suggestions & info needed (newbie here)

[myth465]

humm, well i am swapping out video cards and doing upgrades to the pc, and fiqured its time to get into the whole pvr, capturing thing

the thing is im a little confused as far as what i will need
currently i have a geforce 4 gfx card which will be given away
i have an old card with a warrenty that compusa is letting swap out and i have $100 worth of credit on the swap

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=304797&pfp=BROWSE
i think this is the best bang for the buck and will get it most likely (unless you guys have better suggestions)

now im wondering will i still need anything else

1. i want to watch tv on the pc (is this really worth it / hows the quality) will probably have to add a turner right

2. i want to capture tv shows & rip from cable stations (whats better to use the vid card or the tv turner if i get both)

3. i want the option to go back out from my pc to a tv for svcd and vcd showings

basically whats the best way to get all the options

[jggimi]

Welcome to the Forum!
Please change the title of your thread. "help needed on..." is not a good description.
Never ask "what's best" See #12 (http://forum.doom9.org/forum-rules.htm).
I've had no experience with Nvidia cards, but the description doesn't seem to have any video-in capability, which would be required for analog capture. For more information, check out the Capture FAQ (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32575).

[myth465]

thanks for the tips, and i just reread it and never asked whats best as far as i can see
ya that kinda confused me too because i know the card doesnt have a tv turner but i think it has
Port Connectors:
VGA
DVI
S-Video

so im guessing thats just video out so
i would have to add a tv turner card to do the other thinks i was looking for something like this would work right

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=292416&pfp=BROWSE

not really looking for the best but kinda just looking for a better understanding and some key answers
and thanks again for your help

[jggimi]

Yes, that is an analog capture card. I have an AverTV card, though I no longer use the software or drivers that came with it. Mine has a BT878 compatible analog-to-digital chip, and I use it with the BTWinCap drivers instead.

Mine has a tuner, which I've never used. All my usage is either composite or S-video.

In my use, I capture to AVI in HuffYUV or MJPEG, and then resize, filter, massage, and convert to other formats from there.

And your right, you didn't ask what's best. I must have read that into your post. Mea Culpa.

[myth465]

no prob, i mod at a few forums and repetitive questions do get annoying

it seems like not too many people auctually watch tv on thier pc, most from the looks of it most rip vhs tapes or record tv shows

im ganna grab that card, hopefully when i move to a dorm i can save some room by skipping a tv and just using the pc for everything

[jggimi]

Good luck with it; I hope it works well for you. But a warning on internal tuners like the one on my card, and the one on the card you're planning to acquire. A read through this forum will probably show you that a lot of people have trouble with tuners on PCI cards of all kinds. There is apparently a lot of electro magnetic interference that degrades the image. Whether it comes from the PCI bus itself, other PCI cards, or motherboard components, it appears to be a very common problem.

I recommend using an external tuner (VCR, cable box, etc.) with composite or S-video connections in order to watch broadcast channels. They're not inside the PC, and won't get the interference.

[myth465]

humm so any cheap vcr will do the trick, that shouldnt be a prob cause i have tons of em lying around, i wouldnt mind taking a tv either i would just like to auctually watch the picture on my monitor instead of the tv

if i op for this option i can just get by with a video card with vivo connections right

or would it still be better to get an extra pci capture card

[jggimi]

I don't know anything about Vivo, sorry.

And the purpose of capturing, for most of us, is much different than merely watching TV, or using the PC as if it were a VCR. Its to then produce digital videos of one type or another.

Step through the Capture FAQ, as previously mentioned, for recommendations for software, and sometimes hardware, for watching TV. In addition, there is a relatively new Capture Guide (http://www.doom9.org/capture/start.html) on how to produce digital video from analog captures.

Lastly, if you're still intent on spending money, and you're planning on doing analog capture ... budget for a separate, large hard drive for the purpose.

[myth465]

i have a 120gig hdd and im planning on adding another, i think i have it worked out now and will either get this card here

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=298142&pfp=BROWSE
which has video in and video out

or my current card & a tv turner
it just depends on what compusa lets me do

thanks and the faq did help quite abit, i also plan on doing a bit more then what was mentioned but, for now i really wanna see how it feels to browse and watch tv @ the same time.

[killingspree]

hi,
just a few more points:
- a video card with ViVo is perfectly enough for watching TV through a VCR. what you have to do once is, that you adjust your color/brightness/saturation settings, but this done, it's nice to watch TV over your computer.
-i myself used a geforce 4 mx 460 with ViVo for analog capturing from a VCR and it actually worked well although i would lie if i said that the quality is stunning :)
-for watching shows, i use Cyberlinks PowerVCR as it was bundled with my computer, but there's enough freeware alternatives you can find on the internet. ookamis link page is a very good place to start such a search
-i would make sure that you use one with S-Video out as the quality is better than with composite.
-if you have a TFT you might consider having an extra TV set for watching though as the picture of a TFT happens to be too sharp and detailed for watching analog TV
-if you have a chance to do so, try to check if there's a digital cabel where you want to watch TV (dorm etc) if so, you might want to consider buying a DVB-c/s (c for cabel and s for satelite) card. these are more expensive but the quality will be superior as everything is digital.

HTH
steVe

[jggimi]

Good point on the DVB capture card, Stephan. If you decide to go that route, myth, there's a DVB forum here, too. ;)

[myth465]

TFT ??

and on the cable i will ask around, here at the house we do have both digital and analong. thanks agains for the tips

[jggimi]

TFT = "Thin Film Transistor" otherwise known as a flat, LCD display, such as on a laptop.

[myth465]

humm i wonder why that didnt come to mind i guess i didnt put 2 & 2 together

right now its kinda out of the question cause of finances but, if there is a good deal on one i will jump

[myth465]

i finally got the aver studio tv tuner card
and now im working with the drivers / software to get the best combination