VGA capture devices?

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:05 pm

Here's the thing. I want to be able to capture VGA video (video, not stills) off a VGA source. Let's say, 1280x720. 60 FPS.

Is there something like that? Unless it's an exorbitant amount, money is not an object. Halp is apprecionated, kthx bai.

SFKhoa · Post by **SFKhoa** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 8:42 pm

Fraps? :/

agustusx · Post by **agustusx** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 9:59 pm

fraps is fine for games assuming you have the resources to do that resolution. Video at 60fps at HD quality will require substantial additional overhead. Not to mention fraps eats away at your disk space more than some other capture devices, however HD capture is always going to eat tons of space. We are talking gigabytes a minute for the initial capture which you can then compress when you re encode.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:49 pm

I want to capture from a computer to my dedicated "Capture Station" computer, from VGA, to avoid the resource eating that Fraps entails.

Better explained, what I want to do is to plug my DC's VGA cord into a VGA capture card, and capture in hi-res glory. (That and a couple other things, heh heh.)

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Thu Mar 05, 2009 11:28 pm

You're going to have to find something that captures an HD source. I've not kept up with capture devices, but I would assume anything, if available on a consumer level, is mad expensive. My guess is the input will be component, and not the rather old VGA.

There are quite a few VGA-compliant devices that will capture up to 480p

EDIT: Wouldn't an BD or other HD TV recorder work? They're all over the place here, for roughly $1000.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:37 am

I'll look for an HDTV recorder. My only concern is Macrovision, for example, on a PS2 using component.

This is not about piracy, just capturing video off a VGA source, like a DC, 360, or HDBoxPro.

GaijinPunch · Post by **GaijinPunch** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:02 am

Right. My guess would be you could do one of the two.

1: HD Recorder. Consumer level. I don't know how Macrovision works on the PS2. I always thought it was on the media (DVD), not actually output from the games. I know it doesn't exist in S-Video as I've captured from it no problem.

2: Capture device. I know there exist consumer products that have VGA in (and do 480p) but it sounds like you'd want one that had VGA in, and component in, and does 480p upwards to 720p.

I think #1 will be easier. To capture your DC stuff at 480, get some type of transcoder.

Again though, I've done no research at all... a device that does both sounds like a nitche product at the moment.

Post by **Dave_K.** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:23 am

Check this hardware thread for all your capture options.

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=24607

There is no good 480p (VGA) capture at the moment, outside maybe the HavaHD or Hauppauge HD-PVR, which incidentally can do higher HD resolutions. You'll need VGA->Component converter though.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Fri Mar 06, 2009 3:43 am

Thanks, Dave and everyone.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 4:55 am

To avoid bumping the old thread:

I got ahold of a Datavideo DAC-200 for VHS transfer (used precisely once) and video capture of S-vid and RCA connections. Should work just fine - but there's no preview window in the $2 software bundled along, of course, which precludes playing anything with it. Woops!

I remember looking around for freeware capture software, and I'm sure some will work with it, but the options weren't good.

Specineff · Post by **Specineff** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 6:13 am

I can capture using Virtual Dub and Firewire. If it can take input from a VGA capture card source, then I'd be in business. Need my 720P, dammit.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat Mar 07, 2009 7:06 am

Virtual Dub does watch-as-you-capture (i.e. play-as-you-capture), right? I recall looking at that one before, but didn't know what else to do with it then.

On the plus side, the DAC-200 is a firewire device an externally powered so it doesn't sit in your PC bocks all the time, soaking up the juice and putting shitty drivers in the system (maybe it does that last one, I forget; they can be removed when it's not in use).