I give up

[RafNunes]

It's true!
I think i'm going to give up capturing video. I'm very disappointed with it. I can't capture with a reasonable quality in MPEG. And in AVI, files are very very big. I've tried many codecs (Picvideo MJPEG, Huffyuv, etc). The problem persists. I can't capture anything above 352x240 without frame loss. I think my system isn't so weak (K7 650 x 128MB RAM). I'd like to backup some VHS cassetes into VCD to prevent its against the time and dust, but I'm going to desist. When I read some articles about AIW, many people said it was very good, they could capture at 640x480 even with a celeron 466... I think there is a big error by myself or that people were lying. I don't know. Now, I have to use my card only to play GP3 and I have to pray to it stops crashing after 5 minutes of play. I'm nervous with my card.
Well, I'm sorry, but I couldn't be quiet. I could express my insatisfaction. Thanks all that helped me. And, if I discover the problem, I'll tell you.

[TIbrO]

Remember that it's not just processor speed that matters. Your hardrives need to be fast and your entire system must be fast. Everything is real cheap now, due to all of the new technologies coming out. 512MB stick of PC133 SDRAM is $40 and a new 1.4Ghz AMD Athlon will cost you $163. 20GB ATA/100 IBM Deskstars are only $70. An EPoX 8KTA3+ is only $99 now.

Those prices are from pricewatch.com and were true when I last looked them up a few days ago. And they only get lower by the day, so who knows, the prices might have dropped even further by now.

So for $373 you can get a whole new system. A 20GB ATA/100 drive to add for video capturing, keep your current one for OS and apps, and the new motherboard, processor, and 512MB stick of RAM... You should also try different operating systems, I recommend 2K for now, and XP when it comes out.

[WMike]

I don't blame you.

If you don't have the time/patience to learn the technology, then you'll find this very frustrating. The results can be highly satisfying, but you definately have to take the time to tweak, learn, read and then read some more. Since pursuing this, my skill level of dealing with computers has improved dramatically, not to mention the learning of the video technology. I can only imagine what it was like for some of these guys who have been doing this a few years......yikes!

Your system (at least what you described) is better than many people who are successful making video's. You likely have some conflicts/deficiencies in software or hardware that is impeding the performance. Just because your computer is running well on the web of with other software, doesn't mean it's optimized for video work (found that out the hard way). Sounds like more investigation is needed. If you DO decide to stay in, maybe hook up with someone who is experienced who is willing to mentor you. I'd offer, and will help to the limits of my ability, but I'm pretty green myself.

Either way, it's supposed to be fun and enjoyable. If it isn't, just buy the video's or replace/re-record tapes every few years and save yourself the grief.

Good luck
Mike