Capturing video is easier than it has ever been. The choices available to you are plentiful. Of course, picking the right card that will suit your needs is not easy. This primer will help you pick the video capture card that is right for you.
Capturing video is easier than it has ever been. The choices available to you are plentiful. Of course, picking the right card that will suit your needs is not easy. This primer will help you pick the video capture card that is right for you.
You say you are not comfortable opening up your computer and installing a new card? Well, this guide will also make your choice of external video capture devices easier. The best place to start a guide to video capture cards is with answering one simple question: what do you need to do with your video capture card?
The first step in picking out the right video capture card that will fit your needs is to know exactly what you plan to do with it. You can use video capture cards for a variety of different jobs. You can dig out those old home movies, capture them digitally, re-edit them and save them to a DVD for friends, family and future generations to enjoy. The same goes for capturing and working on any video you shot that is on your camcorder. On the other hand, video capture cards can also make watching your favorite TV shows or movies a whole lot easier, by making your computer a digital video recorder or DVR. There are also cards designed for video editing. Choosing among these cards is not as difficult as you may think. Identify your primary use for the video capture card, and you will make picking the right card a lot easier.
Internal Video Capture Cards
The majority of cards available will be internal - inside your PC. This might require you to take your PC to someone who can install the card for you, if you're not comfortable doing it yourself. Most of these cards are made for a PCIe, better known as a PCI express card slot. If your computer is older than 2004, you will most likely not have a PCIe card slot. If you have a computer with Windows Vista installed, it's a good idea to make sure the card you are considering is Vista-compatible. When shopping for internal capture cards, you will probably see a bunch of initials like NTSC, ATSC and QAM. All three define some sort of broadcast standard. QAM may be the one least familiar to you. It deals with modulation for digital cable. In the U.S., ATSC is the broadcast standard for digital broadcasting and NTSC is the standard for analog television. If you are looking for a card that will be a DVR, you want to get one with a remote control. If you have a lot of home movies or other video that you need to capture, you don't need to spend a lot of money; you just need to focus on the inputs your card will support. If you are planning to burn your newly-captured video to a DVD, look for a card that comes with software to enable DVD authoring. Love having your favorite TV show or program on your portable media player, but hate having to buy it from one of the online stores? Why not just do it yourself? Some cards come with software that will save your recordings in a format for easy transfer to your portable video player.
Pros: Internal cards will generally be cheaper than an external solution. Wider variety of cards makes selection easier. Generally speaking, internal cards come with more features.
Cons: You may not be comfortable opening up your computer and installing a new video capture card. If you have Vista, make sure the card you are buying is Vista-compliant.
What to Look For: If you want to make your computer a DVR, look for a capture card with a remote control. Some may even come bundled with TV Tuning software. Look for a card that has dual tuners, so you can record one channel and watch another one at the same time.
External Devices
If you are not comfortable opening up your computer to install a new card, you can always get an external device to capture video. You have two choices in this area: FireWire or USB. There is a larger selection of USB video capture devices than FireWire devices, but, right now, there is not a lot of support for Windows Vista when it comes to these external capture cards. If you have Vista, you need to shop around for a compliant card. Good video will require a lot of processing power, so make sure your CPU is at least 1GHz. The biggest benefit of an external capture device is ease of installation. You plug it into a free USB or FireWire slot, plug in your source and you are ready to capture video easily. Unlike an internal card that is tied to your computer, an external device is mobile and easy to transport. Keep in mind that, generally speaking, external devices will cost more than a comparable internal capture card. For a DVR, these external capture devices can be an excellent solution. If you plan to do serious editing or video capturing, you should stick with an internal video capture card.
Pros: No need to open your computer up to install a video capture card. External capture devices are easy to set up and easy to transport.
Cons: More expensive then an internal capture card. Selection is not as good as for internal cards. More CPU-intensive than an internal card.
What to Look For: This will come down to what you plan to use the device for. For DVRs, an external device can be a great alternative to an internal card. Make sure you have a USB 2.0 or FireWire connection in your computer before you buy one of these external capture devices.
Video capture devices can be a great and affordable way to capture video for editing, burning a DVD or for using your computer as a media center. The ease of digital editing is no longer only for professionals. Using a video capture device, either internal or external, will allow you to digitize your work and make multiple copies, and it will make editing those home movies a lot easier. I want to point out one more thing: whether you are using an internal or external video capture device, you must keep your available hard drive space in mind. Video takes up a lot of free hard drive space quickly. If you plan to use your computer as a DVR, or if you will be capturing and saving video on your computer, it's a really good idea to buy another hard drive. The new hard drive can be internal or external. Dedicating a hard drive exclusively to video will allow you to keep your main drive for software and your operating system.
John Devcic is a freelance writer and videographer.
Manufacturer's list
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