nOOb question about capture and VIVO

[Texun]

I need to capture the video from a camcorder (RCA A\V connectors) and found this card at Newegg which has VIVO. What exactly is VIVO? Video in-Video out?

The PC that I have has an ASUS A7N266-VM mATX with on board nVidia MX200, 512 DDR (-32 shared for the video), a 7200RPM drive and an XP1800 and WinXP Pro. Will this card do what I need or should I look at something from Happauge or Pinnacle?

I searched but apparently no one is in the same nOOb status as I am when it comes to VIVO and capture cards.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jamesbond007]

Ahh, I'm just your guy.

First, off, yes, VIVO = Video In/Video Out. One serious issue with some setups that have video in on the display adapter and require audio input from the soundcard is that sometimes the audio and video will get out of sync after a short period of time when capturing. Viewing is another story, but capturing can be pretty stressful on a system. Your 7200RPM harddisk *should* be ok and your CPU might cut it as well. Though, a lot of that will depend on the capture device you end up purchasing as well as the codecs/filters used in real-time.

I have not been satisfied with the quality from the low-end Hauppauge cards. Though, I have tried the WinTV-PVR-350 and it was ok, though I found the software to be clunky/slow. I have not tried anything from Pinnacle, though, I have read nothing but bad reports about driver issues with their cards. I don't think I could recommend them and keep a clean conscience.

Right now I have an ATi All-In-Wonder Radeon 9700 Pro. It's ok, but I'm far from satisifed with the quality it produces. Though, it's great for watching full-screen TV or for sending a pass-through signal to the monitor for viewing full screen. I also run a Canopus DV Storm2 for my main capturing. It's the best capture/editing card I've used to date. It costs an arm and a leg, but it's well-worth the cash. I can record for hours and hours without any dropped frames. Applying filters in Premiere is a snap, no hassles and it's fast as the wind.

I also run a Canopus ADVC-100 on my Macs. Like the DV Storm2, it can record forever without any dropped frames. Now this is simply an analogue to digital converter that communicates via FireWire so it simply feeds the analogue streams to the computer. There's really no stress on the computer at all. I've done a lot of capturing on slower machines all the way down to my iMac G3 700MHz.

A few pointers you should keep in mind are that you want one device that handles both your audio and video. This will help reduce, and hopefully eliminate any possibility for any A/V sync issues. Also, close as many programs as you can when capturing to avoid them interfering with the system or tasking the harddisk while capturing to prevent dropped frames. Lastly, disable your antivirus when capturing.

Good luck.

 

[Texun]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
Ahh, I'm just your guy.

A few pointers you should keep in mind are that you want one device that handles both your audio and video. This will help reduce, and hopefully eliminate any possibility for any A/V sync issues. Also, close as many programs as you can when capturing to avoid them interfering with the system or tasking the harddisk while capturing to prevent dropped frames. Lastly, disable your antivirus when capturing.
Good luck.

Thanks for the excellent information. One more question if you don't mind... when you refer to the card having audio do you mean audio input? I see several with audio out but if I read your message correctly you are suggesting one with composite (RCA) inputs for vid and audio. Am I correct, and in your opinion which card would have the best bang for the buck for my PC?

Thanks again.

 

[jamesbond007]

Yes, I am referring to any card that has direct audio inputs whether it's through a 1/8" mini-stereo jack or a pair of RCA inputs. Personally, I like the no-hassle external ADVC-100 because I can use it on a Mac or PC and I can bring it with me anywhere I go, say to a friend's house, to record something from his/her camcorder or satellite to their computer.

Just one word of caution...you have to use some sort of video software that will allow importing...because this unit doesn't come with any software. It works with Adobe Premiere and Sony/Sonic Foundry Vegas Video, and your standard solutions, such as products from Ulead. Another thing is that it doesn't make a very good source for 'watching' TV on your computer because there's really no options to go full-screen, channel programming, etc.

A very basic, but full featured card, is from Leadtek. Here is the card I'm referring to. It's only a mere $45 at NewEgg after s/h, too. Much much cheaper than the ~$250 Canopus ADVC-100, but with the Canopus I don't have to worry about dropped frames. Ever.

 

[Texun]

You are D'Man!!!!!!! :beer: I only wish the beer was real. :beer:

I'm placing an order for it tonight.