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Our Biology department have got electronic microscopes in each or their rooms that have composite (yellow) video out. Any recomendations for a TV Tuner card (USB /PCI) or a graphics card that has a composite video-in connector so that we can display the video output of these microscopes through the PC screen?
TIA
You'll be struggling. Most TV tuners are solely designed to have normal TV aerial or cable connections to input. Any with video in type connectors will be for video capture only, not for 'broadcast' through media center etc.
How about one of these:
Hauppauge Computer Works Ltd : WinTV-USB
From:
Hauppauge WinTV-USB Capture Card External USB TV + Teletext + Capture C/S Video - Ebuyer
Craig
I've had about 7 random tv cards now, all came with composite and SVIDEO in and all came with their own software for viewing it live. There are open sourced media centers available for broadcasting the image around the classroom if that's necessary, but they tend to be fairly memory hungry and you've got to be open to persevearance.
If it's just one microscope per pc then it should be easy. I'd go with PCI and run a composite extention to the desk - the composite inputs on the pci cards can be a bit brittle, i've had to resolder a few, they aren't built for constant in and out pluggage.
Also, USB ones are more likely to go missing and can be quite chunky and heavy so if you get the stick type (similar size to a pen drive, witha breakout cable) anddont use them with a usb extention, the weight of the breakout cable and coposite cable will end up snapping with USB sockets off the chip and those are a lot harder to resolder as it will be a multilayer circuit board.
Something like this with a dedicated monitor, or you could just swap the cables if you want Console Plus: XBox » VGA Boxes » Universal XGA Box - CRT/LCD/TFT Compatible
Saves the hassle of installing hardware, drivers and software, and then moving it all over to a new PC in the future.
We brought some of these at my last school
Video Recording and Transfer Software - Dazzle DVD Recorder
They worked well, and I seem to remember you could get a live view using VLC player as they are Directshow compatible (file . . . open capture device.) and they only cost about £30 each. The beauty is as they are USB you can use them on laptops etc.
Mike.
The Hauphaugge cards with composite or S-Video* in will work using WinTV to display the image. Just select the composite source within the software. It works; our language lab uses this method for distribution of video.
*You can either use an adapter from composite to S-Vid, or if you are half handy with a soldering iron, change the connector, and add a couple of capacitors.
Cheers for the replies everyone. Reckon I'll check out the Hauppage USB models to see if we can find one we like the look of with a composite input.
If it's not too late may I recommend something like this?. It'e exactly what you are looking for, with plenty of connectors and works really well ;)
Also terratec has a nice product range when comes to tv/video card solutions...