FROM TV TO PC--EASILY YOU MAY PREFER TO SHOOT your video with a conventional camcorder. And while editing video on a PC is getting easier, transferring images from videotape to disk is still a challenge. A new Windows add-on board from Matrox Graphics (514 969-6320) can help. The board, the $185 Rainbow Runner, also requires a $140 Matrox Mystique display adapter. Composite video (the familiar yellow RCA jack on video gear) and S-video connectors allow you to send images to or from a camcorder or VCR. An $80 tuner card lets you watch or record broadcast and cable TV on your PC. The Mystique, Rainbow Runner, and tuner are also available as a package for $379. Unlike the Hitachi camera, the Rainbow Runner stores video using a compression system (Motion JPEG) that is designed for easy editing. But the Ulead Multimedia Studio software that comes bundled with it is difficult to use. And you'd better have a big disk drive ready. An hour's worth of VHS-quality video will fill 3.6 gigabytes, while higher-quality S-VHS runs a staggering 7.2 gigabytes per hour. RELATED ITEMS PHOTO: Matrox Rainbow Runner Video-Editing Board Return to top of story

Updated Sept. 18, 1997 by bwwebmaster
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