Is there 3rd party software to let WinTV USB 2.0 PVR capture widescreen?

[GSP_87]

If not, what's good to use to capture widescreen DVD quality to DVD compliant MPEG2 via s-video? I can get my existing Hauppauge WinTV to do pretty good with SD, but am afraid to take a chance on a new Hauppauge device for widescreen because I don't think you can have multiple versions of the WinTV software on the same computer and I would like to keep the old device operational just in case a new device doesn't work right. Are there new Hauppauge devices that can do widescreen HD and also widescreen and SD DVD compliant MPEG2? Thanks.

[hech54]

If you are talking about this one:
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_usblive2.html
...I have never used WinTV to capture with it.

[usually_quiet]

If not, what's good to use to capture widescreen DVD quality to DVD compliant MPEG2 via s-video? I can get my existing Hauppauge WinTV to do pretty good with SD, but am afraid to take a chance on a new Hauppauge device for widescreen because I don't think you can have multiple versions of the WinTV software on the same computer and I would like to keep the old device operational just in case a new device doesn't work right. Are there new Hauppauge devices that can do widescreen HD and also widescreen and SD DVD compliant MPEG2? Thanks.

Do you mean this device? http://www.amazon.com/Hauppauge-WinTV-PVR-USB-Tuner-Personal-Video-Recorder/dp/B0000AL...pr_product_top

I don't really understand what you want. Do you want an HDTV tuner with the ability to capture DVD-compatible video from an S-Video connection? ...or do you want a capture device with no tuner that can capture HD video and SD video in MPEG-2 format from a line input? Do you need a device with a USB interface for the machine described in your computer details?

As far as capturing SD widescreen video, there is nothing in an NTSC SD analog signal that indicates whether the video being sent is 16:9 or 4:3. If given an NTSC SD anamorphic widescreen source to capture (no letterbox bars), the capture will have no letterbox bars, and won't be cropped, but will be squished into a 4:3 frame. If the video received isn't anamorphic widescreen, but is 4:3 with letterbox bars, then the capture will also be 4:3 with letterbox bars. I don't think a device or software could automatically detect and "correct" that either. In both cases the video can only be fixed after capturing.

[GSP_87]

If not, what's good to use to capture widescreen DVD quality to DVD compliant MPEG2 via s-video? I can get my existing Hauppauge WinTV to do pretty good with SD, but am afraid to take a chance on a new Hauppauge device for widescreen because I don't think you can have multiple versions of the WinTV software on the same computer and I would like to keep the old device operational just in case a new device doesn't work right. Are there new Hauppauge devices that can do widescreen HD and also widescreen and SD DVD compliant MPEG2? Thanks.

Do you mean this device? http://www.amazon.com/Hauppauge-WinTV-PVR-USB-Tuner-Personal-Video-Recorder/dp/B0000AL...pr_product_top

I don't really understand what you want. Do you want an HDTV tuner with the ability to capture DVD-compatible video from an S-Video connection? ...or do you want a capture device with no tuner that can capture HD video and SD video in MPEG-2 format from a line input? Do you need a device with a USB interface for the machine described in your computer details?

As far as capturing SD widescreen video, there is nothing in an NTSC SD analog signal that indicates whether the video being sent is 16:9 or 4:3. If given an NTSC SD anamorphic widescreen source to capture (no letterbox bars), the capture will have no letterbox bars, and won't be cropped, but will be squished into a 4:3 frame. If the video received isn't anamorphic widescreen, but is 4:3 with letterbox bars, then the capture will also be 4:3 with letterbox bars. I don't think a device or software could automatically detect and "correct" that either. In both cases the video can only be fixed after capturing.

This is what I have, but the link jumps to some other page. http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/products/data_pvrusb2.html What you describe with the anamorphic squished 4x3 is what mine does. What I want is a device that takes S-Video + white & red audio and captures that into widescreen. If there's such a device that will take ATSC widescreen via the coaxial input and capture in widescreen DVD compliant, that'd be good.

[jagabo]

What you describe with the anamorphic squished 4x3 is what mine does.

All you have to do is tell your DVD authoring software the file is 16:9 DAR. You don't need any special capture software. There's no difference between a 4:3 and 16:9 MPEG capture execpt for a flag in the header(s). There are tools that will let you change the DAR flag. TsMuxer, for example, will do it. But it will give you a TS container, not an MPG container. Mpg2Cut2 will let you remux to MPG with 16:9 flags.

[usually_quiet]

If there's such a device that will take ATSC widescreen via the coaxial input and capture in widescreen DVD compliant, that'd be good.

There is no such device for a computer. All ATSC PC TV tuners and their software capture the tuned MPEG-2 stream as is. They don't re-encode it to be DVD compliant. Most people want their recordings from HD channels in HD, not SD. Even the MPEG-2 streams from SD ATSC channels may not be DVD compliant. The GOPs are often too long for compliance with the standard.

The only workarounds I can suggest is that you get one of the DTA converter boxes made by Channel Master and capture from their S-Video output using your existing device

http://www.channelmasterstore.com/HD_Antenna_Tuner_CM_7001_p/cm-7001.htm
http://www.channelmasterstore.com/Digital_to_Analog_Converter_Box_p/cm-7000.htm

... or get a DVD recorder with an ATSC tuner. I have one. It converts an HDTV signal to anamorphic widescreen DVD-compatible video as it records, and can create a DVD, although it doesn't set the widescreen flags either.

[jagabo]

Ah, I finally remembered which program will allow you to patch the MPEG headers in-place (ie, in the original file, without having to create a new file): DVD Patcher. It works on VOB and MPG containers.