Products

	VGA2USB	VGA2USB LR	VGA2USB HR	VGA2USB Pro	DVI2USB	VGA2Ethernet	VGA2PCIe
Interface	USB 2.0	USB 1.1 and 2.0				Ethernet	PCI-E 1.1
Video Source Input	VGA				VGA, DVI, HDMI¹		VGA

Epiphan VGA Frame Grabber Framework

The Epiphan frame grabbers allow the user to capture, record, or broadcast a high resolution and high frame rate VGA display signal using an Epiphan frame grabber with their image capturing computer. The Epiphan frame grabbers can also emulate a high-res camera compatible with DirectShow on Windows, QuickTime on Mac OS X, Video4Linux on Linux, Epiphan's software and other third-party applications that support cameras or frame grabbers as a video input source. This open architecture for Epiphan frame grabber devices enables seamless integration with applications such as Adobe Premiere, Final Cut, Windows Video Encoder, QuickTime and many other 3rd party applications.

If you are developing your own custom solution that involves video capture, Epiphan offers a free SDK and API with examples to help you with development.

To select the optimal frame grabber for VGA capture, please review the selection guidelines and the comparison charts and tables below. Don't hesitate to consult our support team via live chat if you have any questions.

Frame Grabber Resolution and Frame Rate Performance Comparison

Frame grabber performance considerations center mostly on resolution and frame rate capture at the desired resolution. The VGA Frame Grabber Comparison diagram below illustrates frame rate to resolution the trade-offs between frame rates and maximum display source resolution.

Notes:

the color coding of performance curves are shaded with the color of the frame grabber to illustrate the ideal nominal operating ranges. Clicking on the product icon will direct you to more detailed specifications for the Epiphan frame grabber product in question
certain frame grabbers will perform interlacing at certain resolution ranges
DVI2USB is our most versatile frame grabber and allows you to perform HDMI, VGA, and DVI capture at resolutions up to 1920×1200
For VGA Frame Grabber Selection, please visit DVI Frame Grabber Selection Guide
For a summary of all DVI and VGA Frame Grabbers please visit Frame Grabber Catalog
To compare captured data from VGA2USB, VGA2USB Pro, and DVI2USB capture devices at different resolutions. see Compare VGA Frame Grabber Capture Samples

VGA Frame Grabber Comparison table

For other DVI and VGA/DVI/HDMI Frame Grabber Selections, please visit DVI Frame Grabber Selection Guide

Video Format Options
	VGA2USB	VGA2USB LR	VGA2USB HR	VGA2USB Pro	DVI2USB	VGA2Ethernet	VGA2PCIe
	$ 299.95	$ 799.95	$ 1600.00	$ 2000.00	$ 999.95	$ 1600.00	$ 800.00

Interface	USB 2.0	USB 1.1 and 2.0				Ethernet	PCI-E 1.1
Video Source Input	VGA				VGA, DVI / HDMI¹		VGA
Analog:	R,G,B plus separate HSYNC and VSYNC signals	R,G,B plus separate HSYNC and VSYNC signals; R,G,B plus CSYNC signal; R,G,B with Sync-on-Green synchronization.
Digital:	—				TDMS Single Link HDCP ready		—
Resolution, VESA modes, up to:	1920×1200	1280×1024	1600×1200	2048×2048	1920×1200	1920×1200	1920×1200
Resolution, VESA modes, up to:	—	custom VGA modes
Frame Acquisition Rate (frames per second)
Resolution	Frame rate varies depending on content
640×480	29	30 - 60	30 - 60	30 - 60	30 - 60	28 - 60	85
1024×768	10	15 - 60	15 - 60	15 - 60	15 - 60	13 - 30	80
1280×1024	5.6	10 - 51	10 - 51	10 - 51	10 - 52	8 - 30	50
1600×1200	4.3	—	8 - 33	8 - 33	8 - 34	5 - 30	35
2048×1536	2	—	—	5.6 - 22	—	—	—
2048×2048	—	—	—	5 - 18	—	—	—
Sampling Mode	Interlaced	Progressive		Progressive up to 1920×1200	Progressive
Integrated Board Features	—	On-board cropping, Color space conversion, USB Transfer Accelerator™, Compression Booster Filters™
Color Resolution	RGB16 (5:6:5)	RGB24, (8:8:8); RGB16, (5:6:5); RGB8, (2:3:3); 8 bits per pixel, 256-grey scale format ; 16 bits per pixel, YUY2(422), UYVY;
Operating System	Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7, Linux, Mac OS X 10.3.x and up						Win XP, Vista, 7 Mac OS X 10.4.x and up, Linux
Programming Interfaces	Windows: DirectShow API, Proprietary API (C/C++, VB 6, C#, Delphi, Java) Linux: Video4Linux API, Proprietary API (C/C++, Java) Mac OS X: Quicktime API, Proprietary API (C/C++, Java)
Weight	3.2 oz, 90 g	4.8 oz, 135 g			335 g	11 oz, 318 g	2 oz, 57 g
Dimensions	3.54"×2.36" 90×60 mm				6.7"×4.3" 170×109mm	7.95"×4.13" 202×105mm	5.5"×2.53" 140×64mm
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¹HDMI support limited to non copy protected content, and does not include digital audio source. Requires HDMI to DVI adapter cable.

Reasons to choose Epiphan frame grabbers:

A choice between local portable USB, remote Ethernet, and internal PCI Express solutions
Compact external devices, easy to transport between different locations, rugged enough
to withstand the stresses of an industrial environment
Support for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux
Price/Performance based on your application requirements
Emulates hi-res camera compatible with DirectShow on Windows and QuickTime on Mac OS X, which allows third-party applications to use frame grabber as a video input source
Free SDK and API with examples letting you use frame grabbers as part of your own solution
Free software that lets you capture, record, and broadcast VGA or DVI or HDMI¹ display stream in resolutions
up to 2048×2048 and rates in excess of 60 frames per second

Epiphan VGA Frame Grabber Comparison and Selection Guide

Whether you need to record the video from a computerized device to create training material such as an ultrasound machine or even a Microsoft X-Box 360, Epiphan manufactures a VGA capture device that will fit your needs. The Epiphan frame grabber products that is ideal for your application will depend on the requirements for your applications requirements such as:

Performance: multiple resolutions, frame rates, with or without onboard pre-processing and combinations thereof.
Video display source input interfaces : (VGA, DVI, HDMI, composite, RGB)
Form factor : internal-USB, internal-PCIe, external capture card, multi frame grabber rackmount system
Data Stream Uplink Interface: USB-external, USB-internal, Ethernet, PCIe (more info)

Performance Considerations

The performance of a frame grabber is determined by a number of factors such as:

the type and quality of video display input being captured
the power and cost of the on board compression processing capability
the amount of on-board buffer memory available
the data uplink interface (e.g. internal, Ethernet, or USB)
interlaced or non-interlaced video
the resolution, frame rate and nature of the changes to image content

Video display source input interface considerations

One consideration in choosing a frame grabber is the nature of the video display source(s) your application would like to capture. Some display outputs can be converted using simple cables or adapters, while others should be captured in their native form in order to maintain maximum original quality.

The table above identifies frame grabbers that support direct VGA connections, except that in the case of VGA2Ethernet, this device has a DVI connector that can be used with VGA to DVI conversion cables.

In the case of applications that require support for both VGA or DVI connectors, generally,DVI2USB is our most versatile frame grabber unless you have a special requirement.

Form Factor Considerations

Epiphan offers a number for factor and packaging options to suit your application

Form Factor	Description
Pocket Sized External USB	An external USB device, self contained with aluminum case. Great for applications that are portable, and will be connected to different computers. No need for tools, no need to open up the computer to install a card.
Internal USB	An internal USB frame grabber , but packaged with a card bracket that fits inside your computer. Great for applications where you want the frame grabber and computer to be physically attached together, such as a lecture capture podium.
External Ethernet Appliance	An external frame grabber appliance with Gigabit Ethernet network connection. Can be shared on the network from different capture stations, including iPhone, iPad, iTouch using free application from iTunes
Internal PCIe	An internal PCIe card, idea for high performance applications where the frame grabber capture stream is transmitted directly to the PCIe bus.
Rackmount	A rackmount system where up to 6 VGA2USB frame grabbers can be installed into a rack mount frame. We can customize which VGA2USB models are built into the rack. Great for computer farm type applications.
Custom OEM	Epiphan can supply custom form factors to OEMs for private label products, card level and system level solutions. Please contact us for more details