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Problems
I do think the card as some limitations. As I mentioned previously, the DRC-500 does have a variety of inputs for you to select from, but the primary ones that are missing are a BNC connection and a DV port. Now many people may not think that a BNC connection is that important, but considering many pro streamers are taking a feed from their deck via a monitor or video out, having to connect a RCA adapter is a bit of a pain. As for lacking a DV port… I would think that Digital Rapids would have known that the other half of the streamers (especially those just staring out) are pulling directly from a DV source like their MiniDV camera. Having a clean digital video signal from start to finish is a necessity. My only reasoning for why they left the DV port off is because of size issues with the card. The other reason might be that for direct DV capturing, they want you to utilize their higher version cards. In either case, no DV is a big no no. Heck even my three year old Osprey 500 card has a DV connection.[an error occurred while processing this directive]For those of you who are not using at least a 1GHz system, forget trying to install this product. You will forever get the Blue Screen of Death whenever the driver begins to install. Believe me I tried it on my encoding system that is only 500MHz. This is a shame for pure capturing purposes as the 500MHz system should be more than fast enough.Bottom line
While I had high hopes for this product, I was left somewhat cooled by the lack of a DV input, and was somewhat dejected by the fact that some of the older systems will not be able to run this product. That being said, I still feel that the hardware/software combo is a great and is one of the easiest hardware based encoding systems out there.
Would I recommend this product? If you need to encode, and need to get it done quickly, but don’t mind the product lacking some key features, then yes.
If you want to encode your media for on demand viewing at a later date in multiple formats and don’t mind it taking a long time, then I would say there are several other software only compression applications alternative on the market for a comparable price. The advantage of using the DRC-Stream500 is that the on board processor will encode your media much faster than a software only system. Having this real time encoding makes the DRC-Stream500 a better choice.If you are an audio only facility (radio, etc.), and need to get your signal out, then the DRC-Stream500 will work just fine for you as it will encode a stereo single from the multiple audio inputs. This is a big plus for this card.
I don’t want you to think that the DRC-Stream500 can’t do video; it does it, and does it very well. However, the DRC-Stream500 is the entry-level card offered by Digital Rapids, and the other cards in the DRC Stream family offer greater flexibility for video input sources. For Joe Average who wants to get his stuff up, then this is probably the best option on the market. If you are a pro shop, or someone who demands more, I suggest you check out the DRC-Stream1500, which will probably suit more of your needs.
For more information on the DRC-Stream500 or DRC Stream family of hardware encoders, visit Digital Rapids at www.digital-rapids.com.
When not working deep in the labs of the DMN Central Division testing the latest and greatest software/hardware products Stephen Schleicher can be found at the local university teaching a few courses on video and web production. He can be reached at schleicher@mindspring.com. You can also visit him on the web at www.mindspring.com/~schleicher
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