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  1. Member
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    Thank you.

    The DVR is a Samsung SMT-H3270. I have Time Warner Cable. I also use a Super-VHS VCR for some capturing. Same thing - anemic audio. It's as if the ArcSoft program refuses to capture any audio in a bitrate over 93 kbps. Optical input, HDMI... doesn't matter. Arghhh...
    I have bad news.

    The default digital audio output for your DVR is 2 channel PCM audio. A few years ago, users could go into the DVR's diagnostic menu and set up their box to output AC3 over HDMI instead. However, TWC updated the software for their Samung DVRs and removed that option. Now AC3 over HDMI is enabled/disabled automatically based on EDID information received from the HDMI sink device. (The sink is whatever device is connected to the DVR's HDMI port.) This means that if the sink device's EDID says it can decode AC3 audio received via HDMI, the DVR is supposed to send it. However, since you are using a splitter, things become more complicated and the order in which devices are turned on might matter.

    According to http://www.hdmi.org/CEDIA2011/6-QuantumData-CEDIA_Seminar_%5BCompatibility_Mode%5D.pdf: When splitter is used, the EDID can be one of the following:
    EDID of the device connected initially.
    A forced or “provisioned” EDID.
    Mathematical intersection of the two devices

    Try turning the PC/Colossus on last and then try turning the TV on last to see if it makes a difference. If the Colossus is receiving AC3 over HDMI it will be displayed in Showbiz with the other A/V characteristics on the capture screen.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 13th Dec 2014 at 00:02.
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    I think I will try removing the splitter later on and just running one HDMI cable straight from the DVR to my PC... I haven't tried that yet. I'll definitely report my audio and video results. Either that, or I'll just unplug the TV monitor from the splitter, if there's some sort of digital protection on the DVR's recordings.

    EDIT: That won't work, either. It wouldn't explain why the other inputs won't yield a bit rate better than 93.5 kbps either.
    Last edited by xtremeD63; 13th Dec 2014 at 00:48.
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    I did make a few test captures where the Colossus recorded 2-channel AAC audio and the audio bitrate was not under 192 kbps. I have no explanation other than drivers for the low bitrate in your recordings. If you are using the drivers from the installation disk, try downloading and installing the latest drivers from Hauppauge's support page for the Colossus. http://www.hauppauge.com/site/support/support_colossus.html

    If that doesn't help, the only other thing I can think of to try is to use SPDIF from the DVR as the audio source and try to capture AC3 audio. I can't find out which video connections your DVR allows to be used in combination with SPDIF for audio, but maybe the DVR can output 5.1 channel AC3 audio via SPDIF. Toslink cables are not necessarily expensive. http://www.monoprice.com/Search?cp_id=10229&keyword=toslink%20cable
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    Thank you for the link. It's just one thing after another, though... I tried to update, but I get the precious message that the device doesn't exist! I looked it up in Device Manager, and of course it's there. I use it every day. It just won't encode the audio in an acceptable bitrate. Discouraging to say the least.
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    Thank you for the link. It's just one thing after another, though... I tried to update, but I get the precious message that the device doesn't exist! I looked it up in Device Manager, and of course it's there. I use it every day. It just won't encode the audio in an acceptable bitrate. Discouraging to say the least.
    I found a sagetv.com forum post by someone who encountered a similar problem (device not found) during driver installation . Maybe you will see something helpful there. http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?p=494383&postcount=1053

    Based on past experience, I think a lot of capture devices are tricky to get working properly.
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    EDIT: That won't work, either. It wouldn't explain why the other inputs won't yield a bit rate better than 93.5 kbps either.
    It won't solve the problem for the analog inputs, but it would be a workaround allowing you to get the original AC3 audio from your DVR (if it works). The Hauppauge devices don't force compress the audio when they receive AC3 like they do if the input is 2-channel.
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    Here's something I found - I recorded from HDMI to the .ts format and the sound was perfect. I have no idea what the bitrate is because MediaInfo does not report bitrate for that format, I guess. The only problem? The audio will not open up in my video editor. Only the video. It's always something, isn't it? Good grief!
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    Here's something I found - I recorded from HDMI to the .ts format and the sound was perfect. I have no idea what the bitrate is because MediaInfo does not report bitrate for that format, I guess. The only problem? The audio will not open up in my video editor. Only the video. It's always something, isn't it? Good grief!
    Yes, you should always use TS when capturing with the Colossus. That is its native format. I'm sorry I did not think to ask you about the capture file format earlier.

    What editor are you using? Most people who buy an HD capture device that hardware encodes use either VideoReDo TV Suite H.264 or TS-Doctor. They seem to do a better job handling various irregularities in the capture files than other editors.
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    I use Sony Vegas. I have been using it for years now and I'm very familiar with it. Are those you mentioned anything like Vegas?
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    I use Sony Vegas. I have been using it for years now and I'm very familiar with it. Are those you mentioned anything like Vegas?
    I don't have Vegas. but Google tells me that Vegas is known to have problems when AAC audio is combined with H.264 video in some container file formats. Vegas is also intended to be used with a perfect sources, which an HD capture device won't normally provide.

    VideoReDo TV Suite H.264 and TS-Doctor are not like Vegas. They are simple editors, not NLEs and they were designed to deal with common imperfections found in TV captures, like audio errors, corrupt and missing frames, and sequence errors. Both are supposed to work for editing H.264 video and AAC audio in a TS container. I have only used TV Suite H.264, but some here like TS-Doctor better.
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    I'll have to try out both of those, if they have trial editions.

    I still wish I knew why the 192 and 256 kbps settings are available for .mp4 recording with ArcSoft and Colossus, but I can only get 93 kbps. Life with this new hardware (and software) would be so much simpler.
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    Still playing with this hardware.

    Will this hardware record in 59.94 fps? Even when I record in .TS format, the motion isn't as smooth as the original in playback. I try all different kinds of deinterlacing in playback, including no deinterlacing, but the motion is that of 29.97 fps. Am I trying for something that this hardware will not do?
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    Still playing with this hardware.

    Will this hardware record in 59.94 fps? Even when I record in .TS format, the motion isn't as smooth as the original in playback. I try all different kinds of deinterlacing in playback, including no deinterlacing, but the motion is that of 29.97 fps. Am I trying for something that this hardware will not do?
    The Colossus can only record in the same resolution and frame rate as the source being captured, and it is only capable of recording up to 1080i. If you record a 720p or 480p source, it records 59.94 fps. If you record a 480i or 1080i source, it records 29.97 fps. The Colossus does not record 1080p.

    A 1080i capture made by the Colossus will play smoothly on a PC as long as the software player deinterlaces properly, the PC's video card and CPU are adequate, and the capture itself is not missing any frames. What are you using to play the captures?

    [Edit]Before I forget to tell you, there is something else to be aware of with the Colossus. The Colossus, like some other HD capture devices made by Hauppauge, may inexplicably stop working now and then, especially if left on for a couple of days. This has happened to me twice in the 5 months that I have owned my Colossus. If it happens to you, you need to power cycle the card. Shut down Windows. Unplug the PC's PSU power cord from the wall socket. Press the power button on the PC to drain any residual power from the motherboard, then plug the PSU back into the wall socket, and turn on the PC as usual. That should get the Colossus working again.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 19th Dec 2014 at 13:42. Reason: grammar
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    Thanks for the heads-up on the Colossus. Fortunately, that hasn't happened to me yet.

    I use uPlayer to play back just about everything on my PC. The TV reports the source picture from the DVR as 720p 60... so then I record it to my PC via Colossus. When I open the recorded .TS file (or .mp4, whichever I choose) in MediaInfo, it reports only 29.97 fps. Strange.
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    Thanks for the heads-up on the Colossus. Fortunately, that hasn't happened to me yet.

    I use uPlayer to play back just about everything on my PC. The TV reports the source picture from the DVR as 720p 60... so then I record it to my PC via Colossus. When I open the recorded .TS file (or .mp4, whichever I choose) in MediaInfo, it reports only 29.97 fps. Strange.
    I have never heard of uPlayer before, let alone used it. I use Pot Player or Media Player Classic Home Cinema most of the time, and VLC once in a while.

    What does MediaInfo say about the resolution for this 29.97 fps file? I made a few test captures of channels that I know are 720p and surprisingly, I recorded 1080i video instead. My cable box was at fault. It had lost power at some point and went back to the default output setting of 1080i. I set up my cable box so that it would output 1080i, 720p, 480p, and 1080i, not just 1080i, which solved the problem. Your DVR can probably output video at a different resolution than the original channel used when broadcast too. Make sure that Arcsoft Showbiz reports a 720p signal before recording.
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    Okay... the TV info screen reported the resolution at 1280x720, 60P. I recorded a minute or so. When I opened the .TS file in MediaInfo, it reported 1280x720, but 29.97 fps. I wonder where I'm going wrong...?

    EDIT: When I opened the same .TS file in Vegas, it reports 59.94 fps... oh hell. Too bad Vegas doesn't recognize an audio stream. If it did, I wouldn't have this dilemma.
    Last edited by xtremeD63; 19th Dec 2014 at 21:37.
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    I guess there's not too much more to gain on the subject, but instead of starting a new thread, I'll ask a new question here:

    Can I capture a game (a simple 8-Bit Nintendo Game) played on my PC with the Colossus card?

    Thanks!
    Last edited by xtremeD63; 28th Dec 2014 at 23:57.
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    I'm striking out here. I'll try another similar but different question: is there a device or card that will work with Windows XP 32-bit that will record at least 720p @ 60 fps? I don't even need 1080p. Colossus will not let me record 60 fps in any resolution or format.

    Thanks!
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    I'm striking out here. I'll try another similar but different question: is there a device or card that will work with Windows XP 32-bit that will record at least 720p @ 60 fps? I don't even need 1080p. Colossus will not let me record 60 fps in any resolution or format.

    Thanks!
    Look at http://gamerzone.avermedia.com//game_capture/game_capture_hd_2 it is an external, stand alone device. Your OS shouldn't matter because it doesn't need to use a PC to record. It has one timer event available in its firmware to control the start time and duration for captures.

    The AverMedia HD DVR C027 has XP drivers and captures from HDMI but uses software to encode. The Startech StarTech PEXHDCAP has XP drivers available and captures from HDMI but uses software to encode. Both are supposed to work with AmaRecTV or Cyberlink PowerDirector for capture. Both can capture 720p60 as 720p60. I have not tried either device.

    The Colossus is the only internal HDMI capture device I know of that has driver support for windows XP and hardware encodes. I have read here that MP4 recording doesn't work well, producing a file that is very jerky when played back, so I never bothered with it. I'm accustomed to using TS files so I don't care about having MP4 available. However, I can't imagine why your Colossus won't record a TS file at 720p60, if it is receiving 720p60 since it can only record at the resolution and frame rate it receives from the source. I have had no such problems with it using Windows 7 32-bit. I don't have an XP machine anymore.

    I posted two 1 minute 720p capture files https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/369290-Testing-Video-Upload?p=2365532#post2365532
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 1st Jan 2015 at 12:08.
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    I guess there's not too much more to gain on the subject, but instead of starting a new thread, I'll ask a new question here:

    Can I capture a game (a simple 8-Bit Nintendo Game) played on my PC with the Colossus card?

    Thanks!
    Chances are the Colossus won't work for that. The Colossus is designed for recording TV and the output from modern video game consoles up to 1080i. Typical PC monitors require progressive video at their native resolution at 60fps. The only 60fps progressive resolutions the Colossus captures are 720p60 and 480p60. It won't capture 1080p60 video.
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    I wonder then... if it's the ArcSoft software that won't let me have the 720p-60. I found in the program, video settings, that it will record at 60 fps and 30 fps but will output only 30 fps for either. I guess I'm out of luck with ArcSoft.

    The game thing is no big deal - I was just hoping.

    I'm now looking into those other programs/devices you linked me to. Thank you again for your help!
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    Originally Posted by xtremeD63 View Post
    I wonder then... if it's the ArcSoft software that won't let me have the 720p-60. I found in the program, video settings, that it will record at 60 fps and 30 fps but will output only 30 fps for either. I guess I'm out of luck with ArcSoft.

    The game thing is no big deal - I was just hoping.

    I'm now looking into those other programs/devices you linked me to. Thank you again for your help!
    The two video samples I posted here were captured with the version of ArcSoft Showbiz supplied with the Colossus.

    I don't know what the problem might be... XP drivers, XP + ShowBiz, your DVR, or something else about your system. My HTPC is an AMD Socket AM3 dual core system, not anything new or special.

    [Edit]I just checked "Scaling" and "Framerate" on the Arcsoft Format window. Everything is set to "Source", the default. I did not experiment with those settings, because I did not want to change the frame rate from the original.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 1st Jan 2015 at 13:04.
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    I have never been able to get MediaInfo to report my recordings as 59.94 fps. Here's a picture of my ArcSoft settings menu - maybe someone can tell me if my error is here...?

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    I don't have the Enable box checked for the Video Scaler, plus I have "Resolution Downscaling" set to Source all the way across and "Frame Rate Downscaling" set to Source for all resolutions, not 30fps.

    [Edit]I have only used Level 4 or Level 4.1 for the Encoder. I sometimes record shows my mother would like to watch that are not available to her via "On Demand", and I'm not sure that 4.2 is supported by her Blu-Ray player.
    Last edited by usually_quiet; 1st Jan 2015 at 13:47.
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    You

    are

    the

    man.

    I set things the way you described and now, in .ts format, it records and outputs 720p @60 fps, and it looks so much better! Now I can safely take all that stuff off the DVR and free up the space.

    EDIT: What do those 'levels' affect?

    Thank you so much. You have been invaluable!
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    I'm glad the problem turned out to be something that was not hard to see or correct. I was starting to feel like I recommended a product that is now broken for use with XP.

    There is a section in Wikipedia's H.264 article that describes each of the various levels and profiles. The level and profile used for encoding should not be be more advanced than what the decoder can handle, or playback won't be successful.
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