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  1. Member
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    What SDI-USB3 (PCI-E) capture cards are available for Windows 10/11 PC?

    What capture software do they use and is there a difference in capture quality when using different brands?

    Devices with Thunderbolt connector are unfortunately not an option.

    Currently I am using an Aja Kona LHe (Windows XP).
    I want to record video tapes in 720x576i resolution as uncompressed 8bit/10bit avi file.

    Can anyone recommend a card and capture software?

    I would prefer the Blackmagic Ultrastudio SDI but this card is no longer available.
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  2. Capturing Memories dellsam34's Avatar
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    There is not enough feedback about SDI interfaces, very few members used them, I personally had luck with Black Magic USB3 UltraStudio SDI, I've tried Majewell and I could not get it to work under Win 10, I was only getting black screen, But I blamed it on my machine. Use the acquisition software supplied with the device, BM has MediaExpress. You can also use Vdub after successfully installing the device's drivers.

    Aja Kona LHe shuld have SDI input and it can be used in digital mode only, digital in - digital out, did you try to find wind 10 drivers at Aja website?

    SDI interfaces don't have an effect on video quality, all what they do is take a packed digital signal with audio embedded in it and route it to computer, The only possible signal alteration is data drop outs, If your computer is slow and don't have enough resources it could throttle the data and lose it. That's why SDI interfaces work only under USB 3 and above, they cannot work with USB 2. BM gives you a message that you will need USB3 if you ever hook up one of their devices via USB 2.
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  3. Formerly 'vaporeon800' Brad's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by dellsam34 View Post
    SDI interfaces don't have an effect on video quality, all what they do is take a packed digital signal with audio embedded in it and route it to computer, The only possible signal alteration is data drop outs
    I was never able to get the Osprey card that I tried to give me an unadulterated SDI capture.
    My YouTube channel with little clips: vhs-decode, comparing TBC, etc.
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  4. Capturing Memories dellsam34's Avatar
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    Try BM, The only device that worked for me, It's a lot of data especially if you stream at 10bit. PCI should handle the data better than USB3, But I use USB3 just because I have an all in one and laptops only.
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  5. Member
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    There is only one SDI standard talked about in this thread.
    Last edited by jwillis84; 17th Jan 2023 at 11:44.
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  6. Member
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    I don't have one but Singmai is selling it's SM03 TBC with a Magewell USB 3 capture box:

    https://www.singmai.com/Modules/sm03.html
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  7. Capturing Memories dellsam34's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by jwillis84 View Post
    The problem with SDI is that there are different "generations" of SDI for different resolutions and purposes its also a very old standard from the 1980's I believe, it predates DV video. Its been upgraded many times from SDI (gen 1) to something like SDI (gen 12) now.
    There is only one SDI standard for analog SD capture, which is the subject of this thread, it is the SMPTE 259M. Only the SMPTE 259M-C @ 270Mbit/s pretends to analog video formats such as Betacam, uMatic, VHS, V8 and so on.
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  8. Member
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    Originally Posted by dellsam34 View Post
    Originally Posted by jwillis84 View Post
    The problem with SDI is that there are different "generations" of SDI for different resolutions and purposes its also a very old standard from the 1980's I believe, it predates DV video. Its been upgraded many times from SDI (gen 1) to something like SDI (gen 12) now.
    There is only one SDI standard for analog SD capture, which is the subject of this thread, it is the SMPTE 259M. Only the SMPTE 259M-C @ 270Mbit/s pretends to analog video formats such as Betacam, uMatic, VHS, V8 and so on.

    Sorry for inciting a lot of bad feelings.
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  9. Capturing Memories dellsam34's Avatar
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    No, Not at all, I know SDI is the longest lived standard on earth, longer than USB and Thunderbolt, I believe 6k and 8k SDI standards have been drafted already, I just felt the necessity to define the standard for analog tape capture, which is what the OP is asking for, This is important when looking for SDI devices for SD resolution, there are some that don't support SD like the Datavideo SDI recorders. So if the specs don't mention SMPTE 259M-C @ 270Mbit/s, that means stay away.
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