FOUND: Thanks for the help :)

[godsey1]

I need a video card for my Dell 566 desk top computer. I need to be able to hook up a VCR to the computer. It doesn't need to be fancy or any thing. I am willing to trade a very good condition Sengoku MVS cartridge for it, or will pay up to $30.00 for one. Please pm me if you have one for sale,
Tony

[vulcanjedi]

Hey

Are you just looking mostly for a vid card with a composite or s-video output?
What minimum ram? 8meg or more?

Are you looking for AGP or PCI?

I have several older video cards with tv outputs but nothing fance just 4 or 8 mb cards. But they are only worth about 5 bucks. :)

VJ

[Vectorman0]

I need a video card for my Dell 566 desk top computer. I need to be able to hook up a VCR to the computer. It doesn't need to be fancy or any thing. I am willing to trade a very good condition Sengoku MVS cartridge for it, or will pay up to $30.00 for one. Please pm me if you have one for sale,
Tony

It sounds like you are looking for a capture card. Are you?

[godsey1]

I really didn't know that there was so much to consider on buy a card for a VCR hook up. I just need something that I can hook the VCR up to the computer, so I can back up my VCR tapes to DVD. I played a few the other day, and they are starting to get the lines in them, so I want to get then on dvd before they break. I guess I should have researched it a little more, because I have no idea what it takes to do this. The VCR hooks up with either the RCA or coax cable. I will send you a PM on the cards that you have,
Tony

[Flack]

I really didn't know that there was so much to consider on buy a card for a VCR hook up. I just need something that I can hook the VCR up to the computer, so I can back up my VCR tapes to DVD. I played a few the other day, and they are starting to get the lines in them, so I want to get then on dvd before they break. I guess I should have researched it a little more, because I have no idea what it takes to do this. The VCR hooks up with either the RCA or coax cable. I will send you a PM on the cards that you have,
Tony

I'll save you the PM, the cards he has allow OUTPUT to a VCR, but not INPUT from a VCR to the computer.

You're looking for what is called a "capture card". The one I have is MSI's TV@nywhere card, but there are other comparable ones. I bought mine new for about $45 a year or so ago and it works great, you can watch TV on your computer in a small window, record TV, and of course record whatever you want to plug into it, which includes a VCR or even a video game system if you wanted.

[godsey1]

Thanks for the info Flack. I am pointed in the right direction now. Thanks for all the help,
Tony

[Flack]

BTW, I'm not sure a 566mhz machine can handle this. You will also need a lot of hard drive space. DVD quality video varies, but the default settings on mine are about 1 gig for every 30 minutes of video. I just recorded a 2 hours television program the other day and the file was 4.3 gig.

Here are the specs on the card:

EDIT: Link changed.

http://www.msi.com.tw/program/products/multimedia/mut/pro_mut_detail.php?UID=460

[godsey1]

Well the hard drive space is no problem. Last year I talked my wife into getting an 80 gb drive for her pictures and music. We have around 57 gb free. I'll check the site out and see what they say.

[vulcanjedi]

Hey Guys

There are also capture devices that run through the USB ports. These are pretty cheap but they are the slowest and lowest quality.

You can take the AVI files and run em through Microsofts Media Encoder program to clean them up and improve the quality and even shrink em a bit.

But that is a processor intensive program. It's slow on my 1ghz PIII but not as bad on my 2.4ghz Xeon server.

VJ

[Flack]

That's true also -- I've used the Snazzi Dazzle (both internal and external) ones before and they work pretty well. I don't know about full screen video though, back when I used them they were pretty much just for putting our old home videos into the computer.

[vulcanjedi]

That's true also -- I've used the Snazzi Dazzle (both internal and external) ones before and they work pretty well. I don't know about full screen video though, back when I used them they were pretty much just for putting our old home videos into the computer.

The media encoder will resample and smooth things out a bit even all the way up to full screen if you are willing to let it spend the time processing. This is about 30 minutes for every 10 minutes of video.

A side note, my parents had our old super 8 movies transferred to VHS about 15 years ago. Last year I spent a weekend capturing these and turned them into VCD's Now I have lots of copies :)

VJ

[godsey1]

I have a bid on this one on E-Bay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5170147226&ssPageName=STRK:MEBI:IT . This would be just about what I am looking for. Cheap and simple :D
Tony

[vulcanjedi]

I have a bid on this one on E-Bay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5170147226&ssPageName=STRK:MEBI:IT . This would be just about what I am looking for. Cheap and simple :D
Tony

Yep

I paid $48 for a happauge card like that 4 years ago and thought I got a deal :)

I have used one with an old pentium 300 so you should have no trouble with it.

Good luck
VJ

[scorch56]

If that auction doesn't work out for you.. get in touch with me. I may have something you're interested in.. a 32mb ATI All-In-Wonder (1st generation Radeon) that's been setting around collecting dust. I'd let it go cheap.

[vulcanjedi]

If that auction doesn't work out for you.. get in touch with me. I may have something you're interested in.. a 32mb ATI All-In-Wonder (1st generation Radeon) that's been setting around collecting dust. I'd let it go cheap.

Hey

If you still have this in a week or two let me know. All this talk about video cards got me thinking. One of my servers has an old Intel proshare video capture card that is only ISA. I could use something that is a little better.

VJ