Capture problems with Winfast 2000XP Deluxe

[akrein62]

Trying to capture video with the Leadtek 2000XP Deluxe is giving me fits. Every time I capture, I get frames with very visible defects. These defects show up as horizontal lines through individual frames sporadically throughout a capture. The capture apps I've tried include the tweaked version of VirtualVCR and Ulead DVD Movie Factory 2.5SE. Codecs used have been direct to mpeg2, Huffyuv and uncompressed avi. Sources are either Dishnetwork receiver via s-video and laserdisc via composite video. I'm capturing 720x480 NTSC but have tried 32x480 as well.

Here's my system details:

Windows XP Pro SP2, latest drivers for Leadtek card, 1.4 GHz Celeron (a Powerleap processor upgrade from the original P3 500), 440BX motherboard, 384 MB PC100 RAM, 80GB 7200rpm hard drive connected to a Promise Ultra100 TX2 controller card.

Is my system inadequate, or is something else wrong? Help! I want to convert my laserdiscs to dvd before my player dies and I'd like to capture my Hi8 camcorder tapes as well.

An example frame is included.

Thanks,

Andy

[akrein62]

here's the image, I think.

Andy

[akrein62]

One last time

[akrein62]

Alright. I resorted to reading the faq and found out you can't directly load an image. Despite this, I'd really like some help with my problem.

Andy

[akrein62]

Someone must be able to help me diagnose my problem. Unfortunately, I don't have anywhere to post my frame capture which would better describe what I'm talking about.

Please?

Andy

[gifty74]

I have the same card, and I tried at least 5 capture programs, including the Winfast PVR that came with it. I played around with all the different formats, and it is confusing for sure. My goal is to capture all my VHS and burn them to DVD. So, to save time, I played around with a capture profile that would capture it straight to MPEG2, so I could burn it right to dvd without a conversion. After many hours of testing different programs and profiles, I found that WinDVD is the best program capturing to MPEG2 with this card. I use the DVD NTSC LP profile, which is half D1 in resolutions, 352x480, with a bit rate of 3000kbit/sec. This puts it down on the HD pretty well, and is night and day between it and the same resolution and compression codec in the Winfast PVR program that came with it. Can't figure that one out, but the file sizes are exactly the same, and the quality is not even close. So, I would try capturing that way, or at least try WinDVD, especially for this card. I tried a lot of others, including Ulead DVD capture like you did. Let me know how you make out.

[BOXINGJUNKIE]

Try VirtalVCR with the Leadtek. It works great. Make sure you get the one patched for the Leadtek cards.

Boxingjunkie

[akrein62]

Well, I tried WinDVD. Nice software, but I still get bad frames. Not dropped frames, but frames with the line noise. Also, I don't like that it deinterlaces by default. My interlaced laserdisc source was saved as progressive.

I've been using the tweaked version of VirtualVCR to quite some time, so that's not the solution.

I think it's back to a hardware issue.

Thanks,

Andy

[thecoalman]

Alright. I resorted to reading the faq and found out you can't directly load an image. Despite this, I'd really like some help with my problem.

Andy

Use the following format:

[*img]imagename.jpg[*/img]

***Do not include the "*'s", I had to use them so it appeared properly

Go down to the browse button on the bottom click it, find your image and clicl submit. Don't use the preview when submitting. You can upload multiple image by clicking the edit button then repeat.

[winifreid]

I have this card, but a faster computer. One last thing you might try to eliminate the speed of your computer, is use picvideo codec at 19 and a resolution of 320x480. Your setup may not be fast enough to process mpeg2 at full resolution and your bus and HD may not be fat enough to capture huffyuv. Anyway, an image would be nice since it actually sounds more like interference. Do you see the problem when you just view without capturing. Make sure you turn off all virus software and other active programs and have a defragged disk.

[BrainStorm69]

Use the following format:

[*img]imagename.jpg[*/img]

***Do not include the "*'s", I had to use them so it appeared properly

Go down to the browse button on the bottom click it, find your image and clicl submit. Don't use the preview when submitting. You can upload multiple image by clicking the edit button then repeat.

Just don't forget that your images must be 50KB or less.

BTW, I would think that your system is unlikely to be able to capture directly to mpeg on the fly without dropping frames. I would try capping using the Picvideo mjeg codec mentioned above. Also, you sound fairly knowledgable, but are you sure you're not just seeing interlacing?

[thecoalman]

Just don't forget that your images must be 50KB or less.

Actually it's 150, it was changed a while ago.

[BrainStorm69]

Well, shows how much I pay attention! I've still been shrinking things to 50K!

[akrein62]

Thanks for the ideas. Here's the picture, I hope. It's definitely not interlacing. I know what that looks like. Also, I don't see the problems when previewing. Just when capturing. I can sit and watch the preview for quite a while and it looks fine. As soon as I hit the captue button, I start to get the problem frames. Interference is a distinct possibilty. I turn off all possible running prcesses, including anti-vius, with EndItAll. These are all good sugestions.

Thanks,

Andy

[akrein62]

[c0d3h4x0r]

I had this exact same problem on my system (AverTV Stereo capture card on an MSI KT4 Ultra motherboard) many months back, and drove myself crazy trying to fix it.

But in the end, I solved it with a simple fix: I took the entire system completely apart (including removing the CPU), blew out out all the dust from all slots/jacks/connectors using compressed air, and carefully brushed all the dust off all circuit component surfaces using my girlfriend's super-soft blush brush from her make-up kit (perfect for dusting off circuit boards!). When I put it all back together, the "interference" lines were gone.

So, I chalked it up to an issue of dust. People don't think about it much, but dust can be conductive (especially if you ever do anything, like, say, filing/grinding/drilling metal anywhere in the same room as your PC) or can carry static charge, and when it builds up on exposed circuit board surfaces or connectors it can ultimately cause all kinds of bizarre problems or even component failure.

[SLK001]

It looks like it's you VCR. The amplitude of your horizontal sync pulses aren't high enough to trigger the card.

[winifreid]

If it was the vcr, why is the problem only appearent during capture and not viewing?

[SLK001]

I didn't read that he didn't experience the problem during viewing only. To test whether or not it is the player, run your laserdisk output to your card, and examine the output.

That's the card I use (with VirtualVCR), but I have a faster machine. You say that it only happens in parts of the video? Are any other programs running on your system during capture?