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Video Capture Cards Buyer's Guide

A little cardiac surgery is all you need to do to turn your home computer into a full-fledged editing wonder. If you are comfortable working inside your machine and know what a PCI slot is, a new, reasonably priced video capture card can get you into the world of editing in only a few hours. Perhaps you are interested in a hardware effects accelerator board. In any case, installation is easier than ever before and while compatibility is not guaranteed, newer computers have fewer problems. If you do have an older machine or if you are not comfortable with hardware drivers and screwdrivers, you might want to find a turnkey vendor to build a system for you around the card of your choice.

Regardless of which route you pick, you still need to make an informed decision about the digitizer or capture card that you choose. This buyer's guide is designed to aid you in that decision. In the following pages, we will introduce you to some critical features to consider when choosing a card. For example, if you wonder whether your current computer is "older" or not, check out the minimum recommendations from the manufacturers for CPU speed and RAM. Follow these definitions for the feature headings in the buyer's guide matrix to determine the best capture card for your needs.

Operating Systems Supported the type of computer operating system(s) required to use the digitizer or capture card. It specs out whether it is a Mac-based card or a Windows-based one and lists the compatible operating systems for each.

Minimum CPU Type and Speed refers to the manufacturers' suggested minimum processor specifications in order to run the hardware. With the minimum system, you can get most features of the hardware and software to work, but not necessarily at optimal levels. To find the recommended CPU specs, check with the manufacturer or the full grid on our Web site at www.videomaker.com. The grid often lists the CPU type with a "P" (e.g. PIII or P4), which refers to Intel Pentium processors. However, equivalent processors from other manufacturers, such as AMD or VIA, will work just as well.

Dual-Processor Support This column in our grid refers to whether the particular hardware and drivers have been specifically optimized to take advantage of two CPUs.

Computers that come in dual-CPU configurations are faster machines overall. Sometimes, the performance increase is modest and sometimes it is quite dramatic.

Minimum RAM (random access memory) is the temporary storage memory on a computer. While the computer's operating system usually determines the minimum amount of RAM, sometimes hardware vendors have different requirements and recommended RAM is typically greater. Generally speaking, more is better.

Number of IEEE 1394 Ports This is now the standard digital I/O (two-way) connection between digital camcorders and editing computers. One or more of these ports may be inside of the computer. Cards with only IEEE 1394 (FireWire) ports are referred to as capture cards. You want at least one of these ports if you shoot or plan to shoot on Mini DV.

Type of Analog Video Inputs and Type of Analog Video Outputs These columns refers to the type of connection jacks the card has for importing analog video to the hard drive and for exporting analog video back to a camcorder, VCR or television.

This is an important field if you shot your work with analog equipment. Plugged into these inputs, the card digitizes the footage and then transforms it back to an analog signal for output through these jacks. Along with the analog video, you'll want to know the Type of Analog Audio Inputs and Outputs. This refers to whether or not the card has the ability to digitize or capture analog audio and if so, the type of inputs and outputs it uses.

Codec The codec refers to the Compression/Decompression scheme that is used to digitize the video on the computer.

Included Editing Software Many cards have editing software bundled with the hardware. See the June 2002 Editing Software Buyer's Guide for more information on these programs. Likewise, the Included DVD Authoring Software column lists software bundled with the hardware. You can find a detailed comparison of these software products' features in the buyer's guide in April 2002 issue.

Real-Time Previews refers to the ability of some cards in the grid to create effects and transitions without any need for rendering. This hardware is much faster than standard software-based effects that use the CPU to calculate and draw the video. You will pay more for these cards, but some people feel the saving of time is worth the extra dollars.

Real-Time Analog Out Some cards can send an analog signal out to a television or VCR from the work area, at full frame rate. Of course, the card must have analog video out ports in order for it to do this.

Real-Time DV Out Most digitizer/capture cards require that the project renders to an appropriate DV codec before it can output from the timeline. However, if they have real-time DV out, the card can output from the work area without the need to render it first. This feature can also add substantially to the cost of the card. Different manufacturers often interpret real-time DV out in different ways, so a "yes" in this column might not meet the definition of real-time DV out described here.

Breakout Box A breakout box is a handy accessory that brings the audio/video in and out connections to the front of the computer for easier access.

Now that you've had a chance to get familiar with the feature headings in this buyer's guide, your decision on the appropriate digitizer/capture card will come easier. Of course, we haven't covered all the details and to get informed further, we strongly encourage you to research individual products. Call the manufacturers, look up the products on their Web sites or go to our Web site and see if we've reviewed the product in which you are interested. This isn't an easy decision, but it's an important one. Choose wisely.