Capture That Video... In Full PAL Resolution! (Matrox Marvel G400 TV)

Member Name: Ironman

Product:	Matrox Marvel G400 TV
Date:	18/04/01 (1091 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Full resolution PAL video capture, TV tuner, VCR software, DVD playback.

Disadvantages: 3d side is long in the tooth, won't suit a dedicated gamer.

Matrox have really got a beauty product on their hands here. You cannot go far wrong with the G400 Marvel. Although the 3d side of it is a bit long in the tooth, the video capture side of it is really awesome!
If you are wanting to edit your home videos then this is the card for you! Although it does not support Firewire (and so if you have a nice Digital video camera you would be better off going for another solution) for those of us with hi-8 or VHS-C cameras, this card is exactly what you need.
Sporting a break-out box, so you don't have to fiddle around behind your PC, all of your connections are right on the desktop. You get composite video in/out, s-video in/out, stereo in/out and rf in all within a neat blue box that sits on your desk. Yes, it has a TV tuner built in, and with the enclosed software you can use your PC as a vcr. You may need a large hard-drive if you want to record that 2 hour TV movie, but as anyone who has dabbled with video will know, that is par for the course.
The instruction manual is well written, the hardware works flawlessly and the accompanying software will get you up and running in no time.
It comes bundled with Avid cinema which is fine for newbies, but something like Adobe Premiere will really make this card shine.
DVD playback is possible, and quality is good. The card allows you to use a TV as a second monitor, and through the software you can play back DVD's on a TV while using your PC for whatever you want.
The card uses hardware-MJPEG compression/decompression for full-resolution and full frame rate capture and playback.
All in all, a fantastic product, bristling with features and it does exactly what it says on the box.
Oh! And Matrox tech support is first rate, especially the web based discussion forums.

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