Video Capture Devices

[NES_Rules]

I'm going to get some kind of video capture device and I'd like some opinions on the different styles on what would be best for taking screenshots from console games.

1) The cheapest way I see are devices like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/VHS-t...ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

2) Then there's ones like these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dell-...ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

3) Finally, there's the internal ones like these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ATI-A...ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

So, for those of you that take screenshots, what do you use, have you used other kinds, and what do you prefer? Also, I definitely want something that displays the image inputed into it in real time on the computer screen, so that I can play along in the game as I take screenshots.

[James]

I use a Hauppauge Win-TV HVR 1100 (Branded as "1100" but it's actually the newer 1110 version.)

The hardware seems good but the manufacturer's software is a bit shitty. The programme that came on the CD, WinTV2000 was unusable. I had to download WinTV 4.0 from their website. That was good but had some problems like locking up under certain circumstances. I had to reboot the whole PC to be able to use WinTV again. 4.1 added some new features which were nice, but overall performance was worse. Now it's onto 4.2 and for some reason they've stopped supporting the 1100. 4.2 works but it still has the same problems as before.

Moving on from a whinge about the software... If you want no delay you will need a "software encoder" instead of a "hardware encoder". The hardware encoder adds a few seconds delay to the signal while it encodes to MPEG. Software encoders can have a delay as little as a couple of tenths of a second. It means you might just about be able to notice it, but console games are still playable. My 1100 is a software encoder. The main reason I chose it was to play games on it.

Apart from the lockups, it works well. The software needs to be tweeked a bit to suit individual set ups. Recording adds a delay no matter if you're using a software or hardware encoder.

There are third party programmes which get round some of these problems but they take so long to set up I just keep going back to WinTV.

I'd stay away from cheap ebay jobbies unless they're from the more well known manufacturers like Hauppauge and Pinnacle. I can't comment on external USB boxes but there's a good chance they will have a delay.