Need help capturing video from VCR

[DB83]

I took a look at HP's support page for this PC - you do appear to have lost a shed-load of software in your upgrade.


There is a section on the page that says 'drivers/software'. Now I could not proceed in to that section since it asks for the serial no of your PC. Maybe worth a closer look at that page.


https://support.hp.com/gb-en/drivers/desktops (this is the UK page so you should find a similar one for the US)

[DB83]

Well I did say it was a long shot.


Here is the US support page:


https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/desktops

[oln]

Did you try with virtualdub, amarectv or another capture application?

If the driver isn't working or missing, you can usually look up the device id in device manager, which can be helpful to locate a driver.

This HP system is a little different to a typical PC

There were a few of these types of "media computer" systems released with included tv cards, some even using full on ATI VIVO graphics cards (I got a 9600 one but only the card itself, basically AIW without tuner). I guess they never quite caught on though.

[Alwyn]

That's a pretty impressive front end!

[HuJass]

Well I did say it was a long shot.


Here is the US support page:


https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/desktops

Went there. Let it determine my machine. It did.
Clicked on the image of my computer after it found my computer.
And the website just sat there with the indicator spinning. Nothing happened.

[HuJass]

Did you try with virtualdub, amarectv or another capture application?

If the driver isn't working or missing, you can usually look up the device id in device manager, which can be helpful to locate a driver.

This HP system is a little different to a typical PC

There were a few of these types of "media computer" systems released with included tv cards, some even using full on ATI VIVO graphics cards (I got a 9600 one but only the card itself, basically AIW without tuner). I guess they never quite caught on though.

I have not tried another capture app.
But wouldn't none of them work if I can't get the capture card to recognize the front inputs?

I've tried 3 different Hauppauge drivers with no results.

i specifically configured this computer with the TV tuner/video capture card, the 15-in-one productivity center, and audio/video input center (all three of those things had to be bundled).
Used it once (worked great) and now that I reformatted, functionality seems to be lost forever.

[HuJass]

That's a pretty impressive front end!

It's a slick machine.
Well, it WAS.

Disappointed that I can't get that functionality back.
Can't believe that no one has run into this issue before.

[DB83]

Well I did say it was a long shot.


Here is the US support page:


https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/desktops

Went there. Let it determine my machine. It did.
Clicked on the image of my computer after it found my computer.
And the website just sat there with the indicator spinning. Nothing happened.

I just wonder if that spinning indicator meant that the webpage was trying to read your PC in an attempt to determine what you had installed given that there were various alternative specifications. Of course this, in HP's eyes, is now a legacy system which they might only have supported up to Win7.


So a long, long shot is to obtain a copy of Win7 and install that. Who knows.

[anachronon]

Thank you for the photos. I have identified your card as the HVR-1800 MCE, which is different than the standard HVR-1800. I contacted Hauppauge tech support, and they said that this driver (37308) should work:

https://www.hauppauge.com/pages/support/support_hvr1800.html (click "driver" tab)

If it fails to work, contact Hauppauge tech support. They have both a phone number and a chat line. Be sure to mention that you have the "MCE" or "MC-kit" version.

Here is an image of your card, for future reference:

https://www.newegg.com/hauppauge-01129-tv-tuner-cards/p/N82E16815116016

[DB83]

If that is your card then you can forget about using virtualdub and maybe AmarecTv as well.


It has a hardware mpeg encoder so relies on Hauppauge software -WinTV - to do the capture process. Version7 may install (if supported for the card) without any need of a product code.


Windows Media Centre was discontinued after Win8. There are links of claims that it can be made to work in Win10 but this OS is famous for killing features at the next upgrade

[HuJass]

Thank you for the photos. I have identified your card as the HVR-1800 MCE, which is different than the standard HVR-1800. I contacted Hauppauge tech support, and they said that this driver (37308) should work:

https://www.hauppauge.com/pages/support/support_hvr1800.html (click "driver" tab)

If it fails to work, contact Hauppauge tech support. They have both a phone number and a chat line. Be sure to mention that you have the "MCE" or "MC-kit" version.

Here is an image of your card, for future reference:

https://www.newegg.com/hauppauge-01129-tv-tuner-cards/p/N82E16815116016

Thank you for posting that last link.

I took a look at the pics on Newegg and it showed a pic of the accessories that came with the card. I wondered if I had the accessories they showed.
I went thru my big tub of computer parts and cables and lo & behold, I stumbled on the composite to S-Video adapter.

So I plugged my VCR into the rear inputs, fired up WinTV10, and boom. I can see & hear my old videos.
YES!!

I then hit the record button and it recorded the video (in MPEG2.ts format, if that matters). YES!!!

I wasn't sure where or how to save the videos, so I hit up Hauppauge chat line. He said it automatically saves it to C/users/public/public videos.
I can move the file to another folder or even another drive if I like.

I can change the file format from mpeg2.ts to mpg if I wish (don't know which format is better) and I can change the folder location, too.

He said the mpeg2.ts should pose no problem for YouTube or Facebook uploads.


So it's not quite the solution I was looking for, but it works and I didn't have to spend any money.


Just want to thank you all for talking me thru different solutions and ideas.
This was truly a group effort.

Thank you!!

[DB83]

Well if it is working from the back, I fail to see why it should not from the front.


Clearly the driver is working else you could not record.


From the pics on the sellers site the only internal connection I can see is the multi-pin one top middle. Is anything plugged in to that that appears to originate from the front-end ? If not just where do the cables from the front-end - not the ones that go in to the mb - actually go since there does not appear to be any other connectors.


WinTV itself will not function without a recognised, and working, Hauppauge device. Personally I prefer plain .mpg rather than the transport stream (.ts) - less overhead. There will be the option to output to that from within WinTV.

[october262]

Did you try with virtualdub, amarectv or another capture application?

If the driver isn't working or missing, you can usually look up the device id in device manager, which can be helpful to locate a driver.

This HP system is a little different to a typical PC

There were a few of these types of "media computer" systems released with included tv cards, some even using full on ATI VIVO graphics cards (I got a 9600 one but only the card itself, basically AIW without tuner). I guess they never quite caught on though.

I have not tried another capture app.
But wouldn't none of them work if I can't get the capture card to recognize the front inputs?

I've tried 3 different Hauppauge drivers with no results.

i specifically configured this computer with the TV tuner/video capture card, the 15-in-one productivity center, and audio/video input center (all three of those things had to be bundled).
Used it once (worked great) and now that I reformatted, functionality seems to be lost forever.

if you connected the input connectors to the front of the VCR, did you use your VCR remote to switch
to the front inputs (usually L1 for front & L2 for rear) ??

[DB83]

^^ Nothing to do with the inputs/outputs on the vcr. The OP writes about the A/V front end of his PC. See the pics.