Capturing VCR output to PC files

[Guest]

Hi:

I have my regular analog VCR hooked up to the video and audio inputs of the
TV tuner card that came with my Dell XPS. The PC is running Windows Media
Center 2004. I DO have the appropriate adapter/converter in-line for
connecting the VCR's RCA connector to the S-Video connector on the card.

Am using Windows Movie Maker. I DO have the input set to Composite (and have
also experimented with the S-Video setting).

I have successfully captured up to 3 minutes (very specifically 3 minutes)
of video and successfully saved them to files.

However, anything ANY amount of time beyond 3 minutes, and Movie Maker never
finishes its "importing" progress bars. Computer just hangs up. I know
sometimes computers are just taking a long time to do something when they
seem to freeze up, but I have walked away from it for hours and come back, to
find it still stuck, instead of having completed the "Import"/saving
operation.

Is some setting limiting the file size I can save? Any ideas on any aspect
of this?

Thanks in advance,
Lew

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

Windows Movie Maker is not really designed for capture of analog video.
There are other third party programs that will capture better.... WinDVD
Creator, PowerDirector, Nero, Roxio etc

 

[Guest]

Cari:

Thanks for the tip. If you or anyone else could answer this next question,
I'd love it:

The first time I tried this operation a few months ago, and failed, I got
discouraged and walked away.

At that time, I absolutely did ALSO try it through Roxio 7, but there seemed
to some problem with specifically chroma-phase (I work in television, so I
know some stuff). The colors were sort of negative-looking, even though I
fooled around with, again, switching the input-types, and everything else I
could find in configurations and settings.

Now, I have Roxio 8, and the button that says something like "Start Capture"
never lights up, presumably because something is wrong. I get a dialog that
says something like "Failed to draw Preview". Since the Preview window stays
blank, I'm guessing it's some setting or configuration thing that it doesn't
like about my inputs. As I've said before, I have the yellow composite video
connector from the VCR's output going to the only video input on the
computer. (Matter of fact, there are two identical ones on the TV tuner card,
and I've tried both.)

The only available "Video devices" are "Angel MPEG". Sometimes two show up,
sometimes one, and I've tried every possible combination.

Yeesh.

Any help from anyone would totally make my day, and get my eternal
gratitude. (AND my wife's gratitude, because I'm trying to make a huge
bookshelf full of old VHS tapes go away!)

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

Hmm. Roxio's VideoWave seems to work fine here..... I have a VIVO capable
graphics card.

What capture card are you using and which drivers?

 

[Guest]

Hi again, Cari:

I've been trying it through Roxio 8's "Capture" menu, because that seemed
most obvious. I remember seeing Video Wave on 7 (and never using it), but
haven't really looked for it on 8 because fooling around with video at home
is still very new to me.

I am reading this and responding from work, so can't answer your question
about card and drivers right now.

However, I am so deeply, almost pathetically grateful (partially kidding)
for any kind soul out there being interested in helping, that I will look at
this stuff over the Thanksgiving 4-day weekend and respond soon.

Thanks again,
Lew.

 

[Guest]

Hi; hope you're still out there:

I took screen shots of all three tabs on my video card's Properties page in
Device Manager.

Apparently, I do indeed have an Angel MPEG Device. The manufacturer is
Emuzed, Inc., and it's in "Location 4" (would that mean Slot #4?). The driver
is from Emuzed, and is dated 10/27/04, and it is Version 1.0.2.21 .

The Details tab has some dropdown menu highlighted called Device Instance
Id, and it shows some mysterious string that says:

EZD\ANGEL_CH2_rev0\5&B723B7F&0&0000 .

Apparently, according to His Majesty, my operating system, "This Device Is
Working Properly".

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

I'm still here!

I'm wondering if Roxio v8 supports this card, you might want to check their
website to see.

If there is a demo (trial) available of Cyberlink's PowerDirector
(www.gocyberlink.com) try that and see if it helps and correctly identifies
the capture card. You might also do the same with Intervideo's WinDVD
Creator (www.intervideo.com).

I think it's probably a matter of trying each software application in turn
and seeing which one identifies the card correctly, the trial and error
method.