Terapin problem can you help?

[vcd4me]

Ok here it is I have backed-up a few movies and have noticed the picture is blurry in some scenes.

Is this normal or Do you think I have a bad Terapin?

I'm looking for someone who is willing to send me a 15 minute preview so I can compare it to mine. I of course am willing to pay for the shipping and disc costs.

Anyone who is willing to help can either post or pm me.

Thanks in advance
VCD4ME

[electronicworld]

I'll send you several movies to sample which I recorded using my Digital Satellite System/D-VHS Recorder and creating my VCD with the Terapin. Send me your name and address (US Only Please). My e-mail address electronics4ever@hotmail.com

[arealgijoe]

I have a terapin and have had very good results.

Catch full screen does not work as well as letter box/wide screen movies.

I have made vcd's of fast action such as behind enemy lines, recent bond movies and more with great detail and action. But these were letter boxed with a little black above and below the movie. My movie clips were done from dvd. my full screen video was from VHS tape.

Full screen & tape source may have something to do with this.

JD my 2pence worth

[vcd4me]

Thanks For the response arealgijoe,

The movies have copied are dvds(letter boxed) as well. The quality isn't that great though

So you have not noticed blurry areas especially in dark sceens

Also are you willing to send a 15 minute video clip of a dvd to me. Electronic world said he would but I haven't heard back from him

Thanks in advance
VCD4ME

[AntnyMD]

You will experience blurriness/blockyness in fast action scenes using the Terapin -- Since it's compressing and burning the CD on the fly, high-motion scenes taxes the allowable bitrate. Given that, using standard settings on a software encoder, I still highly recommend the Terapinf or ease-of-use and real-time capturing from high quality sources using the S-Video cable.

The Terapin web site http://www.goterapin.com will send you a free CD that has a high-motion sequence from a Jackie Chan film. If you can't get anyone here to send over a VCD, TeraOptix will send you one.

[vcd4me]

antnymd,

Well I'm haivng problems in non action sceens

Like te opening sceen from A.I the people are all wearing dark clothes and if you look close you can see blurriness.

As for non-digital cable that's unwatchable

any more suggestions
VCD4ME

[AntnyMD]

Dont sit too close to the TV

Seriously, any VCD will look progressively better the farther away you are from the television. Given that I made a test dub of A.I. myself when my Terapin first arrived, and there's just too much detail in those opening sequences, especially when William Hurt is giving his boring ass lecture. Darks in VCD never reproduce faithfully, and detailed scenes look so grainy it can hurt your eyes. Notice the complete clarity when the couple is driving to the lab to visit their son? Theres lots of light, its outside, and VCD loves bright scenes.

Also, if you're using the composite connection (rather than the S-Video connection), you would do well to switch to the S-Video immediately. The difference in picture quality between the two is remarkable.

[vcd4me]

Ok great so your saying this is as good as it gets?

Does media factor in a lot. Do you really have to use 74 mi cdr and does brand really matter can you see any diffrence in your media. I have only used the terapin cd-rs, cd-rws., but thought it might be that so I tried one other brand and still same thing.

and no I'm not sitting that close but it,s o a 32" tv. I talked to a guy who said he loves his terapin and come to find out he's watching it on a 19"tv.

Talk to you soon
VCD4ME

[estariol]

When I use S-Video from my digi box I get a black and white picture only, but S-video from dvd works fine any ideas why???

Also manafacturers say to only use 'for audio' / consumer audio cdr's, has anyone found this to matter???

And finally the vcd's from the terapin don't play on my microboss dvd player although it supports vcd 1.1 and plays all my vcd's bought and made (VCD 2.0) just fine???

[arealgijoe]

I use cheap CD-r media for VideoCD. I does seem to require consumer audio blanks for audio only record.

[AntnyMD]

Media matters to the Terapin. Although nearly any blank CD will work in the Terapin, performance is markedly better when using blank CD's for "consumer" or "audio" use. I also have found (though I havent tested that widely) that blank TDK discs work well. The audio/video sync is brilliant for me on my portable Napa player (which is about to be retired to the back of the closet) and in Quicktime 5 on the computer.

As for picture quality, I'm sorry to say yes, this is as good as it gets. VCD, for all of its portability, convenience, and cheapness-to-produce, there just isn't enough bitrate allowed to make picture quality "outstanding." I mean, if VCD was really the best, we wouldn't have DVD today.

[classfour]

MEDIA MATTERS with the Terapin - A lesson learned the hard way: I managed to burn out the CD/RW drive on the first one in a year - OUT OF WARRANTY - and have replaced it with another. I did shop the other brands of VCD recorders recently: most were about $500 or so - including freight from Hong Kong (is this where you have to return the bad ones???). After doing that, I purchased a Terapin for audio recordings, and a Panasonic DMR-E20 for DVD recording - only about $100 higher than one of the SVCD recorders - without the loud fan noise. If anyone can locate another drive for a Terapin, let me know: Terapin wants $186 for a replacement.