AVerTVHD A180 - capture resolution?

[sleeeves]

This is a card suggested on SageTV's hardware store page. I've looked up the specs on it at various sites and what worries me is what it states for video capture resolution. All the sites, except the Avermedia site, say:

Video capture resolution up to 720 X 480 (NTSC)

This is not an HD resolution. So my questions are: Once I watch and record an HD program with this card, are future playbacks of the saved recording going to be in HD or only DVD quality? Does SageTV record the HD signal from this card in it's own way - meaning will it be recorded in, say a 1920x1080 resolution?

I haven't seen any information about this 720 x 480 topic yet. I haven't heard anyone say anything one way or the other about the playback of HD recordings made with this card. If anyone has experience with this card, please let me know. Thank you!

One site that shows the 720 x 480 capture info:
http://www.provantage.com/avermedia-...8~7AVER02E.htm

[stanger89]

It just captures the bitstream, doesn't alter it in any way.

[paulbeers]

What you are missing is that NTSC is different from ATSC. NTSC is analog and ATSC is digital. What you get through analog cable/digital cable/Standard Broacast is NTSC at 720 by 480. ATSC is OTA HD. That is whatever resolution the Broacaster in your area sends at (i.e. 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080). The card probablydoes NTSC (although I believe it is a very simple frame grabber and so virtually worthless for Sage) and ATSC, which is why you see a listing for NTSC. HD is alrady digial so all an ATSC tuner does is capture the bitstream (as Stanger has already stated).

[sleeeves]

Originally Posted by stanger89

It just captures the bitstream, doesn't alter it in any way.

Thanks for the quick reply stanger89.

So are you saying that SageTV itself does the capturing of the HD input? Saving it as a bitstream, or transport stream? If so, does it employ the A180's hardware encoder? It just seems like if the card's encoder did the encoding, it would be saved at the card's spec of 720x480 - which would not be cool.

My assumption in all this, because I've not seen any complaints about quality, is that the SageTV software will do its own thing with the HD signal, sort of bypassing the A180's encoding methods... Is this right or wrong?

[sleeeves]

Originally Posted by paulbeers

What you are missing is that NTSC is different from ATSC. NTSC is analog and ATSC is digital. What you get through analog cable/digital cable/Standard Broacast is NTSC at 720 by 480. ATSC is OTA HD. That is whatever resolution the Broacaster in your area sends at (i.e. 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080). The card probablydoes NTSC (although I believe it is a very simple frame grabber and so virtually worthless for Sage) and ATSC, which is why you see a listing for NTSC. HD is alrady digial so all an ATSC tuner does is capture the bitstream (as Stanger has already stated).

Great! Thank you paulbeers!

This is what I assumed, but when I saw the spec of 720x480, it got me confused about the card - making me think it was the only format it captured video in. I figured, "Ahh, THAT's why its one of the cheapest cards..."

I feel much more confident about getting this card now. Thank you guys.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by sleeeves

Thanks for the quick reply stanger89.

So are you saying that SageTV itself does the capturing of the HD input? Saving it as a bitstream, or transport stream?

Yes, the card just tunes and demodulates the channel. Sage strips out the subchannels and saves the file.

If so, does it employ the A180's hardware encoder?

The A180 doesn't have a hardware encoder.

It just seems like if the card's encoder did the encoding, it would be saved at the card's spec of 720x480 - which would not be cool.

The card can capture analog (S/Video only I beleive) at 720x480, which is where that spec comes from.

My assumption in all this, because I've not seen any complaints about quality, is that the SageTV software will do its own thing with the HD signal, sort of bypassing the A180's encoding methods... Is this right or wrong?

The A180 doesn't do any encoding, at all not on analog or digital. For digital it just pipes the bitstream to the app using it, for analog it just captures it and outputs raw (720x480) video.