Best TV Tuner for capturing analog TV,S/VHS to mpeg2 & to other codecs...

Hello,
I would like some opinions on which is the best TV-Tuner at the moment, for capturing analog TV,S/VHS to mpeg2 & other codecs, in terms of highest resolution, optimal picture capture quality, high Frame rates and also supports NTSC,PAL & SECAM formats.

I've been told to further look into the following two brands:

LEADTEK WINFAST & HAUPPAUGE TV-Tuners

I'm interested in achieving the best possible capture results, so any subjective opinions on which specific card I should choose, will be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

sounds like you want a hauppauge pvr-series (pvr250 sounds like your cup of tea)

well resolution and frame rates are dictated by the video format you are capturing. 720x576 @50hz for PAL and 720x480 @ 60hz for NTSC **

The Hauppauge PVR cards have pretty good quality circuits and are very widely supported. They also do hardware MPEG-2 capture so that can save a lot of time in compresion later on. Also means you don't need a hugely powerful PC for reatime capture. However, if you are going to be editing or post-processing you should capture in something like high quality MotionJPEG or lossless HuffYUV (http://neuron2.net/www.math.berkeley...g/huffyuv.html)

** is that right? sounds it to me, but it's late.

Thanks!
I'm mostly interested in capturing aerial, analog, antenna broadcast TV signals (TV channels), as well as capturing into high quality mpeg2 files from some old multi region VHS tapes (PAL, NTSC & SECAM), via Composite RCA video cable connected to my VCR.

Destination is my Hard Drive.
Later on, I might edit some of these mpeg2 files & encode them into Xvid or DivX to reduce the size of the files.

Can the Hauppauge PVR cards capture in both Variable & Constant Bit rate and do they support both perspective & interlaced modes?

I know the Winfast TV series cards do.

Also here is a bad review on Hauppauge cards:
http://www.richardberg.net/WeatherMapRoundup
http://www.richardberg.net/Pvr150Review

Thanks in advance.

So, this is what I got from another site…

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I Hello, I’m thinking about getting the HAUPPAUGE WINTV PVR 150for:
http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/produ...ta_pvr150.html

Does it support De-Interlaced/Progresive Capturing/Encoding, to eliminate the lines, noise and flicker on the edge of motion objects, like the Leadtek WinFast TV2000XP Global?
http://www.leadtek.com.tw/eng/tv_tun...lineid=6&act=1.

I found no reference regarding Interlaced, De-Interlaced Capturing/Encoding at the Hauppauge site, about the WINTV PVR 150.

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No it doesn't. It captures as interlaced MPEG2 video. If you persist you can use the card to do AVI captures, but that defeats the purpose of buying a MPEG2 card.

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1. If I capture from an antenna RF TV channel, or from my VHS/VCR, to mpeg2 and play the file on my pc, I'll see lines, noise and flicker on the edge of motion objects?

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You could use whatever software you like to post-capture de-interlace if you want to convert to another format

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2. What software do you propose?
You suggest that once I capture in interlaced mpeg2, I should then use other software to convert to Divx/Xvid / de-interlace?

3. Is there any way to capture/encode hardware de-interlaced mpeg2 with this card?


Thanks in advance.

If you want to transfer over old VHS footage then I've found the best way to do this is by either using a DVD recorder that accepts analog in or using a DV camcorder that accepts analog in bypass so that the end result is saved direct to your HD. Tried various TV cards to do this and found the results always a bit lack lustre.

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Originally Posted by retroborg

1. If I capture from an antenna RF TV channel, or from my VHS/VCR, to mpeg2 and play the file on my pc, I'll see lines, noise and flicker on the edge of motion objects?

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yes. which is a symptom of the source material (interlaced, analog signal). garbage in, garbage out.

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2. What software do you propose?
You suggest that once I capture in interlaced mpeg2, I should then use other software to convert to Divx/Xvid / de-interlace?

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i can't remember which windows apps are appropriate for post-processing. try virtualdub, it has a few deinterlace options

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3. Is there any way to capture/encode hardware de-interlaced mpeg2 with this card?

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the source material is interlaced, and the card lacks a fast enough onboard cpu to do a good job of deinterlacing

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Inverse telecine film baced material to true progressive video.

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i can't remember which windows apps are appropriate for post-processing. try virtualdub, it has a few deinterlace options

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1.Could I use
Avisynth 2.5.7
http://avisynth.org/

Decomb Plugin for Avisynth
http://neuron2.net/decomb/decombnew.html

...And this Inverse Telecine Guide to De-Interlace guide:
http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/te...e_telecine.cfm
to convert the captured interlace mpeg2 files to progressive (De-Interlaced) mpeg2 files?
Will this process produce various artifacts in the image like double vision blurs?

Or...

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the source material is interlaced, and the card lacks a fast enough onboard cpu to do a good job of deinterlacing

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2.How about the "WinFast PVR3000 Deluxe"
http://www.leadtek.com/eng/tv_tuner/...&pronameid=322

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“Hardware MPEG-II Encoder” provides excellent video quality with minimal CPU usage.

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De-interlacing:
Enjoy crystal-clear picture quality and much smoother frame rate for TV, DVD and other video playback

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powerful 3D NR (Noise Reduction) can clear noise from the TV source and deliver clear, vivid TV pictures. No more ‘snow or raindrop’ effects or poor channels on TV

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Has anybody used it and could this card capture in good quality, hardware mpeg2 encoding, aswell as de-interlacing, without having to mess around with post-processing?

Thanks in advance.

no tv card has hardware deinterlacing