Do I even have a chance?

[qokehead]

Here's my system:

PIII 650 MHz
512 SDRam
ATI AIW Pro 128
Windows XP
40 GB HDD
Lite-On 411S DVD+/- R(W)

I just want to make a backup of some VHS tapes to DVD.

Is there any chance at all this could happen?

I've looked for hours, and when I try with ATI MMC 7.2, wierd stuff happens. It seems to capture fine, but when i play (mpg or mp2) it crashes any player that plays it (WMP, Zoom, ATI Player)

Thanks to any who can help

[housepig]

I did my first captures on a PII/350 with 128Mb of Ram and a 6Gb hard drive. your system will work.

I would suggest checking the Tools section and downloading some other capture apps, like Virtual VCR or Virtualdub, and trying those out. You may have to encode after the fact, but you should be able to capture fine as an avi file.

[presto]

I would stick with MMC if I were you. I had some trouble with various versions along the way but am now using the very latest version with no problems. Download the latest files from ati.com and be sure to uninstall everything first and then install everything in the correct order.

[FulciLives]

I have a P3 650Mhz with 256MB RAM running WinXP Pro. I can capture full D1 resolution using my AverTV Stereo PCI TV tuner type capture card if I use PICVideo MJPEG on the 19 quality setting (20 is the highest). I get no dropped frames but CPU usage is high.

Please note that I have a 30ish GB system drive and an 80GB secondary drive and I capture to the 80GB drive.

So yeah your system is fine but add another HDD

In fact since you have double the RAM that I do you might be able to use HuffyUV. I normally don't because in my tests the CPU spikes every-so-often with HuffyUV causing a dropped frame here or there so although I get very few (maybe 3 to 5 per 30 minutes) it still "bothers" me so I stick to the PICVideo MJPEG codec which doesn't give me ANY dropped frames.

You can pretty much forget capturing direct to MPEG though 'cept maybe VCD resolution.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[qokehead]

I would stick with MMC if I were you. I had some trouble with various versions along the way but am now using the very latest version with no problems. Download the latest files from ati.com and be sure to uninstall everything first and then install everything in the correct order.

I tried downloading the latest versions, and they don't even attempt to install... or they say "Preparing to install..." then simply vanish. This is AFTER it scans and makes sure I'm compatible.

And, here's another problem I'm having... in Virtualdub, when I try to capture, I get this error: "Cannot find a driver to draw this non-rgb image format. Preview and histogram functions will be unavaliable."

I did a google search and only 6 results came up, 2 of which were relavent, 1 was in another language.

I'm getting frusterated.

Thanks for any more help and suggestions!

[lordsmurf]

You must hack the 128PRO for use with ATI MMC 8.1, 8.5 or 8.7 ... guides are forthcoming, but be prepared for a little work. It will be found in the capture guide section, but that one will not be done for another 1-2 weeks. Still trying to make it easy, busy with other updates first also.

ATI MMC is best for ATI AIW captures.

Your computer should handle AVI, low-bit/res MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 captures fine using MMC.

In fact, MMC 7.2 does work too, not as well as newer ones, but it can work. I used it for months, back when it was the new kid on the block, before ATI MMC 7.5, 7.7, 8.0 and now 8.1 (stopped there for now).

The crashing playback is not related to ATI or MMC. That's important to realize. Look at codecs errors on the OS. Ever install a codec pack? If so, uninstall it. Then maybe reinstall Windows Media Player (try v9) as well as reinstall PowerDVD or WinDVD.

[qokehead]

One more update: I got capture to "work" i can now see the display in virtualdub, virtualvcr, and the ati video program. It records the avi, but when i try to play it, it plays for a seconds, then "skips" i guess. It plays the same part over and over, about a 1/2 second long. The rest seems to be farked. I've tried with different compressions, and no compression, all the same result.

[qokehead]

Thanks for responding... I have installed all the codecs manually (no packs) and can play any other avis. Divx, Xvid, etc. I can also play DVDs flawlessly. I have Power DVD installer, and have WMP 9, Zoom Player 3 Pro, and the ATI video player.

Could it be anything else? Could the card be bad? During the capture, it only shows a few frames lost within the first few seconds, and seems to go smoothly after that. Then when I stop the capture, the avi is wierd.

Thanks again.

[presto]

It records the avi, but when i try to play it, it plays for a seconds, then "skips" i guess. It plays the same part over and over, about a 1/2 second long.

I believe this is one of the ways that macrovision protection shows itself. Are you trying to record a commercial tape? If you are, try recording a home movie or a tape your made from TV as a comparison.

[spiderman2k1]

I have a P2 400 with a Dazzle 2 and can capture DVD at the highest setting with no frame drop's. you can get them at www.ebay.com go to www.dazzlegeek.com to read more on Dazzle 2. Dazzle 2 I would say is the best for Satellite capture and Laser Disc but is not the best some time's when it come's to VHS. If the tape is old you may have lip sync problem's.

[qokehead]

I believe this is one of the ways that macrovision protection shows itself. Are you trying to record a commercial tape? If you are, try recording a home movie or a tape your made from TV as a comparison.

Good god, that is it.

I bought it used from blockbuster...

I tried a tape that was recorded off of regular tv, and it worked fine.

Thanks everyone for your help!

[LarryJoe]

From my experience, the ATI MMC is buggy and their TV cards are proprietary and hard to work with. I gave up on my TV Wonder a year ago after waiting patiently for MMC to work correctly with XP. I also found that many third party apps would not work correctly with ATI's drivers and hardware. I invest $50 or so in the AverTV PC Studio and have been very happy.

Your system should be fine, but I agree with other, go get yourself a monster hard drive as they are a cheap enough investment. Captuiring a 2 hour avi may run as much as 20GB of space.

Good luck.

LJ

[bottle-necked]

?.........