Video Capture Devices
From SDA Knowledge Base
Not all video capture devices are created equal. Here's a list of DVD recorders, capture cards and capture cables, along with what we know about them.
If reading this page to find out whether a specific device is good or not, take it with a grain of salt, as you would with any review. Most of these views are based on one person's experience.
See HDTV Lag for instructions on how to test a recorder's lag. The source PC/laptop should be connected to the recorder, and the recorder's TV set to the appropriate channel. Each F2 (25/30fps) frame of difference on the screen is 40ms (PAL) or ~33ms (NTSC). When working out the lag in ms you should use a median number - e.g. if PAL lag is 2 or 3 frames, the stated lag will be halfway between 80 and 120 (i.e. 100). Bear in mind that high definition TVs also lag, so don't test recorders using them.
Don't assume that your recorder has no lag just because you can't see any. Any digital recorder - which includes all these devices - has at least one frame of lag due to the way they work. Because lag is also dependent on the application used, it is not listed for PC capture devices.
Inputs:
RF Analogue SD, low quality. Uses coaxial cable for audio and video. AKA "TV aerial plug", "PAL connector".
Cmps "Composite video". Analogue SD, medium quality. Uses a yellow RCA plug for video and one (white) or two (white/red) RCA plugs for audio.
SVid "S-Video". Analogue SD, high quality. Uses a black 4-pin Mini-DIN plug for video and RCA plugs (as Composite) for audio.
SCART Analogue SD, very high quality. Uses large rectangular connector for audio and video. AKA "Péritel", "Euroconnector". Europe only.
Cmpn "Component video". Analogue SD/HD, very high quality. Uses three (red/green/blue) RCA plugs for video and red/white RCA plugs for audio.
HDMI Digital SD/HD. Uses a single connector for video and audio.
Coax "Coaxial audio". Analogue, high quality. Uses a coaxial cable for audio only. Rare.
Opt "Optical audio". Digital. Uses a fibre-optic cable for audio only. Rare.
Any information on devices we don't have listed, or extra info for those we do, is more than welcome. See the VCD List Topic on the forum for details. In particular we need supported video modes and lag measurements (see above) for many of the DVD recorders.
DVD Recorders
| Model/Title | Manufacturer | NTSC | PAL | PAL-60 | SECAM | HiDef | Quality | Lag (ms) | Inputs | Notes | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DVDR3576H | Philips | Yes | ? | ? | ? | No | ? | 0 | RF Cmps SVid | Source: nate, Humorisk, Essentia | US |
| DVR3004 | Bush | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | No | Good | ? | RF SCART Cmps SVid | Drive sometimes unresponsive. Occasionally bricks rewritable media. Source: bmn | N/A |
| RDR-HXD870, 970, 1070 | Sony | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | No | Good | 100 | RF SCART Cmps SVid | Must switch between PAL and NTSC through system menu. Cannot record, edit or erase PAL video while in NTSC mode and vice versa. Source: bmn | UK |
| ? | Presidian | Yes | ? | ? | ? | No | Average | ? | ? | Source: t r i - h e x | N/A |
| DVR-233-S | Pioneer | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | Good | ? | RF Cmps More? | Source: t r i - h e x | N/A |
| DVR90VF | Sylvania | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | RF Cmps SVid More? | Source: grndino | N/A |
| MRV660/17 | Magnavox | Yes | ? | ? | ? | ? | Good | ? | RF Cmps SVid Cmpn More? | Bricks discs. Crashes. Source: Lord_VG | N/A |
| DNR-ES20 | Panasonic | Yes | ? | ? | ? | No | ? | ? | RF Cmps SVid | Source: Lord_VG | N/A |
| DMR-ES40VS | Panasonic | Yes | ? | ? | ? | No | ? | ? | RF Cmps SVid | Source: InsipidMuckyWater | N/A |
| DVDR520H/00 | Philips | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | ? | ? | RF SCART Cmps | Source: Raven75 | N/A |
| A30 | Andersson | ? | Yes | ? | ? | No | Good | ? | RF SCART Cmps SVid Opt | Source: HidoiMidoriRyuu | N/A |
PC Video Capture Cards
| Model/Title | Manufacturer | NTSC | PAL | PAL-60 | SECAM | HiDef | Quality | Inputs | Notes | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intensity Pro | Blackmagic | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | 1080i 720p | Good | Cmps Cmpn SVid HDMI | Includes lagless passthrough cloned to all outputs. Source: CMiller, bmn | World |
| SweetSpot Video Processor | PluggedIn.tv | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Good | Cmps Cmpn SVid SCART* | SCART only using custom-made cable. Source: Andrew_Mills | World |
PC USB Video Capture Cables
| Model/Title | Manufacturer | NTSC | PAL | PAL-60 | SECAM | HiDef | Quality | Inputs | Notes | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movie Capture Video Xpress USBAV-192-EF | ADS Tech | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Very Bad | Cmps SVid | No drivers for Vista. Hard to get working. Unstable software. Source: MortyreR45 | US |
| GameBridge AVC-1400 | Adaptec | UK | ||||||||
| Hi-Speed USB 2.0 DVD Creator | Belkin | Cmps SVid | UK | |||||||
| Ez Grabber | Techgear | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | Average/Good | Cmps SVid | Video mode must be changed manually, defaults to NTSC whenever the device is inserted. No audio in apps that don't recognise the video device as an audio device (e.g. DScaler). Can't capture natively at D4 (uStream.tv, Justin.tv et al). Source: bmn | UK |
| Dazzle DVD Recorder | Pinnacle Systems | UK |
