Alternative Capture software for Dazzle DVC2?

[simoncoverdale]

Hello all,

It would appear that the software for the Dazzle DVCII (Even the upgrade to 4.23) is rubbish to put it mildly.

Does anyone know of any software that can be used to capture with Dazzle?

Also, the Dazzle DVCII does have "TV Out" facility, but only if you play the file through the Dazzle software, which will not recognize DivX files. Any help?

SIMON COVERDALE
(simon.coverdale@simoncoverdale.com)

[whitetigerboy]

Well, I don't have Dazzle II, I have Dazzle 1. The name of the software that came with Dazzle 1 is Movie Star and I found that after I downloaded the DivX codec, I could open and view DivX files in the MovieStar player window on my PC -sometimes, unpredictably, but could not use the External Device mode to send them to my TV. I think the problem is briefly this: the chip inside the Dazzle is an embedded mpeg endcoder/decoder: mpeg-1 for Dazzle 1 and mpeg-2 for Dazzle II and the software, in external device mode simply streams out the file in bits to the Dazzle which converts it to a video signal for your TV.
So to play back DivX's you'd need some type of software that could read in MPEG-4 and stream it out in MPEG-2 and I'm not sure that's available. I'll tell you what I did do: I got a second video card, an ATI AllInWonder128 16 bit and it went easily in my Dell and it has an out-to-TV port on it that you can connect to the input of your VCR via an RCA cable. You can get a mini-to-RCA 'Y' cable to connect your sound card to the audio inputs. What you get is an 'extended desktop' (I assume your using windows) - when you move something off the screen of your primary display, it appears on your tv - it's a little freaky at first (you use the 'settings' tab on your display properties to position the two displays with respect to one another). Then what you do is use windows Media Player on the extended desktop to view the DivX's - and if you're piping it through your vcr you can tape them. You cannot run Media Player in full screen though as it then defaults to your primary display - your pc monitor, but you can play with the window size to get a nice 'letter box' effect on your tv. Caution: there's another device I forget the name of that retails for around 100.00 that is basically an interface between your cpu and your monitor that has an out-to-tv cable that just replicates your primary display to your tv. I returned mine in favor of the second video card as the quality on that device was poor and the ati quality is excellent.

[JHebert]

There is a 3rd party capture prog for the Dazzle 2 called TWNH that is supposed to be a lot more stable then the MovieStar software especially for long captures.
Try searching for it in the Tools here or at this site:
http://stop.at/dazzle2

[whitetigerboy]

Another alternative: Use TMPGEnc to convert from DivX to mpeg-2. I tried using it to convert a DivX to mpeg-1 and it played thru External Mode on my Dazzle 1 and the program is capable of converting to MPEG-2. It's a little complicated so be sure to consult the page on this site about using it - it's complicated (http://www.vcdhelp.com/tmpgenc.htm) and the page has really good instructions.