Device to input DVI/VGA

[xtknight]

Alright, I have an external HDTV tuner which outputs S-video and component (which both look crappy). It also outputs DVI and VGA, which when connected directly to my monitor looks stunning. I was wondering if there was any way to get a DVI or VGA signal and get it to my PC somehow (saving to a local file). Any ideas on a device that will do this? Preferably as cheap as possible (<$300), and if it's not cheap but does exist, at least I know it's possible to build. I'm not willing to get another (internal PCI) HDTV tuner at this point.

 

[xtknight]

bump.

 

[Matthias99]

No. Not cheaply or easily.

You must mean composite looking crappy, as HD component (YPbPr) should look the same as DVI or VGA.

You would need a component or VGA to HD-SDI transcoder (not cheap), then an HD-SDI capture board (also not cheap), and a pretty beefy system with a lot of storage to hook it up to. This would essentially be the guts of a professional HD editing system.

The only cheap thing would be a PCI HDTV tuner, which you have already ruled out in your OP. If you have satellite, you can get a moderately expensive digital satellite tuner board (I think they're in the $600-700 range).

What would make the whole thing a *lot* easier are digital cable tuners that can take a CableCard and then tune HD cable directly. However, with content providers currently so nuts about piracy, this is *extremely* unlikely to happen anytime soon.

 

[xtknight]

Oh yes, I was talking about the composite outputs. I do have YPbPr output on my Samsung SIR-T451 (ATSC/QAM tuner). Is there any way I can get YPbPr to my PC just like I feed the S-Video/composite through my ATI USB device? I realize bandwidth for saving DVI to the hard disk would require a hunky buffer since I calculated that's like 180 MB/sec for 1920x1080 HD video.

Composite-usually the paired-together yellow,red,white analog-quality cables?
Component-YPbPr (full HD quality)
Correct?

I am using over-the-air HD signals. And why would this be easier if I used cable instead of UHF? I won't totally rule out getting a PCI tuner, but I'd prefer to wait until that cable decryption stuff was settled. I don't want an internal tuner that only does antenna. At least my external box does unencrypted cable, and I don't think the HDTV wonder supports that (QAM) at all.

Thanks for the responses!

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Oh yes, I was talking about the composite outputs. I do have YPbPr output on my Samsung SIR-T451 (ATSC/QAM tuner). Is there any way I can get that to my PC just like I feed the S-Video/composite through my ATI USB device? I realize bandwidth for saving DVI to the hard disk would require a hunky buffer since I calculated that's like 180 MB/sec for 1920x1080 HD video.

I am using over-the-air HD signals. And why would this be easier if I used cable instead of UHF?

Thanks for the responses!

Like I said, you could get an HD component->HD-SDI transcoder and capture board (and software), but that's easily a couple grand. If you find it for cheap, rest assured that you're looking at the non-HD variants of this equipment.

Theoretically, capturing from HD cable should be a snap, but content providers won't allow it. There are no PC-based capture boards that will take a CableCard (to allow decryption of HD cable content).

 

[xtknight]

Hmm, does quality of S-Video cables vary? I have my HD tuner sitting right next to my S-Video input box ("ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0"). So I need a short high quality cable. Right now it's quite long, and it's just the one that came from my HDTV tuner box. Also is it true that S-Video only supports up to 480i/p? I wonder why these YPbPr->SDI things are so expensive. No demand?

I take it there probably won't be any internal PCI HD tuner cards that support encrypted cable?

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: xtknight
Hmm, does quality of S-Video cables vary? I have my HD tuner sitting right next to my S-Video input box ("ATI TV Wonder USB 2.0"). So I need a short high quality cable. Right now it's quite long, and it's just the one that came from my HDTV tuner box. Also is it true that S-Video only supports up to 480i/p?

Doubt it will make much difference (it's better than composite, but that's about it). You actually can't even do 480p over component or S-Video.

I wonder why these YPbPr->SDI things are so expensive. No demand?

It's specialty equipment used for broadcast-quality HD video editing. They can charge as much as they want (practically). It's not like movie studios and television networks are going to scoff at a couple grand here and there.

 

[xtknight]

Alright I'll get an internal card so I can get the MPEG-2 transport stream which should be even better and the HDTV wonder will hopefully be <$100 soon. But thanks again.