Hauppauge PVR Video Recorder 1228 - options missing; 0 byte MP4

[dal987]

Hi, Win 10 Pro, PVR said to be 1228 on Ebay, labelled 49001 LF Rev F2 underneath.

Hauppauge Capture is latest from site- 1_0_34236

I'm capturing the output of a good quality video recorder, albeit not a S-VHS machine.

1. Advanced options is supposed to list several classes of options. I only see Video Proc Amp.
There should be several more. I have read a note in amongst all their manuals that what is available depends on the model. But nothing specific.
My options are therefore very limited.

2. mp4 captures always produce only 0 byte files. ts and m2ts are ok.

3. There's always a narrow band at the bottom of the video from the machine slightly wider than the picture, a flickering version of that part of the picture.

4. I've tried with both composite and S-Video sources.

Ideas welcome- I bought this hoping for better results than my Ezycap device, which I had used extensively for audio only.

Thanks!

[usually_quiet]

1. If your HD-PVR did not come with software CD containing TotalMedia Extreme, you may need to build your own filter graph in GraphEdit or GraphStudio to gain access to the missing DirectShow controls. GraphStudio is not a newbie friendly way to record. You will need help getting started. This thread shows some sample graphs: https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/355525-vhelp-images-III

2. Hauppauge maintains a support page for Hauppauge capture. Looking at the notes on the "Compatibility" tab there, it appears some Hauppauge Capture features are not supported when using the original HD-PVR. The unsupported features are: Webcam, Logo, Streaming, Microphone, and direct MP4 capture

3. The flickering is possibly head switching noise, which is common for VHS.

To be honest, I don't think any of Hauppauge's USB HD capture products are good choices for VHS capture.

[dal987]

Hi, thanks for your speedy response.

1. I didn't get that program or CD with the device- but I now have it installed and updated. I had thought the Capture software and that to be independent programs. That makes no difference to the Advanced options in the Capture program- as I'd have expected. It does seem to produce slightly better quality recording, and will produce an mp4 file. However, if I click its Format button, Video Capture crashes. I'm using compatibility mode, but it is an old unsupported program. There was a PVR driver associated with that download, so I'll try that tomorrow.

2.
Of those, I only see Video Proc Amp in the Capture software. The others provide many other options. I'm not worried about Webcam, Logo, Streaming, or Microphone

3. Regarding the line of distortion along the bottom, this is only present as viewed via the PVR. It is not present on the TV, or via my Ezycap device. It is still present using Total Media.

So with a laptop, what do you regard as a reasonable product for capturing VHS video?
Thanks!

[usually_quiet]

Regarding the line of distortion along the bottom, this is only present as viewed via the PVR. It is not present on the TV, or via my Ezycap device.

Head switching noise from VHS is likely to be hidden in the TV's overscan. Be prepared to see some things in your captures that you'll never see on your TV when playing your tapes, like horizontal time base jitter or tearing. The TV has circuitry to correct them, which capture devices typically don't have.

So with a laptop, what do you regard as a reasonable product for capturing VHS video?
Thanks!

Using a laptop complicates matters..

Most people here would recommend something similar to an Easycap. The Hauppauge USB-Live 2 and the I-O DATA GV-USB2 have been suggested in some recent threads. Captures are made using a lossless codec (HuffYUV, Lagarith, UT Video), which do not need a powerful CPU but produce very large files. You might need a second hard drive connected by e-SATA or USB 3.0 for storage

Beyond a good capture device, a line TBC (or something that can act as one) to correct horizontal time base jitter and tearing helps. (It won't correct head-switching noise.) Line TBCs are not easy to find and not cheap, so the substitute that many in this forum use is an older Panasonic DVD recorder (DMR-ES10, DMR-ES15, or DMR-ES25) purchased used. The DVD recorder is not used to record, so the DVD drive in the recorder doesn't need to work. The signal is merely passed through the DVD recorder to be processed by its built-in frame synchronizer/TBC.

[dal987]

Hi, as it happens I have a Panasonic DMR ES20D here in the room. However, it sounds as if that won't actually help in this instance. The actual picture quality other than the line of distortion at the bottom is ok. I can use a video convertor to crop that.

Storage isn't an immediate issue.

Captures are made using a lossless codec (HuffYUV, Lagarith, UT Video)

- this depends on being able to use them - having appropriate software. The Hauppauge PVR doesn't work (it seems) with Debut, VirtualDub, VLC player (record). I was aware of these codecs, but don't know how to make use of them.

[usually_quiet]

Captures are made using a lossless codec (HuffYUV, Lagarith, UT Video)

- this depends on being able to use them - having appropriate software. The Hauppauge PVR doesn't work (it seems) with Debut, VirtualDub, VLC player (record). I was aware of these codecs, but don't know how to make use of them.

No, it is a matter of having a different kind of capture device as well as compatible software. You can only use lossless codecs with USB devices like the ones I mentioned, which do their encoding via software using the PC's CPU. Devices like the HD-PVR can only encode video internally with their own built-in hardware.

As a long-time member of this forum, I know something about the original HD-PVR, but I don't have one. I did use an HD-PVR Colossus at one time, although not for VHS capture.

Since it sounds like you are happy with the quality of the HD-PVR's captures, and I don't have an original HD-PVR to use for reference with some of the other problems you want to solve, I think I'm out of advice. Maybe someone else can help you.

[SHS]

usually_quiet is right when regarding the line of distortion along the bottom or top and even some time even the sides
All Hauppauge hardware encoder only do full frame recording they don't dew any kind of crop scanning
The only way to get rid of this is with reg AVI capture.

[dal987]

Hi, thanks. reg AVI capture? Sorry what is that - a program?

I've been using a video convertor to crop the video and so remove this.

Any ideas why I don't see the range of Advanced options in the Capture program that are discussed in the documentation? (Point 1 in first post)
Thanks!

[usually_quiet]

Hi, thanks. reg AVI capture? Sorry what is that - a program?

It is not what you think. He's talking about what I discussed earlier: using a different capture device (one with no on-board hardware encoder) plus software that supports capture to an AVI file using a lossless codec. Some of those programs can also crop to remove things you don't want to see at the edges of the frame -- all the stuff that the TVs overscan hides from view, like head switching noise.

[SHS]

as usually_quiet point out there just reg CheapO capture device, A good Example of this is a Hauppauge ImpactVCB PCIe, USB-Live2 and min other which only used software codec like HuffYUV and other along with VirtualDub or Video Basic, Advanced, NonLinear Editors

[usually_quiet]

1. Advanced options is supposed to list several classes of options. I only see Video Proc Amp.
There should be several more. I have read a note in amongst all their manuals that what is available depends on the model. But nothing specific.
My options are therefore very limited.

Looking at the screenshot of the Advanced Settings screen for Hauppauge Capture. The full list of options are:

Video Scaler
Video Encoder
Video Proc Amp
Audio Encoder
Microphone

The Proc Amp settings are available. Hauppauge's notes for Hauppauge Capture explain that "Microphone", like MP4 capture files, is not supported. That leaves "Video Scaler", "Video Encoder", and "Audio Encoder".

My guess is the HD-PVR Encoder drivers are very dissimilar to the Encoder drivers for the other devices, and these settings don't work because Hauppauge Capture's developer couldn't figure out how to correctly implement them in his software.

The ArcSoft ShowBiz software that came with my HD-PVR Colossus provided direct access to the GUI for its hardware encoder's Direct Show drivers, and ArcSoft ShowBiz works fine with Windows 7 (and better for me than Hauppauge Capture) so that is what I used. I don't know if ArcSoft ShowBiz would work any better for you than Arcsoft TotalMedia Extreme does. ArcSoft ShowBiz is a bit newer, but still unsupported. It is also possible that both programs were customized to work with their respective devices, and ArcSoft ShowBiz won't work with the HD-PVR.

If ArcSoft ShowBiz doesn't work on your PC, then you probably need to consider learning to use rcTVCap http://blog.arogan.com/2008/06/hauppauge-hd-pvr-model-1212.html