B&W only capture with WinTV-PVR-350

[jessjackson]

Hi:

I just got a Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-350. I am trying to capture VHS footage using the include WinTV software. After some effort, I can get the VHS picture and sound and grab it. But the picture is black and white.

My VHS player is a Sony NTSC (I am in USA) unit. I am connected from the VHS deck's composite video out (it has no S-Video out) to the composite to S-Video adapter that came with the Hauppauge card and into the S-Video in on the back of the card. The picture and sound look fine -- it just has no color.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jess

[SHS]

http://www.shspvr.com/howto/wintv_channel_setup.html

[jessjackson]

Hi:

Thanks for the link. That was hepful. I tried it with S-Video checked and S-Video unchecked, but either way I am still getting a B&W picture from VHS. If it matters, when I am on cable channels, I get a color picture just fine.

I am glad to have the link to the web site.

Thanks,
Jess

[Richard_G]

I think the adapter you have is intended to be used the other way round, you can combine the luma and chroma information in an S-Video signal to give Composite but you can't (easily) split them. You have a black and white picture because the S-Video input is only seeing the Luma info, no Chroma. If your source is Composite, use the composite input.

[jessjackson]

That makes sense. But, unfortuantely the 350 card has ONLY an S-Video input.

[SHS]

try this tools jessjackson.
ftp://ftp.shspvr.com/download/wintv_source_selector/wintvsel_1.11.22266.exe

[FulciLives]

Make sure the pins on the cable are good. It is easy for those damn S-Video pins to "bend" and maybe that is what happened.

I had that happen once ... got a b/w picture with a S-Video cable ... turns out one of the pins got "bent" and wasn't plugging in properly.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[jessjackson]

Thanks for the suggestion on the bent pin. As a test, I hooked my laptop S-Video out through a different and know good S-Video cable directly to the card's S-Video in -- still no luck -- a nice looking but B&W output of my laptop's wallpaper.

[mikiem]

Have you tried the basics, removing drivers/software & reinstall? Have you tried this tool as well: http://hauppauge.lightpath.net/software/wintv98/hcwclear.exe

If input is known good to card as in last test, I'd think you'd have two options: software or card.

[jessjackson]

Hi Again:

Thanks for the suggestion. I just tried the fulkl software removal and re-install per the instructions on the manufactuer's web site. Unfortunately, no luck this route either. I am still getting a B&W picture. If it matters, the quality is OK, it is just B&W.

[FulciLives]

Are you sure you have the correct TV system selected? For instance there are multiple versions of both NTSC and PAL and somewhere in the software there should be an option to select your TV SYSTEM TYPE.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[jessjackson]

I tried to be careful about that. I think there was only one version of NTSC offered in the setup. In any event, would I have a clear picture (even though B&W) if I were wrong in the TV Systen type? I would think it wouldbe corrupted in ways beyond just lacking the color component.

[jessjackson]

As a test, I connected the VCR via Coax out over channel 4 and connected it to the coax in on the card. I got a color picture just fine. I infer from that that either I have card with a faulty S-Video In or that there is some driver problem since I also get a B&W picture from a known-good S-Video input (my laptop S-Video out with a known-good cable).

Any suggestions on where to go next? I have re-installed the newest drivers from the manufacturers web site twice from scratch.

Jess

[Barnabas]

jessjackson,

I have the 250 version of that same card. The problem is the supplied adapter. I could NEVER get any color when using the adapter that came with it, so bought a new one from Radio Shack and had color again. Hauppauge actually replaced the original adapter when I told them that, but the replacement STILL had no color.

[jessjackson]

Good Afternoon -- Indeed, it was a bad Composite to S-Video adapter supplied by Hauppauge. I bought a Composite to S-Video adapter at Best Buy (could have done better on price elsewhere but it was on the way home). That did it. Beyond this, I am a pretty happy camper, having struggled with several ATI All-In-Wonder products before.

Thanks to all.

Jess

[ClickCardo]

Found this great post. I had followed the same steps without success till I found this thread and then bought a new S-Video Adapter.

Now my card works in glorious color!

Thanks
CC

[jessjackson]

Glad that helped. Looks like a great card and descent software and a piece of junk for the S-video adapter. Mine is still trucking along.