Totally confused about VirtualDub

[Kosketus]

Hi

The pundits seem unanimous that VirtualDub is the cat's whiskers for capturing, so I'd like to use it too. But it says everywhere - everywhere I've read anyway - that it can only be used with vfw drivers. My own card is the Asus V9520 Video Suite (ie graphics card with a Philips tuner on it - no TV aerial input but with video-in/out connector + dongle). This is of course a wdm device.

I've read that Avery Lee has been quoted as saying that VideoDub will never be developed for wdm drivers because of copyright issues. Yet on VideoHelp's website there's a guide written by Jasper called "How to capture video and create a PAL DVD from it", using VirtualDub 1.6.14, in which not a single word is said about the necessity of using vfw drivers/devices. The reverse, in fact. In section 2 "Capturing video with VirtualDub" the device shown selected in the screenshot (which is the device the author himself uses, apparently) is a DirectShow device (Conexant's BtPCI Capture). I'm now more than usually confused.

I tried to follow Jasper's guide just to see what would happen. Suffice to say that I was able to capture some test clips from a VHS tape but - with Preview running - my Sempron 3400+ (clocked at 2 GHz) was at 100% usage Unsurprisingly, the video was choppy and the audio out of sync.

Could somebody please clarify? Can VirtualDub be successfully used to capture from a wdm device or not?

[greenway]

Is there a hack for this ?

[rkr1958]

You might try posting your question over at doom9.org in the VirtualDub & VDubMod forum.

[Barnabas]

Capping from VHS tape can always cause sync issues. Be sure to you the "drop frames" option.

What compression were you using? Huffy is the best choice.

Yes, VirtualDub can capture from WMD

[JohnnyMalaria]

Yes, VirtualDub can capture from WMD

WMDs??? Seriously??? I think the CIA would *love* that!

(I realize you mean WDM!)

[Barnabas]

Oops,

Change that to WDM!

[Cornucopia]

I'm pretty sure that what AveryLee et al are avoiding is WMV/ASF code, not WDM or Directshow.

Scott

[jagabo]

In my experience, VirtualDub doesn't work well with Philips based capture cards.

[Kosketus]

Thanks for all the responses.

I've meanwhile blundered across this thread https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=313982&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&hig...ght=virtualdub
and I think it might give a clue. Jasper's guide includes a downloadable package containing the apps necessary to follow the steps he sets out. Among these is VDub and AVIsynth, plus a ready-created AVS script which he tells you how to edit. In the thread cited it is said (by Jagabo) that "(VirtualDub) can read WMV files via the DirectShowSource option if you have AVISynth installed....but you'll have to create the AVS script yourself". Although that thread is about WMV files (which was why I didn't find it immediately), maybe it explains why Jasper's method works with videotapes captured as .avi files? (Yes, that is a question).

(Actually, I couldn't get it to work properly but that may be because I didn't do it right or because - as Jagabo says here - "VirtualDub doesn't work well with Philips based capture cards".)

[Kosketus]

Capping from VHS tape can always cause sync issues. Be sure to you the "drop frames" option.

What compression were you using? Huffy is the best choice.

Yes, VirtualDub can capture from WMD

I used Huffy. But (amazingly) Jasper in his guide uses no compression at all, which makes me even more perplexed.

EDIT
Sorry, my mistake! I was looking at his 'Audio' section. He uses Huffy too.

[jagabo]

Jasper is using a Conexant/BrookTree based capture card. VirtualDub apparently works well for those but it does not work well with Philips based cards (at least the one that I have).

The AVISynth script doesn't come into play until later, after you have finished capturing, when you start editing or converting.