🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi - I have a system similar to yours (except win 2000 and a 3dfx voodoo 3)
and want to do much the same. I use, with some success, hauppauge wintv
($50) and windows media encoder (free) to create wmv files. My overall aim
is to use a system capable of capturing about 2 hours of video and putting
it on cd, and it can do this. The picture quality is 'ok' (25fps, 352 x 288
frame size), I'd call it roughly equivalent to a cheap vcr, or a 15 mb/min
mpeg1, and the sound is mono from the cheap card I've got. I haven't quite
figured out how to edit wmv files just yet (I've got premier 5.5, but it
doesn't do wmv, and I find it quite difficult to use).

I'd obviously like higher quality for similar levels of compression, but the
system simply cannot capture on the fly. I have 3 problems/issues. First,
I've run out of pci slots. Second, it seems the way people do this type of
thing is to capture using a low compression format, and I can't be bothered
with the obscene levles of disk space this seems to consome - even the 20
gig odd I have wouldn't seem to be much use. Third, I don't want any more
cooling fans in my computer. It already sounds like a low-flying aircraft.

I think what this comes down to is a need for hardware video acceleration,
and you'd need to look for either a video capture card such as Pinnacle, or
a top end graphics card with video hardware - I think the ati and asus high
end cards do it. The video feed could be via a vcr to the video in of the
card - at least I think that would work. For myself, I'm thinking of an ati
all-in-wonder 128 pro - seems cheap and capable, although not that good if
you like games, and it'll be a shame to lose the voodoo, which I like.

As you can probably tell, I haven't really got much of a clue, so if you or
anyone else can help/advise, please let me know.

Hubs

"webboss" <ssgg86@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:BPaS6.30672$F06.4383670@typhoon.nyroc.rr.com...
> Hello;
>
>       I am looking for a video capture card and the software to capture
> video from a VCR (or a TV) to a MPEG file. I am at the starting point with
> this and I need some feedback. If anyone has any ideas on what would be a
> good combo for a PC (800mgz, Win98 second edition, 256MB mem, 3 free PCI
> slots, 1 free USB port and over 28 GIGS of free harddrive space) I would
be
> grateful.
>
> The hardware/software MUST be for creating MPEG files (video with audio
> naturally).
>
> I DO NOT WANT .AVI SUPPORT ONLY GARBAGE (avi sucks in my opinion) but if
the
> hardware / software supports BOTH .AVI and MPEG, that would be OK. I
called
> Comp USA and the dweebs there did not know what I was asking for.???
People
> make MPEG videos all the time and I'm just looking for information on how
to
> transfer VCR/TV signals to my computer in MPG format...Thanks in advance
for
> any info!
>
> If you are a retailer reading this, PLEASE DO NOT BOTHER spamming me with
> info on ANY product other than what I am asking for info about above.
Thanks
>
> ssgg
>
>