Joe emails:
Begin here on Google and here. Read this before you buy anything. Read this roundup. Don’t mind the high prices mentioned in some cases–for what you want/need, it’ll likely be $30-$60. Check this. There are reviews there, which may be different than the reviews on About’s top-ten list (i.e. each product on the top-ten list has its own page with a link for reviews).
Note that my idea of pricing might be a bit low–that is, you can certainly get things in the $30-$60 range, but they’re listing stuff that is higher and it might turn out that some of the higher priced ones are better, but do read the reviews–I was surprised by one that mentioned great video quality…but that the audio capture was excessively loud and there didn’t seem to be a way around it (though I think only one person mentioned that and perhaps they’ve updated their software, but still–good to know about these things).
Also, how important is quality? YouTube’s conversion is going to mess up the quality. Of course, it’d be nice not to have to reconvert later for when YouTube, etc. wind up with better quality (or for services like Joost that have better quality now). Another thing to consider: do you want the card inside your PC or in a little box outside? The latter will be more costly.
An advantage, though, is that the box could be moved more easily from one machine to another. In any case, there are probably also some reviews at pcmag.com or video magazines. I wouldn’t be surprised though to see them reviewing things a bit more on the higher price side.
Also, as usual when buying things, it’s worth checking out Amazon. Not just for pricing but also because they typically have reviews for most things they sell, at least in my experience. And Amazon can also show you related products, etc. Also, free shipping if Amazon is the one selling you the product (assuming > $25, which this will be).
>Luke: Just pick one for me.
>I bought the PVR-250 for the high quality sound.
A Video Capture Card and TV Capture Card allow you to send a Video or TV signal to your Computer. The signal can then be recorded to the Computers Hard Drive with TV or Video Capture Software. There are several different kinds of Capture Cards on the market, with varying functions. This article will focus on what to look for when buying a Capture Card, depending on the use of the card.
There are many uses for a Video and TV Capture Card. Do you simply want to capture Video from a Camcorder or VHS tape? Or are you interested in a TV Capture Card that will turn your computer into a Digital Video Recorder (DVR), which will allow you to play and pause live TV and make scheduled recordings of TV shows, like a TiVo? Or perhaps you want a card that is designed for video editing? Whatever your need, there’s a Capture Card for all of these functions, and some even do them all!
External Video and TV Capture Cards connect to your Computer with a USB 2.0 cable. Known as Break-out Boxes (BoBs), these cards are plug and play devices that require minimal labor for installation. Simply plug in the USB cable and AC power to the device and the USB cable to your PC and you’re ready to capture!
