DVC100 only captures black and white.

[Videjac]

Hello

I have been searching for a while and not getting anywhere really.

I try to capture my old hi-8 tapes to my laptop via a dazzle dvc100 capture card using powerdirector. For some reason, I cant capture my videos in color, only in black and white. I also tried vlc player to capture and the same problem, video will only capture in black and white.
I hooked up my old video camera to the tv via composite cables and it plays on my tv fully in color.

2nd problem: when the video begins capturing, it tends to freeze for some reason. So I capture the freezing video.
Any help appreciated

[DB83]

Some more info may assist.

What country are you from ?
Make of camera
Could you possibly be using NTSC tapes, NTSC camera, PAL tv ?

[Skiller]

In the software you're using you need to select Composite video input, not S-Video – or vice versa, you didn't mention what connection between camera and Dazzle you're using.

[Videjac]

Samsung scl810 8mm hi8. This camera is US made.
I see the video, its composite capture. Now its in color, just not as the same picture that plays trough the camera (quality wise).

But now as a capture, the video freezes.

[DB83]

Did you change the input to NTSC ?

Are you in the US ?

[Videjac]

Yes, to ntsc, and Im in Europe.

[DB83]

This does sound to me to be a PAL/NTSC issue.

The tapes appear to be recorded as NTSC. But the camera expects PAL. Playback to the tv is fine since European tvs can handle a NTSC source on PAL equipment.

Methinks you need a capture device that accepts PAL60

[Videjac]

This does sound to me to be a PAL/NTSC issue.

The tapes appear to be recorded as NTSC. But the camera expects PAL. Playback to the tv is fine since European tvs can handle a NTSC source on PAL equipment.

Methinks you need a capture device that accepts PAL60

But the camera has the ability to set to pal60. Still it freezes and now the wont capture in color neither because the camera is set in pal60, so I have to turn that off in order to capture color.
I tried hdpvr 1st edition, but that also freezes and messes the picture up.

Im at a loss here.

[hech54]

Capturing NTSC in a PAL environment is never easy. It took me years to find the correct hardware and software to be able to do it.
I'm still not clear on "what is what" with your tape and equipment. I can't tell which is NTSC and which is PAL.

[DB83]

The camera might set it but you still need a capture device that supports it. And very few do.

[Videjac]

The camera might set it but you still need a capture device that supports it. And very few do.

I had no problem before. It is a U.S. made camera that recorded on U.S. made media and I captured with the dazzle dvc100, a U.S. product.

I can get color, but it isnt the natural color from the video, I just adjust it in effects.

[Videjac]

Capturing NTSC in a PAL environment is never easy. It took me years to find the correct hardware and software to be able to do it.
I'm still not clear on "what is what" with your tape and equipment. I can't tell which is NTSC and which is PAL.

They are all U.S. "made" products, the camera, tapes and the dazzle were all bought in the U.S.

[hech54]

If everything you have is made in USA then you need to capture in NTSC.....nothing else. Make sure the initial install/setup of the hardware/software was done as NTSC too.

[Videjac]

If everything you have is made in USA then you need to capture in NTSC.....nothing else. Make sure the initial install/setup of the hardware/software was done as NTSC too.

I set everything to NTSC, but get no color or the color I get is through the effects I set before I capture, which just looks weird compared to the actual video.
Im going to try to capture though other programs, see how it goes.

[hech54]

I set everything to NTSC

During the installation of the device and software.....did you choose "United States Of America/North America" as your country/tuner choice?

[Videjac]

I set everything to NTSC

During the installation of the device and software.....did you choose "United States Of America/North America" as your country/tuner choice?

For the device I just installed the driver, the software was already installed, but cant remember which country I choose. I might reinstall and try it the way you suggested.

[hech54]

Try a "viewer" that also captures.....like DScaler. See if it can recognize your device. It's a small free utility that I use for stubborn captures. I believe it only captures in Uncompressed AVI and HuffyUV.

[DB83]

Rejoining the 'party'.

Maybe one should also consider some basics.

1. What OS is your laptop
2. Have you used this device successfully before ? (maybe a different PC etc.)

The issue could well be the capture driver ie no support for current OS - even read of issues with this product with Win7

[Videjac]

Rejoining the 'party'.

Maybe one should also consider some basics.

1. What OS is your laptop
2. Have you used this device successfully before ? (maybe a different PC etc.)

The issue could well be the capture driver ie no support for current OS - even read of issues with this product with Win7

1. Windows 7, 64 bit, 4gb ram.
2. I used this particular device (dazzle dvc100) before to transfer old tapes from different cameras without any problems. But it was a different laptop and computer (both windows 7 64 bit).

[DB83]

Ok. Before we totally discount a driver issue

1. Does Windows Device Manager show any errors ?
2. Did you follow the installation instructions to the letter. Usually you have to load the drivers before plugging in the unit. Turn off. Plug in the unit. Let Windows find the hardware and then install the drivers.

I am still, though, leaning towards a camera compatability issue since you stated the camera is a different one. Cameras even sourced from the US are not made there. Most come from Japan. And since you are now in Europe it makes sense to have a PAL camera rather than an NTSC one. The symtoms you describe certainly fit a PAL60 issue. Not familiar with your capture software but you stated you set it for NTSC. Is that NTSC 3.58 or NTSC 4.43 or does the software just say NTSC ?.

You also stated in your earlier topic that you tried your 'old camera' in the tv. Can you not connect that camera to the DVC ?

[Videjac]

Ok. Before we totally discount a driver issue

1. Does Windows Device Manager show any errors ?
2. Did you follow the installation instructions to the letter. Usually you have to load the drivers before plugging in the unit. Turn off. Plug in the unit. Let Windows find the hardware and then install the drivers.

I am still, though, leaning towards a camera compatability issue since you stated the camera is a different one. Cameras even sourced from the US are not made there. Most come from Japan. And since you are now in Europe it makes sense to have a PAL camera rather than an NTSC one. The symtoms you describe certainly fit a PAL60 issue. Not familiar with your capture software but you stated you set it for NTSC. Is that NTSC 3.58 or NTSC 4.43 or does the software just say NTSC ?.

You also stated in your earlier topic that you tried your 'old camera' in the tv. Can you not connect that camera to the DVC ?

First, thanks for the answers, suggestions and help.

The camera Im using to transfer the tapes is the same camera that the tapes have been recorded on.

There are a few NTSC options, including NTSC M, NTSC J and another one with letters as well. Dont know about 3.58 and 3.43.

What I'm now doing is capturing the tapes through my hdpvr from Hauppauge. The only software that recognizes this capture card is the software that came with it when I bought it. But every now and then when I capture it, it slows down, freezes or distorts the image by slicing it up into two or four parts (black lines goes through the image). But the picture is the natural color from the tape itself, so I don't have a color/picture issues with the capture using hdpvr, just the freezing and stopping issue.
So I capture as much as possible and just recapture again a minute or so before the capture stops or freezes and I'm just going to edit the separate video files together when I'm done capturing the whole tape.

[DB83]

NTSC-M is the US standard
NTSC-J is for Japan (a different IRE level to NTSC-M)
NTSC 3.58 is the same as NTSC-M
NTSC 4.43 is the same as PAL60

I would think that the slowing down is due to usb connection on the laptop itself or even capturing to the OS drive within the laptop since that is accessing the HDD at the same time. Capturing to a single drive within a laptop is never straight forward.

[Videjac]

NTSC-M is the US standard
NTSC-J is for Japan (a different IRE level to NTSC-M)
NTSC 3.58 is the same as NTSC-M
NTSC 4.43 is the same as PAL60

I would think that the slowing down is due to usb connection on the laptop itself or even capturing to the OS drive within the laptop since that is accessing the HDD at the same time. Capturing to a single drive within a laptop is never straight forward.

I might try capturing to an external harddrive. See how that goes.

[usually_quiet]

NTSC 4.43 isn't exactly the same as PAL60, but it is close. Like PAL60, NTSC 4.43 uses NTSC encoding (525/29.97) with a color subcarrier of 4.43 MHz instead of using 3.58 MHz as NTSC normally does. Unlike PAL60, the color is still encoded as NTSC. PAL60 uses PAL encoding for color.

[Videjac]

NTSC-M is the US standard
NTSC-J is for Japan (a different IRE level to NTSC-M)
NTSC 3.58 is the same as NTSC-M
NTSC 4.43 is the same as PAL60

I would think that the slowing down is due to usb connection on the laptop itself or even capturing to the OS drive within the laptop since that is accessing the HDD at the same time. Capturing to a single drive within a laptop is never straight forward.

I tried capturing to an external hard drive directly, but still freezes. Im just going with my original plan to just edit the footage together when I capture all the tapes. It will take me longer, but at least the colors and pictures are the natural not saturated and hueified.

[MickMan]

@Videjac
The Dazzle DVC 100 is shipped with old and crippled Drivers, even more if you purchased a Dazzle along with Pinnacle Software as a Bundle. Your System freezes because you run 32 Bit Drivers (Old Dazzle Drivers) in a 64 Bit Environment. Solution would be to update your Drivers from the Pinnacle Website. Other Solution would be to transfer your Hi8 Videos from the Camera to another DV Camera with "Analogue Input" enabled and use the Firewire Interface from the DV Camera to the PC, no loss, no fuzz. All the rest has been said here so good luck

Cheers

MickMan