need help determining which video capture card to get.

[kev_the_bev]

I have a HP Pavillion dv6000 laptop, and it has USB, S-Video, and expresscard/54 slots. I hear USB has display delay, so let's cancel that one out. So from S-Video or expresscard, which should I choose? or what's the best of each? I plan to use it for recording gameplay, yo.

also, would the refresh rate be good enough for me to play Xbox 360 or any other console through my laptop monitor? any that output in high def?

[KOAB]

That S-video is S-video OUT, not IN. If a capture device has lag, it's most likely the software used to view the capture. If you switch to a program like DScaler, it probably won't lag.

[kev_the_bev]

http://techpubs.sgi.com/library/dynaweb_docs/hdwr/SGI_EndUser/books/O2PLUS_RG/sgi_html/figures/s.video.gif
comparing my port to the examples in this picture, my laptop does indeed have S-video in.

about DScaler, does it only work with specific hardware?

[CarreauOverkill]

Wow. I have the same lappy. And now I have S-video :O

I used a ViVo cable and a PS2 with my old card that had the same input. Played and recorded games using VirtualDub. Worked well. :tup:

Edit:
Yellow RC to Vivo RC in
White & Red RCs into a connector (2 RC -> stereo plug.)

[kev_the_bev]

so basically I get a ViVo cable, plug in the composite cables from my 360, plug the vivo cable to my laptop, open VirtualDub and bam I'm playing games on my laptop monitor?

[ulovemikeroch]

You can also use VLC instead of Virtualdub. Vdub only does like 320x240 resolution that can be expanded, but quality is not that great.

[KOAB]

You can also use VLC instead of Virtualdub. Vdub only does like 320x240 resolution that can be expanded, but quality is not that great.

That's because S-video or composite in will only be 480i, and Vdub puts it to 240p which is the same thing.

Dscaler works with most hardware and recognizes it on it's own as long as you have the drivers installed. Dscaler has what most people consider the best de-interlacing and anti-aliases options, as long as your processor can keep up.

[kev_the_bev]

alright.

now the ultimate question. ViVo cable vs USB vs expresscard/54. which should I go for? I would think the ViVo cable would be the most practical, but I could be wrong.

[KOAB]

Vivo is probably the most convenient but also the most rare item to find, assuming your laptop didn't come with one. Anyway, the quality will all be the same, since you're outputting non-HD anyway.

[kev_the_bev]

let the hunt for a ViVo cable begin, then.

edit: yeah, anyone know any good online spots to get one?