New PCI Express-based frame grabber by Epiphan Systems

May 12, 2010 - PRLog -- After working with video capture cards from companies such as Unigraf or NCast, we were excited to get our hands on Epiphan Systems' new internal capture card - VGA2PCIe. The VGA2PCIe is a very traditional frame grabber and is aimed at capturing a single VGA signal. It installs in any PCI Express slot as the card has a universal x1 form factor.
Upon opening the box, I discovered that no drivers or manuals were included. However, they can all be downloaded for free from the manufacturer's web page. Before installing the card, you need to install the backplate on it. Two are provided - one for a small profile and one for a full profile slot size.
After installing the VGA2PCIe card and drivers, VGA2PCIe identified itself right away as a webcam on my Windows machine. After plugging in a VGA source and running  the VGA2PCI software, also available as a free download, a full resolution preview window pops up right away. The software itself is fairly intuitive and very self-explanatory. You have easy access to recording a video or capturing individual frames. Furthermore, there is a scheduling feature as well as a video broadcast function. The quality of the video is superb and, when compared to the source, is absolutely identical.
While the VGA2PCIe was tested on a Windows 7 machine, MAC and Linux versions of the drivers and software are available for download. Furthermore, according to Epiphan, working with the SDK and API for the VGA2PCIe is almost identical to working with the SDK/API for Epiphan's legacy external video capture devices.
VGA2PCIe is able to capture any VGA source with a resolution of up to 1920x1200 at 100% lossless quality. What's even more impressive is that VGA2PCIe promises to achieve a minimum video capture rate of at least 35 frames per second and a maximum of 85fps. This means, firstly, that full HD videos can be captured at full frame rate, and that this is one of the only frame grabbers in existence that is compatible with an 85Hz VGA video source.
When compared to competing products, there is currently no other internal frame grabber with similar specifications and in the same price range. At $800, this puts VGA2PCIe in its own category above the others. At the same time, VGA2PCIe lacks many of the advanced hardware features that some require, such as dual inputs, audio input, and component video input.
After working with the Epiphan Systems VGA2PCIe, it can be concluded that it is the ideal frame grabber for anyone that is looking to capture a VGA signal using an internal solution. If you need more information beyond this review, you can visit the manufacturer's webpage at this address: http://www.epiphan.com/products/frame-grabbers/vga2pcie/

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Epiphan Systems Inc. markets, develops, manufactures and supports an innovative line of VGA/DVI signal processing products. Epiphan products are external solutions for the capture, recording, broadcasting of any computer monitor screen output.