Converting VHS to Dvd

[Westley]

I just recently ordered a custom build pc from dell and i got this tv tuner card.

ATI Theater 650 PRO Combo Analog/Digital TV Tuner with Remote Control

The last few days i've been trying my hand at recording from VHS to Dvd. I'm using windows media center. The audio is horrible, but the video is fine. Even when i just play the vhs it sounds horrible. Is it my tv tuner card or do i need better software? The tape is 15 years old, but it plays just fine on the living room television. I did manage to get it to dvd and i was pleased with it on the video aspect. I used windows movie maker and windows dvd maker. The audio has a lot of feedback and is destorted. Any help would be greatly apprecaited. Thank you

[freebird73717]

Could be a conflict with sound card. Do you have a dedicated sound card or do you use the motherboards audio? Some ati cards have difficulty with onboard motherboard sound.

Check www.digitalfaq.com for good info relating to ati capturing.

[Westley]

Integrated Sound Blaster®Audigy™ HD Software Edition

i have this sound card. I assume it's on the mother board cause it's integrated, but i'm not sure.

[Bjs]

Even when i just play the vhs it sounds horrible

You answered your problem ... if it sounds like rubbish during playback , then try giving the heads on the playback device a clean , and try again .

If that dosent cure the problem ... nothing will , its either in the tape itself or the playback device has some defect .

Check connections on the back are tight .

A tape that is some 15 years old , is asking a lot , unless it was stored very well , and hardly used .

[freebird73717]

Soundblasters are supposed to be good with ati cards. I just noticed the capture software you used...

I used windows movie maker and windows dvd maker. The audio has a lot of feedback and is destorted. Any help would be greatly apprecaited. Thank you

Try using ati mmc for capture software. Seems to work the best with ati cards. Download it for free from ati's website. Capture a small sample and see if it is better.

[Westley]

no when i hook up the VCR in the living room it plays fine. I'll try that software thanks.

It's either a hardware issue or a software issue relating to pc. I'll get back to you all after i try the other software.

[Richard_G]

How are you connecting the VCR to the computer? Distorted sound and feedback could mean you are using the microphone input and not the line in. This would overload the soundcard input.

[Westley]

i'm hooking it via rf i think it's called. The extremly old cable. Sorry i'm not more educated in this. It's the type of cable that screws in. http://www.hometheatermag.com/images/archivesart/1105hook.1.jpg

that could be my problem too. Could using such an old cable by my problem?

[CogoSWSDS]

That'd be a coax cable commonly used for analog TV broadcasts. Your video quality will likely be better if you use good quality composite cables (stereo cables are yellow (video), red (one audio channel), and white (the other audio channel). Mono cables are yellow and white). You'll probably get better sound too.

CogoSWSDS

[Richard_G]

So by using RF you are using the tuner in your TV card to tune into the RF modulated signal from your VCR? Are you saying the tapes play fine if the RF cable is plugged into your TV but not if into the TV card in your computer? If this is the case, it sounds like you have a setting in the tuner wrong. If you connect an antenna to the RF input on the tuner, is the sound correct receiving off air TV stations?

As CogoSWSDS has pointed out, you would get far better quality, both video and audio, if you connect yellow, red, white video and audio from VCR to tuner and soundcard (if the tuner does not have audio inputs) line in.