High-end video capture cards

[DeafYakuza]

I think the card is broken because I got the adapter Cinch to BNC and it happen the same. So I ordered two another cards LHi and LHe. I will post here after the cards arrived at me and are tested.

[digitalfreaknyc]

So I’m looking for some suggestions for a new capture card.

Both of my current capture cards are external and Hauppauge devices.
I have the HD PVR (with component) and the HD PVR 2 gaming (with HDMI).
My problem is that these devices are notoriously bad at freezing up/glitching when there’s a break in the digital signal. For example, when I am capturing from a device and change from the menu on a particular app to the video program that I’m trying to play, it will load and the light on the Hauppauge goes off and goes back on. Whenever that happens, I’ll miss the first 10 seconds of whatever I’m recording because it’s too busy trying to stabilize the image. Even though I have the Apple TV set to send the signal out as 5.1 and 24fps, it still glitches.

Thus far I have tried two different devices:

Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Recorder - I never got it to work because it uses an old Thunderbolt. My laptop (which isn’t necessarily new - 2+ years old) has Thunderbolt 3 and was told that I have to buy a $50 adapter to make it work. It was returned.

Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle - My next attempt was with the Shuttle. I never got it to work at all. Never got a signal from HDMI, S-Video or Composite. They told me that I was doing everything right. ?

So I’m stuck now.
My requirements are relatively simple:
1080p 23.976 capture
5.1 (doesn’t have to be bitstreamed - I can re-encode)

I’d really appreciate any advice/help!

[williarob]

Earlier in this thread, the AverMedia CE310B was recommended. It certainly looks good on paper:

http://storage.avermedia.com/web_release...160704.pdf

"Outstanding 3D Y/C separation
The CE310B features 3D Y/C video separation technology to enhance the resolution and eliminate Cross-Color Artifact and Cross-Luminance issues resulting in a clearer, sharper image with brighter and more accurate color providing unprecedented video quality"

I bought mine on AliExpress because they offered it $30-40 cheaper than anywhere else but it's complete garbage. I was hoping that it would improve my laserdisc captures, but after it arrived yesterday my hopes were dashed. Up until now, I've been using a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950Q (the WinTV-HVR-955Q is the current version of this card on sale) and it does a pretty nice job:

Here's the raw capture of a frame (no post processing at all) from the T2 SE Laserdisc using the Hauppauge USB stick:


and the same frame using the AverMedia card:


See the rainbowing in the small text?

Hauppauge:


AverMedia:


Hauppauge:


AverMedia:


Lots of additional noise in the avermedia capture - look at the shoe in the foreground, and Sarah's arm...

http://www.framecompare.com/image-compar...n/MMC1NNNU

Perhaps I just received a cheap Chinese knock off, but I'm sticking with the hauppauge USB stick for now. Tempted to try replacing the stick (or more accurately the AverMedia Card) with the PCie version: http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/...r1265.html But it probably uses the same chip as the USB stick, and despite being USB 2.0 I'm not having any issues recording lossless 422 video. I'm recording for up to three hours at a time and never drop a frame (using Virtualdub).

I also have the same Hauppauge PVR and PVR2 devices as DFNYC, and they are both very good - but offer hardware encoding only and no PCM audio, and I have the same issues when changing inputs.

[digitalfreaknyc]

I also have the same Hauppauge PVR and PVR2 devices as DFNYC, and they are both very good - but offer hardware encoding only and no PCM audio, and I have the same issues when changing inputs.

Glad (and sad) to know that it's not just me. Oddly enough, I've posted the same message on a bunch of boards and got no suggestions. Am I out of luck?

[williarob]

My needs might be different to yours, as I find the PVR2 adequate for most HDMI captures, and I'm really looking only for the best SD/Analog capture card.

I tried a Kona LHi:

https://www.aja.com/products/kona-lhi

which I found on eBay for $60, and couldn't get it to work at all, plus the fan was insanely noisy. Guess that's why it was $60 (it retails for about $1400 new!)

Next on my list to try is the Osprey 100, currently about $68 on eBay...

https://www.ospreyvideo.com/images/ospre...asheet.pdf

I'm also considering a Black Magic DeckLink HD Extreme, so if the Osprey doesn't work out, that will be what I try next.

[digitalfreaknyc]

My needs might be different to yours, as I find the PVR2 adequate for most HDMI captures, and I'm really looking only for the best SD/Analog capture card.

I tried a Kona LHi:

https://www.aja.com/products/kona-lhi

which I found on eBay for $60, and couldn't get it to work at all, plus the fan was insanely noisy. Guess that's why it was $60 (it retails for about $1400 new!)

Next on my list to try is the Osprey 100, currently about $68 on eBay...

https://www.ospreyvideo.com/images/ospre...asheet.pdf

I'm also considering a Black Magic DeckLink HD Extreme, so if the Osprey doesn't work out, that will be what I try next.

No. My big issue is capturing things that will have 5.1 tracks and, as you know, when your playback device (Roku/ATV) is on the menu, it's 2.0 and when it starts to playback, it's 5.1 which makes the Hauppauge go nuts. And, yeah, it would be a bonus if I could capture VHS/laserdisc stuff as well...but I'm not going to push my luck. I'll use the Hauppauge for those for the time being.

[williarob]

My Osprey 100 arrived last week, but I forgot my new PC doesn't have any PCI slots! So that's up on eBay, and I bought the Osprey 100e (PCI Express version of the same card) for $99 on Amazon. The new card arrived yesterday and I can already tell it's superior to the Hauppauge USB Stick:

Hauppauge:


Osprey:


I'll post more meaningful comparisons one day, but from the very first frame it was obvious this was a good card!

One thing to note: by default it tries to deinterlace the content using the onboard chip. It also has an IVTC option. I tested both and found them both lacking. Deinterlace on telecine material like a laserdisc didn't seem to reduce the combing at all, and of course I then couldn't IVTC it in post. The IVTC option worked much better but still not as good as using the IVTC filter in Virtualdub, so I switched it off.

[deleted user]

That's an extreme improvement!

[williarob]

I am seeing some checkerboarding with the new Osprey card that I didn't notice with the Hauppauge USB stick:



Now that's zoomed in to 800%. It's not quite so obvious at 480p:



and it's less noticeable in motion, but I can see it clearly whenever I glance over at the After Effects window while it's encoding a 720p upscale...  This Superman disc is also one of the noisiest laserdisc transfers I've seen!

The Osprey Card is configurable - I can disable the 3D comb filter and use 2D filtering instead. I might try that and see if it helps - I already know I can greatly reduce the rainbowing in Phoenix.

[williarob]

Quick update: disabling the 3D comb filter on the Osprey card does fix the checkerboarding issue and I didn't notice any new issues with it off, so hopefully that will improve future captures.