VDub setup for VHS Capture

[HDClown]

I'm finally ready to embark on my VHS -> PC capturing. I will be running from my Toshiba W-808 VCR using S-Video -> Panasonic ES10 -> Diamond ATI TV Wonder HD750 USB -> PC

I am using VideoDub and have HuffYUV 2.1.1 and Lagarith installed.

I've been looking at this guide: http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/capture-avi-virtualdub.htm, but it's based on a much older version of VDub. Is this guide still relevant for the capturing I want to do? The guide does not cover settings for HuffyYUV2 or Lagarith either.

Can anyone give me the basic setup process for VDub and these codecs?

[jagabo]

That guide is still generally applicable. Set the ATI device to capture as YUY2. Set HuffYUV's YUY2 mode to "Predict Median (best)" unless you have a very slow computer. You're not capturing RGB so the RGB compression mode doesn't matter. Leave all the other options unchecked. In Lagarith set the Mode to YUY2 (since you are capturing YUY2). Enable "Use Multithreading" if you have a multi core CPU. You can leave the rest of the options unchecked.

[HDClown]

Thanks. Where do I make the YUV2 setting on the ATI card?

I am having issues getting HuffYUV to show up in VDub. I have an x64 machine and I ran the appropriate rundll32 string to installl on x64, plus I did the regular right-click on huffyuv.inf and choose install. The codec won't shut up in VDub32 or VDub64. Any ideas?

Are there any gotcha's I should be aware of in terms of timings using my VCR passed through the ES10? I seem to recall someone mentioning needing to let the capture go for 5 seconds before playing the tape in the VCR due to an audio issue.

Also, I have DNR On my W808 VCR, and I think the ES10 has DNR as well. Do I only want to use DNR on one of the devices?

[jagabo]

Thanks. Where do I make the YUV2 setting on the ATI card?

I don't know about the ATI card but for others I have used from VirtualDub it's Video -> Capture Pin... That dialog has a pulldown for the colorspace.

Also, I have DNR On my W808 VCR, and I think the ES10 has DNR as well. Do I only want to use DNR on one of the devices?

You probably want to use only one of them if any. But you'll have to experiment to see for sure.

[jagabo]

The instructions at this page:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/what-happens-vegas/126319-installing-huffyuv-vista-64-bit.html

worked for installing the 32 bit version of Huffyuv 2.1.1 under 64 bit Windows 7 Ultimate. After installaton HuffYUV shows up in the 32 bit version of VirtualDub.

Here's a slightly more detailed instruction list:

1) Extract the contents of the Huffyuv zip file to C:\TEMP. You really only need HUFFYUV.DLL and HUFFYUV.INF.

2) Press the Windows logo Start button and type CMD into the "Search programs and files" box. Then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to start the Command Prompt in administrator mode. You should get a dialog asking "Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to this computer?". (If you don't get that dialog something didn't work right -- close the command prompt window if it opened. Try going to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories, right click on "Command Prompt", and select "Run as administrator" instead.) Answer yes to the dialog. You should now be at a Command Prompt window.

3) At the command prompt type "cd %windir%\syswow64" to navigate to the Windows SysWOW64 folder. You should see the command prompt change to C:\Windows\SysWOW64. If Windows is installed in a different folder you will see a different name. For example, if you installed Windows in C:\WIN64 the prompt will read C:\WIN64\SysWow64. That is why we used %windir% instead of C:\Windows in the cd command. %windir% is an alias for the Windows installation folder, whatever its name.

4) Type "rundll32.exe setupapi.dll,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 0 c:\Temp\huffyuv.inf" (without the quotes. It's best to copy from this post and paste into the command prompt window. You may see a dialog pop up very briefly and disappear. This is normal. If you get a "Installation Failed" dialog something didn't work right. Maybe you typed the command wrong or you didn't put the Huffyuv files in the right place.

[HDClown]

The Video/Capture Pin setting on the ATI card only has UYVY for colorspace. Should I adjust any other settings based on this?

[jagabo]

UYVY is essentially the same as YUY2, just in a different order: UYVY vs YUYV. Capturing as UYVY should be fine. Just don't set it to RGB (if that's an option).

[HDClown]

Everything looks to be going good so far. Did a 11 minute capture with no issues.

I have noticed that while capturing, the video overlay in VDub stutters every 5 to 6 seconds, but the actual capture itself does not have that suttering.

[jagabo]

Sounds good. As long as your caps aren't screwed up the stutters in VirtualDub are only cosmetic.

[vhelp]

If there is studder in your your preview window during capture, its a good chance that your captures will have dropped frames. That to me is taxing too much cpu muscle. I wonder what your cpu percentage reports.

I don't know of any other way to check your avi files other than to run through vdub and observe the timeline's status line. As you move the cursor-right key, you'll see the frame pan to the left. Looking at the bottom status line you'll see [K], if you see a [D] then that will indicate image is a dropped frame.

(If you used vdub as the capture, it will copy prev image and insert a code to indicate a dropped frame. But, if you use something like dscale, it does not do the same thing)

I know in vdud, you can press the shift-cursort key and it will bring to the next "i" frame, but I don't of the short cut key for "dropped" frames.

You might want to re-evaulate the idea of huffy because it requires at least half the cpu resource. I would play it safe for the time being until you can evaulate your captures. But if it is studdering like that I wouldn't allow it to continue, i'd worry every time i were to capture like that. Even if these are "interlace video" you still don't want dropped frames, not even random ones.

[img]vhelp.soaps.amc.png[/img]

-vhelp 5367

[HDClown]

There are no dropped frames. VritualDub tells if you frames are being dropped at capture. Aside from 2-7 frames dropping when I immediately start the capture, there are zero frames dropped after that, even after 1 hr 45 min of capture, and even while I'm using my computer for other things. To avoid issues with the initial drop, I don't start playing my tape until after the initial drops stop in the first 2-3 seconds.

My CPU's run at 50% on each core while I'm capturing.

[jagabo]

Aside from 2-7 frames dropping when I immediately start the capture, there are zero frames dropped after that

You shouldn't even be seeing that. But as long as you can work around it...

[HDClown]

Aside from 2-7 frames dropping when I immediately start the capture, there are zero frames dropped after that

You shouldn't even be seeing that. But as long as you can work around it...

Someone else on videohelp.com using the ATI 750 USB indicated having the same issue. On my computer, every time I change an interface with the ATI 750 USB, or start/stop capture, VirtualDub stalls out for a second. So it may be something related to talking over USB to the 750. The first few captures, it would immediately drop 7 frames. The next few times, it would only drop 1 or 2, so it's inconsistant. As long as I'm not dropping additional frames, it's an easy one to work around. After the capture is done, I cut out the extra black space at the front of the capture that is incurred as part of working around it.

[danno78]

Aside from 2-7 frames dropping when I immediately start the capture, there are zero frames dropped after that

Is not related with USB interface, is related with Theater 750. I guess is come from drivers or chipset because I have PCIe version and I have the behavior at beginning. After 1-2 seconds it goes normal.

[HDClown]

When capturing, I am noticing that Sync/Current Error is all over the places. +/- < 10ms on average, but sometimes it jumps 30-100ms. When this jump occurs, that's when I notice the picture in the capture freeze slighty. VT adjust stays at +0ms.

I read some stuff online that said this is the audio trying to stay in sync with the video, and VirtualDub is adjusting as it sees necessary to do so. It mentioned a setting for "sync audio to video" and "sync video to audio" that effects these things The info was from a much older version of VirtualDub however.

Do I need to make some adjustments in regards to this, or is this normal when capturing home movie VHS.

[HDClown]

Here is the settings I was talking about. Should I be changing any of these?

[danno78]

Your settings are good when you take audio from a dedicated sound card. These setting are unnecesary for capture card with that have integrated sound ADC card like Theater 750. Here it is my setting: