Having only one DVR during television prime time can be tough: there might be three different shows airing in the time slot that you would like to record, but most recorders can only record one and show one live. ViewCast eases this indecisive TV viewer’s dilemma with its latest video capture card, the Osprey-450e, which can capture up to four channels simultaneously.
Designed for commercial applications, and unveiled at the 2008 National Association of Broadcasters exhibition on Monday, the 450e uses the high-bandwidth PCI Express bus to handle capture of four video channels with corresponding stereo audio in real time. It automatically detects switches between television frame rates and movie frame rates, and since it’s designed for commercial capture, it can also add bitmap overlays to captured content for watermarking video with a logo.
ViewCast will be showing off the Osprey-450e at NAB2008 through Thursday in Las Vegas, but the company hasn’t yet announced a release date for the card. Given the $995 price tag on its similarly featured predecessor, the Osprey-440, we don’t expect many consumers will be building them into HTPC boxes unless they have exceptionally severe TV addictions.
