help with adaptec capture card and software

[3390]

i had installed adaptec's capture card and the accompanying software (sonic mydvd). i was able to capture analog video in mpg4 format. however, i am uncertain some of the settings such as the video types and others. and i am very lost with the edit options. i started to trim off the black screen at the start of the video, but i am not able to trim it to the dot. it's either i trim off too much or too little. what i want to do is, trim it down to the second.. is this possible? since i am clueless with using sonic mydvd to create my dvd, i decided to import the mpg4 files to nero visionexpress3 and make my dvds.

another problem i have is, i tried to capture videos thru nero. it detected the video signal, but once i click stop capture, i encounter an error.

pls help! thanks...

[Moonstomp]

You could use Virtualdub to edit (cut) the file.

Alternatively use Tmpgenc to encode to MPEG2 and use the "source range" option to only select the portion you require.

Moonstomp.

[redwudz]

If you can open the video in VirtualDub Mod, look under 'File>File information' and see what the number of 'keyframes' are. Many files are encoded with 300 frames between keyframes and many editors can only cut on a keyframe. Xvid is set that way by default.

If you final destination is DVD, I wouldn't capture in MPEG-4. Use a format with less compression, especially if you need to edit. Huffy is one, but the filesize will be huge. PicVideo is better for size.

If you want an easy program to make a DVD and can accept many video formats, try ConvertXToDVD or the older freeware DivxToDVD.

[3390]

yes, my final destination will be dvd.. i'm unsure what other format sonic mydvd support other than mpeg4. i tried to capture the video with nero, but it gave me an error when i stopped the capture. i don't think it even captured anything since i didn't see any video on the preview screen as my source was playing..

i don't need anything very very professional since they're homevideos that i want to keep on dvds instead of tapes.. but still, i'd like to be very precise when trimming bc i want them to be trimmed to the dot...

can someone point me in the right direction as to what program i can use along with this capture card? seems like the video quality is so bad as compared to the external dazzle device i used to have.

[redwudz]

Sorry, I'm not really familiar with Sonic MyDVD. You could try VirtualDub for one, or look in 'Tools' for 'Capture' and you may find some programs that work with your card for capturing.

Generally, if you capture to AVI, Huffy or PicVideo are good choices and easy to edit.

From there you edit, then encode to MPEG-2 with an video encoder, then author the MPEG-2 to DVD, then burn.

I use TMPGEnc encoder and TMPGEnc DVD Author and usually burn with Nero. But there are a lot of options.

I suggested DivxToDVD earlier as it can do the encoding and authoring for quick and easy conversion. The quality methods take a little more studying.

[3390]

would you suggest using other softwares to capture? if so, what would be a good freeware? altho i have captured videos using an external device by dazzle many years ago, but i don't have much experience with capturing, editing, encoding, etc..

also, what's the difference with the different layer of mpeg format? are they all compatible for burning on dvd?

[Moonstomp]

Hi ,

I used to capture to my PC using a Pinnacle TV card - the best solution I found was to capture using a program called Virtual VCR and a codec called huffyuv. These are all FREE !

You can see a guide on this here: http://www.doom9.org/capture/capturing_VirtualVCR.html

Alternatively you can use VirtualDUb (software), again with huffyuv. Again all FREE !

Here is a guide: http://www.doom9.org/capture/capturing_vdub.html

Virtualdub can have problems with WDM based cards - so try VirtualVCR if in doubt. Once you have captureD your AVI file, you can then convert it to MPEG2 with Tmpgenc. Then "author" it with an authoring software (see guides to the left).

It takes a while to get everything working, but if you have time and patience you can succeed !

MOONSTOMP.

[trhouse]

Which Adaptec and which version of MyDVD do you have? I have and Adaptec AVC-2200 and MyDVD 6.

[3390]

i have http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/products/video/video_prod/AVC-2010.. since i'm not home right now, i don't know what version of mydvd i have.. i'll post the version when i get home.

[trhouse]

The AVC-2010 is the PCI version of what I have. It converts the input video to mpeg2 in hardware. It will help to know which version of MyDVD you have to straighten out a few settings. It sounds like it is set it to convert the card's output to mpeg4 when the mpeg2 created by the card hardware is already the proper format.

[3390]

i have mydvd 5.2...

i have tried to import the mpg4 file to nero vision express 3. it played fine for a while then the video started to not go smooth anymore. however, the audio is still going smooth... i also tried to play the clip on windows media player, but there is a LOT of of static... strange...

i don't mind using mydvd to capture the video and maybe use nero to edit and burn, but i do want something that i can use to trim it very precisely.. so maybe i should seek other freeware to capture and all..

[trhouse]

I had version 5.2.2 before 6. These images are from version 6 but they are similar.

First, you should have a screen similar to this one with a "capture video" icon,


Click on the "capture video" icon and a screen like that below should appear,


Notice the box that says "Record Settings...". Click on it and select one of the mpeg-2 settings. In the image above "Better mpeg2 5.5 Mbs" is selected.

[edit] Regarding which mpeg format is for dvd-video

[3390]

actually, it was always set as "best mpeg-2 6.0 mbps".. i can't figure out how to edit the video so that it is very precise..

also, i tried to play the captured video on windows media player.. there was an extremely loud static sound that you cannot hear the original audio. why is this?

[trhouse]

Then you have had an mpeg2 file all along. Where did the mpeg4 idea come from?

it's either i trim off too much or too little. what i want to do is, trim it down to the second.. is this possible?

Yes, the problem is MyDVD can trim to about 0.5 - 1.0 second accuracy but other editors can do it to 1/30th of a second which appears to be what you want. MyDVD is a bit deceptive.

Here is part of the edit screen


and the description of what the time code means,


It sounds like you can cut to the specific frame but notice the the "Split Scene" button is grayed out until the 15th frame,


so the cuts are GOP ( group of pictures ) level.

Whats is your version of Windows Media player?

[voxx316]

I have Adaptec Videoh! AVC-2210 USB version and MyDVD version 5.2.3.0.
Using this setup, I can capture in DVD and VCD formats pretty well.
However, I usually capture in highest quality DVD format [6mps] available and
then convert to Divx for play on my Philips DVP642 player.
Does anyone know of a program that would allow me to capture as Divx .avi or
Xvid .avi without having to go thru the above steps first?
In other words, can the adaptec avc2210 hardware support direct to divx?
Or, am I doing the best possible with what I have?
Thanks, and by the way, I am a new member and this is my first post.
I looked thru previous posts, and couldn't find an answer to my question.
But, I could have missed it. Sorry, if I did.
Thanks again.

[trhouse]

The Adaptec is a hardware mpeg converter. What you put in is converted to mpeg by the time it arrives in your computer. There are boards that can but the Adaptec cannot convert to any format other than mpeg.

P.S. Welcome to videohelp.com