Current recommendations for HD capture cards?

[Chainmax]

As Uruguay has recently adopted the DVB-T standard and I'm building a new video processing rig, I was thinking of buying a card that would be able to capture HD. Now, most content is still broadcast in analogue standard definition, so if the card can also handle that and avoid having to occupy an extra slot it would be terrific. Would this (http://www.visiontek.com/products/theater/tvw650_pcie.html) be allright, or are there better alternatives out there?

[jbeteinb]

Try the black magic intensity pro (both mac and pc), analog
and hdmi at:

http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/

[2Bdecided]

Unless the digital version is encrypted, there's little point struggling to capture analogue HD - just get a DVB-T card / tuner / USB stick / whatever and grab the MPEG-2 (or MPEG-4?) transport streams directly. These DVB-T PC tuners are really cheap now in Europe - what frequency band and channel spacing is Uruguay using for DVB-T?

Cheers,
David.

[murrsturr]

I have had a 650 for quite a while now and am very impressed with it's analogue capture quality. However, it will only capture HD if it's OTA. So unless you're located within a reasonable distance of free over the air HD then I would probably go with the Black Magic or the Hauppauge 1212. The Hauppauge is a stand alone box (hooks up through USB) that will take component in and with a promised update patch it is suppose to be able top capture 5.1 audio as well. Both capture HD video using H264.

[Revgen]

DVICO cards work fine for me.

http://www.fusionhdtv.co.kr/Eng/

[Chainmax]

jbeteinb: thanks for the suggestion. I read comments that its analogue capture is not very good however, do you think that's true?

2Bdecided: no idea. I'll find out and get back to you.

murrsturr: I'll try to find some more opinions on the Hauppauge and see what's the general consensus. As for your 650, is it like the one I linked to? If not, where did you buy it?

Revgen: never heard of DVICO. How would you compare it to other cards you have used in the past?

[Revgen]

It was my first and only digital HDTV capture card. I still have it.

I haven't had any problems with it whatsoever.

Keep in mind that mine caps ATSC and not DVB. I assume their DVB cards are made the same way.

[murrsturr]

murrsturr: I'll try to find some more opinions on the Hauppauge and see what's the general consensus. As for your 650, is it like the one I linked to? If not, where did you buy it?


I bought the OEM Light version from Sapphire. Just the card and composite\S-video dongle for about 80.00 Cdn just after it came out. I don't need the software (I have Beyond TV) or remote.

http://www.sapphiretech.com/us/products/products_overview.php?gpid=189&grp=9


I may have misled you originally, allow me to clarify. Unfortunately I live on the border of ATSC reception, just 45 kilometers north of Toronto in southern Ontario so unless my wife let's me erect a 20 foot tower on our roof, I'm out of luck :). HD cable, at present, is my only hope and will most like be my next step anyways as it will give me access to much more content and something along the lines of the 1212 or Black magic would be what I need. However, I know people who are very happy with the HD OTA aspect of the 650 so if DVB-T reception is good for you then this card may indeed be what you want.

I have no idea how pervasive or what kind of penetration DVB-T has in countries that use it. Would it be nationwide in a case such as Uruguay?