Would you recommend AVI_IO? Is it worth the $25??

[mikewg]

I have, use, and love VirtualDub but want to be able to use my computer as a ditial VCR. VirtualDub won't do this. I've seen that AVI_IO does this... does anyone have this program? Is it worth the $25? Are the AVI files just as crisp and clear as VirtualDub? Are there any major downsides to the program? Overall, would you recommend this program to me if I want to record different shows at different times on different channels? Thanks for all the great advice!

[TwistedPair]

I felt the same way but needed to record a single channel at different times. AVI_IO works great for this - definetely worth the money! The captures are just as crisp and I see no difference from VirtualDub's output. I'm not sure if there is a way to change channels though as I use a satellite tuner for that.

[vitualis]

You could try downloading the demo to AVI_IO to test it out for yourself before buying it.

Regards.

[mikewg]

Sorry for posting in the wrong forum... since I was asking about how the software plays, I thought it would go in the Software Playing section.

Anyways, I'm going to try the demo tonight. I just wanted to hear people's opinions of it... just wanted to make sure there's no hidden defects or possible situations that could compromise my system.

[FiEND]

no i find it isnt worth the $25 US, especially since it can not capture larger than 4GB avi + it doesnt want to be programmed for channels (at least for me through win98, ME, 2K and XP).

yes, the quality is the same as virtualdub.

i am considering purchasing iuVCR for $25 US but at the moment that is a bit high as well ($50 canadian). the vcr works well, though it works through the windows scheduler so opens and closes all the time. it is a pain to setup at first, ie the channels and such, but after that it is fantastic for recording. you can set up profiles so it will record X shows with X different settings and resolutions/codec etc.

the only problem i have had so far, is dropped frames in iuvcr. with vdub or avi_io i will drop about 18frames per hour. iuvcr can do it in 10 or so, but when they drop its like 3 or 4 at a time - but it has enough tweaking options I can probably fix this when i have more testing time.

[ironwood321]

>no i find it isnt worth the $25 US, especially since it >can not capture larger than 4GB avi + it doesnt want to be >programmed for channels (at least for me through win98, >ME, 2K and XP).

Well the avi limit is 4GB with these os's so you have to set avi_io to capture in numerous files each of say 2GB in size.

[lizzoqops]

I've been using AVI_IO since I started making vcds. It's definitely worth the money. And I can capture more than 4 gigs, you just set it for multi-segment captures.

Liz

[fROOD]

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On 2001-11-09 23:26:32, FiEND wrote:
no i find it isnt worth the $25 US, especially since it can not capture larger than 4GB avi + it doesnt want to be programmed for channels (at least for me through win98, ME, 2K and XP).
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Regarding capturing files larger than 4GB: FiEND may not be aware of the segmented avi option AVI_IO, which can allow it to create AVI files much in excess of 4GB. Segmented AVI files are also supported in some popular editing software, including Virtual Dub - which automatically loads all the segments if it's told to (the default setting). One other consideration is that many applications don't support AVI files larger than 2GB anyhow, so to capture one large file greater than 4GB might not be practical.

Regarding changing channels: If your capture card supports VFW (video for windows), AVI_IO can control the tuner - change channels for you - i.e. you can specify a time and channel for recording. I would guess that FiEND probably has a capture card that uses a WDM driver. In this case, AVI_IO will not be able to control the tuner, because it's actually getting the video from a 'vfw wrapper' and not controlling the card directly.

All in all, I'd say it's a good program, and worth $25. I have found that it runs best under Win98. I actually have two capture cards that I use. One's a generic card w/ a BT848 which supports the VFW driver, and that I run it on a Win98 box with no problems. I record 4 or 5 shows a day. I also have an ATI Radeon All-inWonder card that I used to run in a Win98 box with a 'VFW wrapper' - currently running not so successfully on a Win2K box mind you. On this card, however, AVI_IO is _not_ able to control the tuner, because - I'm assuming here - the 'vfw wrapper' only serves up video from the 'WDM' driver, and cannot control the hardware directly...


-- fROOD