[mythtv-users] Never is nigh, analog HDTV capture

[Chris Ribe]

I don't know how this thing escaped my attention for almost half a year:

product page:
http://elgato.com/elgato/int/mainmenu/products/Accessories/Turbo264/product1.en.html

review:
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/06/21/elgato-turbo-264-graphics-accelerator-first-look/

It is a USB h.264 video encoder by Elgato called the Turbo.264.  It will not
encode HD.   Sound boring yet?  Here's what is cool about it:  it doesn't
take analog video as its input, it takes uncompressed digital video from its
host machine and returns h.264 encoded video.

It is mac only, so it is not about to become an integral part of anyone's
myth, but it is a harbinger of very good things to come in the quest to
capture analog HD video.  Attach a Turbo.264 and a Blackmagic Intensity Pro
($350, http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/) to an old PCIe
PowerMac or x86 hackintosh, and for under $2000 you have a machine that can
capture HD analog video and encode it into as 800x600 anamorphic 5mbit
h.264video.

Now, the 800x600 @ 30hz limit that this thing maxes out at is obviously not
HDTV, but the resultant video would be a whole lot better than anything you
can get with a PVR-150.  And frankly, the crap that Directv and cable are
providing is barely HDTV anyway.

Anyhow, I just wanted to point this out for those of you who still believe
that we won't see analog HDTV capture anytime soon.  By this time next year,
somebody out there is going to be using myth to record the analog HD output
of a cable or satellite box.  Mark my words.  Within two years, the
capability will be available to enthusiasts for under $500.

-chris






-- 
TV/IT Engineer
WCJB-TV Gainesville, FL
(352) 416 0648
cribe at wcjb.com
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