Issue w/ video capture...

[UniversalOne]

Hello and thanks for taking time to look at my thread... I need help capturing video from a DVR using a ATI 128 PCI AIW... I know the card is a little out of date but i figured it could do the job and it's really the only option I have at the moment. . .

My issue is w/ the video that is produced when i record w/ a program such as iuVCR... When i am viewing the preview everything looks correct and sounds in sync. After I record I get bright magenta and green pixels instead of color. It only shows up this way after i view the video i've just made. I would like to know where to start if it is a codec issue or an issue w/ the video drivers... I'm really new to video capturing and would like to produce a good quality video that would be decent looking converted to a dvd. the input source for the video ends up corrupt when using s-video and composite... no matter what i do i just cant get it to produce a good video.. I had used premiere 6.0 and the video capture there was just as the preview but there was a problem w/ it only recording up to 15 minutes then losing the rest of the 1/2 hr show. I dont know what the problem was w/ that either. But i have moved on and found iuVCR to be a good replacement although now the video i produce is garbage. Please offer some advice on what the issue may be so i can begin to look into it.... I'm sure you'll want to know my specs but I can produce them when needed, right now i'm using a different computer so i'd have to double check them to be sure.

Any ideas on what could be the cause? is there anyone who has experienced this issue before?

I thought about uploading my test video to youtube so you can see what i see, if you'd like i can do this upon request if you dont quite know what i mean when i say it, i can put a link to it once i get it uploaded... let me know what else you need from me to be of more help... and thank you very much again for your time and ideas.

[DarrellS]

Have you tried the MMC sofware that comes with the ATI AIW? That's the recommended capture software for these cards. They have built in tuners also which makes them a DVR in themselves.

You may need special hardware and software to capture from a DVR to PC since cable companies don't really want you doing this.

[Nelson37]

What codec are you using to capture? Huffy, mpg1, mpg2, ??? What settings in terms of resolution, bitrate, interlacing, etc?

These "magenta and green pixels instead of color". Do you mean the video is basically black and white, or are these magenta and green pixels randomly distributed, and only appear briefly? This would be a classic sign of some sort of data and/or codec corrutpion.

Why are you not using the best software for the card, the software designed to use its on-board hardware, the software that came with it, the ATI MMC? It is by no means perfect, but for that card, there is nothing better or even close for MPG capture.

What software are you using for viewing? This is particularly important combined with codec choice. The "artifacts" you are seeing may not actually be present in the captured video, they could be induced into the preview by the chosen software.

Have you completed the process by making a test CD or DVD and testing in a standalone player?