[Stephen P]

I'm about to get my LT150 and have a non progressive scan Sony DVD w/component out and everything else is S video switched through my reciever.

I'm wanting to use a Quadscan Pro or iScan Pro,but the HTPC "looks"like the real way to go.

Is there a card for component input for the PC?

What video capture card is the best,but not going to kill my pocket book?

The other "parts"are not a problem to figure out.

I've been using the search,but not finding what I am looking for.Can anyone make it just a little bit easier,please.

Down the road I'll do the PC DVD and sound card,but for now just want a better picture than just "S" in will get me.

 

[DoyleS]

I am not aware of a component in card. One of the best S/composite in cards is the KBK modified Zoltrix Genie card which includes TV tuner and FM Tuner. You will need to get an actual quote from Ken Hotte (KBK) but it seems the card is around $150. As for the DVD input, most everyone using an HTPC is using an internal DVD player, software decoder (ATI, WinDVD, PowerDVD) along with an audio card to pass the SPDIF signal back to your decoder. You can check some of the FAQs on entry level, mid range and Best in Class HTPCs to get more details.


..Doyle

 

[dschmelzer]

"Is there a card for component input for the PC?"


Stephen: there are, but they aren't compatible with the popular video processing software DScaler and are fairly expensive ($1k+). There is a digital component input (SDI) card that is DScaler-compatible, but it won't accept analog component signal such as your unmodified DVD player is producing. There are converters out there for analog > SDI, but I have been unable to find a cheap source (all are over $1k that I have seen).


Good luck.

 

[Mark Grant]

Hello,


Here are a few links to analogue to serial digital convertors

S-video to serial digital convertor


Component to serial digital


Miranda products page


look for 'picolink series'


Not used these myself, but look promising.


Hope that helps someone.


Mark G.

 

[Stephen P]

What can I expect from a video capture card and just send S to the PC then RGB to the LT150?

Can I just scale the S video and not mess with the componet out.

Let my reciever do the S switching for now.

I guess what I'm asking is,can't I build an HTPC to be a scaler,line doubler?

 

[dschmelzer]

I've fallen into the habit of hedging my bets on the s-video question. There are just too many different setups and preferences out there to answer the question definitively. There are millions of permutations.


Some will say it looks great; some will say it's too noisy. I don't doubt that there is a pattern in all of this, but after hearing thousands describe their results (no exageration) and having 6 capture boards of my own, I can only come up with one pattern...


If you stick with a Conexant Fusion 878A-based capture card, then s-video will look OK. Not great, but OK. You might be satisfied with the results. Unfortunately, you'll have to take a look at the actual chip on the board to tell for certain that it is a Fusion 878A.


Why not just use a software DVD player for DVD and then s-video for the rest? If you don't go too far afield on your DVD selection, you will probably be happy with the results.