Simple, free ATSC capturing software?

[Brad]

I'm looking for the "VirtualDub" or "WinDV" of ATSC. Something small and straightforward that can just use the installed BDA driver to tune to a channel and write the result to a file, no need for PVR functionality etc.

Does such a program exist?

My device is the ATI TV Wonder 600 USB stick, and I'm using Win7 so the included Catalyst software is not an option. TSReader Lite works well with it but I can't justify the $99 pricetag to enable recording, as I won't be using it that often. The closest I could find in the Tools list is "DV Scheduler" but I'd prefer to avoid installing Java. Even GraphEdit would be acceptable, if I could figure out how to build a working graph.

[lordsmurf]

I'm using Win7 so the included Catalyst software is not an option.

It installs on Windows 7 perfectly fine.
Read this: ATI 600 card doesn't work in Windows 7, how to use?
Then read this: ATI 600 USB video capture card drivers + Catalyst Media Center [DOWNLOAD]

As far as ATSC goes, I've not tested. But I know Catalyst installs fine in Win7, and captures analog.

You'll never get a working graph in GraphEdit. I tried several times, before giving up.

[usually_quiet]

I don't have a good answer for you. VLC appears to have the ability to access an ATSC tuner, although I haven't figured out how to get it working for watching TV and capture. It seems to take a more low-level nuts-and-bolts approach than the guide-based PVR-type programs I have tried. Maybe you will have better luck.

If you can't find something better, there is NPVR (from the author of GB-PVR) and Media Portal. I was able to get NPVR and Media Portal working. Although I set them up for guide-based use, it may be possible to use them without the guide. I just haven' tried it. NPVR is the more basic of the two, but services for it run in the background.

[Brad]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I've given Catalyst Media Center an honest shot, but it isn't for me. It installed from the CD quickly, but it wouldn't work with the generic driver I had installed, claiming "No TV Tuner Device." So I ran that Vista\Bin64\setup.exe to install the ATI driver and chose not to uncheck CMC in case that would actually uninstall it. Each step of this was horribly slow for some reason, taking around 10 mins total. Rebooted to finish the driver installation, and I get the same error message when I click on "TV" in CMC, even though the new driver is installed (device manager shows "ATI TV Wonder 600 USB 2.0" instead of the 2883 device name). Black screen in VirtualDub, though after two reboots that problem went away. CMC also installed BDARemote.exe and put it in the Startup folder, and CMCService.exe appears to run at all times.

I did find some info on how to use VLC to view ATSC.
1. Media
2. Open Capture Device
3. Capture Mode: DVB DirectShow (counterintuitively)
4. DVB Type: ATSC
5. Advanced options...
6. Modulation Type: 8VSB (this step can be skipped, at least in my case)
7. set ATSC Major Channel
8. OK
9. Play to just view, or Convert -> set Destination File .ts -> check Dump raw input.

Frequency is shown as 0000, but this doesn't seem to matter. The full mux is recorded, which is what I wanted in the first place. What I can't figure out is how to view and record at the same time using VLC. "Display the output" on the Convert window doesn't do anything in this case.

One app along the lines of what I want is Easy HDTV DVR, though it costs $30. That's reasonable enough, but the trouble is it only records to the .dvr-ms container.

[Videogamer555]

Thanks for the responses guys.

I've given Catalyst Media Center an honest shot, but it isn't for me. It installed from the CD quickly, but it wouldn't work with the generic driver I had installed, claiming "No TV Tuner Device." So I ran that Vista\Bin64\setup.exe to install the ATI driver and chose not to uncheck CMC in case that would actually uninstall it. Each step of this was horribly slow for some reason, taking around 10 mins total. Rebooted to finish the driver installation, and I get the same error message when I click on "TV" in CMC, even though the new driver is installed (device manager shows "ATI TV Wonder 600 USB 2.0" instead of the 2883 device name). Black screen in VirtualDub, though after two reboots that problem went away. CMC also installed BDARemote.exe and put it in the Startup folder, and CMCService.exe appears to run at all times.

I did find some info on how to use VLC to view ATSC.
1. Media
2. Open Capture Device
3. Capture Mode: DVB DirectShow (counterintuitively)
4. DVB Type: ATSC
5. Advanced options...
6. Modulation Type: 8VSB (this step can be skipped, at least in my case)
7. set ATSC Major Channel
8. OK
9. Play to just view, or Convert -> set Destination File .ts -> check Dump raw input.

Step 7 you listed is "set ATSC Major Channel". How do I do that? I see NOTHING about that in the VLC player TV (digital) GUI interface. And you never explained it either. One thing I hate in tutorials like yours is you list steps that say TO DO SOMETHING but then don't explain HOW TO DO IT.

[usually_quiet]

Step 7 you listed is "set ATSC Major Channel". How do I do that? I see NOTHING about that in the VLC player TV (digital) GUI interface. And you never explained it either. One thing I hate in tutorials like yours is you list steps that say TO DO SOMETHING but then don't explain HOW TO DO IT.

VLC's interface for DTV has likely changed since this was written. However, the Major Channel setting is in the window that pops up after clicking "Advanced Options", so actually vaporeon800 did tell you where to find it.

Knowing which number to enter for the Major Channel is another problem. Unlike a normal TV app, the Windows version of VLC does not perform a scan and build a channel table for you, making VLC a PITA to use for DTV because you have to find out all the details for each channel by yourself. ...but FWIW I can't get VLC 2.0.3 to work for ATSC even knowing the frequency, and the physical channel number for a strong channel in my area.

Is there some special reason why you must use VLC? If not my advice is to use some other media player for watching DTV. Pot Player, which can scan for channels and build a channel list, was not hard to use.