Help finding the right video capture software

[VideoNewGuy]

hello and as my user name implies I am new to all things video, unless you count watching them , and I am looking for as the title says the right or "perfect" software for the job. Let me explain what I'm looking for and why and leave it to you the community to narrow down my options.

My supervisor has tasked me with finding a program that can be used with a video capture device, like the Dazzle, to record from VHS to DVD. I have found several though most require purchase and the few free ones I have found do not have the features he would prefer them to have. This is what brings me here, he is looking for a program that has a duration feature so that you can set the recording to stop at a specific time once it has started, having a scheduler is nice but he prefers a duration or set end of record feature over a set it to start and stop at specified times.

Additionally it has to be so easy to use that a child could work it, well ok maybe not a child but he plans to set something up for other techs here at work that are not very program savy so he is looking for something that has a very simple interface.

Two other things he is looking for is a direct to dvd burn option so that he can start the capture and have it record and burn straight to dvd rather then saving it to the hard drive and then burning it. I have found this feature in a couple of the programs I have looked at but they lack some of the other features he is looking for. And finally one last feature he would love to have but isn't a deal breaker is the ability to simultaneously record to two different file types, such that he could burn the capture to dvd in mpeg2 and to the hard drive in mp4.

Currently the programs I have tested out and seem to fall short are the Pinnacle Studio 15, SMRecorder, and Debut video capture. I have also looked into what I can do with VLC media player just on the off chance it might work. Sadly I am still falling short, and perhaps there is no "right" program out there but please if someone knows of one that does all but say that last multi-record option I would greatly appreciate the info. Freeware would be preferable but my supervisor isn't opposed to paying if it does what he wants.

Thanks in advance to all for any help you can provide.

[DB83]

Maybe your supervisor needs to go back to school.

A scheduler IS a recording program with a stop feature. You set the start time. You set the end time. The bit in between IS the specific recording time.

But NO program can do all. 'Straight-to-dvd' is a compromise as the recording does NOT go straight to the dvd. The recording is always saved to the HDD and then the dvd is burnt from there.

[Steve(MS)]

You asking too much for one program and likely the computers you would be using probably won't handle capturing to 2 different formats at one time.
I'll leave it to others to help you further.

[sanlyn]

There are a few DVD recorders around that record directly to disc rather than to HDD (and a small few that do both, but not at the same time). Is your boss a graduate of Dilbert U. or something like that? He might be referring to the old VCR feature of just pushing a button when you're ready to start recording, and every time you push "Record" you add half an hour to the record duration. I believe the currently available Magnavox DVD recorders might have that feature (better check the manual first).

As for software-only that does this, as opposed to a recorder: some copy adapters have timers, some don't. They record to hard drives, but they don't record two formats at the same time. It's easy enough to get one recording and convert it to another format. Have you had a look at our tools and capture card area? There is also a slew of free converters in there.

Dazzle? He can't be serious.

[VideoNewGuy]

First I'd like to thank everyone for your posts. I would like to say that I feel that perhaps I may have given some kind of false impression with how I worded my post. My supervisor is actually a rather intelligent person when it comes to IT, he is the head of the IT department here and very capable and understands fully that he is asking a lot of me and the software that is out there. He does not expect miracles and completely understands that some of what he is asking for just may not possible. It was simply something he wanted to me look into and research to see if certain of these features were available.

The recording to two formats at the same time is one of those things he isn't stressing on, he has made it clear to me that this is something that just may not be possible with current technology to date.

As for the rest I know they exist as I have seen them, just not all in one single program. SMRecorder for example has the ability to set a time duration from between 5min to an hour on your recording so that once you push the record button it will automatically stop Xmin later. Also it has a really simple interface, unfortunately it seems unable to receive audio from the devices that I have tried using with it and so I have moved on to trying other programs. SMRecorder is actually a good example of what I was trying to find in that it has the time duration option and is easy to use for people that may not be as tech savy as someone like me or my supervisor. All it is missing, outside of its current issues, is the ability to burn a dvd with the data it is recording.

In the end my supervisor has said that if he has to write scripts to do everything he will but was hoping to avoid having to do this, which is why I am seeking to find a program that will do most of what he is looking for. I would like to apologize if I gave any false impressions of my boss as that was not my intention. I simply seek help from those more knowledgeable in this area then I am. I make a good pc/network tech but a poor video tech.

Thank you all for your understanding and your help.



PS. @Sanlyn - The Dazzle is just one of two devices I have at the moment, the other is a version of the EasyCap, this being the DC60 which seems to have issues working in general. I have seen others out there but as I am new to this technology I would be happy for any recommendations you may have in a better quality device. As of right now the only thing we are trying to use it for is to transfer several VHS tapes contained archived programs to a digital format for burning to DVD and converting to a file format that will work well for web viewing.

Thanks for taking the time to help out.

[sanlyn]

I'm certain your super isn't a dummy. I spent 18 years as a PLI/I-IBM390 programmer and 15 years in Windows/SQL programming, myself. But when I first came to video processing you'd think I couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time. So "dummy" isn't the same thing as "'not an expert on this subject". Must have something on the ball, or he wouldn't be the boss.

I doubt that getting down to script writing would be necessary with the right software and hardware. I'm surprised that more members haven't offered some specifics here, but they usually show up. One problem is that no one knows what you're trying to record. More details about the work situation, the source being recorded and what happens to it, etc., would be helpful.

There are a couple of DVD recorders on the market can do much of what you describe. But of course the hassle might be getting a copy of the recording from the recorder to the computer for conversion, copying, other processing. These have some of the features you describe, but not all. Much depends on what you're doing and how you use what's recorded. Similar to someone who is assigned to write a program and interface for this work, we would need those details.

Re: Dazzle/EasyCap. Dazzle isn't great, but it's better. Many members here would echo a review like this when it comes to EasyCap: http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/4321-easycap-vs-ati.html#post21445 . But such devices won't serve anyway, so they're beside the point.

I would take exception, however, to what you describe as a timing device. Setting a start time and a stop time amounts to the same as setting a start time and duration. Start time 2-PM, add 1 hour to get a stop time of 3-PM. That's the way most devices that I know about would operate. Offhand I can't think of any device that would be a one-button operation unless it comes with the "Auto Record" features of a DVD recorder or the old VCRs.

[DB83]

One software that I do use that has a 'timing' feature is the Capture Module of Ulead Media Studio. I use V7 and IIRC it is also available in V8. Not free software but might be obtained cheaply now.

Now both of thse programs are old and may not be supported for OS beyond XP. And that may well be the issue here with your attempt to use an EasyCap.

Now I did try to run SMRecorder on my system and it failed to record a video input. More than that the installation tried to install various toolbars, alter my search options and it did change my home page in the browser. That's the price you pay for 'free' software. And could give your IT boss all sorts of headaches.

It also installed a process called Snapdo.exe !!!!. That may be harmless but ........

The other issue with this software, if it does work, is that it records in wmv format. That would require conversion for dvd purposes and the quality may not be very good.

[VideoNewGuy]

Sanlyn - yeah my word choices are probably not the best and I find I don't always have the ability to describe in writing what I can with speaking, but I do try my best.

In regards to the whole stop and start thing, essentially what we are planning to have set up is the ability for the person in charge of doing the capture/transfer being able to walk in set a time limit on how long the capture will record and then hit start on the tape player then start on the capture and be able to walk away and have it stop automatically. The only real concern with a scheduled start and stop is if they forget to get a new tape into the player it records nothing. Not something that can't be easily fixed just better to try to avoid it all together if possible.

In and effort to provide a bit more detail the company that I am with here is a local TV broadcasting station. A few years ago they purchased some SVHS tapes and started to use them for archiving their shows. Now of course we want to move that data from these SVHS tapes to a digital media like DVDs and MP4 files for web based viewing. The goal I have been tasked with was to find out if their is a software program that would work with the capture devices we are using for testing purposes to provide a easy to use interface for our TV techs to be able to simply set up a capture for say 1 hour and then leave it to do its thing, including burning the transfer direct to DVD if possible.

If there is anything else you or someone else wants to know please feel free to ask and I shall make an effort to get that information.

[VideoNewGuy]

DB83 - Yeah I pretty much gave up on SMRecorder. Was just trying out the Cyberlink PowerDirector ultimate commercial version as the latest trial program. My boss has a couple other ideas he wants to try as well and these may take me in a completely different direction.

I do appreciate the suggestions though and will look into them.

[DB83]

I do not wish to sound disrespectful but if, as you say you are in the broadcasting business, and you value your content, you would not be wasting your energies on dazzles and easycaps. These are toys. I would guess you are professionals and really you should be thing of using pro capture equipment etc.

Stored broadcast material on SVHS !!!!

And you really should also forget about direct-to-dvd. If you do that, you will have further compromised your material.

Just my 2 cents.

[usually_quiet]

DB83 - Yeah I pretty much gave up on SMRecorder. Was just trying out the Cyberlink PowerDirector ultimate commercial version as the latest trial program. My boss has a couple other ideas he wants to try as well and these may take me in a completely different direction.

I do appreciate the suggestions though and will look into them.

There are no freeware solutions that can capture directly to a DVD and make a playable disc. I can't remember seeing any recent paid programs that can record directly to DVD and make a playable disc either. There were some paid programs in the past that could do that, but as I recall, users said they didn't work all that well.

Cyberlink PowerDirector Ultimate can capture DVD compatible video and audio to your hard drive, then author and burn it to disc. Magix Video Easy 4 HD is a relatively uncomplicated and inexpensive paid programs you might also try. It can capture video and audio in DVD compatible form and author a simple DVD from the resulting file. There are probably one or two others as well, that someone else may know about.

There is a freeware program, AmaRecTV can capture video and audio in DVD compatible format (if you have MPEG-2 and AC3 compressors installed) and it has a duration timer, but DVD authoring and burning needs to be done with a different program. It isn't what I call stupid simple, and there is another problem too, which affects all freeware capture programs. That problem is that good free VFW MPEG-2 compressors for Windows are pretty much non-existent. There is an old version of ffdshow video encoder, rev.3631 dated Nov 15 2010, that can still do MPEG-2 encoding, but not very well. I have a few paid VFW MPEG-2 encoders installed on my PC and I use one of them instead. The other solution is to capture with a non MPEG-2 free video compressor and re-encode with HCEnc or QEnc, but conversion takes time.

If you must have a stupid simple and reliable direct to DVD recording solution with timers, a DVD recorder is probably your best option, although it isn't the software-based solution you asked for. The record button can most often be used to set recording times from 30 minutes up to a few hours, with the maximum duration depending on the quality/recording mode setting. A skilled person using the right capture hardware and software can do better, but you want a quick and easy solution, so that is not going to be an option.

[VideoNewGuy]

I do not wish to sound disrespectful but if, as you say you are in the broadcasting business, and you value your content, you would not be wasting your energies on dazzles and easycaps. These are toys. I would guess you are professionals and really you should be thing of using pro capture equipment etc.

Stored broadcast material on SVHS !!!!

And you really should also forget about direct-to-dvd. If you do that, you will have further compromised your material.

Just my 2 cents.

I don't think your being disrespectful at all, in fact I feel your doing your best to help and be informative with the information that I have provided. You and Sanlyn have asked some questions or made comments that I unfortunately do not have the ability to answer or respond to due to my limited knowledge in this area. I'm just an IT intern here, and perhaps I should have mentioned that up front as well, hind sight being what it is I apologize if this information would have proven useful to know. That being said my focus here is learning and working with the network admin stuff. However my supervisor is a pretty busy guy and so naturally me being an intern I get tasked with projects that sometimes fall outside my area of expertise.

I'm sure your right and there are probably better quality capture devices here and if not I'm sure they can be obtained. The only reason I am using the dazzle and easycap is just for the purpose of testing out different software options. As for the SVHS no idea, though from the conversations I've had with my supervisor it sounds like it wasn't up to him at the time they chose to do it.

Again I appreciate the advice and aid in my endeavors. It has been an interesting project trying to find something out there that is viable for what I'm being asked to do.

[sanlyn]

As far as DVD recorders go, few are available in the U.S. today. I believe the current front runner are a couple of HDD-equipped units from Magnavox (made by Funai). They are similar to the hard drive + optical disc units of a few years back, of fair quality but not up to par with top-line units from Panasonic and Toshiba of a few years back. Still, they are a quantum improvement over the few really cheap no-name DVD/VHS combos sold today.

These machines have two basic operating modes: an Advanced mode, and a far simpler I-don't-know-what-the-hell-I'm-doing mode. The advantage with a hard drive unit is that if an blank DVD-R disc fails during capture (it happens, and for ridiculously minor defects), then at least the hard drive is far more reliable. A copy can burn to DVD in 15 minutes or so, and you'll also have a copy for conversion to other formats.

The only other way around this is one of the high-priced HD PVR's (which also record to standard def), but none of them have a simple mode. You have to be something of a PC power user just to make the font light turn on. As this is part of the media industry, I'd think there would be a tech around who could rig up something and tell non-techs which button to push. But I'm not there, so I can't say. A quick look at the BHPhoto pro video pages shows there's some good stuff out there, most if it priced at 4 to 6 figures, but none of it is "automatic". There's just not much around nowadays for us simple folk who want an easy to use video copy gizmo. Hollywood's working against us 24/7.

[VideoNewGuy]

Thanks Sanlyn and everyone for all the help. I must say I've learned a lot more about video and recording in these last couple days then I had learned over a lifetime which is a lot. At this time I am going to give all the information I have over to my supervisor and call it as done as it can be for now. In the end I have a feeling we may just end up running some simple capture program and then do all the converting and burning to disc later. Probably be faster that way.

Thanks again for all the help.