Capture Card For Recording To PC

[edwardmac]

I don't want to waste money by purchasing something I don't need. Hence this question: I wish to transfer my programmes from V+ Box to my PC. I run Vista Ultimate and I understand that I need a capture card. I was looking at Hauppage WinTV-HVR-3000 (so I can also use it later to go direct from V+ to my PC when I sell my plasma). I just want to get the highest quality of picture onto my PC's h/drive. I understand that the only output from the V+ is the VCR scart socket. Is my best bet to use S-Video for the video signal and RCA connectors for the audio? Or is there a way to input a better quality of signal?
Any help would be very much appreciated. Oh, I didn't consider purchasing a dvd writer because of the expense, but if anyone has ideas on this please let me know.
Thank you very much.

[Andrewcrawford23]

Originally Posted by edwardmac

I don't want to waste money by purchasing something I don't need. Hence this question: I wish to transfer my programmes from V+ Box to my PC. I run Vista Ultimate and I understand that I need a capture card. I was looking at Hauppage WinTV-HVR-3000 (so I can also use it later to go direct from V+ to my PC when I sell my plasma). I just want to get the highest quality of picture onto my PC's h/drive. I understand that the only output from the V+ is the VCR scart socket. Is my best bet to use S-Video for the video signal and RCA connectors for the audio? Or is there a way to input a better quality of signal?
Any help would be very much appreciated. Oh, I didn't consider purchasing a dvd writer because of the expense, but if anyone has ideas on this please let me know.
Thank you very much.

YOu might be better with compnet or using hvr 4000 i believe it can use hdmi but not sure not tried ti yet, but it can take hd so it has to have other formats avaialble that hd uses which the v+ outputs

[edwardmac]

Not sure about Compnet (will look at that). I looked at the new 4000 HD card but I understand that HD output through a scart is not possible, it would only be in analogue. Is that correct?

---------- Post added at 11:46 ---------- Previous post was at 11:36 ----------

Tried to find compnet which you referred to, but couldn't find a reference. Please be more specific.
As regards high definition programming I don't see any except certain pay to view movies (I think) which I don't subscribe to and of course, the BBC's own HD channel.

[Andrewcrawford23]

Originally Posted by edwardmac

Not sure about Compnet (will look at that). I looked at the new 4000 HD card but I understand that HD output through a scart is not possible, it would only be in analogue. Is that correct?

---------- Post added at 11:46 ---------- Previous post was at 11:36 ----------

Tried to find compnet which you referred to, but couldn't find a reference. Please be more specific.
As regards high definition programming I don't see any except certain pay to view movies (I think) which I don't subscribe to and of course, the BBC's own HD channel.

Compenent is a form of connection, if its scart you want to use not many capture card will do it, svideo and red and white connection will work but most capture cards have problems with it

As for teh HD side of it i only suggest that because you could get better results even on a SD channel usign hd capyure card

[Begize]

I use a Win-TV-HR 1100 lp (the low profile version) to transfer stuff from my V+ box onto PC. Only difference is I run Windows XP Media Centre 2005 and use the Nvidia Purevideo software MPEG decoder.

http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/pages/pro...vr1100mce.html

Card cost £10 off eBay, also got an scart - rgb / svideo convertor off there for a couple of quid. The convertor plugs into the DVD output of the V+ box then I use an S-Video cable and a red / white phono to 3.5mm jack plug as the low profile card doesn't have the red / white / yellow phono sockets on.

MCE picks it up as an S-video and composite signal on the card although s-video is in b&w. Not been able to get it to appear in colour despite hours of playing about so use the composite to record from and just use the normal MCD record TV option once I've started the "copy to DVD" option on the V+ box.

Works a treat for me - have to say the picture is a little pixelly on most of the stuff I've dumped to the PC although it's nearly all been things recorded off the Discovery channels where I've noticed the broadcast picture quality is perhaps not what it might be to start with. I've also burnt a few of the recording back onto DVD's (as video) for people and it's fine.

Not sure if using the supplied Hauppauge software (Win TV 2000??) is any better than MCE as I found it a pain to setup and get working and rather clumsy to use (and I'm a techy of nearly 20 years experience!) and MCE just worked straight away.

---------- Post added at 04:55 ---------- Previous post was at 04:47 ----------

Originally Posted by Andrewcrawford23

Compenent is a form of connection,

By the way, he means component which is usually a 5 colour connector - red and white for the audio and then orange (sometimes red again), blue and green for the video.

In terms of quality, HDMI is best, then component, then s-video, then composite.

[Andrewcrawford23]

Originally Posted by Begize

Not sure if using the supplied Hauppauge software (Win TV 2000??) is any better than MCE as I found it a pain to setup and get working and rather clumsy to use (and I'm a techy of nearly 20 years experience!) and MCE just worked straight away.

I had the same problem at first until i found out that it was a driver issue on xp so i got a new driver from there site and it work a treat, although truth be told i really want MCE its better