i need a video capture card

[SithMaster]

im starting to convert my main pc to a media center since i like cartoons and i remembered my vhs tapes will be turning into garbage soon so i need someone to recommend a good capture card.

i only have access to a tv with composite and my pc has an svid port if that helps any.  thanks.

[Dustin Mustangs]

Check out these guys:

http://www.hauppauge.com/

I have their wintv pvr-250.  Cheap and very effective.  The inputs on your tv and the current inputs on your pc don't matter for this.  All the inputs you'll need are on that card.  You just need to hook up an output device to it (ie. your vcr). 

I went one step further and got their media mvp (which is now available wireless) and use both pieces in conjunction with SageTV ( http://www.freytechnologies.com/ ) to have a "Media Center Edition" type of setup.  Basically it's a digital media server that links my pc to my home theater over my home network.  It's pretty slick, I can watch all my movies, play all my mp3's and view all my photos from across the house on my TV.  It also has all the Tivo type options (and more).  Record, pause, rewind live tv, ect, ect...  The programming guide is awesome, you can have it automatically skip commercials and best of all NO MONTHLY FEE.  Lets see you do that Tivo!  They also just implemented this 'place shifting' feature that allows you to do the same type of stuff, but from any remote location where there is a computer that has a high speed internet connection.  Want to watch the big game from work?  Want to set it up to record your favorite show from your buddies house?  No problemo.  Total cost not including the computer or the network (which I already had) was around $250.

Sorry I got a little off topic, but a capture card is really just the tip of the iceberg with this type of stuff...

 

[DaveMMR]

You can actually go two ways with Capture Cards.  If you're looking to just transfer Tapes to DVD with little to no editing, you can actually get a card really cheap that'll do the job.  It'll record in DVD format in real time and transfer it over to disc.  I used a $20 card and it did a servicable job (well, once I found adequate software as what it came with was pitiful). 

However, if you want to do some editing, you'll need to capture in AVI or some other easily editable format.  There's where you'll have to spend a bit more money.  On top of that, you're computer should be up to snuff.   Throw some memory at it, make sure you processor is fairly fast (I do fine with a 2.0Ghz P4) and have a dedicated hard drive for capturing.

Right now I'm using a Turtle Beach VideoAdvantage PCI card that also comes with front-inputs that you slip into an 5.25" empty drive slot.  It comes with some pretty good software, but unfortunately, doesn't work too well with VirtualDub.  It cost around $150 but you can get it sans the front inputs for $100. 

I also used the All-in-Wonder PCI, but I wasn't all that crazy about.  It worked fine but I don't like having to always update my video card and capture card at the same time (and it has to be the Primary Display Device to work).

[Harry Potter]

Try the Pinnacle Studio 10 Pluss 700 PCI/USB card.

It has both analogue and DV.

I just got it and no problems with it. Mine cost $360 AUS

[USSEnterprise]

The Pinacle system also comes in a PCI card version. I think its about $150 in the US

[Arcadiac]

Lots of good info here:
http://www.byopvr.com/
I met fellow BYOACer Rampy over there, I got into both hobbies at around the same time.  Good luck!
ARCADIAC!

[JoeJoe97]

I have a mythtv (linux home built tivo) box I built with dual 250's from http://www.hauppauge.com/.  If you want multiple tuners, something like those are needed, as they have an on board encoder to avoid taxing the CPU.  They can be both a blessing and a curse, however. 

As the quality is as good as it is going to be (no tweaking) and if at some point they get too taxed then you start to drop frames.  For whatever reason, NFL football is about the only thing I notice that taxes my box to where you see a few dropped frames.  It's not common but I have seen it occasionally.  The quality is very good, in my opinion.

If you need a headstart on this and linux, there is a knoppmyth available at htttp://mysettopbox.tv.  It helps a ton and makes your project easier in this.

I use mine as my main TV, and I have a 32" computer monitor from Gateway that used to come with thier media center PCs.  You can do Svideo out, however.

[Thenasty]

I have an old PCI capture card (RCA/SVIDEO). You can have it for $10.00.
Just LMK.