Video capture card quality question

[Dave]

I would like to transfer some old VCR tapes to DVD to preserve them.
However, I find the capture cards run from $39.95 to over $1,000. I'm sure
the latter are pretty good, but I'm really not looking for super quality.

Anybody have any experience/comments on the lower priced cards?
Appreciate any suggestions.

Dave

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

S-Video is going to be better quality than composite, but of course you must
have a VCR capable of S-Video output... and the original tapes must be of
S-VHS quality and have been recorded in S-Video and in SP.

If you know the tapes are only ordinary VHS, and even more, if you know
there were recorded in EP or LP, there's not much point in buying the most
expensive capture card, you're not going to be able to improve the original
quality....

If you have a standard VCR, I would suggest something like the Hauppauge PVR
250 (www.hauppauge.com). Ensure you PC is up to capturing and editing and
encoding video, it's one of the most data intensive things you can ask it to
do. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on your capture card, ensure
your CPU is a recent and high end unit and you have enough RAM.

Bear in mind also that you'll be using a LOT of hard drive space.

 

[Dave]

Thank you Cari - I will do all of that. What kind of specs/RAM are we
talking about?
Dave

 

[Kenneth J. Harris]

If you just want to transfer the tapes and not edit them, save yourself
some money and trouble and buy a free standing DVD recorder. Hook your
VCR outputs to the DVD inputs and you're go to go. Even better--get a
combo unit (DVR/VHS recorder). Put your tape in the VCR slot, a blank
DVD in the DVD slot and go! Both units are pretty inexpensive now.

Ken

 

[Dave]

Thanks Ken - that just might be the way for me to go. Don't really want to
edit anything.

And thanks everybody - much appreciated.
Dave