# Video/Audio Capture in Windows



## headcrab (Feb 1, 2010)

Can anyone recommend a good video/audio capture card for either PCI or PCI-express slots?
I discovered the hard way that a $20 PCMCIA card does a very bad job of recording otherwise good footage.
I'm running Windows XP Pro on the recording computer here.


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## NickVon (Feb 3, 2010)

are we talking software capture from a Camera? perhaps connected via firewire.

or are we talking from a Coax standard type signal

Normally from my "limited" experience in the past before HD, is it was usually a Software, and Computer Hardware, and less the actual capture device itself that was imporant for a clean capture.

I've in the past just used firewire connection to capture a Cannon GL1 using windows Movie maker, worked fine provided you arn't looking for any real features


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## Footer (Feb 3, 2010)

Also, keep in mind if you are capturing from a standard def camcorder, its going to look like crap on your computer screen no matter what you do. When you send it back out to a real TV, it will look more like it should.


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## jstroming (Feb 3, 2010)

Hey Headcrab....

I would recommend the ACEDVIO from Canopus. It is a PCI board that accepts analog composite signal and stereo audio. I have them installed on about 5 XP systems and they all run flawlessly. I have them running through Sony Vegas, and they natively capture to DV-25. I believe they are about $300.

Another recommendation would be an Osprey 230 card from Viewcast. Be aware these DO NOT natively capture to a specific codec, so you will need to specify a codec in your capture utility. I learned this the hard way when my hard drive space was being eaten alive by an uncompressed live show capture using Sony Vegas!

Regards,
Jeff


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## SHARYNF (Feb 3, 2010)

One other approach to consider which might also give you more flexibility is to get a DV camcorder that has analog in to dv out, and then get a simple firewire card to interface this with your pc. You then do need to get the software to capture and edit. So none of the solutions are going to be in the 20 dollar range

Sharyn


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## headcrab (Feb 4, 2010)

Thanks for the advice all.
I was recording from an analog camcorder into my laptop and the audio sounded really bad. EQing it didn't help. Neither did recording the audio and video separately and splicing them together later on as the video played at a slightly different rate, changing speed relative to the audio.
My original idea, the $20 capture card, would have worked had I been able to select the line input on my laptop, which doesn't exist.
So I will try to get one of the cards that were recommended and set my recording software to record video from the card and audio from my sound-card line in.


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## NickVon (Feb 4, 2010)

Audio from a stock camera mic will almost never be good unless your talking a 10 ft recording range. For Lectures in our space and shows, i have boundary mics on stage or a Lav mic on a presenter and pass that signal from a group out to the camera. A good video capture card/software won't fix bad audio being recorded on the camera itself. 



What i do recording wise is very simple and basicly just record to Mini DV tape. If for some reason i want access to the footage immediately (as i mentioned in my other post) i just hook up the firewire to my laptop and drop the footage on the Hard Drive for fiddling with later.


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## SHARYNF (Feb 4, 2010)

Capturing via two different devices one for audio and one for the video, will make it very difficult to have the both in sync.

Sharyn


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## headcrab (Feb 4, 2010)

My audio recording feed came from two auxes out of our sound board, not the camera's integrated mic. I used the camera as a video source and recorded each on my laptop.


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## SHARYNF (Feb 4, 2010)

Couple of additional points

Analog camcorders do not have a very steady and consistent output timing
Using a sound card to record audio and a video card to record video in a pc is only going to stay in sync for a very short time, and if you need to capture video and then go back and capture audio or in anyway record video and audio at different times, you are going to have a nightmare trying to keep things insync ESPECIALLY with an analog camcorder


The minimum interface into your laptop that is going to be practical will be a fire wire connection . you will still need to have a device that converts analog audio and video to firewire. 

You have a number of options but IMO the easiest and in your case since you only have an analog camcorder is to get yourself a DV camcorder that has analog in to dv out. Canon and Sony have a number of models that do this, and it does not have to be the latest model. (in fact many of the latest models that record to hardrive or dvd or flash card do NOT have analog in

I have had good success using an older Sony TRV340 Digital camcorder.

Sharyn


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## headcrab (Feb 13, 2010)

I may have found a solution. I got a new computer with an amazing sound chipset, and an ATI All-in-wonder Radeon 7500 video card. Apparently it will record video as well as be a system video card, but I don't have a breakin for it. Does anyone know the pinouts of the video in jack? I would much rather build a breakin than buy one.


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## NickVon (Feb 13, 2010)

if you got this PC from a retailor it should come with all the accessories for the hard ware that is installed. (which should include the Video Break out for the vid card. Someplaces like Alienware/Falconnorthwest that custom build sometimes forget to include all the peripherals but your PC and installed hardware should come with all of that... Provided the Video card isn't an OEM just newly installed in the PC.


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## headcrab (Feb 13, 2010)

That would be the way to go but this card has been sitting around for a few years. All I have is the card itself. Considering its previous application, I don't think the cables or the driver discs were saved.


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## headcrab (Feb 13, 2010)

I found the pinouts on the internet, but I then find that the port shell on the card is larger in diameter than a standard mini DIN plug. Is the plug something I can buy or do I need to hack something? If nothing else I will just buy the breakin supplied by ATI even though it will cost ten times as much as making one.


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## SHARYNF (Feb 14, 2010)

it would be a total waste of time to try to build you own, have you look at the price for this on ebay

ati all in wonder 7500 cable, Computers Networking. Great deals on eBay!

Just be aware, the all in wonder has a problem with video capture in syncing audio since it DOES not have audio ability and must pass it along to the sound card in the system. This approach has been a real mess, since on most computers attempting to keep the video card and its driver and the audio card and its separate driver and the a/v capture all insync has been largely unsuccessful. 

I BELIEVE that there are No vista drivers

Anyway, All in wonder was an interesting concept but for most folks the Swiss Army Knife approach did bring a lot of headaches

Sharyn


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## headcrab (Feb 18, 2010)

Considering that I can't pay for anything with Paypal I couldn't order from eBay, but I found that the video input connector actually is a standard 8 pin mini DIN, so I built a video breakin for less than it would have cost to buy it.
I will update on the recording quality I can get with this card.


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## SHARYNF (Feb 18, 2010)

You have more patience that I have in wiring up 3 coax connections (2 s video 1 for composite) and two shielded cables for audio left and right to an 8 pin din connector (assuming you just took existing cables and chopped of the connectors on one end ;-)) 

Sharyn


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## headcrab (Feb 18, 2010)

I actually bought new connectors and soldered them to a piece of CAT5E. I didn't cut up any existing cables. Not having any coax cable of suitable diameter I used 5500FE as the fanouts. While not the official solution it works.
Anyone who works with 5500FE should take note: it's very easy to pull a conductor out of a sufficiently short piece while stripping it.


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