AverMedia CaptureHD True HD - Any other software options

[ONEXTW]

Hi all,
So i recently built a new system and one of the things that i wanted to do was to bring in a capture component.

I bought the true HD Capture card thinking that it would be what i was after. However i have come across a bit of a wierd situation.

So im taking in video on a component cable setup at the moment, HDMI gives the same results.

So its connected to my cable TV Box and i can watch everything ok and it looks good, the problem comes in when i am using avermedia's software to record. heres the contradiction. when im recording HD Channels. i believe they are 720P or 1080I (not sure which) the video is recorded clearly and im happy.

when i record Standard def tv it becomes fuzzy, its watchable but not worth keeping.

So my questions stem from the following
Is this becuase of configuration issues?
Am i dropping frames?
Is there a generic freeware application that allows me to record with more settings and options?


Any help with this would be good.

Thanks - ONEXTW

[edDV]

Are you switching the cable box to 576i when you record SD?

Which cable box model do you have?

If you are still in 1080i, the box needs to upscale 576i to 1080i, then the card needs to downscale 1080i to 576i.

[ONEXTW]

Straight off i would say im not switching the cable box to 576i.

The box i have is Foxtel IQ2 (Australia) should have pointed that out beforehand :S

I think thats some thing i will try when i get home.

Will let you know how it goes, any thoughts on generic software?

[edDV]

Most HD cable boxes force you to choose one output standard setting to the TV over HDMI and component.

The choices are usually 1080i, 720p, 576i or 576p

In that mode all standards get converted to that fixed standard.

Some cable boxes have an auto standard mode where the output follows TV channel selection. That way if you switch from a 1080i channel to a 576i channel, the output switches standards as well. Some older HDTV sets don't like the auto standards switch but most newer ones will follow.

An alternative for SD recording is the S-Video output which will always be 576i.

http://www.foxtel.com.au/discover/products-features/iq2/iq2-specifications/default.htm
http://www.avermedia-usa.com/AVerTV/Upload/ProductImages/USB%20HD%20DVR%20Datasheet.pdf