enlarge]


    here is the mediainfo from my hd pvr:
    Image
    [Attachment 19419 - Click to enlarge]


    some of the software I use...

    I use the default recording software (arcsoft), recording in .TS. I don't use the MP4 option in the recorder since I like to edit video.

    For editing, I use VideoRedo. allows me to make quick edits. the produced file takes seconds since it's only for trimming. no video encoding is done.

    for major edits, I use Adobe Premiere. Since Premiere doesn't work with TS files (only if you use pay plugins), I use VLC to change the container so I can use the video in Premiere. again, seconds.
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    Originally Posted by OnlySublime View Post
    Yes, I believe I was thinking my 1600 and 1800 cards.

    here is the mediainfo for my hauppauge 1600/1800 cards:
    Image
    [Attachment 19418 - Click to enlarge]


    here is the mediainfo from my hd pvr:
    Image
    [Attachment 19419 - Click to enlarge]


    some of the software I use...

    I use the default recording software (arcsoft), recording in .TS. I don't use the MP4 option in the recorder since I like to edit video.

    For editing, I use VideoRedo. allows me to make quick edits. the produced file takes seconds since it's only for trimming. no video encoding is done.

    for major edits, I use Adobe Premiere. Since Premiere doesn't work with TS files (only if you use pay plugins), I use VLC to change the container so I can use the video in Premiere. again, seconds.
    Good advice, although it assumes that the OP wants to use H.264, which we don't know that at this point.

    Something to keep in mind is that there are no decent free H.264 editors even for basic editing of the HD-PVR's H.264 .ts files and VideoReDo TV Suite H.264 which does work well costs $100. ...but there are a few decent free MPEG-2 editors for simple trims and cuts as well as quite a few good paid MPEG-2 editors for more extensive editing.

    [Edit]I almost forgot that the OP asked about DVD player software. I use VLC and MPCHC for Windows 8. They work pretty well for DVD video, use their own internal codecs, and are free, although I don't know either is compatible with Honestech's software.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 19th Aug 2013 at 17:07.
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  9. Banned
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    Thanks for your help, guys. I talked to a PC "specialist" at B&H Photo and they said VLC will work with the Honest Tech device in lieu of WMP. I prefer an external. The price was right for this one, so if it doesn't work I'll have to bite the bullet and get an internal card as per your suggestions.
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    Originally Posted by JudgeGarth View Post
    Thanks for your help, guys. I talked to a PC "specialist" at B&H Photo and they said VLC will work with the Honest Tech device in lieu of WMP. I prefer an external. The price was right for this one, so if it doesn't work I'll have to bite the bullet and get an internal card as per your suggestions.
    You do not have to get an internal capture device to take advantage of MPEG-2 hardware encoding unless you prefer to do that. Hauppauge's WinTV-HVR-1950 is an external USB 2.0 TV tuner/capture device MPEG-2 hardware encoder. If you do decide to get an internal capture device, open up your HP Pavillion first and make sure there is enough room to install one. Some HP desktops are rather cramped.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 19th Aug 2013 at 19:51.
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