What is the best internal analog to digital capture card?

[BirdDaddie]

I am thinking of making some really high quality Laserdisc conversions to save to BD-R. I have been researching the players, now I need to know about capture cards. Every search I do pulls up pages of either USB or 1080i only devices.
I want one preferably with lossless(preferably) compression.
Thanks

[usually_quiet]

Someone else in another recent LD thread recommended the Osprey 260e as one of the better internal PCIe analog SD capture cards still on the market. It has a 3D comb filter to reduce dot-crawl artifacts.

If you buy a used card from eBay without breakout cables, these are the replacement parts for what comes with a new card:

Composite/Component break-out cable.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/844881-REG/ViewCast_34_05012_OSPREY_BREAKOUT_CA...geID/accessory

S-video adapter (you don't have to have this if you only want to capture LD)
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1002023-REG/viewcast_34_05014_bnc_to_s_video_ap...geID/accessory

You will also need a BNC male to RCA female adapter to connect a composite cable.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/134157-REG/Comprehensive_PJ_BP_PJ_BP_Male_BNC_to.html

[pandy]

Highest possible quality https://github.com/happycube/ld-decode

[BirdDaddie]

pandy, are you refering to post capture enhancement?

[pandy]

pandy, are you refering to post capture enhancement?

Nope, you capturing RF signal (signal stored na LD) later signal is demodulated and decoded in software - you are not limited by HW demodulation and HW decoding and also free from distortions introduced by capture process - you can gain quality by removing some unavoidable in classic approach steps.
Same rule apply to VCR where video signal is no recorded directly on tape but converted to special RF signal and also luminance and chrominance signals are recorded separately (as such even lowest grade VCR is in theory S-Video separate Y/C capable).
Due the way how RF signal is stored overall bitrate requirements are significantly relaxed over color TV signal capture. In fact you need single channel grayscale 8 bit capture (valid also for software PAL/NTSC decoding).
If you are seriously interested in LD capture with highest quality at least i would seriously consider this option as interesting alternative to classical approach even if being more time consuming.

Picture illustrations for all steps.
https://imgur.com/a/7VNff

Author use modified delta sigma audio converter from common Brooktree/Conexant video capture cards however nowadays it may be interesting to check if common cheap SDR world dongle on Realtek RTL2832U can be used alternatively perhaps. Also seem GNU Radio may be useful https://www.gnuradio.org/ as this process looks quite common from "radio" perspective.

[Cornucopia]

@pandy, have you actually USED those to verify their workability?

Scott

[pandy]

@pandy, have you actually USED those to verify their workability?Scott

Have no LD and no interest in LD preservation - contact with author - works for him and for few others if you follow threads dedicated to this method. I understand your point however i've wrote quite clearly - alternative method especially if someone pursue highest quality... And software PAL/NTSC colour decoders/encoders exist and they can be used - https://www.rtl-sdr.com/new-sdr-plugin-pal-secam-tv/ https://github.com/jim-easterbrook/pyctools-pal http://www.jim-easterbrook.me.uk/pal/ .

My 2 cents

IMHO many people is involved in preservation and probably everything is already at least copied once by someone - however i can understand why some people are interested to do something better, perhaps in not highly efficient way only to gain a fraction of quality but... from some reason people designed Kryoflux or similar solutions even if they can still use working machines, that's why you have optical scanners for vinyl's http://elpj.com/ even if there is plenty of mechanical turntables...
Lastly, those methods (RF signal processing from LD or VCR) do not need to be significantly more complex or computationally more demanding than classical approach yet they can can deliver significantly higher quality (due of modulation: PWM for LD or FM for VCR single channel - few bit ADC can be used).
I know point of view expressed by many also on this forum - some of those opinions are quite simple - if you can't buy ready to use (connect cables, press few buttons) solution mean no solution at all with background assumption - people are too stupid or/and to lazy to try something different. Judging people skills and capabilities is beyond my agenda - i rather prefer to think that if someone is interested to do uncommon things (and preservation is not common activity) then at least he should be aware of some alternative approach existence.

[usually_quiet]

pandy is wrong about the human aspect, as usual. Assessing a student's skills and capabilities is the first step in trying to teach them what they want to learn. If a teacher doesn't feel any need to tailor the lesson to the student, then the teacher is either profoundly disabled, or their primary agenda is something other than teaching.

Beginners need to start near the bottom, not at the top. Someone needs to learn the basics of capturing first before moving on to more advanced methods.