2 tv capturing questions from a newbie

[mrgee]

ok just got wintv usb for my laptop and dont know much about codecs etc so i want to know
1 are there any codecs better than others that will enable better picture quality ?

2 what is the best tv vhs dvd capture software available . im ususing wintv2000 that came with wintv ?

thanks

[andkiich]

1) Read this: http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/codecs-103-1.htm

2) Depends. If you are wantingto capture to AVI, a lot of people like using VirtualDub. It's free and can be found in the TOOLS section.

[grossjamesh]

Go to the Hauppauge web site and download the latest drivers.

Look at the web site http://www.shspvr.com/ for whole bunch of info.

I have used the WINTV PVR USB and found it to produce excellent results.

[Anonymous65]

I assume it's the WinTV USB, not the PVR USB. So, you're limited to 320x240 capture resolutions. You can make VCD's, but not DVD's.

[mrgee]

thanks guys but still not sure why i cant watch digital tv chanels on it ?

[grossjamesh]

To be able to view the digital channels you would need a decoder box.
However you should be able to see the the basic analog stations carried on the cable system.

[mrgee]

To be able to view the digital channels you would need a decoder box.
However you should be able to see the the basic analog stations carried on the cable system.

i can get chanels 1-5 no problem with sound mate but when i select the cable chanel and browse through them i can watch any chanel i want no probs i just have no sound well there is some sound its all like static but you can heare whats being said slightly

[Richard_G]

What country are you in? If you are in a PAL country, there are different versions. Some have audio which is offset from the video carrier by 6 MHz, others have a 6.5 MHz offset. If you have selected the wrong PAL version, you will be trying to receive an audio signal 6.5 MHz away from the video signal when it is actually 6 MHz away or vice verca. This would explain why the sound you hear is all static, it isn't tuned in properly. For the UK you need PAL-I (which has a 6 MHz offset), for other countries you need whatever is correct for your country.

I understand that there are different varieties of NTSC too, so there could be a similar variation with that.

[mrgee]

i will try differnt versions of pal then , thant s mate im in uk

[shdwsclan]

I recommend Premier 7 Pro w steadymove
Cheaper alternatives for VHS capture are
Premier 6.5
and the cheapest is
Ulead DVD MovieFactory 2

Best Codes are
DV (version 1)
DV (version 2)
DivX Pro 5.11
MPEG 2
Intel Video 5
Intel Video 4.11