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What capture card? Although readers of this guide may already own a capture card, this topic is integral to the overall topic. And capture software depends entirely on the card that is selected. If you own a card that does not accomplish your goals, considering changing to a new card. Something to keep in mind is: Can your card properly capture the format/resolution you are considering? Capture cards are preset to capture a certain resolution, and then internally processes/resizes the video, as asked for by the software. The hardware is also hardwired to output a certain video format (AVI or MPEG) and then any changes to this are done completely in software. Your goal should be to identify the native card resolution, the output format, and then use that knowledge to your advantage. For the purpose of this guide, there are essentially FIVE TYPES of capture cards: Card type: Example: About: Pros: Cons: ATI AIW capture cards ATI All In Wonder Multi-purpose card. Hybrid hardware-software MPEG encoding, can capture either AVI or MPEG in high quality. Native 704x480 chipset Can be found for $50 used or about $100-300 new, depending on model of the graphics engine. Comes with free ATI MMC capture software. Can capture pretty much any DVD-Video resolution at top quality. Not easy to setup, 1.5Ghz or faster CPU is suggested for best experience MPEG only cards Hauppauge PVR-250, Canopus MPEG Pro MPEG hardware encoders, cannot do any AVI encodes Excellent MPEG quality, can capture at pretty much any resolution. Often has specialized chipsets and capture software Cannot do AVI AVI only cards BT8x8 chipset cards, cheap cards, from companies like AVerMedia. Also ATI"s non-AIW cards. Often based on Brooktree BT8x8 chips or Conexant version. MPEG capturing can only be accomplished with pure software methods. Cheap, often in the $50 price range, always under $100. Old technology, AVI only. Poor quality on medium and low resolutions. Odd native res in the capture chips may cause aspect ratios to be wrong. Audio sync errors are common. Uses generic software. NLE capture cards Canopus DVstorm, Matrox RT.X100 Studio grade professional capture cards. Output format and hardware varies from card to card. Realtime effects in editing software like Edius or Premiere. Extremely high quality at everything it does. Specialized codecs, chipsets and software Expensive, often $1000 or more. DV capture devices Canopus ADVC-100, DataVideo DAC-100, video camera pass-through DV only, 720x480 only, footage is converted inside the device, then transferred via firewire to the computer. Not really a capture "card" but more like a capture "device" Idiot-proof and not susceptible to audio sync problems. Provides decent quality with minimal work. Cannot do MPEG. DV colorspace is often harmful to analog color quality, especially if converting VHS to DVD. Few options, minimal control. Comments Please login to post comments or replies.