Video card w/ video capture, suggestions please

[Floyd]

Hi guys,

I'm in the market for an integrated video card with video capture features and would like some guidance. It needs to be integrated because I can't devote two motherboard slots, and it's time to upgrade my video card anyway. Video capture is the most important thing (I don't play games at all, which probably makes me unpopular, but maybe you guys will help me anyway! ) Besides, hopefully it's safe to assume any card with video capture would be a decent general purpose 2D video card. So far I see my options as (in increasing cost):

Voodoo3 3500 16MB AGP ($100)
This card is attractive from a price standpoint, but I've read there are problems with the software MPEG compression it uses, limiting resolution and causing problems with audio/video sync. However all the reviews I've read were based on initial software & drivers releases which only supported DirectX 6.0. Anyone own this card, and if so, have new drivers and software fixed these issues? BTW, my system is a Celeron II 566 @ 850MHz, so I don't think processing power would be a limiting factor with the software MPEG compression, though one review alluded to video capture problems with a P3 500.

ATI All-in-Wonder Pro 32MB AGP ($150)
Reviews indicate good video capture performance, but prior experience with ATI cards have left me wondering if I can expect stable operation for general work. Have the drivers for this card matured to the point where it's a non-issue?

Matrox Marvel 8MB AGP ($230)
I know nothing of this card, except that it reportedly does video capture quite well. A bit pricey considering the amount of onboard RAM.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,
Floyd

 

[Workin']

Do you need a TV tuner built in?

I would probably go with the ATi All-in-Wonder Pro, unless you are using Windows 2000, where from what I've read, the driver support is iffy.

 

[Floyd]

"Do you need a TV tuner built in?"

Well, from what I've seen, cards with video capture all have TV tuners. I could be mistaken. But I would like to be able to capture TV broadcasts to MPEG, so yes I need a TV tuner. While we're on the subject of TV tuners, am I correct that they all use S-video inputs & outputs?

I do use Win2k, but I'm dual booting with Win98 so it's not a huge problem if the ATI doesn't work well with Win2k. That has been the single most compelling benefit to dual booting...any time I have an problem with an application I can usually swap OS's to get around it. Not the most elegant solution, as opposed to finding the root of the problem, but sometimes it's better to take the path of least resistance.

Best regards,
Floyd

 

[Workin']

Well, the ATi Rage Fury Pro has video capture capabilities but no TV tuner, same for the Radeon ViVo. The Rage Fury Pro and Radeon have essentially the same video in/out section as the 32MB All-in-Wonder, but the Fury Pro can be had for about $80, of course the Radeon is much more expensive. But you say you want a tuner, so it doesn't matter.




<< While we're on the subject of TV tuners, am I correct that they all use S-video inputs &amp; outputs? >>



I hesitate to say all, but I think most do. You'd have to check the particular card you are interested in. However, separate TV-tuner cards (NOT those built into a video card like the AIW or V3500) don't have TV-outs.

So it seems the ATi 32MB AIW (don't even think about the 16MB version, it uses different video in/out circuitry) would do what you want, but I would stick with Win 98 in that case, I've heard there have been problems under Win 2k.

 

[Floyd]

Thanks Workin', the ATI AIW seems to be the general consensus for my needs and budget. After researching some more, I've found that the Voodoo3 3500 is basically worthless for video capture, so it's out. And the Matrox is really nice because it uses hardware compression and supports MJPEG, too bad it's more than I want to spend. CPU power (850MHz) shouldn't be a problem with the ATI's software compression, so I'm thinking that's the way I'll go.

Best regards,
Floyd

 

[Workin']

Whatever you get, please share the results! I'd be very interested to hear about your experience.