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**KRSESQ** · 20 April 2001, 09:43

For VHS, capture at 352 by 240 resolution. More than that is wasted hard drive space. But use the minimum compression the capture software will allow.

Follow this link for info on an excellent freeware mpeg encoder:

www.jamsoft.com/tmpgenc/

It's slow in rendering AVI files to VCD quality MPEG1, but the quality is very good. It also has templates for creating the correct format MPEG1 file for VCDs, and you can tweak the settings to your heart's content to get the quality you want.

It can also join multiple AVIs into one long MPEG file to create long-form videos.

There's a multitude of tweaks you can do to your system for handling video but this should be a good start.

Kevin

[This message has been edited by KRSESQ (edited 20 April 2001).]

**harry** · 20 April 2001, 19:44

For VCD, I recommend Broadway pro card.
So far this is the best vid capture real time
mpeg1 I've ever use. I am using this for
3 years now (yes, using the same hardware,
only the software updated).B-way support
is outstanding....

harry

**NotDaSharpestToolnShed** · 21 April 2001, 06:31

Thank you KRSESQ for your response. During all my research of what software to use etc, I did actually see tmpgenc mentioned allot. I tried to use it, but for some reason it did not work on the AVI files created by my DC10+ capture card. The only software I could get to work on encoding the AVI files I created was AVI2VCD. In addition to the couple encoders I experimented with, I also tried VirtualDub and AVIIO to capture. Seems the only capture software that worked was the software that came with my DC10+ card. I was able to get close one time to getting a quality picture, but then it was all downhill from there. The source I was using to test my captures was a VHS tape of Independance Day. When capturing video, I have seen 29.97 fps as the rate to use for NTSC, but I have seen slower rates mentioned. How do I know if a video is shot at a slower rate?? I have seen many compression rates mentioned also. What compression will render VHS quality video on a TV?? Any help would be appreciated to hopefully get me to my goal.

Thanks Again

**wkulecz** · 21 April 2001, 07:05

To a newbie, right now, I'd suggest you skip analog capture entirely. Start with DV and save yourself a bunch of headaches.

Get a Sony DVMC-DA2 (about $300 same as the cheapest decent analog cards) and a cheap firewire card like the ADS Pyro ($50 with VS4, $90 with MSP6VE). Capture your tapes into DV thru the DVMC, Edit with the VS4 or MSP6 software in the Pyro kit and create your VCD format mpeg1 files with TMPGEnc. W2k and NTFS filesystems is best so you can avoid the 2/4GB file size hassles.

The Broadway card is great but its expensive unless you have someone willing to pay you for making VCDs.

For about $150 more than the DVMC-DA2 you can get a bottom of the line Sony D8 camcorder (TRV-120) that'l do the A/D and D/A DV conversions in addition to being a camcorder.

I'll warn you ahead of time that you'll never produce "great" VCD from VHS recordings. You really need SVHS or better as a starting material.

On comercially produced tapes its probably the macrovision copy protection that's messing you up.

--wally.

**KRSESQ** · 21 April 2001, 13:32

29.97 frames per second is the rate to use for video because it is the american NTSC standard. The other framerates are for other standards like PAL or SECAM (GB and Europe and elsewhere), or for editing film (24 fps--not something you have to worry about).

Generally speaking, lower compression rates (4:1 for example) give better image quality than higher compression rates (like 11:1). Use the lowest compression your system will support.

If AVI2VCD works on your system better than TMPGEnc, by all means make the most of it. It will take some practice to get the right combination of settings to get the results you need. Remember the maximum data rate for VCD is 'prox' 1550 kilobits per second for video and audio combined. More or less than that will give increasingly unsatisfactory results.

The two gigabyte filesize limit for AVIs that Wally mentioned may be what is messing your captures up as far as using TMPGEnc. On my system that corresponds to around 15 to 20 minutes of video per AVI. He's also correct that you should not expect dazzling results from VHS, Although if you recorded your source material in SP (2 hour) mode You'll see better results than if you used SLP (6 hr mode).

Maybe someone with more experience with Pinnacle capture cards can offer better advice on getting Virtualdub or AVIIO to work on your system.

You may have noticed from reading these postings that VIA chipset MOBOs are less than desireable for video work. My system has a VIA Apollo chipset and it does OK, but I'm somewhat less demanding than some of the others here. Search for postings on "VIA chipset" to find adjustments you can make to your system to optimize it for video (there are a lot of adjustments possible!). Also check Pinnacle's website and user forums for tips on optimising your specific setup.

Good Luck!

Kevin

**NotDaSharpestToolnShed** · 21 April 2001, 14:49

Wally...

Thanks for that great idea of using the Sony DVMC-DA2, I had no idea a product like that was out there. I am showing for sure how new to this industry I am. I have already gone online and looked to see who carries this, and hopefully the conversion of an analog source through an external hardware device and sending a digital signal into my computer will help my situation. At least this gives me another avenue to look at.

Thanks again for the advice......

**NotDaSharpestToolnShed** · 21 April 2001, 14:54

Harry...

I appreciate the suggestion on what brand of video capture card to look at. I have seen so many out there, and the fact I have gone through 3 already, has made it hard to know which to get. I started with a Dazzle, went to an ATI product and then to the Pinnacle. Whats the old saying, 3 strikes and your out? Despite the 3 strikes against me I am hoping to get something to work here soon.

Thanks again.....

FM · 23 April 2001, 01:53

Check http://vcdhelp.com, there are a lot of guides, tips and faqs there.

**Brian Ellis** · 23 April 2001, 03:23

Kevin

You MUST be of UK origin if you think GB is not in Europe

It's the opposite here: everyone says they're European but geographically, tectonically and by DNA, they're not. The last major influx of European blood was with the Myceneans, about 300 BC. Try telling 'em that and you're likely to get your throat slit The amazing thing is that, despite all the different invaders and traders since then (Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, British, French and German Crusaders, Venetians, Genoese, Turks and Brits), they have maintained a lot of Greek culture and a dialect of the language.

------------------
Brian (the terrible)

**This_Idiot** · 23 April 2001, 11:02

NotDaetcetc (whew, you got a shorter name ?)

The DC10+ is a fine card. Personally I don't like the software that comes with it, I'd rather have a decent editor like MSPro or Premiere than PinnacleStudio. Nevertheless, the capabilities of the card are close to the RR or Marvel (unsurprising, they all use the same Zoran MJPEG compression chipset). The problem is more likely to be with your own experience, and this is something that we all have to deal with. Not one of us found it easy, and most of us still get stuck from time to time.

I'd advise taking it one step at a time, because there really is a whole lot to learn. Start off with experimenting with various capture settings. Try using the same input footage several times using different compression schemes and review them carefully. Then put them through an editor, maybe just trimming them or something, get an idea of what the different project settings do. When you start to understand the interactions of different settings, that is the time to start worrying about how to make compliant output formats.

Yep, this might take a while.

Chris
(T_I)

**KRSESQ** · 24 April 2001, 09:39

Brian:

You are correct of course about GB being part of Europe. Pardon my faux pas.

As for my ancestry, I have fair reason to believe there's some Norman blood in me. Otherwise I'm such a mish-mash of different nationalities (British, French, German, Russian, and God knows what else) that I just don't feel comfortable referring to myself as anything other than 100% pure American.

[This message has been edited by KRSESQ (edited 24 April 2001).]

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