Author Topic: Screenshots (Read 1998 times)

SuperMatch93 · « **on:** May 11, 2006, 03:42:45 PM »

I've been to some game show websites, and I've noticed something. Whenever I try to take a picture of a TV with a normal camera, it never comes out good. I've heard people say things about Snappys, and I've wondered. What are they? How do they work? And where can I get one?

joe_capitano · « **Reply #1 on:** May 11, 2006, 04:59:41 PM »

Snappy is - was - a device that allowed you to capture video from a VCR or external tuner. You could then edit the resulting file. You could probably find a Snappy for sale on eBay, but be forewarned. The company that made Snappy went out of business.

You would be better served if you traipse down to the local Best Buy or CompUSA and purchase a video capture card or device there.

JayDLewis · « **Reply #2 on:** May 11, 2006, 05:05:37 PM »

The upside, IIRC, is that Snappy plugs into your printer port...no need to tinker inside your case.

My GrabIT worked the same way (and displayed 6 "windows" at once). I still have it somwehere...

But what Joe said. A TV tuner card is much more versatile if you're tech savvy.

dzinkin · « **Reply #3 on:** May 11, 2006, 05:41:50 PM »

[quote name=\'JayDLewis\' post=\'118236\' date=\'May 11 2006, 05:05 PM\']
The upside, IIRC, is that Snappy plugs into your printer port...no need to tinker inside your case.

My GrabIT worked the same way (and displayed 6 "windows" at once). I still have it somwehere...

But what Joe said. A TV tuner card is much more versatile if you're tech savvy.
[/quote]
Another option, if you're not the type to tinker inside your PC's case, is a USB TV tuner -- it has the same basic functionality as a TV tuner card except that it plugs into your PC's USB port. Particularly if your PC has USB 2.0, you shouldn't see a difference in quality. On the other hand, the USB devices tend to be at least a bit more expensive than comparable internal cards.

(And for Mac users, FireWire TV tuners are also available -- but they tend to be the most expensive of all types.)

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #4 on:** May 11, 2006, 08:42:17 PM »

[quote name=\'JayDLewis\' post=\'118236\' date=\'May 11 2006, 05:05 PM\']But what Joe said. A TV tuner card is much more versatile if you're tech savvy.[/quote]
Considering that the OP didn't understand why pictures he took with his camera of the TV screen didn't look as good as what he was seeing on websites, you may need to consider the "tech savvy" part.

SuperMatch, the simple answer to your question is that you need something that will let your computer see and "capture" video from your TV. That's what the Snappy devices did. There are still many devices that will do this. Some will be boxes that you connect between your TV and your computer, and some will be things that are installed inside your computer that will let it receive the TV signal directly. You need to go to your nearest computer store, like a Best Buy or something, and ask them what you asked us. Someone there will be able to show you several possibilities.

chris319 · « **Reply #5 on:** May 11, 2006, 09:22:06 PM »

NO! DO NOT USE a TV tuner card for screen captures. Assuming you're starting with a videotape or DVD source, what you don't want to do is modulate the video to a TV channel and then demodulate it with a tuner. What you want to do is plug the composite video output of your VCR/DVD player into the composite video input of a capture card. The process of going to a TV channel and back will needlessly degrade the video.

dzinkin · « **Reply #6 on:** May 11, 2006, 09:42:13 PM »

[quote name=\'chris319\' post=\'118252\' date=\'May 11 2006, 09:22 PM\']
NO! DO NOT USE a TV tuner card for screen captures. Assuming you're starting with a videotape or DVD source, what you don't want to do is modulate the video to a TV channel and then demodulate it with a tuner. What you want to do is plug the composite video output of your VCR/DVD player into the composite video input of a capture card. The process of going to a TV channel and back will needlessly degrade the video.
[/quote]
Don't most TV tuner cards also have composite inputs for that purpose? The only ones I know of that don't are meant for HDTV and other digital signals; every other TV tuner card or box I've seen has composite inputs in addition to a cable TV/antenna input. That's what I was thinking when I read Jay's post and added my two cents.

clemon79 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 11, 2006, 10:25:26 PM »

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' post=\'118259\' date=\'May 11 2006, 06:42 PM\']
Don't most TV tuner cards also have composite inputs for that purpose? The only ones I know of that don't are meant for HDTV and other digital signals; every other TV tuner card or box I've seen has composite inputs in addition to a cable TV/antenna input. That's what I was thinking when I read Jay's post and added my two cents.
[/quote]
Mine sure does. All-In-Wonders come with this little breakout box that accepts audio and a composite and/or S-Video signal.