ATI MMC version to use with ATI AIW 128 Pro AGP 32meg card

[lordsmurf]

Your issue is not one of computer, but rather of dirty signals. TBC is all that would have been needed.

[LOWTECH]

Lordsmurf you say... Your issue is not one of computer, but rather of dirty signals. TBC is all that would have been needed.


If using a firewire card to capture does not require the trouble and expense of getting a TBC. One asks the question after purchasing a ATI AIW card why do many ATI AIW users require a TBC to capture. The card is not up to the job!

The fact that one system of capture proves to be hassel free compared to the other, highlights the downfall to many in using the ATI AIW card to capture old VHS signals.

Having to upgrade drivers and buy a TBC or whatever, is not what you would expect to have to do, after purchasing the card to be able to capture old home movies.

And after e-mailing ATI they do not come up with a solution, just a standard reply of the try this and that proccess. The ATI package to many has proved to be a poor deal in capturing old home movies.
Several forums have many unhappy capturing users.

The ATI AIW card costing far more than a basic firewire card, should at least achieve a simular end result as firewire in capturing?

Lordsmurf I respect all your help and input to ATI users and well done to you.

But the fault or downfall with possible MV detection in the card or whatever, is down to ATI to resolve and should not expect users to find a way of getting around the MV TYPE problem that ATI have created in the first place. A notice on the box should say this card my not capture old VHS signals correctly would be a good idea .... But of course they won`t do that!

[devdeep]

videopete .. The lead or cable is just like a USB cable, but a firewire cable.

A basic firewire card can be bought anywhere. I installed my firewire card, XP recognised it ok. I play old vhs anologue tapes in my vcr which is connected to my camcorder anologue in & out, and onto the firewire card.

I know a brand name in england called BELKIN sell a lead/cable with a convertor built into the cable so you can connect a vcr direct to a usb port and transfer/capture tapes also. Via USB2

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=200599&pcou...USB%2FUSB20%2F

Hope I have been helpful....

Lowtech

You mentioned a Firewire card but this is a USB cable. Where did you get your cables from please? Also do you capture in AVI or MPEG2 please?

[lordsmurf]

Lowtech, you incorrectly assume this is an "ATI problem". It's rather an industry standard to have rather rigorous anti-copy measures. I don't like it, but it's a fact of life we have to deal with.

The fact that a few companies tend to ignore this (and that's very much temporary, given modern politics), does not make good hardware "inferior". In fact, as it stands, most hardware is already like this. VCRs, DVD recorders, capture cards.

Again, your problem is a dirty signal. It is similar to artificial errors, and therefore is caught by anti-copy.

It's a safe assessment that consumers were never meant to transfer video from VHS to DVD. That has become recent fad, and will likely not last long. An "intermediary" step that will fade away in coming years. With the volume of DVD releases and proliferation of DV cameras, it will become an obsolete practice.

[LOWTECH]

devdeep.... I purchased a firewire card complete with a firewire cable...

The link to my card is below...

http://www.directusbstore.co.uk/cnb/shop/directusbstore?listPos=&productID=64&search=&...dCategoryID=23

I capture in AVI and the convert to DVD ....I can also capture to MPEG2 if I wish....with this card ...and I was up and running in 15 mins

I purchased my card in my local shop in England.........

[Nelson37]

When comparing the firewire capture to the ATI, if you are going to make a cost comparison, it is important to understand that the actual capture, and the analog to digital conversion, is actually happening in the digital camera. This equipment adds significantly to the cost involved.

The firewire card is merely an interface and is not really involved in the conversion process.

As far as getting the ATI to ignore macrovision, this is relatively simple for all but the latest cards.

[devdeep]

When comparing the firewire capture to the ATI, if you are going to make a cost comparison, it is important to understand that the actual capture, and the analog to digital conversion, is actually happening in the digital camera. This equipment adds significantly to the cost involved.

The firewire card is merely an interface and is not really involved in the conversion process.

As far as getting the ATI to ignore macrovision, this is relatively simple for all but the latest cards.

OK - Having reread Lowtech's early post, I incorrectly assumed that he was transferring from analogue to PC directly with the firewire card.

Are you saying that MPEG2 conversion is done by the camera? I want to get better quality, if possible, by connecting my VHS to the PC via this cable method. I have an old VHS camera whose tapes can be played in a VHS recorder using an adapter.

I am not concerned about the macrovision as I only want to transfer my home videos to DVD.

[Nelson37]

The camera performs the analog to digital conversion, yielding a DV-AVI file which must then be encoded seperately. There are combo devices which will perform the conversion in one shot, and even some VCR's which have firewire out ports. Firewire is digital, composite or s-video is analog. There has to be a conversion somewhere.

Many of these devices which do not currently detect Macrovision will be forced to do so in the near future. ATI just got on board a little early.

While your tapes do not contain Macrovision, it is still a concern as some damaged or defective tapes may be detected by software and or hardware as having Macrovision, and thusly unrecordable. SFAIK, for all cards below 9000 series, a driver hack and/or a $40.00 SCM will solve this.

[LOWTECH]

Devdeep... I capture my old anologue movies by using my Camcorders anologue pass through and then onto the firewire card. I capture as AVI and then convert to DVD format... I can capture as MPEG2 if I wish with the software supplied with the firewire card ....

You can also use a Belkin cable with built in convertor to capture via a USB cable....

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=200599&pcou...USB%2FUSB20%2F



Lordsmurf says ... Lowtech, you incorrectly assume this is an "ATI problem". It's rather an industry standard to have rather rigorous anti-copy measures. I don't like it, but it's a fact of life we have to deal with.

I do correctly assume that it is an ATI problem, industry standard or not, nowhere does it say that my ATI card may not capture old VHS home movies in any information when I purchased my card...The fact that the ATI card detects MV or something else on my tapes that is not there, is the downfall in the capturing proccess of the ATI card .. whatever the reason....

The result of the ATI capturing failure meant I had to find another way of capturing my old anologue movies. The firewire card in my case does the capturing beyond my wildest dreams and I cannot praise it enough... After 6 months of ATI hell!!!

The ATI card won`t capture ... .....The firewire does it with ease
... end of story.....