Video capture boards serve a variety of needs and fill a number of consumer and business niches. Capture boards can be used to tune in to broadcast and cable television, capture live feeds, digitize recordings and even drive security surveillance.

Video capture is no longer a luxury for growing businesses; video conferencing and video training can really reduce costs. Video capture boards make the use of video in your business far more useful and economic than the older tape-based systems.

1. A DVR capture board converts video to a format that is easier to edit and duplicate without losing video quality.

2. A video capture board allows you to archive video data more efficiently by compressing video for storage on DVD-R media.

3. Digital video clips can be indexed and quickly referenced, making retrieval more efficient.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Archive business conferences and training with video capture boards

Creating a video record of business conferences and presentations can provide a valuable resource to your business. A DVR capture board on one of your workstations will allow you to maintain video records of orientation and training sessions and hold down training costs.

I recommend: ViewCast’s Osprey video capture cards range from lower end models for cost conscious businesses and high-end cards for businesses who need to process a high volume of video. Matrox’s RT.X2 DV capture board series offers capture capabilities that exceed consumer video capture solutions. They are reasonably priced, can be bundled with different software packages and handle HD video as well as lower quality formats. The XLR8 USB video capture device is an inexpensive alternative to digital video DV capture boards. While USB devices lack the speed and features of more expensive capture boards, their ease and convenience may be perfect for small businesses who need to capture video only occasionally.

Use a DV capture board for security surveillance

You can purchase specialized expansion video board to replace more expensive tape-based video surveillance systems. Boards designed for surveillance can capture video from multiple sources. They ship with support software that can synchonize and schedule multiple cameras to provide maximum coverage and even send email alarms. Best of all, your security staff no longer has to work with bulky video tapes to keep surveillance current.

I recommend: Skyway Security’s G-Max Series video capture boards can be integrated into your current PC network. They offer remote access control over the internet or from modem-to-modem. Sentry Security Systems bundles a video capture board into their packaged security systems. They configure and customize systems to client needs.

Support your video capture solutions with storage and cataloging software

Captured video consumes a lot of space on your hard drive, especially video with sound. As soon as possible, you should move your video files from your workstation hard drives to more permanent storage. If you work with only a few video files a month, you should have no problem keeping up with your archives. But as your archives expand, you will find it more difficult to catalogue and locate files. Cataloging software allows you to locate a particular clip almost instantly, even if you've moved it off your server to backup disks.

I recommend: Memorex offers reliable DVD-R and Double Layer DVD-R discs to back up and archive your videos. For businesses with only small video needs, they provide redundant backup storage that’s far more efficient than tape. Canto’s Cumulus cataloging software allows you to keep track of your video archives across your network. If your business needs to keep extensive video archives IQSS offers network attached storage systems for Windows and Linux. Because the systems are scalable, you can add capacity as you need it.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Investigate the software bundled with video capture cards to make sure it will meet your company's needs. If you simply want to capture and archive video, most software will do. If you need significant editing features, you may need a product like Premiere or After Effects.