As for the quality, I am imaging professional, and the captured images seem to be a little grainy. You must, however, consider two things: the cost of the card and the source (garbage in, garbage out). As the card cost elevates, the quality is sure to follow! A source which is extremely clear, (e.g. from digital mini dish) will produce a better DVD than an old videotape. Since TV’s, computer monitors and software have adjustment controls, you can customize a slightly unsatisfactory picture. There is the usual minimal vertical line info at the top or bottom of the image which is present on every video
card that I have seen.
The alternative to this method is a stand alone DVD recorder which costs $600 to $1000. You must still use a Video Stabilizer box and no mistakes are allowed during recording! This method should also withstand any new encoding technology. You can record from a settop DVD player if ripping a DVD is unsuitable. If you choose not to use this method, any unscrambled video source can be copied to VHS as long as the Video Stabilizer boxes are used in the video line. As with everything else in I.T., the price of DVD encoder cards will decrease as more products will become available. Whether they will ever replace the capabilities of after-the-fact compression is yet to be seen.
