PCI Video Interface Card
If you are using professional analog or digital formats (either standard definition or
high definition) without native FireWire connectivity, you need to purchase and install
a PCI video interface card to connect your video deck or camcorder to your computer.
Many PCI interface cards come with a breakout box where video, audio, and perhaps
even 9-pin remote connectors are located (rather than on the PCI card itself ). Interface
cards are also referred to as video cards or capture cards. This is not the same as the
video graphics card used to send signals to your main computer display.
PCI Video Interface Card with Built-in Connectors
PCI cards allow you to capture and output video with high data rates, such as
uncompressed standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) video. PCI cards are
necessary for high-end applications such as compositing, online editing, and
uncompressed video editing. Many PCI cards have BNC or RCA connectors mounted
directly on the back of the card. In this configuration, you connect your video
equipment directly to the PCI card connectors on the back of your computer.
Analog or digital VTR
Computer
(PCI card with
connectors)
BNC
connector
Chapter 12
Connecting Professional Video and Audio Equipment
177
III
PCI Video Interface Card with Breakout Box
Many PCI cards aren’t big enough to fit all of the necessary video and audio
connectors. In these situations, a breakout box is connected to the PCI card via a
multipin connector on a long cable, and the connectors are accessible on the breakout
box instead of the back of the PCI card. A breakout box is also useful because it allows
you to place the connectors somewhere more convenient than the back of your
computer, such as an equipment rack or a desktop.