I DONT want to capture....... just WATCH !

[geoffstandish]

Im ok capturing from my sony camcorder but Im looking for a simple program or technique that will allow me to watch my DV tapes in full screen without going thru pinnacle 10 or WMM.

Dont suggest Sony streaming, Ive just spent 36 hour trying to get their system to work and thrown it away in disgust after downloading updates,reinstalling drivers, flashplayeras etc etc !

Ideally I would like a plug in and go scenario so it can be set up guite quickly. Please help, I've hardly any hair left !!!!!

[redwudz]

With DV, that's sort of the 'nature of the beast'. I don't know of any program to just 'watch', but there may be. DV is generally transferred to a hard drive via FireWire as a data file. You may be able to watch it with a player like VLC, but I think you will still have to do the transfer.

If you wanted to watch it otherwise, use the composite output from the camera and feed it to a TV. Or you could feed the same composite output to a computer for viewing, if you had a capture card that accepted composite video. BTW, I would suggest trying WinDV for your transfers. It's simple and does the job very well.

But others with more DV experience may be able to give you a better answer.

And welcome to our forums.

[ulapines]

River Past PlayDV might work

[darkknight145]

I use AMCAP, i think it'll do what you're after

[geoffstandish]

Thanks guys.

I'll look into those progs.

As I mentioned I have no probs with capturing, I simply need to PLAY in full screen on the monitor at the highest quality I can obtain- and I can't wait for it to be captured first , and can't use a Tv,

[JohnnyMalaria]

Ideally I would like a plug in and go scenario so it can be set up guite quickly. Please help, I've hardly any hair left !!!!!

Our Enosoft DV Processor is what you need! (Though you must have a processor that supports SSE2 instructions - your profile states Athlon. Older Athlons don't have SSE2).

Simplicity....

1. Install the software (if you don't have SSE2, it will tell you and not install)
2. Attach your DV camcorder and turn it on
3. You should see the Windows menu with options....select Live DV Processing
4. When the software launches, it will automatically connect to the DV camcorder
5. Choose "Video Renderer" for the output
6. Press the Run button.

(From connecting the camcorder to viewing the video with sound in three clicks!)

The video can be toggled from full-screen to windowed simply by double-clicking on it. The audio is sent to your default sound card.

Note: the current version is the final beta and will expire after 30 days. Before then, we will have the official release available and, for private use, there is no time restriction.

[geoffstandish]

Thanks Johnny
Its Athlon 2800 about 3 year old

[geoffstandish]

LATEST UPDATE

Well, Ive tried them all out, not much luck.

1) My system wont support Ensoft.

2) Amcap throws up error " unable to add capture video......................
Waste of time trying all suggested corrections . I spent 4 days trying with the Sony system.

3) Play DV loads up, still frame shows, controls operate camcorder but screen only shows a still which changes
to another, later, still after about 60 secs

I've noticed references to USB drivers but Does'nt XP have inbuilt drivers ? Also, I'm linked up through a firewire socket.........!

I have no trouble capturing when I use WMM, WinDV, Pinnacle10, Adobe Premier. the picture opens up as soon as I connect so what the hell is happening ?
At the present rate of tearing out my hair, I'll be bald by tomorrow !!!!!!!

[Wile_E]

Maybe it's time to trade in your camcorder for a DVD or HDD based one. DV format is made for editing and needs capturing first. Maybe get a analog TV card for your PC and hook your camcorder to it that way, just like you would to a TV.

[JohnnyMalaria]

GraphEdit will do the trick.

Once you've set it up one time, you can save the configuration, so it will only ever be a double-click or so away.

I've attached a screen shot of what to build - it's really quite easy. But I need to go to bed! So, unless some other kind soul can fill in the gaps beforehand, I'll explain in more detail tomorrow.

[geoffstandish]

Thanks again Johnny

but I couldnt quite make out t he letters on your screen shot boxes, could you possibly list them under Box 1, Box2, etc ?

Sorry to be a pain in the a....... !!

Geoff

[SLK001]

Thanks again Johnny

but I couldnt quite make out t he letters on your screen shot boxes, could you possibly list them under Box 1, Box2, etc ?

Sorry to be a pain in the a....... !!

Geoff

Right-click on the image, select "Save Picture As..." and save it to your HD. That will allow you to view it at normal size.

[Enygma]

I have a Motorola cable DVR that has firewire output so I am able to capture video from my cable box. I use VLC to show the video on my PC. Works great for me, and provided you have drivers installed for your video camera, it should work fine too.

VLC ain't fancy, but it's powerful and gets the job done without bogging down your PC.

[geoffstandish]

Once again I learn something new. Cheers. You're up for a pint if you come over this way!