DC10+ real-time mpeg software capture/encoding?

[Deusxmachina]

I have a DC10+ on the way, and since ATI can have real-time software mpeg encoding, I figure there must be something out there for the DC10+, too. Maybe. I've looked everywhere I can think of and haven't found a straight answer yet. It doesn't use the VFW drivers/software, although it could with a wrapper, I guess, but being mjpeg avi capture makes a real-time to mpeg harder to come by. Is there any software out there that will do it? Looks like WinDVR, possibly Studio7, or the best chance is with Wincoder, but I'm not sure and want to know what software to test out when the card gets here.

[KWG22]

I have DC10+. It doesn't as you say, but the new Studio Version 8 is supposed to do this. I hadn't thought about it, but maybe upgrading to that software-wise, still using the DC-10+ card would result in this ability!

[Deusxmachina]

I'm looking at the specs, and I don't think Studio 8 is supposed to do it, either. It says it does real-time DV to MPEG2, but that's not the same thing. If people can do real-time with a cheap-ass WinTV card, you'd think you could do real-time with a cheap-ass DC10 Mjpeg card.

edit: I suppose I should point out again that there should be a WDM/VFW wrapper so it can use VFW drivers like most other cards (except newer ATIs) do. Maybe someone seeing this will get an idea from that of what software to use for real-time mpeg1.

I've also read a little bit of a Pinnacle "mpeg1 real-time codec," and a post from two years ago on the net a guy said it (at the time) cost $200. I have no idea if that would help anything having that codec.

[Ticiano]

I think you can do this using a CyberLink software called PowerVCR, but this kind of thing use your CPU to encode the MPEG in real time. The ATI All in Wonder solutions make real time encoding of MPEG through the capture board chipset and do not require high end CPU.

But is important to know that this process made by software results in loss of quality and requires more power from de CPU.

[Deusxmachina]

I mentioned the WDM/VFM drivers, but then I forgot it was the other way around -- that the only reason it needed the DirectShow drivers is because in my case I'm using W2K and Pinnacle only came out with drivers for it not long ago, and according to them, it *only* works with Studio7. But, yeah, Power VCR is WDM too, apparently, and I know people have used it with it, just not sure about real-time. I guess I'll find out.

I'm getting the card for cheap, so no big deal if it can't do it, but I was thinking it *should* be able to do it. I know the quality won't be as good as after-encoding, but people seem to get at least decent results with an ATI and a 1gig machine for real-time (I thought it was software-only on most/all of them), and decent is all I need for most TV I might then record using that instead of the VCR.

I'll be trying both Studio7 and 8 with it for starters, so we'll see in a few days. I was going to cough up the dough for a hardware-mpeg board, but apparently a faster cpu and a dirt-cheap card work fine. Maybe the hardware-mpeg boards are too little too late now that people can use the software-mpeg boards with a fast cpu. And sometimes people use them to real-time encode mpeg at a high bitrate and then re-encode it to squeeze it to fit on a disc anyway, so I don't see much point in that since it still has to be encoded twice. Maybe it's a little faster, though. Beats me.

[KWG22]

You're right-I was thinking of MPEG import and editing, though the description is a little vague. That would be too easy of a fix.

[KWG22]

ALTHOUGH, this website indicates Studio 8 can transcode DV to MPEG2 realtime. This of course doesn't apply to the DC10+, but interesting nonetheless. This stuff gets confusing fast.

[KWG22]

DOH! Forgot to list the website:
http://www.hardwarezone.com/advertorial/studio8/

[CubDukat]

Unfortunately, you're stuck with MJPEG.

As you're aware, the DC10+ is hardwired for MJPEG encoding. The only way to transcode is through software, which introduces another layer of artifacting and quality loss.

ATI can encode whatever it wants because it's not tied down to any specific hardware codec, while the DC10+ is.

[KWG22]

This news release http://www.consumerdvreviews.com/news/0602/06252002_02.asp

also speaks of real time DV to MPEG2 encoding/capture. I believe I read this in the past and is where I got the idea.

Sorry if I contributed to said confusion!

Off direct topic question to previous poster: You speak of software encoding introducing artifacts, loss of quality-which I'm familiar with, but what about AVI's-taking an AVI putting it in a project, effecting to other clips, etc. and then rerendering-there shouldn't be any loss there, should there?

[Deusxmachina]

I've been emailing someone who has had a DC10+ and an ATI Rage/Wonder for awhile, and he said, "Of course the DC10 can encode to mpeg1/2 real-time like other cards do. The limitation is in the capture program for the card, not the card itself. The version of Studio that comes with the card can only capture in its native mjpeg format, but Video Studio will use the DC10 to capture in any codec I have loaded,
which includes mpeg1 and 2, mpeg 4, and DivX. Moreover, I opine that
it's MPEG capture is no worse than the ATI, as the compression is done
in software in each case."

So, lookin' good. Now I just need to find out what specific mpeg1/2 codecs he is referring to, since I'm new to this and have no idea.

[Ticiano]

deusx, just get PowerVCR... is the only software that i've tried do do this real time mpeg capture and worked...

if you want to try, take my ICQ UIN and i'll show you: 5791108

[Deusxmachina]

In the other thread you said you did real-time with a card other than the DC10+. I just got mine today and have been messing with it for a few hours. After incredibly annoying driver and software problems with it and W2K, I finally got a preview window in Pinnacle Studio. Recorded to avi, no problem. Something was crashing my computer, so I loaded up PowerVCRII for fun. (which seems to be much more stable.)

I looked in the save settings, but there weren't any for avi. I had a picture in the preview window, though, so... "hmmm..." I set it to save as mpeg1, and bam, it did it! That was easy. I only had one person tell me that yes the DC10 can capture real-time to mpeg, and I thought I had to use Ulead to do it. Everyone else either didn't know or said no it can't. Nice to see I don't have to sell it soon. (it saved to mpeg2 too, of course.)

I've only started playing with it so quality settings might take a bit, but at least I know that, yes, it can do it. One problem first, though:

After a reboot, using Pinnacle Studio or PVCRII, the preview window (and also if the file gets saved) has the video's colors all funky. Faces are green/purple, etc. If I flip the setting to PAL in Pinnacle Studio and then back to NTSC, the video is perfect like it should be, and is then also perfect if I load up PVCRII. ???

[savvysoft]

I just tried the demo of PVCRII on a 1.7 ghz P4. I was using firewire directly from my dv camcorder, saving as "excellent" mpeg2. It was horrible: looked more like a slide show than a movie, about 1 frame every 3 seconds! I made sure I wasn't doing anything erlse on the computer at the time.

In fairness, this is a big job: when I capture using bunded software from MGI and Dazzle 10 minues is 7 gigabytes. That's why I need real-time mpeg2: I don't have enough disk space to store a 1 hour home video.

[Deusxmachina]

I tried three or four real-time mpeg programs with the DC10, but PowerVCR II was the only one that wouldn't make the picture's colors way off. Sometimes PVR2 would do it, too, so I'd have to load up Studio 8, click on PAL format, then click on NTSC, to get the proper screen. Probably a driver issue. (Windows 2000.)

So, I only had PVR2 to work with, and it worked fine at higher bitrates of 2000k/sec or more. 3000+ was very good, but encoding that high kinda defeats the purpose of encoding straight to mpeg to burn to disc. 1500k/sec was decent if at x240. This is on a Duron 933mhz.

I got the DC10 for VHS stuff (and because I got a great deal on it). I now got a good deal on a WinTV 401, and it's not as limited with software and drivers as the DC10. I've been playing with it with OTA signals, and it's pretty cool to use the one-touch programming at titantv.com.

I'll try NanoDVR and others again when I get around to it, but so far I tried WinDVR again now that the drivers don't screw up the picture, and it seems much better than PVR2. PVR2 is't bad, just that WinDVR seems to be better. Now I can do (352) x480 at 1500k/sec mpeg1 and it looks good. I could never crank the quality sliders up all the way using either card, (not enough cpu power), but at about two-thirds level both cards wouldn't drop frames and the quality looked like how I mentioned. Having the sliders up too far made a slideshow like yours did.

Maybe WinDVR would have looked as good using the DC10, but whatever driver problem didn't allow me to test it. I'm liking this WinTV/WinDVR/titantv combo, though. Next up is NanoDVR and whatever other ones I can test out.

[savvysoft]

I discovered I had made a slight calculation error, and the size of the video from my camcorder was only 12 gig per hour, not 60 gig.