#Video Capture Advice??
2 messages in this thread
To All,
I am new to video capture/editing etc… I am looking to purchase a video
board for Christmas for my father and would appreciate any and all
suggestions. He would like to be able to do the following:
1. Capture Video from a VCR style tape.
2. Edit the Video, Add Effects, Titling etc…
3. Output the Video to VCR tape and also in Digital Form (CD-ROM)
I am slightly confused with the plethora of different kinds of equipment and
could definetly use some assistance:
1. What is the Difference between Video CAPTURE Cards and Linear and
Non-Linear Systems???
2. What is MPEG and JPEG???
3. Will a Digital type of System also allow me to output to ANALOG(VCR)
4. I read alot about these systems that allow 320X240 viewing of video.
Does this mean that when I output it to VCR tape that it will not be
full screen??? Or do most systems expand the output????
5. Our there relatively CHEAP cards that allow viewing and editing in
full screen mode?? 640X480 or greater??
Any assistance would greatly be appreciated!!! If there is a file I can
download with this info or possibly a better forum to post this message to,
please let me know.
Here are the particulars: Am looking to spend $500 to $1000
75mg PC System
Thanks,
Steven A. Glavach
Hi Steven,
Almost any of the Windows Based Video CAPTURE Cards should do what you
want. According to a review in the November issue of NewMedia Magazine it
would be hard to beat the FAST Movie Machine with the Motion-JPEG Option
Board. This package retails for about $1000. Other highly regarded
products include the Miro Computer Products miroVIDEO DCI tv and the Intel
Smart Video Recorder Pro.
All of these cards are basically "Non-Linear" video editing systems but
their output is only a "fun" quality compared to the Professional
Non-Linear Editing Systems that are used for Broadcast Video Production.
These cards capture video at resolutions up to 320×200 in real-time (30
frames per second) and the good ones can also play the edited result back
at a full 30 frames per second. When you output to video tape, you are in
an analog format and while your digital clips are only 320×200 pixels,
what ends up on tape is a full screen picture, although it will not look
as good as the original source footage because you only captured it at
320×200 resolution. You can capture individual frames of video, however,
in resolutions up to 800×600, which will look very nice when output to
tape.
I don't know if any of these cards allow viewing and editing in 640×480
modes, but if they do, they are scaling the images up to 640×480 from
their captured size of 320×200. In other words, with these cards, the
320×200 capture limitation is your quality limitation. That is one of the
major differences between these cards and the professional non-linear
editing systems.
MPEG and M-JPEG, and INDEO, are all compression schemes for compressing
and de-compressing video streams. I don't know enough to tell you if one
or the other is better, however, two of the three best rated cards above
use M-JPEG and the Intel Card uses INDEO. There are other compression
schemes coming along all the time, as people become more and more
interested in this technology.
Hope this helps clear up some of your questions. Here are some phone
numbers of manufacturers that might be of help.
FAST Electronics (800) 248-FAST or (415) 802-0772
Intel (800) 538-3373
Miro Computer Products (800) 249-6476
-John