[Niubi]

Just want to know if the iRez Capsure USB model is any good? I need to capture from UK digital TV to my iMac, I don't need more then 320 by 240 pixels, but I do need decent frame rates, and good quality capture, anyone know the score with this cheepy little device?

many thanks in advance

[buchrob]

You're opening a big can of worms with this topic, but it will help a lot of people if we get a few accurate responses, and I wish everyone all the best. We all have to address:

1) Video formats - most input devices handle NTSC (U.S., Canada and Japan video standard). Which will be fine to play with in QuickTime and 99.9% of the available editing software. I can't vouch for what will happen when you try to export your final product to another format such as PAL.

2) Speed - you are claiming that lo-res will be fine but want decent quality nevertheless - you will have to choose where on this continuum you are happy. If you are interested in relatively fast frame rates, then Firewire is the only way to go. USB probably cannot fulfill your requirements.

3) Quality - see no. 2 above.

4) Decide on your editing tools. Even using a 400 mHz Firewire iMac with 192Meg of RAM, Final Cut Pro will give you errors importing because it's more sentitive to dropped frames. iMovie will be happy to import without complaint, but the editing tools are relatively limited. And importing in one program and editing in another is quite another kettle of fish.

[Niubi]

fair enuf there Buchrob, I just wanna cap music video's really and make small home movies without killing myself financially over a digital camcorder, or a formac studio graphic firewire card <£300!> So will the capsure do the job?

Mac peripherals in this area are so poor anyway it seemed the only real choice..I have ordered it anyway, so I just an wanting to know how optimistic/pessimistic to be. Anyway, I will post a little review when I get to grips with it to help folks if they need/like to do the same stuff with thei macs for a cheap price <AV messing about that is

cheers!

[Niubi]

Absolute Garbage, The Divers such so much as it in't real, and the actual hardware side of it blow so many chunks...damn When you do get it workinging the quality is pretty good, but the thing is so darned sensitive to what input you feed it!

I could only connect a camcorder to it that worked via composite video conncetions, and even then sound was not incoming....

I'm gonna save up now for a Formac Studio pro, abou 350£ of firewire power, but they sould have way better drivers eh?