Video In, Video Out

ViVo la ERAZOR!

Okay, a lame play on words will launch us into the Video In/Video Out features of the ERAZOR III, of which it has plenty. This card has no less than 3 independent video inputs, divided up into 1 S-video and 2 composite inputs. As far as outputs, there are 2: 1 S-video and 1 composite. With this kind of configuration, you can come up with some really creative setups for your system with video equipment and TVs.

Look at me, I'm a squid

With both S-video ("Super video") and composite inputs and outputs, you are insured a good amount of device compatibility with older and newer TVs, VCRs, camcorders, and such. For example, you can hook up the TV-out to play games on the TV (although resolution will be limited to 800x600).

Video Editing

For all of you upcoming George Lucases, ELSA has included a video editing software with this ERAZOR III. The software is called MainActor V3, and is included with every ERAZOR. It has such features as a 2D and 3D Textengine, background rendering, and image morphing. If video editing is your thing, or somebody in your family wants to make home movies of the last family vacation, this is a nice feature for you.

Video Controls and more

To control all of your neat video playback features, ELSA has included a couple of programs, called ELSA VideoControl and ELSAMovie. The VideoControl acts essentially as a digital VCR on your computer. It has the typical features of a VCR like your play, forward, rewind, stop, and pause. It adds on top of these basic functions volume, color, and brightness controls. ELSAMovie, on the other hand, is a software DVD player which also works with VideoControl to give total control of DVD playback. We've heard that there is a DVD sample included, but we didn't get one with our kit.

In the driver's seat

ELSA has a good featured driver set. One of the more pronounced features is the monitor tool utility, which allows a lot of user control over the refresh rates and resolutions that you run at. The REVELATOR 3D glasses have their own set of tools as well. For example, there is a slider that you can use to specify how near or far you are from the monitor, so the drivers can sync the images properly to compensate for distance from the monitor. Of course, you have the typical controls over color and gamma, and the specific Direct3D and OpenGL settings.

You watch too much TV

Of course, among all these crazy video features and such TV-out is included. The TV-out chip that is used is the good old Brooktree that a lot of manufacturers seem to be using. Coupled with all of the other features and connections, you could record things through your system, or playback video clips from your system on a TV, or a whole slew of other functions.