Video capture card

[KoolDrew]

I was looking for video capture cards so I can record me playing Halo 2. I am looking for something that would give me good quality and a good resolution. The cheaper the better, but if a more expensive one is really worth it I guess I can buy, but only if it is really worth it.

I found this one and it interests me as it was recommended by someone else and it is really cheap.
http://www.softwareandstuff.com/CRD10186.html

Here is another that was suggested.
http://censuspc.com/cart/product.php?productid=1612&cat=0&page=1

Do you guys think that is good? If not, what would you recommend? Also is there anything else I need to hook this all up so I can record the videos and edit them?

What software is best for this task? Thanks for the help.

 

[KoolDrew]

bump

 

[SearchMaster]

The first thing you need to know is that both cards are software-based, meaning your computer does most of the work. Generally this means the higher the quality, the more dropped frames you'll have. I've tried probably 4 or 5 software-based cards and not been super happy with any of them...generally they do okay for long stretches then the computer will do some housecleaning and there will be several dropped frames in a row. Hardware-based cards will do a much better job but are 3 or 4 times as expensive (see Hauppage PVR-150).

The second thing to consider is the format you'll be recording to. The first card (Hauppage) will record to MPEG if desired (MPEG1 probably ????). MPEG1 is VCD quality, MPEG2 can be DVD quality (DVD uses MPEG2 format at high bit rates, higher than you'll be able to capture with a software card). MPEG1 is not going to be more than 480x480, more than likely 352x240, which isn't horrible but you'll notice pixellation on your captures. Generally recording to AVI yields higher quality esp. with a software card, but makes for much larger files. It also has the benefit of being a lot easier to edit, if you want to do that sort of thing. Also, to burn to DVD or VCD, you'll have to convert the file which can be time-consuming. If you natively create the file in MPEG format, you can usually directly record to VCD (MPEG1) or DVD (MPEG2) without conversion.

As for software...both will come with crappy software that will do the basic job of capturing video to a file. Not sure about editing, but if that software is provided it will probably suck as well. Consumer level video editing software usually runs $50+.

Personally, I found the software-based cards more frustrating than useful, so if you can find the Hauppage PVR-150 in the $80 range, I'd recommend spending the money for it.

 

[SearchMaster]

One more thing - a hardware-based card will open the door for a PVR in the future (or now, for that matter). The PVR software like BeyondTV will cost some additional money, but they don't usually work well with software-based cards for the reasons I listed above.

Good luck in your search!

 

[Texun]

I tried the software based cards and ended up with the Hauppauge (PVR 250 I think). I've had it for a couple of years and it works great - no dropped frames and I've used it to convert hours of VHS tapes to DVD.

 

[KoolDrew]

Thanks SearchMaster. That was very imformative. What software would you actually recommend for recording and editing my videos though? Also are these the ones you were refering too?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi...=0&minPrice=&maxPrice=&Go.x=17&Go.y=25

Also what resolution would I expect with this card? Tthe quality would be good? Also how exactly would I hook it up to record me playing on my xbox? Do I have to set it up like this shows witha VCR? Currently I don't have a VCR in my room.
http://www.designatopia.net/vct4.htm

 

[SearchMaster]

Resolution should be full DVD specs - 720x480. The quality is very good. I won't say it will look like a well-mastered DVD but it will be, say, between VHS and DVD. You'll be limited to SVideo input, which is good, just not as good as component (if you have that for your Xbox). So basically you would hook your XBox's SVideo to the PVR150, then start the capture on your PC and play the game through your monitor. Side note: you can't do this with PVR software itself because it has an inherent lag to buffer the video.

I don't have any recommendations for recording and editing really. It's actually been a fair amount of time (a year or so) since I messed with it and I'm sure software has changed since then. I've used Pinnacle Studio 8 primarily (not sure what version they're on now), and it has its frustrations but is pretty good. I hear good things about Sony's Vegas Video (~$100, IIRC), and of course the industry standard is Adobe Premiere which is big bucks. At the time, none of them really did a bangup job with MPEG files....adding titles, transitions, and the like would often show blocky video for a few frames. That's why I was recommending not using MPEG if editing was important. All of them should allow capture through your device then go straight into editing.

The Hauppage comes with a basic software suite that will allow you to (a) capture to MPEG, and (b) do basic editing of the files (cut scenes, etc.) Neither of these is that full-featured but might be enough for what you're doing.

Warning: video editing is time-consuming, frustrating, and hardware-intensive. You never feel like your final output is good enough. You've been warned.

 

[KoolDrew]

How would I go about doing it so I can actually play the game on my TV though? I would much rather play it on a larger screen. I'll look into the available software and see what looks best.

Also there are two different models of PVR-150's on newegg. Which one are you suggesting I get?

 

[nimo]

If you want something for just recording Halo etc.. go with Searchmaster?s recommendation.

If you really, really want good capture/editing card & have the budget for it
You need to look at Matrox rtx10 or equivalent http://matrox.com/video/products/rtx10hw/home.cfm
Unfortunately any card in that range has a price tag of 600$+
But the performance, features, software bundles totally destroy any software-based card out there .

 

[SearchMaster]

Originally posted by: KoolDrew
How would I go about doing it so I can actually play the game on my TV though? I would much rather play it on a larger screen. I'll look into the available software and see what looks best.

Also there are two different models of PVR-150's on newegg. Which one are you suggesting I get?

To play it on your TV, you'd need either (a) a different vidcap card that also has TV-out - I think the Hauppage PVR-250 or 350 does, but of course they're more money, (b) a video card for your computer with TV-out - quality is meh, (c) split the signal from your Xbox to go to both the TV and the computer.

The two models on Newegg differ by the "LP" designation, which indicates "low profile". Basically it's a shorter card heightwise, designed to go into the small form factor PC cases generally used for PVR machines (you don't want your big ugly desktop in your entertainment system). Don't get that one unless you have such a box, or it won't fit - the metal bracket won't fit into a standard ATX case.

It's an imperfect science. I have another suggestion though I've never tried it and have NO idea what the quality is like...I saw a DVD recorder advertised for ~$90 the other day (brandsmartusa maybe???) This will hook up to your TV, the video would pass-through to watch on your TV, and it will record your game onto a DVD-R. When you're done, rip the DVD to your computer, edit the video as desired, and now you have what you're looking for. Don't rip to MPEG though; all of the divx encoders should allow picking a different codec (you can edit divx video but everything I've seen recommends against it because the sound usually gets messed up). Of course you can record TV shows and edit them as well. As long as the quality of the initial recording is good, this seems like a much simpler solution to the problem.

As you can tell from nimo's solution, this is one of those "you get what you pay for" things. It can be a long, frustrating process, especially to do something as simple as what you're looking for. I don't game much, but I assume Halo 2 is a pretty long game? That's another thing to consider...video in non-MPEG format (read: editable) can be about 10GB/hr IIRC, and that's in a pretty compressed form like Motion JPEG. That adds up as well...

 

[strategoi]

Hi,
I have a PVR-150 and XBOX that I have tried to run using it. I was just wondering how you play games on the XBOX throught the card without using the WinTV (recording) software so i can avoid the annoying lag. Any Suggestions?