HD PVR or External/Internal Capture Card? Need Help...

[Delphic Reason]

I am in the market for either a set top HD PVR device, or an external/internal HD Capture Card, to use mainly for recording HD video signals from Video Game Consoles/Television signals/etc, for video editing on PC... Most importantly from consoles (PS3/Xbox 360). There is quite the maelstrom of information out there, and many different products to choose from. It's a bit daunting, to be honest.

I had a capture card in my previous PC (an old All-In-Wonder 9600 card), so I know what the benefits of having an internal capture card setup are. I am curious as to what some of the benefits of the PVR devices, and the benefits of utilizing that method of capture?

I have a price range of about $200 - $300, and I need full HD 1080P capture (preferably SD as well, maybe Component?) and ease of transfer to a PC (in the case of an HD PVR).

So, what should I be looking at? Any suggestions for HD PVR's, or external/internal capture cards?

 

[NLxAROSA]

I have a Hauppauge HD PVR, which can capture up to 1080i through component. Because it has compression hardware on board, this means it can stream (compressed) HD over USB, making it ideal for laptops or recording TV. But if you plan on doing a lot of editing, you need to decompress recorded files before editing, or you'll get stuck with degraded quality every edit. A benefit of the Hauppauge box is that it has component out, which means you can loop back the signal to your TV/Receiver, so you can record and watch at the same time without lag.

External boxes that can capture full HD over HDMI are usually quite expensive.

So if you really want to capture full HD, I'd get an internal card, they're relatively cheap. And if you want to record and watch at the same time, make sure it has an output as well.

I'm quite happy with my HD PVR, I use it to capture replays for the PS3 and PSP. For an impression of the quality (note that youtube also compresses yet again ) can be found here (check the last four or five videos I uploaded): my youtube page.

 

[No46_TheDoctor]

I have a Hauppauge HD PVR, which can capture up to 1080i through component. Because it has compression hardware on board, this means it can stream (compressed) HD over USB, making it ideal for laptops or recording TV. But if you plan on doing a lot of editing, you need to decompress recorded files before editing, or you'll get stuck with degraded quality every edit. A benefit of the Hauppauge box is that it has component out, which means you can loop back the signal to your TV/Receiver, so you can record and watch at the same time without lag.

External boxes that can capture full HD over HDMI are usually quite expensive.

So if you really want to capture full HD, I'd get an internal card, they're relatively cheap. And if you want to record and watch at the same time, make sure it has an output as well.

I'm quite happy with my HD PVR, I use it to capture replays for the PS3 and PSP. For an impression of the quality (note that youtube also compresses yet again ) can be found here (check the last four or five videos I uploaded): my youtube page.

Never heard of anyone "de-compressing" .M2TS files, which is what my HD-PVR outputs, am I missing something?

 

[NLxAROSA]

You can't edit a compressed audio/video file without a recode. And a recode is another level of compression, so every edit you do on a compressed file degrades quality further, unless you are using a lossless compression format.

Of course it's not mandatory, and the degradation may be too small to even notice, but it is something to take into account if you aim for the highest quality. I hardly do any editing (if any) on my flics, so it's no concern to me...

 

[No46_TheDoctor]

You can't edit a compressed audio/video file without a recode. And a recode is another level of compression, so every edit you do on a compressed file degrades quality further, unless you are using a lossless compression format.

Of course it's not mandatory, and the degradation may be too small to even notice, but it is something to take into account if you aim for the highest quality. I hardly do any editing (if any) on my flics, so it's no concern to me...

Yeah, but if you use software that can work with .M2TS files you only need to encode the output, you can edit the footage straight out of the HD-PVR without doing anything to it, I use Sony Vegas Pro 9 which can handle .M2TS files.

 

[NLxAROSA]

Yes, but my HD-PVR has compressed output, so I can never edit directly. Still, for me it was the only way to go if I wanted to record HD from my laptop. And I am quite content with the results.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Hmmm...

As I expected, internal HD (possibly with SD compatibility) Capture Card is going to best serve my needs.

Does anyone have a favorite internal HD card? Anything I should specifically look out for, or try to stay away from?

 

[nick09]

Well this card is the best I can come up with that will support recording 1080i and 480p. It even comes with a HDMI dongle to change the input to vast options for inputs.

 

[Delphic Reason]

I'm looking for 1080p capture, but you're on the right track. That's obviously the lower end of the scale at only $89.

Anything else?

 

[nick09]

Well the only other product I could find is out of your price range. This box here would have everything that you would need. I think it would be a better idea to get the product I posted before.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Well the only other product I could find is out of your price range. This box here would have everything that you would need. I think it would be a better idea to get the product I posted before.

Unfortunately, what you posted isn't what I'm looking for at all. I was thinking more along the lines of something like this:

http://www.google.com/products/cata...ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ8wIwAA#ps-sellers

Any thoughts on Black Magic cards? It's well within my price range, and has uncompressed full HD capture.

 

[nick09]

I have looked up the specs on that card and it records in the same 1080i format as the one I posted first in this topic. Though the products for these kind of capture cards seem kinda unstable. The only advantage the Black magic has over the AVerMedia is that it has a connector for analog signals and an extra HDMI.

 

[Delphic Reason]

I have looked up the specs on that card and it records in the same 1080i format as the one I posted first in this topic. Though the products for these kind of capture cards seem kinda unstable. The only advantage the Black magic has over the AVerMedia is that it has a connector for analog signals and an extra HDMI.

On closer inspection, you're right. 👍

Although the Black Magic card may have less issues (read some online reviews), but for the price, I may just pick up that AVerMedia card instead.

Anyone else have any thoughts, or should I take the plunge and get the above mentioned?

 

[nick09]

I'd go for the cheaper option and get the AVerMedia card because it also has more reviews on newegg and overall both of the cards ratings are the same when compared. I say take the plunge because it's $100 less and you can get a refund within thirty days of purchase from newegg.

 

[Delphic Reason]

I'd go for the cheaper option and get the AVerMedia card because it also has more reviews on newegg and overall both of the cards ratings are the same when compared. I say take the plunge because it's $100 less and you can get a refund within thirty days of purchase from newegg.

Indeed. Quite a lot of my larger electronics/computer purchases have been from www.newegg.com. I bought my 52" Sharp Aquos through them for a killer of a deal.

I'll go ahead and place the order.

Thanks for the help. 👍