what are some good settings for this capture card?

[pixeldotz]

im using the btwincap drivers for my card.

Phillips NTSC Standard BT878 / Hauppauge BT878.
I'm capping from a regular cable connection.
here's are some images of what my caps look like, and what I'm trying to aim for.

this is what i want




this is what i get.




notice how my image looks really dull and washed. i want to be able to get quality like the top image. the top ones look just like broadcast.

if i can't do it with this card, is there a different card that anyone suggests that will do this? also, i have been tweaking all the sat/con/ and hues limites but the image is still less than what i want.

[Forum Troll]

Which format are you capping to? What frame size and bitrate? Which compression codec are you using? These make the difference. Tell us more and we can help more.

[The_Doman]

Indeed we need some more info about the codecs and resolution you use.

I am also using the btwincap drivers with a Pinnacle Rave (PAL 848) based card. I capture with it in 704x576PAL with the picvideo codec at 18/19 quality. I am not using the build in tuner of the TV-card but have it connected to a VCR (Stereo-Composite connected) which gives much better picture quality.

[SatStorm]

We want many things, but we have only what we can have!

Anyway, try to capture using picvideo (trialware) or Huffyuv (freeware) at the highest possible value ( 768 x 576 for PAL). Then, resize to what you wish to encode, using virtualdub (or avisynth, if you know about it). You may also need to apply some filters. I suggest "Static Noise Reduction ( 6 )" and "Dynamic Noise Reduction ( 10 ) " for your case (cartoons).

An advance alternative is to capture at 384 x 576 and then resize to 344 x 576 and expand (add boarders) so to end up to 352 x 576 (a valid DVD framesize).
You can use the same filters I suggest.

[pixeldotz]

i'm using the picvideo mjpeg codecs with a 19 quality setting.
capping at 512X348.

even if i use a lossless codec like huffy i still get a washed look. i get a washed look even while just watching the cable streem with mpc or dscaler or any other viewing software. my cable line is connected to the tv tuner coax connection on the card.

I'll give the vcr in method a try.
thanks.

[looks like i can't try that method until i can get a svideo cable, all my card has is svideo in and tv tuner]

[SatStorm]

Why you are capping at 512 x 348?

[pixeldotz]

i cap at 512x384 because that's just what i encode it in afterwards, that way i don't have to worry about resizing. the capping res isn't what's bothering me it's the colors. i've been googling and searching other forums and still can't find an answer.

is there a way to compare the hue sat and brightness levels of different two different pictures? that way i can use those setting in my cap settings?

[The_Doman]

i'm using the picvideo mjpeg codecs with a 19 quality setting.
capping at 512X348.

I'll give the vcr in method a try.
thanks.

[looks like i can't try that method until i can get a svideo cable, all my card has is svideo in and tv tuner]

You capture indeed with a weird resolution, At least you should try to use normal NTSC resolution like 720/704x480.
And about the inputs almost all those TVcards have a least a composite video in, sometimes it's combined with the SVHS with an adapter.
Even with the BTWINCAP drivers you can use the SVHS connection as a composite source.
Better check it again.

[SatStorm]

You don't capture correct, that's why your picture is not clear
You must choose to capture one field or both fields. That means that you have to capture at 240/288 or 480/576 vertical lines.

[pchan]

What if I capture with the following parameters:
PAL @ 25 fps
RGB 24
MJPEC at Quality 19
Frame size at 720 x 576.

Quality any better ?

Thanks.

[pixeldotz]

satstorm.

i changed the capping resolution to 720x480. picvideo has the lines set to 240. everything still looks the same.

also. does the compression codec determine what just watching the cable signal looks like? cause the caps look exacltly like what the picture looks like on my pc. but i know my cable signal isn't bad cause i have a tv behind me with the same line running into it and it looks like that top pic i posted.

[SatStorm]

@pchan: better use YUV2 not RGB. Also use framesize at 768 x 576 for top results (if your PC can handle it)

@pixeldotz: I don't understand: If you cap at 720 x 480 and then you encode to mpeg 2 and watch the results on TV, it must look better than capping at 512 x 348.
Or you mean you cap and encode to mpeg 4 (xvid/divx for example?)
If so, you must cap, deinterlace and resize

[lordsmurf]

If you want it to look like the broadcast, capture interlaced and watch it on tv.

[BrainStorm69]

What capture software are you using? Perhaps switching to something else will allow you to change the hue, brightness, contrast, etc. better than the current capture software you are using.

[pixeldotz]

@satstorm.
I've been capping for awhile and was satisfied with the results until i started seeing that other peoples quality was way above mine. and i usually do cap at 512x384 so i dont have to worry about resizing. i use avs with kernel deint 1 to deinterlace the cap and it works pretty well. would cap at 720x480 if it would improve the color quality but running a few tests last night showed that it still looks dull and washed.

@brainstorm
i use vdubsync. i've never had a desync or dropped frames issue in the last 8 months i've been using it.

[mgh]

While capturing enable auto gamma in your driver setting available in your capture software.
Try using the autolevels filter in virtualdub which also corrects washed out colors.
sdit: autolevels filter available from
http://eodvdf.narod.ru/

[pixeldotz]

finally after a few days of tweaking and trying various filters, here are my final cap settings.
I added a medium denoise to my avs files, i cap now at 720x480 and use avs with lanczos to resize. kernel to deinterlace the source. and pc->tv color in the avs. if i dont use that pc->tv, than the source looks hideous in vdub. and my capture color settings are default. except for contrast, which i dropped from 100 down to 75. besides the resize. kernel, undot and fluxsmooth filters in avs, no other filters are used.

ps. thanks everyone for your help.

heres what i use to get.



here's what i get now.(after xvid compression)

[SatStorm]

Nice!

[lordsmurf]

If this is for PC viewing, you may want to use a filter to convert from 8/16-235 colorspace to true VGA 0-255 space. Blacker blacks, whiter whites.

[pixeldotz]

lordsmurf.

this is for tv viewing. i use my xbox to watch these.
the reason i use pc-tv color space conversion is because the way vdub would load my avi files. they would look fine when playing, but then loaded into vdub everything got extremely flat and washed, like if the saturation was to high. so adding pc->tv in the avs file cleared that problem up for me.
how would i convert to true rgb? i mean if i could get an even cleaner picture without lowering contrast than im all for it. what this make a difference at all on tv?