Use Snapstream in UK as a Quality Video Recorder?

[greg]

Hi,

I have only found this site recently and am intrigued by the possibilities for this software.

Can someone please advise how good it is and its suitability as a complete PVR solution - I have considered TIVO, but am not convinced it is flexible/mature enough in the UK yet?

I am particulary interested in:

1. What kind of quality the recordings come out in? - I do not have a TV card at present so I cannot even try the free program.

I do however have a friend who has one and I got him to record about a minute at NEAR VHS and at NEAR DVD and send me the files - neither was what you would call excellent; indeed the NEAR DVD appeared to be inferior to the NEAR VHS - the NEAR DVD did not even appear to be lip-synced when I played it back.

I would expect actual TV broadcast quality on a FULL-SCREEN playback!

2. Sound - is sound full stereo as transmitted?

3. Output - can the recording be output to a normal TV for proper viewing or is it limited to PC viewing?

4. Widescreen - do programs broadcast in Widescreen retain their original characteristics?

5. What kit is recommended for the best solution?

Any comments would be much appreciated - am I looking for something beyond what this product can supply?


Thanks.

[greg]

BY lack of replies, I guess that this system is not up to it then!

I'll keep looking elsewhere...

Hi, Ican tell you this

I am also new here, first visit tonight

I have TIVO and would NOT recommend it, its up for sale at 300 pounds brand new and used 1 week only

I have Dazzle creator II and the MPEG2 recordings are Definitely DVD quality, and now I want a serious PVR software package that will use the cards cube chips to give me same quality from Sky Digital as what I can record manually !!

It beats the pants off DVfor sheer quality any day.

Tivo actually softens or filters off Hi Freq video content giving a 80% DVD quality but NOT the f ull bandwidth resolution of the LIVE EE picture. They also cheat by allowing your viewung picture NOT to be the DIRECT Sky picture but the one AFTER TIVO processing ( still LIVE ) but through their card. The deliberate ommission of a bypass or switching system is to HIDE the quality and softness difference.

I hope Snapstream are NOT taking liberties with sayong DVC supported when in fact the page suggests they are merely looking at it.

I got OVER excited until I read this. Does anyone know ant different and is actually using DVC II with Sky digital ?


Gerry

[tjkraz]

<<<1. What kind of quality the recordings come out in? - I do not have a TV card at present so I cannot even try the free program.

I do however have a friend who has one and I got him to record about a minute at NEAR VHS and at NEAR DVD and send me the files - neither was what you would call excellent; indeed the NEAR DVD appeared to be inferior to the NEAR VHS - the NEAR DVD did not even appear to be lip-synced when I played it back.

I would expect actual TV broadcast quality on a FULL-SCREEN playback!>>>

Questions of quality appear to be largely dependent upon the hardware in use. Slower processors will absolutely have an impact on the video quality and video/audio sync.

The quality of the video capture card also plays a role. I first ran Snapstream on a 3dfx Voodoo 3500 board, and had terrible problems with video quality and audio sync. I swiched back to an old Hauppauge board that I hadn't used in almost 2 years, and the quality has been fantastic.

That said--someone else can correct me if I'm wrong)--I don't believe full screen recordings are possible. By default, programs record in Microsoft's ASF format at 320x240. The video can be expanded to fill the screen, but will lose resolution in the process.

If you view the video at it's recorded size, the labels (near VHS, etc.) are fairly representative of the actual appearance. It's just that the images lose quality when enlarged.

Snapstream does appear to be experimenting with other video formats (MPEG, Divx, etc.), which may ultimately provide better results. But that is still in the beta stage.


<<<2. Sound - is sound full stereo as transmitted?>>>

Sound will be in (compressed) stereo if your capture card supports it. Hauppauge's entry level board (the one Snapstream sells in their bundle) is mono only for about $40 US. The lowest-level Hauppauge board with stereo support can be had for around $80.

<<<3. Output - can the recording be output to a normal TV for proper viewing or is it limited to PC viewing?>>>

If your primary display adapter has a standard TV Out jack, then the signal can be sent to a TV.

<<<4. Widescreen - do programs broadcast in Widescreen retain their original characteristics?>>>

I'm not all that familiar with UK standards, but I don't see any reason why not. Generally speaking, content is recorded in the same fashion as they appear on your capture card.

<<<5. What kit is recommended for the best solution?>>>

Given my experiences, I'd go with a Hauppauge board. They have great driver support through WinME and Win2K, and are very reasonably priced.

Hope this answers some of your questions.
Tim

[greg]

Thanks guys - this is all very helpful.

I think I probably want just a Video Capture card, rther than a TV card (would appreciate comments).

Gerry - I would be very interested in what you discover when you start using SnapStream. It sounds as if you're looking for the same kind of thing as me.

Also, have you tried the integration to the Digiguide Data http://www.snapstream.com/digiguide/
looks very interesting!

You can keep in touch with me at greg@themarines.com

Thanks,

Greg.

[David Rose]

Also, have you tried the integration to the Digiguide Data http://www.snapstream.com/digiguide/
looks very interesting!

There's also an alternate product here