URGENT! I need a video capture card with DVD quality. HELP!

[prskin73]

I am looking for a card that will let me capture DVD quality video (it would have to be hardware based since I only have a 1Ghz Athlonwith 256MB of SD RAM-I am willing to get more RAM if I need to, though). I am currently using a RADEON ALL IN WONDER card that a friend loaned to me, but so far I havent been able to make it work with satisfactory results. I am capturing the RAW video with Virtual DUB with a resolution of 580 x 480 (I get dropped frames at 640x480) without dropping frames but when I go to play the captured video it plays really jerky and the quality is not very good. I have made sure that nothing else is running and I have only the bare necesary "processes" running in XP PRO. I am not running any antivirus software and I even disconnect myself from my DSL connection when I play the video and still it plays jerky.
Anyway...
I am ideally looking for a TV card/capture card that will let me use a Direct TV signal directly into it (the ones I have seen only take a Cable signal). It would also be very helpfull if it comes with an application that would let me browse the Direct TV programming and would let me choose the programs that I want to save. The main reason for this is that I want to record all the World Cup games and transfer them to DVD-R media.
Any help would be INMENSELY appreciatted.

Ernesto

[pacoreguenga]

Ernesto, have you ever heard about the "USB Instant DVD" from ADS Technologies?
It lets you connect the S-Video Out from the DirecTV to your PC. It compresses mpg 2 real time with DVD quality, and it costs about $200.00 check it out at: http://www.adstech.com

[karen0302]

Ernesto,

If you are actually considering the ADS Instant DVD then I suggest your check out the ADS section on the www.wwug.com forums. I gave up on getting mine to work and it is simply a very expensive paper weight now.

Karen

[rinkel]

Hi,
Well i have some experiences with capture cards now..
Low cost 2 mpeg2 will almost never work, because this will use all of your processing power. These cards capture AVI, or something like that, and will be compiled to mpeg2 with software, real time. You will (almost) never get good quality !

The best (cheapest) way is to use a AVI capture card and convert the AVI at a later time, with tMPGenc

Another (expensive) way is to buy a capture card with onboard mpeg2..
these cards will cost you about $800,-
I know of 2 brands: Matrox and Pinnacle

I'm sure there are others, maybe for less, but real-time mpeg2 will be:
the more you pay, the better quality it will be

see: http://forum.vcdhelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=92286

Rinkel

[ironwood321]

I have heard that the ADS USB Instant DVD www.adstech.com is fairly good at a high data rate but it can suffer from AUDIO and VIDEO SYNC problems with longer footage.

I don't believe you can reliably get MPEG at any high bit rate over a USB 1 line. I suspect some other compression like MJPEG or DV is being used as an intermediate format with this product.

There is a NAVIS Pro for UKP £222 www.pentamedia.com which is a PCI card based solution

[kitty]

Look at the Snazzi III or the Canopus ADS-100 or maybe the WinTV PVR (reviewed by Baldrick on this site). You might have to get a MPEG capable editor - Ulead makes VideoStudio & MediaStudio Pro.