PEXHDCAP (Startech PCIE HD capture card) composite quality?

[holering]

According to http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.linux.d ... ture/69075 this board features an saa7160 and MST3367CMK. Can't find much info on these chips but the saa7163/4 (maybe a saa7160 with encoder add-on) has a 3D adaptive comb filter according to http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www. ... igN6cDx8Bg.

There is a linux driver for saa7160 here https://bitbucket.org/powARman/v4l-dvb-saa716x/overview but I can't find any firmware. Would be nice to access hardware registers via i2c-dev in Linux to tweak various comb filter settings, agc, etc. Linux is also great for custom modelines (low rez double refresh rates like 400x254 109hz, 320x240 120hz give hardware scanlines on CRT's; can use CRU in Windows and Nvidia drivers too). Managed to get composite video, RGB like with a pvr-150 tweaked via cx25840ctl (ivtv-utils) and it looked really nice on CRT via native 720x480; only downside was being only useful for Laserdisc and VHS capturing due to lag (lossless hm12 4:2:0 capture), and had to remove card since it hung motherboard's iommu (it lagged at least half a second on games anyway).

So can anyone share composite quality results on this card (startech HD capture pcie). I'm waiting for mine to arrive possibly this Saturday and very interested. I saw a pic of NES Punchout on a Japanese site but the composite quality looked like garbage (typical interpolated look with fuzzy edges and colors). Also noticed this card seems to use ypbpr GREEN for composite (CVBS) video.

Does this card have the usual AGC crud that most analog capture cards have? This is only resolvable in Linux if supported via ivtv-utils and i2c-dev; or Windows if card supported by Dscaler. AGC is a really dumb implementation for any capture card IMO (it should be disabled by default at least).

I know composite isn't RGB or even Svideo, but I'm not into modifying old hardware (especially when I can get near RGB quality in some cases depending on composite encoder/decoder). Also used RGB with SNES and had audio buzzing and noise interference on bright screens (since like three years ago). Planning to compare composite quality on this card vs line doubler with 3d y/c seperation via vga out.

Regards

[alpachinko]

Hey Holering. I'll see what I can do for you later tonight or tomorrow. I need to install the card again my windows machine anyways. I can take a few screenshots of some Amiga games anyways as thats all I have in ways of consoles with composite unless I go raiding the attic. Never tried with composite on the PexHDCap. I may try and get a small video clip for your reference too if I can find somewhere to dump it.

[trap15]

I didn't even know that PEXHDCAP could do composite I'll have to give this a shot tonight.

[StarCreator]

How would you even hook up a composite input? As far as I can tell the only supported input methods are Component, DVI-I, and HDMI. Unless it can somehow figure out it's being fed composite video using one of the three component video leads, I don't see how this would work.

[jeffsledge]

The only way I managed to get composite input is by using the green component input. The picture had the correct resolution and fps but had zero color.
Is composite actually possible?

[trap15]

That's what I thought it'd do; it does the same if you plug an s-video cable into the mini-DIN port on the card.

[trap15]

Just tried doing this with all 3 drivers (StarTech driver and the two Micomsoft drivers), and all of them just refuse to give me any video (or rather, they give me the output of the last selected mode) when I set Amarec or Vdub to Composite. Selecting Component just gives me a black-and-white video, as expected. Oh well.

[blizzz]

I think the card supports composite and S-Video if you use an adapter like the one that comes with the SC-512 (or the one that can be bought from Elgato for the Elgato HD).

[NightSprinter]

Blizz: I just ordered the analogue adapter for the Startech card from Elgato. Unfortunately, it does not work. I get audio, but attempting to use composite or s-video resulted in Amarec stating "no video". I think someone claimed they got it to work in a thread about the SC500-N1, but I'm gonna have to debunk said claim here.

[blizzz]

Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I should have checked if it actually works, but 15€ for an adapter that I'd never use were too much for me to buy it.

Here's the post that stated that it would work btw: http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... 56#p914056

[NightSprinter]

It's no problem, blizz. I just got excited as well from N64fan's posts. But as of now, you can tell how disappointed I am.