I want to be able to capture TV footage and put it on my computer?

Question

I have had a look at TV capture cards but I dont really know what they are or how they work.

Can someone recommend what I should get, how it will work etc.

I would want to capture the sound as well.

Answer 1

There are a few ways

1.  use PVR such as WinTV 350 PVR or  similar to capture the TV signal and save it into the harddisk for it to be converted to DVDs

2. Use a digital DVD recorder recording TV signal and subsequently use its in-built converter to convert to DVDs to be used in Computer

3.  Use any TV capture cards to play TV on computers and use a screen capture software to record the video and sound from the computer screen

http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Multi...

Answer 2

There is another answer (considering we are on the TiVo forum).

I use Tivo. Yes you do have to buy the box, AND subscribe to a service that supplies your box with a continuous, updated, TV Guide.

BUT: I have mine setup wireless to my simple home network, which gives me the capability to transfer (most) anything I record on my TiVo to my PC where It can be manipulated to my hearts content.

I used to experiment with capture cards and the like, but always ran into problems. Mostly audio/video being out of sync. Never a problem with TiVo.

Tom

Answer 3

Qwerty,

    The easiest, most straightforward way to handle this problem is to get an HD tuner from a company called Pinnacle.  They sell from $50 to $100.  You can get the good price by shopping around online.   I did a quick check and didn't see any less than 62 today.

     Check this out: http://www.provantage.com/pinnacle-syste...

      It will come with software which will allow your pc to be used as a digital video recorder.   The interface is very simple and acts and looks like the front of a basic stand alone electronic box.   The hardware is the size of a large stick of gum, and plugs into your usb port.  It doesn't look like much, but trust me - it works very well.  

     Also - it doesn't matter if you don't have alot of HD channels over the air.  This thing will also handle analog (traditional) tv signals.    

     By the way - before you do this, you need to know that your computer can handle streaming video and video file compression.   You'll need at least a Pentium 4 running at 3 GHz processor speed and a decent video card (512 mb video ram),  and a minimum of 1 Gb of ram (memory) on your motherboard.   Of course, anything more powerful than this will work too.   If your pc is less than a year old, chances are it will be fine.  If it's 2-5 yrs old, you need to check your pc hardware and if it's not adequate, you'll have trouble.

-Kevin