Video freeze

[LesTheBetter]

I have converted close to 100 video tapes to DVD. Am capturing with DCS 200 (no bashing please - I wasn't aware of this site when I bought it.) Using MovieStar 5 only for cap. Editing/burning with Ulead MF2. Problem: two tapes (close to 20 years old) have bad freeze problems. Video stops, audio keeps going.

First, what is the "name" of this problem, so I can search the forums?

Second, any suggestions on how to filter it?

[DJRumpy]

Are you saying the original tapes freeze, or your MPEG conversions freeze?

[LesTheBetter]

The MPEG conversion freezes. Sorry 'bout that.

The tape is noisy, but watchable.

[DJRumpy]

Does the video stop when viewing the MPEG on your PC, or only on the media when viewed in your standalone player?

[LesTheBetter]

Both.

In fact, it even stops in the "preview" screen during the MovieStar capture.

[DJRumpy]

I would almost have to guess that your capture is bad. I would suggest a recapture is in order. Just do a small piece, and see if the problem repeats. Ensure that any background services/programs are not running. Your capture probably dropped frames. You can always reduce the frame size of your capture to reduce the CPU overhead if dropped frames are the issue.

[LesTheBetter]

Thanks for your input. I cut the sample rate and it just made the tape noise more evident, and still the capture froze (maybe even worse.)

It is frustrating since 90 percent of the tapes I have converted have worked out very well....

[DJRumpy]

What codec are you capturing in, and using what settings?

[LesTheBetter]

I have no idea what codec MovieStar 5 and Dazzle use. By the way, since MS5 does not have a way to change the bit rate, my experiments with reduced bit rate had to be done with the Dazzle DCS 200 "test utility."

[DJRumpy]

It's a direct to mpep capture card, and you can't change the bitrate?

[LesTheBetter]

Right. (I understand that the older version had two choices: "Good" and "Better".)

[DJRumpy]

LOL..not very specific is it. I'm at a loss here. I don't know where to point you now. I don't suppose an upgrade for your capture card is in your future any time soon?

[LesTheBetter]

I would feel more comfortable buying a new capture "system" if I understood why these few tapes were causing the present system to fail. In other words, would my problems all disappear if only I had a Canopus? With a good tape, my current setup really works well, and capturing in MPG2 saves me a lot of time.

Thanks for trying to give me a hand!

[Rogier]

First of all you did not mentioned your tapedevice.
Is it the same device with wich the tape was recorded?
I have had similiar problems with a camcorder attached to a Dazzle Creator MPEG2 card with Moviestar.
Probably you have what I should call a kind of synchronisation problem.
Because the tape is old the original speed with wich it was recorded is not anymore the same speed that your device is expecting today.
This can be due to the fact that the device lost its calibration but it is also possible that the tape strected a little.
This kind of problem can generally be seen when playing back on the TV-set as horizontal stripes moving in vertical direction on the screen.
There 2 solutions:
- rather expensive: the device can be synchronized to your tape (and after capturing back to the other 90)
- find a device that has about the same calibration as your tape has, like I managed.
Dazzle card + Movestar is sensitive for synchronisation.
Eg this combination uses the incoming composite signal for regonizing that there is a camcorder or a VCR attached and that it is running and capturing is possible.
A TV-set does not have this kind of problem because it is not "waiting" for a signal.

I hope that this is your problem and my post is useful for you

[LesTheBetter]

Thanks for the help. I finally gave up and threw money at the problem to solve it. I bought a Sony 350, and the analog pass through handled my problem tapes very well. I debated several weeks between an ADVC 100 and this route.

[DJRumpy]

Is the Sony 350 a capture device, or a tape device?

[oldsalt]

I'm thinking the more "noise" there is on the primary source tape, the more likely "freezing" (dropped frames?) is on your conversion. Each speck of noise is an additional detail that the computer is trying to faithfully render, so a clean tape (little noise) is going to be much easier on cpu demand, etc, than a noisy one.

[LesTheBetter]

The Sony 350 is a digital camcorder with an analog-to-digital pass through. I hook the VCR (the same one I used on the Dazzle) to the camera and it "captures" and sends DV (or whatever) through a fire wire cable to the computer. It has worked like a charm! The noise is still there, but no freezes! Very pleased!

Les

[Rogier]

I suppose it has a Build-in-timer.
That probably solves your orignal problem.