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dreamBweaver · Jul 20, 2003, 07:06 PM

I know that the PB 12" has VGA, S-Video, and RCA out. Is there a way I can also get it to accept signals from an RCA device like my VCR if I want to say, watch a video tape on my PB. Is a TV tuner device like an EyeTV necessary for this functionality? I say this because I'll be living in a single dorm where I'll have a 19" monitor hooked up to the PB when I go to college and want to ditch my TV (which would be 20") to save space. Thanks!

MaxPower2k3 · Jul 20, 2003, 07:16 PM

an Analog to Digital converter like those found on many camcorders would do the trick. If you have a camcorder, check and see if it has this. If not, you'll have to buy a standalone one, which may run you upwards of $300...

I've used the Canopus ADVC-100 with iMovie and it works great, and it's even on the Apple Store now.

dreamBweaver · Jul 20, 2003, 07:46 PM

Originally posted by MaxPower2k3:
an Analog to Digital converter like those found on many camcorders would do the trick. If you have a camcorder, check and see if it has this. If not, you'll have to buy a standalone one, which may run you upwards of $300...

I've used the Canopus ADVC-100 with iMovie and it works great, and it's even on the Apple Store now.

Thanks, MaxPower2k3. I unfortunately don't have a camcorder with such a feature

. So an Analog to Digital converter is needed because the PB 12" has only a digital video/audio port in - firewire, right? I still the best (and cheapest

) option would be something like a video card with RCA in, which I believe I've seen in desktop systems. So I figure some external card that can do RCA-in could bring analog signals direct to my PC too. I hope there is a consumer device that isn't priced as steeply as the $300 Canopus device.

MaxPower2k3 · Jul 20, 2003, 07:50 PM

Originally posted by dreamBweaver:
Thanks, MaxPower2k3. I unfortunately don't have a camcorder with such a feature . So an Analog to Digital converter is needed because the PB 12" has only a digital video/audio port in - firewire, right? I still the best (and cheapest ) option would be something like a video card with RCA in, which I believe I've seen in desktop systems. So I figure some external card that can do RCA-in could bring analog signals direct to my PC too. I hope there is a consumer device that isn't priced as steeply as the $300 Canopus device.

unfortunately, around $300 is the cheapest you'll find these devices (which is just what you described, a box with RCA/S-Video inputs)

dreamBweaver · Jul 21, 2003, 10:42 AM

Wow. If $300 is the price point it's way too expensive for me - that's more than it'd cost to just buy all my VHS tapes on DVD

Since I'll have a Windows 2000 desktop too besides a PB 12", I think I'll have to find a cheap AGP video card with RCA-in. It's been a while since I've shopped for video cards, since all I've been shopping for is a new Mac...back to pricegrabber.

MaxPower2k3 · Jul 21, 2003, 03:01 PM

if you haven't found anything yet, this deal at Newegg.com (great store, very reliable) is incredible... $109 for a dual DVI (almost unheard-of) GeForce 4 with ViVo (Video in/Video out)... it only seems to do video in, though, so you may have to get a radioshack 1/8" plug (headphone-type) to RCA adapter cable and import the sound through your sound card instead of the graphics card. there are a couple cheaper ones at newegg too, but i didn't look at those as carefully -- do a search for 'VIVO' to see all of them.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...121-151&depa=0

dreamBweaver · Jul 21, 2003, 11:35 PM

Originally posted by MaxPower2k3:
if you haven't found anything yet, this deal at Newegg.com (great store, very reliable) is incredible... $109 for a dual DVI (almost unheard-of) GeForce 4 with ViVo (Video in/Video out)... it only seems to do video in, though, so you may have to get a radioshack 1/8" plug (headphone-type) to RCA adapter cable and import the sound through your sound card instead of the graphics card. there are a couple cheaper ones at newegg too, but i didn't look at those as carefully -- do a search for 'VIVO' to see all of them.

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProduc...121-151&depa=0

Thanks for the suggestion. I found an even better deal on a dedicated TV Tuner PCI card for $38 ($47 with shipping) http://pccdepot.com/cdc_pdetails1.asp?id=101389 . The ATI TV Wonder looks like a powerful TV Tuner and also has the feature I most need - video-in.

MaxPower2k3 · Jul 22, 2003, 12:34 AM

Originally posted by dreamBweaver:
Thanks for the suggestion. I found an even better deal on a dedicated TV Tuner PCI card for $38 ($47 with shipping) http://pccdepot.com/cdc_pdetails1.asp?id=101389 . The ATI TV Wonder looks like a powerful TV Tuner and also has the feature I most need - video-in.

that one looks like it'd work for you, although it only has Mono audio in (to get stereo you have to step up to the full-version TV Wonder). other than that, it looks like it'd work just fine (though i can't attest to the quality of the thing)