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Video Capture

post #1 of 18
1/23/03 at 2:17am
Thread Starter 
How good is the video capture of the 8886? What codecs can you record in, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 etc? Is it hardware or software encoded? Does the software allow you to adjust capture bitrate?
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post #2 of 18
1/23/03 at 5:28pm
The capture function on the 8886 was great IMHO. You can choose mpeg1 or 2, and I don't know if it's hardware encoded... if I'm not mistaken, it's always software encoded unless you have a graphics card that does it (and to my knowledge even the 9700 only partially uses hardware to encode mpeg2)... Someone correct me if I'm wrong. You can also choose the resolution and the length limitations, etc. I thought it was great for making VCDs out of my VHS tapes. (Of course VCD is a low resolution format, but I didn't feel like making SVCDs, lol).
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post #3 of 18
1/23/03 at 7:31pm
what software are you using?
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post #4 of 18
1/23/03 at 7:58pm
Yes, that is a good point... What I said applies to the software that comes with the notebook.
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post #5 of 18
1/23/03 at 10:41pm
Actually, if you want to try video encoding, try a program called vdub. Find it at vdub.org. You can use divx compression, and its very efficent, and you can also captuer video too.

-James
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post #6 of 18
1/23/03 at 10:56pm
Definately not hardware mpeg2 encoding, winxp media center requires hardware mpeg2 encoding , and they mentioned in anandetch's review that it couldn't run winxp media center edition because of this
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post #7 of 18
1/24/03 at 12:41am
i use powervcr for my capture/encodings, and several other software, like tmpeg, cinemacraft, premiere,nero and windows movie maker (this one works great for doing quick chapters), all in my 8886.

I would recommend powervcr2 for recording indeed.
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post #8 of 18
3/5/03 at 4:43am

VCR to notebook connections?

Hi fellows, I'm a real newbie when it comes to video capture from VHS. What cables do I need to get to connect the Video Out and the Audio out of my VCR to the Sager 8886? Which ports do the video and audio get connected to? Or should I be connecting the Video Out and Audio Out of my TV to the 8886?
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post #9 of 18
3/5/03 at 11:34am

Re: VCR to notebook connections?

Quote:
Originally posted by openmind
Hi fellows, I'm a real newbie when it comes to video capture from VHS. What cables do I need to get to connect the Video Out and the Audio out of my VCR to the Sager 8886? Which ports do the video and audio get connected to? Or should I be connecting the Video Out and Audio Out of my TV to the 8886?
You can use the S-Video, or I believe you can use the coax from the VCR like normal and put it on channel 3/4 like you would with a TV.
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post #10 of 18
3/5/03 at 2:27pm
I have a Canon ZR45MC camera. Can anyone tell me what I need to capture video to my 5660?

I'm guessing that all I need is a firewire cable,and the software?
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post #11 of 18
3/5/03 at 4:40pm
Quote:
Originally posted by gofast
I have a Canon ZR45MC camera. Can anyone tell me what I need to capture video to my 5660?

I'm guessing that all I need is a firewire cable,and the software?
First of all, I am not familiar with your camera, but if it has the 4-pin firewire (or iLink, as Sony calls it) connection, then you are totally SET! Well, once you buy a DV-capture program.

It's cool, because you can not only capture direclty and digitally, but you can control the camera from the computer, so the software that captures it can get it to the frame!

I use EditDV for now, but I am looking at other options... Premere with Plug-Ins will also work.

Pinnacle Software makes some affordable stuff. DV-Studio (I think is the name) is great, as it doesn't capture and convert until you are done editing (basically, it captures at a low res/quality so one can do the editing and overlays, then when you are done, it gets the real digital image as it's needed. This is a timesaver and disk saver, IMO).

-myrkat
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post #12 of 18
3/5/03 at 7:36pm
Thanks for the reply, Adam. Which gives the better video quality, S-video or coaxial?

I find that my VCR only has RCA (composite) audio and video output. Am I correct in assuming that I will need an RCA plug to stereo line adapter and to use the line-in jack to record the audio of my VHS tapes?
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post #13 of 18
3/5/03 at 7:50pm
Gofast-I use a Canon ZR and the 200 series minidv camcorders. With a firewire cable you should be able to go right into windows moviemaker. Theres alot of different capture programs but MovieMaker is fine for the capture aspect of editing. Plus its allready in your computer. If you havent tried this yet just pluging the cable in starts the whole process and the rest of it is only dependant on how HD space your willing to allocate. I bought my 8887 just for this purpose and it works great. Got 17 years of analog and 5 years of digital (kids growing up) to convert over to DVD.
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post #14 of 18
3/5/03 at 7:53pm
Quote:
Originally posted by openmind
Thanks for the reply, Adam. Which gives the better video quality, S-video or coaxial?

I find that my VCR only has RCA (composite) audio and video output. Am I correct in assuming that I will need an RCA plug to stereo line adapter and to use the line-in jack to record the audio of my VHS tapes?
Video Quality down the scale:
1. HD/DVI/ VGA etc...
2. DV Firewire
3. Component Video (5 Connections -3 video, 2 audio)
4. S-Video (3 Connections --1SVHS video, 2 audio)
5. Composite (3 Connections - 1 Composit video, 2 Audio)
6. Coaxial (1 connection - "F" Type )

and yes, you are correct in the audio line.
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post #15 of 18
3/5/03 at 9:56pm
Thanks for sorting out the options, ratswallow. It looks like I will need to buy an RCA-to-SVideo converter. On surfing through the Internet, I see a range of gadgets, from simple adapters the size of the metal gizmo that ships with the 8886 all the way to large box-like converters with various video and audio input and output options. Is there a difference in the S-Video signal that is produced that would justify the higher cost of those converter boxes? If so, is there a particular model that anyone would recommend?
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post #16 of 18
3/5/03 at 11:21pm
Another question (following more internet surfing): how good are analog-to-digital converters like the Canopus ADVC-100, in terms of video output quality and ease of subsequent editing of the video file?
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post #17 of 18
3/7/03 at 5:00am
Well, I have found canopus to hav eexcellent products, although to be honest, I've never used the ADVC-100.
IMO most converters to SVideo are pointless...you aren't going to get that much better than the source to begin with, you are just going to cut down on signal loss. Unless you are going to spend the big bucks on a line doubler or something like the ADVC-100, I would use the small adapter.
An option you may want to try as a converter if you are capturing is use your DV camera as a converter...Plug your vcr into it and then go firewire to your computer...only works with some devices, not all have a pass thru to DV (AD converter).
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post #18 of 18
3/7/03 at 8:08am
Thanks for the advice, ratswallow. I've decided to buy the Canopus ADVC-100 converter with a view to an eventual upgrade of my 8886 with a DVD burner.

BTW, for lurkers who might be following this thread, I've found that www.dvdrhelp.com provides a lot of useful tips.
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