DC10+ avi not working with TMPGenc

[Deusxmachina]

How the heck do you get TMPG to use an mjpeg/avi file from the DC10+? I can capture it with Studio 8, I can play the file in Windows Media Player, but TMPG won't load it. Do I have to install another mjpeg codec such as Pic? I've tried higher and lower priority'ing things in TMPG, but no go.

I've tried frameserving to TMPG from Virtualdub, and the video is there, but it looks like it's super-interlaced. Ghosts and interlacing everywhere. Deinterlacing, combining the fields, dropping the fields, nothing clears it up. And this is in Virtualdub, not in TMPG. TMPG won't fix it either.

Also, any idea why the card drops about 3 frames every second no matter the resolution or bitrate? It's like there's a hiccup in my computer or something. It does it even in the preview window without recording anything. Figured maybe the shared IRQ of Windows 2000, but not sure.

If I could get those two things fixed, I'd be impressed with the card. I've captured TV in real-time mpeg @ 3000k/sec and it looks very nice. (1150k/sec not so nice.) The main thing I got it for is for old VHS, and just using the built-in noise filter and using the poor Studio 8 built-in encoder to then make mpeg/VCD, it looks pretty darn good (compared to the original) on the big screen. The Studio 8 noise filter really does a job on things. Color gets flattened, makes it more movie-like, but it's a cleaner picture than the original VHS.

Those damn dropped frames, though! grrrr!

edit: I just loaded a Studio 8 mjpeg/avi clip back into Virtualdub and clicked on show specs. It says the file is 32.420 frames per second. Looks like they are all 32.420 or 32.412 etc frames per second. Um....

[chrisc]

I "think" Pinnacle uses type 1 AVI format whilst others uses type 2 Avi. This may be your problem

[Deusxmachina]

To maybe help someone help me on the frame-dropping problem, I just noticed my computer drops frames even when playing back known-good mpegs. If I download an mpeg off the net and play it in Media Player, it will have that slight hiccup like the preview window (and capturing) with the capture card does. I just downloaded the newest codecs from Microsoft, even downloaded the newest Media Player. Same thing.

What could cause a hiccup like that? Memory problem? Can't be the hard drive because it hiccups in the preview window without actually recording anything. I don't know if W2K sharing IRQs could cause something like that or not.

[mixy99]

Check up on the troubleshooting guide for the DC10 with the frame loss issue. Enabling DMA on hard drive fixes most problems. I never ran the card/studio 7 on 2000 only ME and XP. TMPG worked perfectly on ME as it recognised the DC10 driver but studio was appalling. Now I have XP TMPG and Windows Movie Maker don't recognise the driver although I've updated it. If you get to capture on XP make sure you have NTFS instead of FAT 32. As you know with frame loss the tape quality makes the difference. One 20 year old tape i copied had ZERO loss but a well used tape lost nearly 1000 frames over 50 minutes before i got the settings right even then it was down to below 450 frames lost after tweaking.

[mixy99]

Sounds silly but try moving the card to another PCI slot. If it's conflicting that works 99.9% of the time.

[dattrax]

Hi,

I had the same problem, possibly to do the the directshow codec. I solved it by buying the PICVideo software codec and using that. I know it's not the most brilliant of solutions, but it does work.

Jim

[Deusxmachina]

Update: I've disabled every other shared IRQ device, I've set the memory settings and things in the bios to their lowest levels, I've swapped video cards, I've uninstalled the DC10, DMA is enabled, and it still plays all video with that slight hiccup. It might have always done it and I just chalked it up to low cpu power, which wouldn't really have been the problem (933mhz).

I'll try removing whatever drivers I can. I don't know what else it could be other than the things mentioned.

edit: I just noticed even the cursor will do the pause/hiccup. I don't know if it's always done that or not since it's so slight. I've swapped out the AGP card for a different brand PCI card, no change. This is weird.

[Ticiano]

hhmmm here i was with the same trouble, but instaling the PicView MJPEG Codec i'll be able to open this kind of AVIs under any software that you want: TMPGEnc, Adobe Premiere, etc... but remember to register the codec or you will see a banner in your screen... when i say "register", you listen "crack it"!

[Deusxmachina]

I never had much trouble opening things, but everything even non-related to the card and video files had the hiccup/stutter. Formatted the drive, reinstalled windows, works now.

I did have the problem with opening the Studio 8 avis in VirtualDub, though. And installing the PicVideo codec did indeed then allow the Studio 8 files to open. But I don't need to register the thing because I don't use the actual filter in VirtualDub and instead just output uncompressed.

Thanks to VirtualDub and a few other tricky little programs, the DC10 can really be something. Cheap and hardware-based, but thanks to those other frameserving and linking programs, it doesn't have to be stuck with its own software (or compression) like it used to.