[Ham-Computers] RE: VIDEO CAPTURE

[Don]

Thanks an I see i have a lot to learn on this subj of ATV

Don
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal)" <aaron.hsu at nbcuni.com>
To: "'I>Ham-Computers'" <Ham-Computers at mailman.qth.net>
Cc: "'Don'" <wxfreqrs at cableone.net>
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 6:45 PM
Subject: [Ham-Computers] RE: VIDEO CAPTURE


>I don't ATV, but I do some video capturing.  You'll need more than just
> software - you'll also need a video capture device.  Common devices are
> capture cards or USB/Firewire-based capture "boxes".  Some video cards 
> also
> include video capturing.  PC-based TV tuners can also be used for video
> capturing if the source is RF based rather than composite or S-Video.  The
> capture device usually comes with some capturing software.  This should
> suffice for most purposes or until you need something more sophisticated.
>
> Now if you don't already have a capture device, there are many options
> available these days.  The most common capture card for PC's are based one
> of several Conexant chipsets and they're the most widely supported, AFAIK.
> The newer "CX" chipsets support 10-bit color capture (vs 8 and 9 bit on 
> the
> older "BT8x8" chipsets).  Most capture cards are based on the Conexant
> reference design, but each manufacturer may tweak something here or there.
> Hauppauge, Pinnacle, and Adaptec capture devices are widely supported by 
> 3rd
> party software.  Other "generic" cards that are based on the reference
> design should also work fine.
>
> There are many more details about video capture, but they aren't that
> important since you're just starting out.  But I will suggest one thing. 
> If
> you're considering capturing files and saving in MPEG-2 format, then 
> highly
> consider a card that does MPEG-2 *hardware* encoding.  The picture quality
> is like night and day unless you have some high-end hardware and/or
> software.  Hardware MPEG-2 capture devices also reduce the burden on the
> computer's CPU as the card does all the encoding.  If you take a good 
> look,
> most software based MPEG-2 capture cards require a 1GHz system or better 
> to
> reduce the possibility of dropped frames during capture.  Hardware MPEG-2
> capture cards cost a bit more (about 50%), but I believe the picture 
> quality
> is worth it if you're not going to spend much time editing and 
> transcoding.
> Be aware though that some Hardware MPEG-2 capture devices won't allow you 
> to
> capture in anything but MPEG-2 format.  If you're planning on doing heavy
> editing, you'll want to find a card that can save in additional formats
> natively.
>
> At home, I have two systems with capture cards.  One is my PVR (Personal
> Video Recorder) on which I record TV shows (it replaced my VCR a few years
> ago).  In it I have a Hauppauge WinPVR-250 with hardware MPEG-2 encoding.
> It's set so I can burn saved recordings to DVD-R's without a transcode 
> step.
> Prior to getting the WinPVR-250, I had the original WinPVR-PCI - it was a
> better card, IMHO, but poor driver support forced me to stop using it.  In
> my primary computer, I have a Leadtek WinTV-2000.  It's based on the
> Conexant BT878 and can save in any format for which I have a CODEC.
> However, the capture quality isn't as high as the WinPVR-250 and it 
> requires
> some CPU oomph.  I used it for a while after I retired the WinPVR-PCI and
> before I got the WinPVR-250.  It's not a bad card and the software is 
> better
> refined than that shipped with many of the other "generic" CX-based cards.
> However, Leadtek doesn't use the reference design, so some software 
> packages
> might not work with it.  Not a problem if you don't mind using the 
> included
> software.
>
> Oh, one more thing...the cards I have all have a TV tuner.  If you don't
> need the tuner, there are cards available for less $$$.  But, having the
> tuner gives you the option to capture from an RF only output device.  When
> considering cards with a TV tuner, the tuner itself will also dictate the
> quality of the capture (if using RF).  Crappy tuners are found on cheaper
> cards.  On average you can find the better capture cards (with TV tuner) 
> for
> about $70.  The WinPVR-150 (replaced the 250) with Hardware MPEG-2 encode
> sells for about $100.  Generic USB capture boxes sell for about $40, but 
> the
> ones I've tried are pretty crappy (both the capture quality and the 
> included
> software).  The better ones that support MPEG-2 hardware encoding sell for
> about $150.
>
> 73 and have fun!
>
>
>  - Aaron Hsu, NN6O (ex-KD6DAE)
>    {nn6o}@arrl.net
>    {athsu}@nbcuni.com
>    No-QRO Int'l #1,000,006
>    . -..- - .-. .-   ".... . .- ...- -.--"
>
>
> p.s.  If you're capturing direct from a device that has a FireWire port
> (IEEE1394), then all you need is a FireWire port on your PC.  You can then
> just transfer (copy) the data stream straight from the device to a .DV 
> file
> on your PC.  Then just edit and transcode using editing software.  Adobe
> Premiere is a reference standard for editing, but costs $$$.  Premiere
> Elements is a light version of Premiere and sells for under $100.  You can
> get Adobe Premiere Elements 1.0 bundled with Photoshop Elements 3.0
> (basically Photoshop Lite) for about $150...it's a steal.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
>
> Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 10:16 AM
> Subject: [Ham-Computers] VIDEO CAPTURE
>
>
> I am about to embark on Amateur TV experience
> need some recommendations on VIDEO CAPTURE software so i can take the 
> video
> fro the TV and save it on the HD of my computer
>
> specs
> running WIN XP
> processor 1.9 GHZ
> ram 512 MB
> video card 64MB ram
>
>
> comments suggestions
>
> Don
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