WinTV Hardware Encoder Workflow?

[Armandoban]

Does anyone use the WinTV hardware Mpeg2 encoding as part of a DV to DVD workflow?

I have an HVR1600 and an HVR1800 I got in trade for computer work, and I'm wondering which programs (if any) can use the Hauppauge hardware encoder to create the Mpeg2 at the end of the editing or authoring process. I tried to cheat by rendering edited DV timelines "to tape" and passing the data from my computer's SVideo/Headphones into the WinTV card (on the same computer), but I can't stop the WinTV apps from automatically running the software Mpeg2 decoder to display the output and causing problems.

[minidv2dvd]

not a good idea. you'd have to convert the DV to an analog tv signal and feed it back into the hvr1600 cable input. then a quasi hardware encoder onboard would make mpeg-2 of some sort.

any decent software encoder would do a better job.

[reboot]

"any decent software encoder would do a better job" and take 50 times longer.
The hardware encoder on the card(s) is better and faster than any software. Sort out your input from the DV to the card, either direct from the cam, or through a VCR. The card will encode directly to mpeg-2 ready to be authored. One other step you might like to take is to have some decent software controlling the card's recording, so you can adjust bitrate, etc.
You should get a decent product, although you will have more control using a software encoder, the HVR1600 will do a really nice job too.

[jagabo]

With CCE I can convert to DV to MPEG 2 over four times faster than real time with a single pass, constant quality encode; over two times real time with a 2-pass VBR encode. In single pass constant quality mode the quality is whatever I specify (file size will differ depending on the chosen quality). In 2-pass VBR quality is better than the Hauppauge PVR cards can deliver at the same average bitrate.

But if you really want to record the computer's s-video output you can probably use WinTVCap. It simply captures the raw MPEG stream from the Hauppauge cards without displaying the video. I've used it this way with a PVR-250. I'm not sure if it works with the 1600 or 1800.

Ah, the latest version does support the 1600/1800:

http://wintvcap.sourceforge.net/

[edDV]

Does anyone use the WinTV hardware Mpeg2 encoding as part of a DV to DVD workflow?

...

As Jagabo said, software MPeg2 encoders run at > 1x speed with a reasonable multicore processor plus the path is component digital.

I don't understand why you would want to degrade through the display card S-Video path and limit yourself to 1x MPeg2 encoding if DVD is the goal. If you were streaming multiple MPeg2 in real time this might make sense but you would also need multiple display cards.


There has been some discussion here about 1x encoding through the DV (IEEE-1394) input to a standalone DVD recorder. Advantage would be minimal CPU load. Only a few DVD recorder models accept a live feed over DV. Most require camcorder device control dialog.

[minidv2dvd]

"any decent software encoder would do a better job" and take 50 times longer.
The hardware encoder on the card(s) is better and faster than any software. Sort out your input from the DV to the card, either direct from the cam, or through a VCR. The card will encode directly to mpeg-2 ready to be authored. One other step you might like to take is to have some decent software controlling the card's recording, so you can adjust bitrate, etc.
You should get a decent product, although you will have more control using a software encoder, the HVR1600 will do a really nice job too.

reboot - the 50 cent mpeg encoding chip on the card is neither faster nor better than a software encoder. it's not a $50,000 hardware encoding station.

all the software encoders i use are quite a bit faster than realtime. normal mpeg-2 encoding with mainconcept, procoder, or cce runs at 4 to 8 times faster. if you need screenshots i would be glad to post them.

taking the DV and playing it back in analog format to feed into the card to convert it back to digital is just silly.