Converting from tape to DVD

[oldgrumpy]

Hello everyone I have just joined up and have what may be a basic problem to the experts I have quite a few Video tapes that I want to put onto DVD, so I have purchased an EasyCap USB 2.0 Video adaptor. I have installed the drives and PC says installed OK but when I connect to my Video Rec/Player ( red - white - yellow) and select capture nothing happens I just get the message ‘Failed to build a preview graph’?? I set format to MPEG.

I am on Vista home premium SP2
any help would be appreciated

[redwudz]

If you haven't tried it, do a search for ' easy cap ' on our site and you should get a few hits. It seems a popular device, so some of our members are likely familiar with it and may reply in this thread. I would also look for a 'easy cap' forum where users may have the same problem.

And welcome to our forums.

[usually_quiet]

The message 'Failed to build a preview graph' likely means a driver problem.

The EasyCap USB 2.0 Video adapter sold for about $10 on various websites are cheap knockoffs of a discontinued device once made by a legitimate company. The installation disks provided with them frequently contain drivers and capture software that won't work properly, if at all, when using Vista or Windows 7. There is usually no support from either the maker or the seller, so users are left to hunt down working drivers and capture software for themselves. I have seen links to possible sources for drivers posted here at VideoHelp (and re-posted them myself a few times) or found some links on YouTube in the past, but these are not provided by the maker of the device and may or may not still work.

VHS capture using a computer is often something of a struggle, even when using good equipment. My advice, resign yourself to paying more and ask for help finding a better capture device that has proper drivers available for it at the manufacture's website.

[oldgrumpy]

@redwudz Thanks for the welcome it looks as if I may have made a foolish purchase I am at the moment going through various links but am not optimistic

[jsdspif]

I made the same mistake . I ended up buying a dazzle that the store had on sale . That works but I don't really care for the software that came with it . I've been capturing with virtualdub and deleting parts that I don't want . I got my easycap to capture but it was really messed up looking . I'm lucky I only paid about $10 . I couldn't get the driver cd thing to even work .

[oldgrumpy]

@jsdspif How did you get it to capture if I could get that far I would be happy lol
I must have paid over the odds @$12

[jsdspif]

I'm new to all this too . Now this experiment just further baffles me . I have virtualdub on my computer . So I plugged in the ezcap and it wanted the driver , so on the driver cd I didn't let it run automatically because it wanted to install ulead studio so I canceled out of that so in the directory for the cd I picked the driver folder and there was just a setup.exe file so I clicked that and a driver called stk1160 loaded . Then when I opened virtualdub I chose file then capture avi , then choose device you should see usb2.0grabber(directshow) . that should have a dot next to it , if it doesn't go ahead and select it . Then choose video and then choose video source . If you just have a composite rca plugged into it pick video composite and if you have svideo connected choose video svideo . then choose video capture filter and check ntsc/m and at that point I think if you start playing your vcr you should have the video playing . The funny thing for me is now mine works and I think it looks better than my dazzle capture device . I keep thinking I should have just bought a unit that directly records from tape to disc . My friend has one and he says his copies come out perfect but I wanted something I could try to clean up the video / get rid of tracking noise along the bottom , that sort of thing . Anyway mine worked like this , the only thing is I have xp sp3 . I guess see if you can get to this point and we'll go from there.

[oldgrumpy]

the only thing is I have xp sp3 . I guess see if you can get to this point and we'll go from there.

Thanks, that will keep me busy over Xmas! I do have a lap top with XP + SP3 I may give that a go, one thing that concerns me is that the capture button shows a Cam recorder but I assume it would still capture from a VCR.

I just found these on Youtube http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=EasyCap+help&oq=EasyCap+help&aq=f&aqi=g1&a...2-2.4.1.3l10l0