Capturing TV on a PB

[Caspa]

Hey all,

I want to record simpsons episodes onto my PB12 and store them as either mpgs or divx's so I can run them off my windows box. Does anybody know of any good hardware which exists to allow me to input the video from a tv via RCA into the PB at a high res? (Note, i'm in AUS so its gotta be PAL compatible, and either USB or firewire is fine)

Thanks for your help :)
Anthony

[Ryan1524]

i wonder when will apple start including a TV tuner in thei systems...;)

[ibookin']

Originally posted by Caspa
Hey all,

I want to record simpsons episodes onto my PB12 and store them as either mpgs or divx's so I can run them off my windows box. Does anybody know of any good hardware which exists to allow me to input the video from a tv via RCA into the PB at a high res? (Note, i'm in AUS so its gotta be PAL compatible, and either USB or firewire is fine)

Thanks for your help :)
Anthony

Check out the Formac Studio. I don't know if there's a PAL version, but it's worth a try.

http://www.formac.com

[wire]

elgato eyetv should be fine for you.
its usb with an external powersupply.

[MacBandit]

If you have a digital camcorder you might have a solution.

Some digital camcorders will actually let you pass a signal from a composite input from a VCR or cable box etc. and output it through the firewire port to a computer. I know that at least some of the Sony Digital Camcorders will do this. Even if initially hooking it up with a camcorder doesn't work you may need to set up some options in the camcorder itself. It is actually explained in some user manuals.

[photohead]

Originally posted by MacBandit
If you have a digital camcorder you might have a solution.

Some digital camcorders will actually let you pass a signal from a composite input from a VCR or cable box etc. and output it through the firewire port to a computer. I know that at least some of the Sony Digital Camcorders will do this. Even if initially hooking it up with a camcorder doesn't work you may need to set up some options in the camcorder itself. It is actually explained in some user manuals.

That is a damn nifty trick I got to try it with mine....do you happen to know which sony cam?

n

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by photohead
That is a damn nifty trick I got to try it with mine....do you happen to know which sony cam?

n

I don't sorry. I know I've seen it done but I don't have a camera of my own to do it with. I have been told that it is a feature a number of digital cameras has but not all of them.

[Caspa]

Originally posted by MacBandit
If you have a digital camcorder you might have a solution.

Some digital camcorders will actually let you pass a signal from a composite input from a VCR or cable box etc. and output it through the firewire port to a computer. I know that at least some of the Sony Digital Camcorders will do this. Even if initially hooking it up with a camcorder doesn't work you may need to set up some options in the camcorder itself. It is actually explained in some user manuals.

Yeah unfortunately my cam (panasonic nv15s(?)) doesnt seem support a video in, otherwise i'd be set :( That would have been the far easiest solution... unless someone who owns a panasonic cam knows a hack to make the output an input and make it record it...


And yeah thanks for the formac studio link... i'll have a look at it

[firestarter]

It looks like the formac is just NTSC.

The camcorder recommendation is a good one - camcorders and the formac both use DV format - which you need a firewire connection to carry. There are cheaper solutions which carry the video on USB - but these compress the video too much and the quality suffers. They usually compress as mpeg2 as well, which isn't as good a format.

Since your camcorder doesn't have analogue in, you could check out something like this:

http://www.miglia.com/products/video/director2/index.html

This basically takes in analogue and spits out camcorder DV format over firewire. Pinnacle and some of the other video companies do similar stuff - but this Miglia looks like a quality product (I've got some of their other stuff, and they're great).

The main difference between this and the formac is the Miglia doesn't have a TV tuner, so you have to hook it up to the video output of your VCR.

[photohead]

Does anyone know if the svideo on the PB is a out only or is it a in/out signal if so is there a software out there that can record from the svideo signal...might be an ignorant statement?? I'm not sure...

N

[firestarter]

Originally posted by photohead
Does anyone know if the svideo on the PB is a out only or is it a in/out signal if so is there a software out there that can record from the svideo signal...might be an ignorant statement?? I'm not sure...
N

Just out.

[photohead]

Bummer! Sorry...I tried to think....and also I had some confirmation from my director friend that some sony mini dv cams with let you pas through the signal...he said like the sony dcr-pc9 and 110... he said that you can use imovie to capture the stream.

N

[Macpoops]

Originally posted by firestarter
It looks like the formac is just NTSC.

The main difference between this and the formac is the Miglia doesn't have a TV tuner, so you have to hook it up to the video output of your VCR.

Formac makes 2 models both avaible in NTSC PAL and SECAM. The formac Studio DV and the Formac Studio DV/TV. The formac is the best firewire based converter i've used. The ones sony used to make were good to but they stopped making them. I used a Dazzle Hollywood DV bridge for a while. They were cheap and so is the quality.

Also i think it's most of Sony's higher end cameras that support the passthrough. I've only used it on a PD-150 which usually run about 3grand if i am not mistaken. You could always just record the video onto DV then take it into iMovie like that. I've had to do the a few times when a converter was not avalible in the lab

[szark]

Originally posted by firestarter
It looks like the formac is just NTSC.


Actually, there is a PAL version available:

http://www.formac.co.uk/html/products/av/stud_1.htm


I have a Formac and I think it works very well.

[biscool]

I also have a formac studio/tv (NTSC Version). The quailty is great...