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The best way to capture video from a digital camcorder is to use a FireWire port. But if you want to capture analog video — whether from a VCR, Hi8 camcorder, or other analog source — you need some specialized hardware. You can install a video-capture card in your computer or (possibly) use an external analog/video converter that connects the analog device to your computer's FireWire or USB port.
 | Read the packaging carefully before you buy video-capture hardware, and make sure that it is designed to capture analog hardware. Some FireWire cards are marketed simply as video-capture cards, even though they can only capture digital video. |
When choosing an analog video-capture device, check the packaging to make sure that your computer meets the system requirements. The device should also be capable of capturing the following:
- NTSC (in North America, Japan, and the Philippines) or PAL (in Australia, South America, Southeast Asia, and most of Europe) video, whichever matches your local video standard
- 30 frames per second (fps) for NTSC video or 25 fps for PAL video
- 720 x 534 video frames for NTSC or 768 x 576 video frames for PAL
Although you don't have to get a device that can capture and export S-Video as well as composite video, try to get one if possible. S-Video provides better image quality than composite video. Composite video uses the standard RCA-style jacks, which are color-coded yellow for video and red/white for audio. Figure 1 shows an S-Video connector. S-VHS VCRs have S-Video connectors, as do some higher-quality analog camcorders.
Figure 1: Try to get a device with an S-Video connector like this.
Selecting capture cards
| Make sure that your computer has an available expansion slot of the correct type in which you can install the card. |
Many capture cards have neat little accessories called breakout boxes. The space that's available on the back of an expansion card is pretty small and may not provide enough room for all the needed audio and video ports. Instead, the ports reside in a breakout box — which can sit conveniently on your desk. The breakout box connects to the capture card using a special (included) cable. Figure 2 shows the card and breakout box that you get with Pinnacle Studio AV/DV Deluxe. This product allows both digital and analog video capture because it not only has two FireWire ports on the card, but it also has S-Video and composite video ports on a breakout box.
Figure 2: Some capture cards put all their audio and video connectors on a breakout box.
Selecting external video converters
If you don't feel like ripping into the innards of your computer, you may want to consider an external analog video converter, such as the Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge. These devices usually connect to your computer's FireWire or USB (Universal Serial Bus) port. You connect your VCR or analog camcorder to the converter and connect the converter to your computer, and the analog video is converted into digital video as it is captured into your computer.
If you buy a USB converter, make sure that both the device and your computer use USB 2.0 (a newer, faster version of USB). The original version of USB could transfer data only at a rate of 12 Mbps, which is not quite enough for full-quality video capture. USB 2.0, however, can transfer 480 Mbps, which is even faster than the original FireWire 400 specification. (Apple has now introduced the second generation of FireWire, called FireWire 800, which literally doubles the data transfer rate to 800 Mbps! Unfortunately, FireWire 800 ports are limited to the most expensive Mac models, and they're not yet standard equipment on DV camcorders and other DV hardware.)
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