Best Analog Capture Device

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gerry
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Gerry

What capture device does this group recommend for capturing 8mm analog
videotapes to DV files? I'm using Windows XP Home on a Dell Dimension 8200
with 768MB of RAM and two 80GB hard drives. I am about to upgrade the
system to USB 2.0 and I have FireWire 1394.
 
I'm not an expert by any stretch, but I'm very happy with the Dazzle DV Hollywood Bridge. It uses the 1394 Firewire connection to the PC, and the you can input RCA cables, an S-Video cable, or a 1394 Firewire. It has a switch that allow analog to digital, digital to analog, or a simple "pass through" for DV content directly to the computer. I bought mine at Best Buy a couple of years ago. Perhaps there are new and improved versions out there these days. Good luck!
 
Thanks, Dan, but apparently the Dazzle DV Hollywood Bridge has been
discontinued. Dazzle has been acquired by Pinnacle, which apparently is not
necessarily good news from what I'm reading in the groups. The closest
thing to what you describe appears to be their Dazzle Digital Video Creator
150, which they say "is a high quality external, USB video capture device
for anyone, with any type of camcorder, who would like to get started
editing digital video on the PC. Dazzle DVC 150 also includes Pinnacle
Studio QuickStart for fun and easy movie making. Capture your footage, make
your movie and burn to CD or DVD."
Dell has this item for the current price of $124.16. So I wonder if
anyone else has any first-hand information about the DV Creator 150?

Dan said:
I'm not an expert by any stretch, but I'm very happy with the Dazzle DV
Click to expand...
Hollywood Bridge. It uses the 1394 Firewire connection to the PC, and the
you can input RCA cables, an S-Video cable, or a 1394 Firewire. It has a
switch that allow analog to digital, digital to analog, or a simple "pass
through" for DV content directly to the computer. I bought mine at Best Buy
a couple of years ago. Perhaps there are new and improved versions out there
these days. Good luck!
 
USB normally equals low quality video capture. An external firewire device
would give better quality capture.

I have an internal ATI All-In-Wonder Raedon 7XXX verison that I have used
for a few years. I have no problems capturing nondigital movies (analog)
from VHS and 8 mm using either the ATI program (AVI uncompressed output) or
using Windows Movie Maker or Roxio's Video Wave program.

For digital input I go directly from my mini-digital camera into the
Firewire port on the computer then edit with one of the above progams.
 
I've had a lot of success with Dazzle Hollywood Bridge as well. You can still purchase it from a variety of merchants. Google it or look on Amazon. The prices I've found are under $200.
 
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