365... Tech

I want to take the movie files (VHS & mini-DV camera) that I have on my PC and send them to a external DVD recorder I use on my TV. (I do not want to buy a internal DVD recorder for my PC). I bought a video card (V-STREAM XPERT DVD MAKER) that I thought would take my video files and play them on the PC and let the video also go out to the input of my DVD recorder. It ain't happening ! It seems this card only looks for video input to capture and then burns to a internal PC recorder. What a waste of money and time. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks, Terry

I would be a whole lot cheaper to buy a DVD burner for the computer than a new video card with video out.

I would be a whole lot cheaper to buy a DVD burner for the computer than a new video card with video out. Indeed. I was surprised last week when I looked them up at my neighborhood computer parts store and found that the prices range from $25 to $55 USD.  You can't buy a decent video card with NTSC output for that price. http://www.enuinc.com/cdromx.html

Hi Terry, I think your problem is getting the video out of the PC to the TV. Here are your options: 1) Videocard with TV-Out/Video-Out To watch VCDs,SVCDs and DVDs it is best to use a standalone DVD P_layer_ but you can also watch them with your computer connected to the TV with a TV-Out device. Many video cards today have TV-Out or some times called Video-Out but the quality is not that good compared to DVD P_layer_s yet. One of the best TV-Outs have the Matrox G400 card and the latest ATI Videocards. The advantage of TV-Out is that you can play all video formats that you are able to play on your computer(DivX, ASF, MOV...) because the TV-Out is showing what is on your monitor but you don't get the best quality and you probably have to have your noisy computer kinda near your TV if you do not have very long video cables. Most newer videocards have tv-out so check your manual and when buying a new card check for video-out/tv-out. 2) MPEG Decoder Card Or you can get a MPEG Decoder Card, it is a hardware PCI Card that you put in your computer and then connect it to your tv. The quality of MPEG-Cards video playback is superb, it is compared with the quality of standalone DVD P_layer_s. But remember that MPEG-cards only defaults play MPEG/MPEG2/VCD/DVD, to play DivXs and MOV you must have a very fast computer and special p_layer_, read more here. With the latest MPEG-Cards such as the Hollywood Xcard you can now play DivX but only from DivX version 4 and up. The advantage of MPEG Decoder Card is that you get superb quality but you can only play MPEG/MPEG2/VCD/DVD, DivX 4+(XCard only) and you probably have to have your noisy computer kinda near your TV if you do not have very long video cables. * Hollywood Plus * Creative DXR3 * Hollywood RealMagic XCARD with DivX 4 support 3) VGA to PAL/NTSC Scan converter Another method to watch movies from your computer is to use a VGA to PAL/NTSC Scan converter. These converters have a VGA pass through so the signal can be watched both on a PC monitor and on a TV. There are many such products available (in the US. I am not sure about other countries) Below is a list of scan converters for your information. The advantage of Scan converters is that you can play all video formats that you are able to play on your computer(DivX, ASF, MOV...) because the Scan converter is showing what is on your monitor but you don't get the best quality and you probably have to have your noisy computer kinda near your TV if you do not have very long video cables. By the way, here's some information on DVD recorders that may be useful. You've heard about this DVD burning thing, but when you walk into the store and the salesperson asks whether you want a PC DVD burner or a set-top DVD recorder, you're stumped. Relax: We're here to clarify the difference between the two, and to explain why you might want one over the other. Viewing digitized video, as you find on DVDs, is far more appealing than shuttling through a kludgy analog tape. Before you join the DVD burning revolution, though, you'll need to decide what type of DVD recorder makes sense for you. You have two primary routes to recording rapture: a set-top DVD recorder designed to live inside your entertainment cabinet or a PC DVD burner coupled with a video-input or TV-tuner device. Which method you choose should depend upon the type of video you want to capture. If you plan to record from television, or duplicate VHS tapes or camcorder tapes in their entirety to DVD, a set-top DVD recorder is your easiest, all-in-one option. Set-top DVD recorders have integrated TV tuners and a slew of video inputs (including DV and S-Video); these attributes alone make set-top units ideal for replacing your VCR, so you can record televised content or copy content from a camcorder. In fact, you'd be quite accurate in thinking of them as VCRs that use recordable and rewritable DVDs instead of videotape. A PC equipped with a hard drive and a DVD burner can also function as a living-room DVD recorder/digital video recorder (including electronic program guide and remote)