New to capturing - need advice on connecting leads please.

[Harry Hotspur]

Hi there,

I've just got myself a WinTVFM capture card. It's all installed and seems to be functioning fine when I've done a trial capture from the TV antenna. But the main reason I bought it was to capture from video, and I need a little help figuring out which lead(s) I need to do this.

I mostly plan on capturing from my camcorder. The camcorder has what I assume is a standard camcorder transfer lead with it. The camcorder end has a round plug with 8 pins inside. Sorry, don't know the proper name for this - photo of it here:



Sorry it's a bit blurred, but you should be able to tell what it is.


The other end of the transfer lead is a SCART plug.

The video in socket on the capture card is an S-VIDEO socket.

So, could someone please advise me which lead/combination of leads/sockets I'll need to connect my camcorder to my capture card?

Is there one lead that can go direct from the 8 pin camcorder socket to S-VIDEO, or will I need to connect the camcorder to SCART lead to a double female SCART and then have a SCART to S-VIDEO going from the double female SCART to the capture card?

Hope I've described that clearly.

Also, I understand that S-VIDEO sockets only bring in the picture and not the sound? So I assume any lead I have going into the S-VIDEO socket should also have an audio cable built in that will go into the "line in" socket on the capture card, to take the sound into the card?

If you could also let me know the best place to get the lead(s) I need, I'd be most grateful.

Please keep your answers simple, I'm brand new to capturing.

[theDruid]

I've never seen one of those 8=pin leads before - sorry can't help.

You're correct in assuming you'll need a separate audio cable to go into your line out though.

Also, if you want recommendations about where to buy cables, it might be an idea to tell us what continent you live on - and maybe some even more specific details! :P

cheers,
mcdruid.

[Harry Hotspur]

Also, if you want recommendations about where to buy cables, it might be an idea to tell us what continent you live on - and maybe some even more specific details! :P

Whoops!

I'm in England.

[theDruid]

Should have guessed from the Spurs logo I suppose!

Maplin is probably going to be your best bet for cables - if nobody on here can advise you what you need, you could try just taking the cable you've got into a Maplin store and asking their advice.

cheers,
mcdruid.

[Harry Hotspur]

Maplin is probably going to be your best bet for cables - if nobody on here can advise you what you need, you could try just taking the cable you've got into a Maplin store and asking their advice.

Cheers mate, I'll bear that in mind if I get no more replies. But I would like some more. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

[Harry Hotspur]

Maplin is probably going to be your best bet for cables - if nobody on here can advise you what you need, you could try just taking the cable you've got into a Maplin store and asking their advice.

Went to my local Maplin, they sorted me right out with a combination of leads/connectors to enable me to connect my camcorder with the obscure socket to my capture card.

Everything working fine so far, my first few efforts aren't bad, but I'm sure they'll improve in time as I learn more.

Many thanks for your suggestion, which sorted me right out.

Now I just have to learn how to compress/reduce in size the rather large files my card is depositing on my H/D.