Just a quick question. I am using Studio 16 ultimate and need to get capture hw that I can import from pro TV style cameras. Does the dazzle that is currently sold on the pinnacle site compatible with studio 16? Thanks for the help in advance.

Yes it is. But if these are recent "pro TV style" cameras, do they have composite or s-video SD video output? Do you have a model number?

What an amazing coincidence!  I was looking at the Dazzle capture hardware moments before coming to the forum today.

I still have my ancient "PCI capture card with breakout box" and I still have an old PC running Windows XP because there are not updated drivers for that capture card.

QUESTIONS:

• Is it safe to assume there are still no updated drivers for the old PCI card?  (PCI-600 ??? or something like that).
• About this Dazzle capture device:
• What is the FORMAT of the captured video?  Only MPEG-2 something or other?
• Can it also do AVI?
• How about HD formats like AVCHD, H.264, MP4, or similar?
• The "specifications" tab is rather silent about that
• Is the only difference between the two products a matter of which Studio package is bundled with the hardware?  I'm assuming the wardware is the same
• What is the current concensus on the best capture device?
• I have standard-def video tapes (home videos) I still need to capture.
• Even thought the original video isn't great, I want to minimize and loss introduced by the capture process
• Normally I captured in AVI format, using device mentioned above

I swore I'd never buy another "Pinnacle" capture device.  After having two of them be abandoned (lack of drivers and support), I didn't want to buy a third one from them.  In theory, after I capture these 60 or so tapes, I'll be done, so I'll probably limp along with my old Windows XP computer, but it seems like a good time to reassess.

justaviking:

I still have my ancient "PCI capture card with breakout box" and I still have an old PC running Windows XP because there are not updated drivers for that capture card.

If it's the really old one labelled "Callisto rev 7.0" on the silk screen you will need to keep the old version of Studio in order to capture with it. (Supported fully in versuions 8 and 9, some features broken in Studio 10, supported for capture only in Studio 11 and not supported at all in anything newer)

The newer card (PCI-700) is still supported for capture in all Studio versions but is incompatible with 64 bit OS with 2GB or more RAM (pretty much every PC running Vista/W7/W8)!

 RAMIs it safe to assume there are still no updated drivers for the old PCI card?  (PCI-600 ??? or something like that).

unfortunately, yes

About this Dazzle capture device:

• What is the FORMAT of the captured video?  Only MPEG-2 something or other?
• Can it also do AVI?
• How about HD formats like AVCHD, H.264, MP4, or similar?
• The "specifications" tab is rather silent about that
• Is the only difference between the two products a matter of which Studio package is bundled with the hardware?  I'm assuming the wardware is the same

I did have a look and tried to "read between the lines" of the limited details on the website but didn't really learn much more than you...

• Internal "native" capture format is not revealed - but if it uses the same capture chip as the Movieboxes it might well be DV...
• Using Studio 15 instead of that "Studio for Dazzle" in the cheaper variant you can probably capture in several different formats (if not native to the Dazzle itself an on-the-fly conversion will take place while you are capturing)
• HD formats - a definite "No" as composite/S-video inputs are for standard-def only
• The hardware does look the same, and there's nothing in the (as you pointed out - rather silent "specifications" tab to make me believe otherwise.

My suggestion would be to carry on using your WinXP system - capture as DV-AVI (the PCI cards' native format) and copy the files to your newer PC for editing. But the Dazzle might have its uses if portability is necessary...

What is the current concensus on the best capture device?

If it's still working - probably the one you already have (especially if it's the newer 700-PCI so you don't have to go back to Studio 9 or 10 in order to capture with it!

FWIW, I did have a 700-PCI but unfortunately it packed up (before the issue with 64 bit OS surfaced) so I got a 700-USB (that unit is still supported for capture by PS16). For what little analogue capturing I need to do from old VHS or camcorder (mostly Hi8) tapes I would use the 700-USB or AV->DV passthrough in a Sony mini DV capcorder (and capture via the Firewire).

Regards,
Richard

Richard,

Thanks for the great reply.  Among other things, it triggered some memories, and you were spot-on in your comments.

I have the 700-PCI Deluxe card, and it is the "64-bit" issue.  From the support page:

• Important note: MovieBoard 500-PCI/700PCI has an issue on Windows 64 bit systems when the computer has 2GB or more system RAM.  In this case Studio will crash during capture.  For this reason other capture devices are recommended on most Windows 64 bit systems.

The way I read that, you don't have to be over 2GB to have the problem; even 2GB will fail.  Why would anyone install the 64-bit version of Windows and run it with less than 2GB of RAM?  Either way, that really puts me in a hard spot, since I have 4GB memory sticks (x4, for 16GB total).  I can't downgrade my system far enough.

And my old WinXP computer is too old now, and I can't upgrade it to Win7 because there aren't updated drivers for the chipset on the motherboard.

Installing a 32-bit version of Windows and doing dual-boot nonsense seems like a lot of work I'd rather not bother with.

I used to have the older "Deluxe" capture card, but it always struggled with out-of-sync issues.  At some point it quit being supported (no new drivers, I think), which is what lead to my purchase of the 700-PCI card, which always worked great for me.  And now, for the second time, there's a lack of new drivers for my Pinnacle hardware.  So that's the main reason why I don't want to buy a new capture device from "Pinnacle."

BOTTOM LINE... I expect I'll just capture my home videos with my old WinXP box using the 700-PCI card.  I better get busy with that before something dies (including the video camera).

Thanks again for the reply.