Bad Capture Card or Lame user ?

[the_rileyman]

Hi everyone - I hope someone can help me.

I have a Panasonic PV-DV101DK Digital Video Camera. I have the Digital Origin IntroDV package installed, and the MotoDV-Lynx capture card that came with it also installed on my Win98SE/P3 650. I can capture ok, and end up with a .MOV file.

At this point I was editing the capture and then exporting to an AVI (using IntroDV). From here I used the VCD (NTSC) template with TMPGEnc and followed the instructions found here

http://www.vcdhelp.com/tmpgenc.htm

Once that's all done with I use Nero 5.5.4 to burn to a Maxell CD-R. Pop in in my APEX 600A and away we go... er not quite!

The quality is awful - it's looks like one of those bad porn downloads played at full screen. I don't know if the problem in my capture card, the capture software or what?? can someone please give me some direction here. I have scoured every topical newsgroup, this site and a few others - even tried Panasonic but I can't seem to solve this... could it be the Camera??? the tapes look great if I playback from the camera directly to the TV.. Please help there's a Grandmother wanting to video's of her Grandson!

Best regards

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: the_rileyman on 2001-10-24 16:02:59 ]</font>

[Anonymous65]

DV video is basically broadcast quality video, VCD is at best VHS quality! Yes, there will be a HUGE drop in quality when going between the two. If you want the quality, try making a SVCD or miniDVD or regular DVD.

[Tommy]

Why are you ending up with a MOV file? This may be your problem. I always thought and someone correct me if i'm wrong that DV is basically a AVI file. So when converting to MOV and then to AVI your going to lose something.

Also Capture? I really don't know any of the software but the os. but am I right to assume that your connecting the camcorder to a firewire into the pc? (I thinking panasonic calls it I Link but essentially its all the same, a IEEE 1394 connection)

So you transfer the DV video using a firewire to the computer and get a MOV. And then editing and exporting to an avi which you used tpmg to create an vcd mpeg and then burned it to disk.

I would seriously consider using a differnt program and or card that would keep the video in DV, then edit the DV and export to an AVI or an mpeg (some programs don't export to mpeg very well.)

I also have a apex 600a and I have to admit its not the best player but when I burn a vcd that came from a mini dv camcorder the picture is great.

[the_rileyman]

Yes, it's a firewire connection and the software creates the MOV file. TMPGEnc will convert from MOV to MPG1 or MPG2. Can you tell me what process/software/hardware you uses to create a VCD???

UPDATE:

I somehow burned and SVCD and the picture is amazing..no sound but I think I know why.

[djmatt62]

do not covert to .mov ,this is a very poor format.
always use .avi with no compreshion. try to captuer using
vdub this i have found to work with firewire link fr compersent port svideo. this is the only program i use to capture for eny sorce to my hard drive.
always try to capture uncompressed avi if you have the space ,remember that a 20min capture is about 4gigs at 352 by 288 , then convet to mpeg vcd useing tmpgenc converter program ,this is also the only converter program i use ,take your time and you will get great results ,i have been doing this for about 2years before i got it right ,so take time and you will get there

[Tommy]

What I do is real simple for dv video. I import using a pinnicle studioDV card and corresponing program. I edit and then export to avi. While editing the video is in DV format. I don't use the studio dv program to convert to mpeg because tmpg does a better job. After I get the avi, I use tmpg to convert to mpeg. I really think your problem is the conversion to MOV.

As it was mentioned you could use a differnt program. If i'm not using studiodv to transfer to the computer I sometimes use Avi IO (a demo of which can be found on the tools section.)

[the_rileyman]

I don't actually convert to MOV format - that's just how is comes when I do a capture. I have tried several other programs and none seem to recognize my capture card.. is it possible that the Digital Origin MotoDV-Lynx card ONLY works with IntroDV? Does anyone know anything about these products?

Thanks for any help.

[Panash]

Probably A-B field dominance problem in TMPGenc (look in the advanced settings under interlace).

I've had similar problems with Ulead VS4 and I'm still experimenting.

But as the others say, try to avoid the intermediate step, use a program like DVIO to capture raw DV, install a suitable codec and frameserve with AVISynth with a directshow filter (TMPGenc can only read Type2 DV not Type-1 which is camcorder standard)

PN

[Panash]

Should add that Type-1 DV is B-field dominant and TMPGenc is by default A-field dominant, so try the other setting.

VCD is quite watchable, not as bad as described.

PN