High-end video capture cards

[alexp2000]

I’m looking at getting one for VHS captures and have found an Osprey 230 online I’m thinking of getting for my old windows 7 PC that’s now in the cupboard. Am I right in thinking this will work with VirtualDub ok?

[bendermac]

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!

For BMD you need to make the settings 100% proper or it will not work. NTSC input must be set to proper NTSC, PAL for PAL and so on.

[williarob]

I’m looking at getting one for VHS captures and have found an Osprey 230 online I’m thinking of getting for my old windows 7 PC that’s now in the cupboard. Am I right in thinking this will work with VirtualDub ok?

I think so - I have the Osprey 100e and that works great with Virtualdub. Well great for capturing in Virtualdub, but the preview while capturing isn't working on my PC (though I can see the preview when I open the Osprey Configuration software, so I don't know why).

[alexp2000]

I think so - I have the Osprey 100e and that works great with Virtualdub. Well great for capturing in Virtualdub, but the preview while capturing isn't working on my PC (though I can see the preview when I open the Osprey Configuration software, so I don't know why).

Thanks Willarob, ended up getting it for £20 so no great loss if it doesn't. Just need to get everything set up and give it a go.

[deleted user]

I'm looking for a video capture and also output card for my VHS AI upscaling project. I read that the Blackmagic cards aren't good for VHS. Are these Ospreys good for VHS and can they also output a signal to a VHS recorder?

Edit: Has anyone here ever tested those Aja cards? Are they any good? How would they compare to one of those Ospreys?

[williarob]

I just sold my Osprey card. I've been using a Magewell Pro capture for a few months now:

https://www.magewell.com/products/pro-capture-hdmi

I was told it has a much better built in TBC than the osprey (and it certainly has a lot less wavyness at the top and bottom of the frame when capturing laserdisc via composite). The captures are also less noisey than with the osprey - much less filtering required in Phoenix.

I tried an AJA Kona LoHi ($1495 new, but I found one on eBay for $40!) but I could only get it to work in one PC and I ended up giving that PC away with the card in it before I really tested it. I was only using it for HDTV capture via HDMI. I just found another one, different model (AJA LHe) on eBay that I ordered and I'll test it out with my laserdisc player when it arrives next week.

I also have a Blackmagic Intensity Pro but I haven't tried that one out yet. I originally bought the 4K version and was using it with my Roku for 4K HDMI capture, but returned it and bought one of these instead:

https://www.magewell.com/products/usb-ca...mi-4k-plus

Again, I never tested it with VHS and laserdisc, so I don't know how it would have worked with those, but I recently bought the HD version on eBay so I'll test it out soon and let you know.

But the Magewell cards have both been great. They're not cheap, but they work very well.

[bendermac]

As for BMD Intensity captures, the results are okay. But I run my LD through my Hauppauge HD-PVR and then into the Intensity. The results are pretty nice, due to the better comb-filter inside the HD-PVR. But I think williarob's captures are a tad better then mine.

Here is a comparison pic I made a while ago, when I was discussing capture improvements with williarob


Open the pic in a new window to see it in full size

1. SVideo -> Blackmagic
2. SVideo -> HDPVR -> Component Out -> Blackmagic
3. Composite -> HDPVR -> Component Out -> Blackmagic

LD Player: Pioneer CLD 2950

[williarob]

I have the HD-PVR also, I was using it as a passthru to the TV for a while as it does have an good comb filter. Maybe I'll try adding it to my capture chain too.

[PuddleOfWater]

I just sold my Osprey card. I've been using a Magewell Pro capture for a few months now:

https://www.magewell.com/products/pro-capture-hdmi

I was told it has a much better built in TBC than the osprey (and it certainly has a lot less wavyness at the top and bottom of the frame when capturing laserdisc via composite). The captures are also less noisey than with the osprey - much less filtering required in Phoenix.

I tried an AJA Kona LoHi ($1495 new, but I found one on eBay for $40!) but I could only get it to work in one PC and I ended up giving that PC away with the card in it before I really tested it. I was only using it for HDTV capture via HDMI. I just found another one, different model (AJA LHe) on eBay that I ordered and I'll test it out with my laserdisc player when it arrives next week.

I also have a Blackmagic Intensity Pro but I haven't tried that one out yet. I originally bought the 4K version and was using it with my Roku for 4K HDMI capture, but returned it and bought one of these instead:

https://www.magewell.com/products/usb-ca...mi-4k-plus

Again, I never tested it with VHS and laserdisc, so I don't know how it would have worked with those, but I recently bought the HD version on eBay so I'll test it out soon and let you know.

But the Magewell cards have both been great. They're not cheap, but they work very well.

I have a Magewell Pro Capture becasue I heard it's got a great 2-d comb filter and it is so good it doesnt need 3-d. I have an HLD-X0 as well and would love to hear the results you got from the differnt cards you used. I use Virtualdub 2 with the MagicYUV 10-bit YUV 4:4:4 codec with the V410 capture pin for captures. I am still not sure if how I should set color space Quantization and Saturation in the Capture filter and compression settings. I found that the best looking one is as follows:
Video > Capture filter > Input, Color Format: YUV BT.601
Video > Capture filter > Input, Quantization: Full range
Video > Capture filter > Capture, Color format: YUV BT.2020
Video > Capture filter > Capture, Quantization: Limited range (16-235)
Video > Capture filter > Capture, Saturation: Full range (0-255)
for deinterlace I do weaved for QTGMC in post
Also I put the Video > Compression > Color space: 709(HD video standard, newer) and check Assume interlaced.

It makes the best color representation in the SMPTE colorbar in the crappy "A Video Standard" LD that i have. I really need a better disc for colorbars. I have mosdtly anime LDs an I haven't seen one with colorbars.
I think it may be better just putting all the color spaces at 601 and keep the limited and full settings where I curently have them, even though it is a tad darker, because, the way I currently have them set really shows the noise and it has not been easy to filter it with NeatVideo without NeatVideo creating a jitter on pan out scenes.

[pipefan413]

This is somewhat out of scope for this thread so I apologise if I should be asking elsewhere.

If I'm only interested in capturing video from LaserDiscs for no reason other than to sync audio more precisely, I am assuming that the capture device can be just about any old crap, theoretically (even some absolute howler like this). My main concern would be dropped/duplicated frames.

Does anybody have a rec for a cheap and nasty capture device that might be sufficient for capping video purely to aid audio sync? Or does it just not matter at all, realistically?