capture from vcr

[bbxrider]

i've got this noname video card with a philips 713x chipset, but its the same as this sabrent
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1951869&CatId=1425
note on the ad, the diagram of jacks does not match the actual card!!!!!

its got a cable jack, SINGLE rca jack, s-video jack and 3-1/8" audio jacks in/out/remote control

trying to record a video vhs tape from a vcr with rca jacks video out and audio out l+r and cable out, but no s-video (yes its older)

using windows movie maker, it finds the card and can see and record video ONLY with the vcr rca video out jack to the single card rca jack,
if i unplug the rca jack and have just the vcr cable out jack to the card cable jack, i don't get anything? i've tried setting the vcr to ch 3 and ch 4 with the win movie maker configured to 3 or 4 to match the vcr setting but still nothing.

should i assume i just have a lame card and need something that works for real or am i missing something, someway to connect the vcr to the card so i can get video and audio?

[Video Head]

i've got this noname video card with a philips 713x chipset, but its the same as this sabrent
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1951869&CatId=1425
note on the ad, the diagram of jacks does not match the actual card!!!!!

its got a cable jack, SINGLE rca jack, s-video jack and 3-1/8" audio jacks in/out/remote control

trying to record a video vhs tape from a vcr with rca jacks video out and audio out l+r and cable out, but no s-video (yes its older)

using windows movie maker, it finds the card and can see and record video ONLY with the vcr rca video out jack to the single card rca jack,
if i unplug the rca jack and have just the vcr cable out jack to the card cable jack, i don't get anything? i've tried setting the vcr to ch 3 and ch 4 with the win movie maker configured to 3 or 4 to match the vcr setting but still nothing.

should i assume i just have a lame card and need something that works for real or am i missing something, someway to connect the vcr to the card so i can get video and audio?

Does the card have a cable tuner? That is most likely what the "cable jack" (coaxial) is for. Cards that accept both coaxial and composite usually require you to switch the source just like you would when switching from cable TV to a DVD player on a TV. I have never tried outputing video and audio from a VCR to a capture card through coaxial. I am not certain that it would work.

As you have said, if you output the VCR to the capture card using the RCA composite jack that you do get video. This would probably be the best way to go. To get audio you will need to get a stereo RCA to stereo mini-jack cable. Available at most electronics stores and not very expensive. You plug the RCA ends into the audio out of the VCR and the stereo mini-jack into the audio input on the card.

[bbxrider]

thanks for jogging my mind, turns out i have a rca/mini jack stereo cable for my mp3, so plugged that into the capture card audio in jack with the rca jacks on the vcr, but still no sound??

however, it finally all came together

see the attachment, note the audio device selection box. i kept wondering why that was there. it didn't make sense, i thought the audio was somehow imbedded in the video stream and if that was so, why would it care about an audio device? i was thinking somehow the capture card audio got streamed to my audio device, the sound max, WRONG. and if audio was embedded in the video stream why are there audio jacks? duh
ok so the video and audio are separate but joined? streams. the smart electronics keeps them in sync?

anyway i plugged the mini jack into the blue jack on the motherboard/soundmax, and even figured out to set the audio input source to 'line-in' and viola sound and video

and btw i did get the video to show on the movie maker with just the coaxial but that had no sound? now after all that above about audio and video streams, when its coax, that carries both video and audio, right?, so if the capture card is getting a stream via coax should it not have audio embedded?

[minidv2dvd]

capture cards are video only, the audio has to go to a sound card even using coax.

[bbxrider]

ok thanks

[johns0]

Capture cards also have audio coming from the tuner,thats why you gotta plug the audio out from the vcr to the capture card in and the the capture card audio out goes to your audio card/onboard line-in,if you dont do that then you wont be able to use the tuner audio when capturing from the tuner.

[bbxrider]

ok but isn't that somewhat redundant, when you can go directly into the audio card in?

[johns0]

Its not redundant,its the tuner audio being fed into the audio in,you can still capture video in and audio in(sound card) from a vcr video out and audio out but to get tuner sound you gotta hook it up the way i told you.Read what it says on the website,it says Audio output via audio cable to sound card.

The better quality capture cards dont need to be set up this way,they can capture the tuner from coax and video and audio in ,no need to route thru the sound card.Dont use windows movie maker to capture,use virtualvcr.

[Video Head]

Its not redundant,its the tuner audio being fed into the audio in,you can still capture video in and audio in(sound card) from a vcr video out and audio out but to get tuner sound you gotta hook it up the way i told you.Read what it says on the website,it says Audio output via audio cable to sound card.

The better quality capture cards dont need to be set up this way,they can capture the tuner from coax and video and audio in ,no need to route thru the sound card.Dont use windows movie maker to capture,use virtualvcr.

I now remember having to use a mini-jack jumper cable from my AIW to my sound card. At some point ATI changed their software and that was no longer required...no longer required means no longer thought about in my world.

Glad you got it working!

[Video Head]

capture cards are video only, the audio has to go to a sound card even using coax.

My ATI AIW 9800 Pro has audio in and out. It even has an SPDIF connector. But I know they are a different beast.

[bbxrider]

ok sorry, i spoke too soon, when i was finally hearing audio while capturing, i did that assume thing, that i was capturing both video and audio. however, now to find upon playback the captured file doesn't have any audio.

but but, dang it, i did your setup and still no audio?

audio out from vcr into capture card audio in, audio out from capture card into the blue jack on sound card, and provisioned as 'line in', did a capture, but upon playback still no audio????
my capture card could be bad for audio only?
windows movie maker not working right?
don't have capture card set up right?

so, if the capture card has the audio in coming from the vcr, it should capture the audio, period, yes? the capture card audio out to the sound card audio in is only to facilitate hearing the audio while capturing? or put another way, the file that is captured should have both video and audio as long as the audio out from the vcr is wired to the audio in on capture card, whether or not the audio out from the capture card is connected to the audio in on the sound card during the capture?

what website are talking about?

[johns0]

Another way to set it up is connect the audio out from the vcr to your audio line-in on the computer,not the audio-in on the capture card,see if you get audio now.I found that some capture cards would only switch the audio when using a certain capturing program such as the one provided.

[bbxrider]

ok guess you misunderstood, i tried the vcr audio out directly to the sound card, the blue jack, and got audio playing while capturing but no audio on playback of the captured file
tried your original suggestion of vcr audio out to capture card audio in, and capture card audio out patched to sound card audio in, blue jack, but again no sound on the captured file playback
tried both methods with virtualvcr and and same result.

i think there must be some basic audio setting somewhere that is not right, this can't be that hard

[johns0]

Most likely your line-in isnt set up right in the capturing setting.

[bbxrider]

thanks for all the replies
the device mgr has one entry for the capture card, no subdivision for line-in, the usual msg, device is working properly, there are a number of devices listed though, see attachment, my capture card is the tv capture card wdm video capture
in virtualvcr, in the audio tab, i've got capture audio checked, input settings to 'line-in', tv audio to mono, compress audio unchecked, the drop down box to the left of the 'prop' button is empty, there are 7 different choices available, wma speech encoder, imc, pcm, etc, resolution 16, freq 44.1, channels mono
bedtime here, will check back in the am

[Video Head]

Most likely your line-in isnt set up right in the capturing setting.

Right! In your audio settings is line in muted?

[bbxrider]

i don't see anywhere that line in is muted. see this new post where i show all the virtualvcr audio settings that i can find
https://forum.videohelp.com/topic371517.html#1993493

[Reelman472]

I think Video Head is right. Your not looking at the right settings. Generally when you install a sound card it often has mixer software that starts automatically on boot up. You should see a speaker icon on your task bar. Right click on it and you should be able to get to mixer settings. Often the default is mute line in.

Reelman472

[bbxrider]

ok finally got it, tried all the choices available for my sound card, see attachment, 'mono out' is the choice that worked, never would have guessed that by the name, i thought for sure aux or line-in would have been it.
one final question? so the audio signal/stream is as different as say pal to ntsc? i know the audio stream would be quite different say for stereo vs mono, but if you have basically mono coming from aux or microphone, or line-in, etc they are that different?

[sanlyn]

I have never tried outputing video and audio from a VCR to a capture card through coaxial. I am not certain that it would work.

It works if the capture card has a tv tuner that can pick up channel 3 or 4, which is the same way you'd have to tune a tv to get video+audio from a VCR playing into a tv's RF input. There's still the question of how the audio gets from the coax input into the recording; on most ATI cards, even when you use RF to pick up tv stations, you still have to feed a connection from the graphic card to Line-In on the PC's sound card. Most PC graphic cards can receive audio, but the card doesn't process it -- the audio has to go thru the sound card in some way, most of the time.

[Video Head]

I have never tried outputing video and audio from a VCR to a capture card through coaxial. I am not certain that it would work.

It works if the capture card has a tv tuner that can pick up channel 3 or 4, which is the same way you'd have to tune a tv to get video+audio from a VCR playing into a tv's RF input. There's still the question of how the audio gets from the coax input into the recording; on most ATI cards, even when you use RF to pick up tv stations, you still have to feed a connection from the graphic card to Line-In on the PC's sound card. Most PC graphic cards can receive audio, but the card doesn't process it -- the audio has to go thru the sound card in some way, most of the time.

Input on channel 3 or 4? Sounds like a top loading VCR with a rotary channel dial for UHF and VHF...maybe some tinfoil left over from a TV dinner wrapped on the "ears" so the "fuzzy" isn't too bad...

Thanks, but I already have my ATI AIW working just fine.

THANK YOU!

[sanlyn]

Input on channel 3 or 4? Sounds like a top loading VCR with a rotary channel dial for UHF and VHF...
Thanks, but I already have my ATI AIW working just fine.

All 3 of mine work great, too. I was addressing the subject of how set an AIW to receive audio/video from older VCR's that have RF output only. Most NTSC VCR's output RF a/v on channel 3 or 4. Some years back, during the pleistocene era of Win3.11, that's the way I had to use my original AIW to read output from an old VCR with RF-only.

[Video Head]

Input on channel 3 or 4? Sounds like a top loading VCR with a rotary channel dial for UHF and VHF...
Thanks, but I already have my ATI AIW working just fine.

All 3 of mine work great, too. I was addressing the subject of how set an AIW to receive audio/video from older VCR's that have RF output only. Most NTSC VCR's output RF a/v on channel 3 or 4. Some years back, during the pleistocene era of Win3.11, that's the way I had to use my original AIW to read output from an old VCR with RF-only.

The top loader I had in 1984 had RCA A/V outputs and inputs. I don't think I have ever seen a VCR without RCA inputs and outputs, although I am certain they (did) exist. Would anyone who owns a VCR without RCA inputs and outputs own an AIW?

[sanlyn]

I don't think I have ever seen a VCR without RCA inputs and outputs, although I am certain they (did) exist. Would anyone who owns a VCR without RCA inputs and outputs own an AIW?

I did. Bought it in 1979 for $180, which was "budget class" by '79 standards. It was a front-loading RCA, a highly advanced VHS for its time, with 2 heads (one for playback and a 2nd for record. Neat!), and real hi-fi quality monophonic sound. I still had it when I bought my first AIW -- I think it was the ATI Rage series then, with a huge 16MB processor for my hi-end Windows 3.11 . My next VCR in the early 90's was a Sony SLV-696HF, and I moved up from there. But at one time I had to use the old RCA for playback because its alignment was so screwy that tapes made on it wouldn't play properly on any other machine.

Also I had occasion to record direct from the RF output of an old Jerrold cable box. When I say "old" cable box, I mean it had no remote and you had to push a separate button for each channel you wanted. I tuned the AIW to channel 3, then tuned stations on the box, the same way I would have to play the box into a VCR's RF input.

[lordsmurf]

I still have one from 1980, coax in and out only.

[Video Head]

I don't think I have ever seen a VCR without RCA inputs and outputs, although I am certain they (did) exist. Would anyone who owns a VCR without RCA inputs and outputs own an AIW?

I did. Bought it in 1979 for $180, which was "budget class" by '79 standards. It was a front-loading RCA, a highly advanced VHS for its time, with 2 heads (one for playback and a 2nd for record. Neat!), and real hi-fi quality monophonic sound. I still had it when I bought my first AIW -- I think it was the ATI Rage series then, with a huge 16MB processor for my hi-end Windows 3.11 . My next VCR in the early 90's was a Sony SLV-696HF, and I moved up from there. But at one time I had to use the old RCA for playback because its alignment was so screwy that tapes made on it wouldn't play properly on any other machine.

Also I had occasion to record direct from the RF output of an old Jerrold cable box. When I say "old" cable box, I mean it had no remote and you had to push a separate button for each channel you wanted. I tuned the AIW to channel 3, then tuned stations on the box, the same way I would have to play the box into a VCR's RF input.

How 1980's! I hope you've changed your hair! Or your hair hasn't changed you!!!

[Video Head]

I still have one from 1980, coax in and out only.

Why?

[sanlyn]

I kept my old rca around because nothing else would play the tapes it made so I could transfer them to DVD. Some were recordings I made of the live nite-time broadcast of the first Gulf War (I just happened to have turned on my tv and was taping some news only 4-1/2 minutes before CNN broke in with night bombing in Iraq). I kept it going all night while I drove to a mall and bought a $500 SONY just before the stores closed. While the SONY and old rca were taping next day, I bought a $400 JVC and kept all three going all day for about a week. It took months to clean and archive the tapes, a project I started in 2002.

The cheapo rca and the JVC broke down years ago. I still have the more modern SONY, refurbished twice. Plays old retail VHS like a charm, makes nice DVD's you can't buy anywhere (you mean they don't have stuff like the dedication of the VietNam Memorial or the 50th and 60th Anniversaries of D-Day on DVD or BluRay ??!!##@$. No, and they never will).

And sometimes you keep stuff just because you developed a liking for it.