Anolog Capture with messed up audio

StormDude1229 wrote on 2/2/2002, 12:05 AM
sup yall... i got a problem that bugs the hell outta me. i got a 1.3ghz box with 128megs o ram and a ATI all in wonder pro capture card. i also got XP. ne way.. i capture using VF and when i import into my project... the audio is like 1-3 seconds longer than the video. the video captures perfect though.. no frames dropped. and the audio is fine in some parts and off in another.. its not contstantly behind or ne thing. i sorta think that maybe its dropping audio frames or something..i dunno...any ideas??

thanks

-b

D--[)

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 2/2/2002, 11:48 AM
Believe me, i feel your pain. I tried many captures with several different ATI cards. I got your same results or worse every time. Often the video would run much faster or slower than the audio, or parts of either track would be missing. I finally just wrote the ATI cards off as a lost cause for capturing.

I switched to using an external analog AV --> firewire converter box. I'm using the Sony DVMC-DA2 (sadly now discontinued, but still available at a few stores) and capture DV from my VHS tapes. It's absolutely fantastic and totally trouble-free. There are several others available (avoid Dazzle though; lots of problems there) or you can often use a DV camcorder that supports "passthrough" mode. Search these forums for "ati", "analog capture", "converter", or "da2" for tons of other comments.
jimcho wrote on 2/2/2002, 12:37 PM
StormDude,

Make sure you get the latest Video Drivers and Multimedia software from ATI's web site. I'd also recommend using the ATI software for captures. It just seems to work better with the ATI card and gives you more capture options. Try capturing to AVI 640x480.

I also never managed to get perfect sync with audio (maybe cause i was using a ISA sound card?) but here's a tip to re-sync in VideoFactory. Just stop the tape before you stop the capture so the last bit is just black. Then toss the clip on the timeline, "U"ngroup audio from video (or hit ignore grouping on the toolbar). Then hold the CTRL key while dragging the end of the audio track and line it up with the end of the video track. Play the last couple seconds to make sure they both go "black" at the same time. Then remember to re-"G"roup or uncheck "ignore grouping" on the toolbar. Viola, perfect sync!

I too went the DV route (with a DV camcorder with analog inputs) and don't worry about sync problems any more.
StormDude1229 wrote on 2/4/2002, 9:06 PM
thanks yall... ill check that out... it sounds pretty sweet. im guessing that the firewire card that came with vf2 is good enough for the job rite? and any other recomendations for anolog AV to firewire boxes and where to get em?? thanks

-b

ps.. just wondering... anyone here got some tite stuff they made with this package? ive only had it for a bit but it seems really powerful for how cheap it was

D--[)
StormDude1229 wrote on 2/4/2002, 9:24 PM
DAMN my bad yall forgot to mention some mess... about how much would i be paying for these converter boxes? i have like zero cash rite now so im hoping its not goin to be too high... also... would i still be able to leave my ATI card in to use as an anolog video out for transfering to VHS tapes? thanks

peace
-b

D--[)
Chienworks wrote on 2/4/2002, 11:08 PM
The Sony (DVMC-DA2) & Canopus (ADVC-100) converters are both highly rated, and both run in the $300 range. The Dazzle box is cheaper, but i see lots of people in these forums are unhappy with it. You'll also need an OHCI-compliant firewire port (about $40) and a firewire cable (about $25).

You can keep the ATI card, but you'll be a lot happier using the same converter box to output to VHS.