Dazzle USB - can you hack the motion estimation setting?

[ksandbergfl]

I have a Dazzle USB. I use it to capture video from my 8mm camcorder. I then make VCD's to mail to my friends/family. It works very well.

However, I am not entirely happy with the quality of the video that I capture using Dazzle's default VCD settings. I see too much pixelization, for my tastes, when viewing the video on my TV.

What I've been doing to compensate is this -- I capture using the Dazzle's highest setting, 3Mb/s. Then I use TMPG to re-encode the video to VCD format 1.15Mb/s, using TMPG's "highest quality" setting. The resulting output is very, very good...

However, running every video clip thru TMPG takes a long, long time. Is there a way I can "tweak" the Dazzle so it can record, in VCD format, at higher quality? I've read a lot about a "motion estimation" setting on other capture devices -- I assume the Dazzle has a similar setting? If it records 3Mb/s OK with the default ME setting... it should be able to capture at 1.15Mb/s with a higher motion estimation setting, shouldn't it?

I am quite comfortable hacking the Windows registry, I hope it's as easy as that. I know how to use a solder iron too, if I have to take the case off the Dazzle and put a jumper somewhere.

Can anyone help, or point me in the right direction?

Thanks!!

Keith
Melbourne, Florida

[vhelp]

ksandbergfl,

I have/used/still have/but don't use it any more, except for experiement and testing VCD stuff.

I've play with the registry file on this one for some time now, but since I don't know what
most of those long digits are for some settings, I gave up on it and move elsewhere with
video capturing.

I have ben thinking the same thing as you though. There must be. And, this MAY or may
not be why the latest one after the first few origonals were sold. They must have did some
re-adjustments to the reg file so that you DON'T get great quailty video with this device or
else its because they wanted to push other capture devices ahead of this USB unit, and the
only way to do this was to JIMMY the usb models. Once customers saw this, they up for
the more higher end model $$$

a - they were bought by motion pictures to slack off on quality (see c)
b - they wanted to push there newer higher end units
c - they wanted to rule out illigel copying of videos (see a)
d - quality control went Ka-Putzzz

Well, at least the above has ben my theory for some time now.
Somehow, I just can't see how/why they'd change a great looking (and working) quality
settings device, and then feel that the settings should be changed again, but have the
quality much worse. . . .Don't make any sense. re-read a/b/c/d again, and think about it!

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that VCD is the best quality - cause it's not!
But, for people who are satisfied with VCD, then the above a/b/c/d would apply - at least
in the minds of Dazzle and those envolved with influencing (shall I say, 'quality').

Anyway, enough about conspiracies. I moved on to bigger and BETTer things!!, he he...

And, just to note. I did finally go out and buy (try) the DVC II model. In short, I brought
it back for a refund! The only way I could get as good a cap, say, in comparison to my
DC10+ cards caps, I had to up the Mbits past 3000. Faget-ta-bout it!
It wasn't even worth posting the VCD cap of the DVC II again the DVC I usb. I WAS
gonna do this, but after seeing it, (was the same as dvc i) I quickly said "Ta Hell with it!"

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