White Horizontal Bands on Captured Video

[naturegal]

I've captured video before using an older Dazzle capture device, but the software kept freezing, so I recently purchase the DVC 170 with Pinnacle software.

But now I have a problem I didn't have before -- broad white horizontal bands moving up the video from the bottom to the top.

The VHS tape and TV picture look fine on the TV itself, but in the Pinnacle Studio 10 software, the bands appear on the TV preview and on the video (before and after capturing). I'm using S-video.

I also tried an AVerMedia PC card and its related software, and it showed the bands too.

The only thing different about my setup this time is I have a digital cable box and a new TV, but I didn't know how that could be related to the problem. I'm using the same VCR, and the same computer as before, except with the old Dazzle box, I didn't see the white bands.

I've tried playing with the different features (interlacing and such) in the Pinnacle software, but nothing helps. I had Windows check for a newer video card driver. I also installed the latest patch from Pinnacle.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I'd just really like to know what is causing it.

Here is a screen grab showing the bands:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/374069463_eac532c12f.jpg?v=0

[edDV]

Looks to me to be ~60Hz crosstalk interference coming from the power system or from other video equipment free running at a slightly different vertical frequency. It could also be internal to your computer. First step, power everthing off the same circuit breaker and shut down idle equipment until the interference disappears.

[davideck]

It looks like 60 Hz hum to me too.

I would suggest isolating the VCR from everything except the capture device. Remove the RF input and any other connections to the TV, etc. The only connections left on the VCR should be the S-Video and the audio cables to the capture device (and AC power, of course). Play a tape and see if the bands are gone.

If so, then reconnect the cables you removed one by one to see what makes the bands reappear.

[naturegal]

Okay, I'll try your suggestions. Thanks to you both.