How to Output to vhs

Toneconsultant wrote on 10/30/2002, 12:09 AM

Now this is very embarrassing, but it looks like I need to ask for help. I have the following:

Dell
Mojave (Videowave 4 from Dell)
Windows ME
Video Factory 1.0

I can't find where I output to a VHS tape. Now I have the Mojave set up from Dell and that works fine (aside from the audio/sync problem) and I can edit great in both. I can render in VF fine. But I can't find the steps to actually burn the files out of my computer to my VHS. What am I missing? Where do I go to output to a tape? It's not in the manual.

I told you this was embarrassing.

P.S. I haven't upgraded to VF2.0 because I don't know what advantages it has and I heard VF 3.0 is coming. I'm trying to wait, but I might be waiting a long time.

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 10/30/2002, 8:09 AM

First of all, have you upgraded to the newer version of the VidCap tool?
http://www.sonicfoundry.com/download/step2.asp?DID=295
The older versions were very buggy. Better yet, download and install VideoFactory 2.0c
http://www.sonicfoundry.com/download/step2.asp?DID=337
This will give you two benefits: it will install the latest version of VidCap, and you can play with VF 2 in demo mode to see what improvements have been made.

Some basics for printing to tape: render your project to a DV .avi file using the default template with no changes. In the VidCap program click on the Print tab. Browse to your rendered DV .avi file and double click it to add it to the print queue. Have you gotten to these steps successfully?

dBdominatus wrote on 10/30/2002, 6:28 PM

Hey y'all,

I'm having the same problem. I rendered the .avi file and I can preview it fine on the computer. I've got a Canopus ADVC-100 digital to analogue (and reverse) box which is set to Digital (since it's going from a digital signal to analogue). The composite wires are out from the ADVC to the Video 1 in on the VCR. But all I get is black. I've tried changing the input on the vcr to Line 1, ch 3 and Line 2. I also unplugged the cable box going into the vcr but that didn't change anything.

Halp!!!

Terry

p_l wrote on 10/30/2002, 11:06 PM

Try analog.

Toneconsultant wrote on 11/1/2002, 8:47 AM

Thanks for the reply, Chienworks, I haven't updated the VidCap Tool. Let me try it and I'll get back with you.

FYI-Also I should say that I think I will be upgrading to VF2. I've been holding out only because I had a lot of computer crashing problems with video editing softwares in general and I'm a bit scared. I think I'll just have to go for it.

Oh yeah, Another thing is that I was thinking about it and I might be able to burn to tape thru my DELL Mojave VW4 setup. I know that works, but I'm trying to dump that all together. I'll try the updates and tell you what happens. Thanks.

laz111 wrote on 11/2/2002, 3:30 AM

If you'd like to post the specifics on your crashing probs maybe we can help you troubleshoot.

Toneconsultant wrote on 11/2/2002, 10:30 AM

Thanks for the offer. After hours of reading computer manuals, I actually fixed all f it. I'm noy a tech on computers though so I try to not get to ahead of myself. Scares me.

Also I think I just figured out half of my problem. I've been looking to print to tape or cam within Video factory's editing software and NOT the capturing software. If you see my actually question on this problem, you'll see I was embarrassed to ask. I knew it was going to be a stupid fix.

My "output to tape" is grey and I don't know why, but I'll fiddle with it before I ask again. Like I said, this is embarrassing.

jdu123 wrote on 11/5/2002, 12:38 AM

I just spent the better part of my Sunday trying to get this feature to work in Video Factory 2c. Yes I wanted to fire SOFO as my video editor but... guess what, the snag on my Dell XP Home, 40gig, 256RAM, 1.6GHz, VF2.0c printing to tape (Canon ZR45) was the format of the .AVI! The .AVI file MUST (on my system) be "NTSC DV".

This is how I got my vids back to my camcorder.

From Video Factory click the menu File, Make Movie..., click the Print your movie to DV tape option, then select .AVI from the format drop down and NTSC DV from the Template dropdown.
Good Luck, HTH.

Grazie wrote on 11/5/2002, 1:17 AM

Was it ever thus!

I've also had to use some "backwards" or "look-over-my-shoulder" type awareness with VF. I've gone down a particular "track" and have got VF messages along the lines of "Device not connected" when it was - when in fact, I had "scrambled" my File/Folder Management in Capture/PTT. This was a result of me forgetting to plug in my firewire drives - DOAH! What I feel VF should have said was "Idiot! Get your files and folders soughted out first!" type of message.

IMHO - in your case - what VF should have said was "You have not selected the Format in your Project Template. Please go to Project Template and ...(etc etc)" - do you see where I'm coming from?

Hey, my comments are meant to improve, what I feel is an excellent NLE budget package, - NOT just to have a "pop" at SoFo. COME ON SoFO techs -whaddya fink then?

Regards

Grazie

skip wrote on 12/21/2002, 12:46 AM

I've followed your instructions for outputting to tape, however, it still won't work for me. Whenever I press the preview or record button, it says I have selected an invalid format for the device (even though I picked the format you suggested: NTSC DV). This problem must be because I don't have a "DV" device (I don't even know what a DV device is). I just want to record onto a regular VHS tape in a regular VCR. How can I go about doing this?

Thanks a lot.

Grazie wrote on 12/21/2002, 1:47 AM

Hello Skip - I've understood DV = Digital Video. Actually it is at the same time refers to miniDV format. See the DV again!

AND - before I get my wrists slapped - DV = Digital deVice, as to AV = Analogue deVice. An analogue device could be an analogue VCR, analogue HiFi, a teresstrial TV that recieves an analogue signal etc etc. Getting really techie about things analogue produces and uses information in "signals" that are in a form of sine wave format [ Chienworks help! ]. This sine wave is a akin to the waves on the sea. They have smooth troughs and peaks - just like a wave you would see when a stone is drop into water - yes? Now - [ and this is where I'm skating on REALLY thin ice, I'm sure someone will correct me ] - when we are using anything with a pc/laptop this type of information is fundamentally in the form of a "square" wave. If you think of the tops of castles with their "castellated" appears, they appear as "blocky" and rectangular. This is information is stored and used in the form of digital "1" and "O", the basis of the binary system, which our computers use - yes? Where it is necessary for these 2 types - AV and DV - to be able to communicate "seemlessly" with each other, some "other" mechanism needs to be employed. this can be "hardware" or "software". More of this later, surfice it to say we are ALL at present in a transitionary period. Some of the information we recieve can be analogue - AV radios; AV TVs; AV VCRs; AV HiFi etc etc. AND the new technologies - DV PCs; CD players and CDs themsleves; DVDs; Cable DV etc etc..... This transitory period will eventually pass - for some of us, we are moving very fast towards a fully digital age.

Please describe what hardware you presently have. How this hardware is connected to your pc/laptop and what cables you use. I/we need some basic information to go any further - yes?

In short, I/we/you cannot just connect a pc/laptop ( these are digital devices = DV) to something like a VCR ( which is an Analogue Device = AV ). What we all have to do is to use some form of interpreter that will take the DV information from our pcs/laptops and convert this into an AV stream of information capabale of being used by an AV device. This is where it gets a little bit silly. These DV to AV convertors in themselves, when conected to a pc/laptop, are recognised as a DV device! There are companies that supply these convertors. Canopus does a convertor - been discussed on this Forum. I've got an 18 month old Dazzle Hollywood Bridge. These devices are used to do this job.

I hope this has helped - If you knew this already I apologise. If it has confused you even more - I'm sorry as well - others will come in and explain more succintly.

Best regards

Grazie

skip wrote on 12/21/2002, 1:50 PM

Hi Grazie

Thanks a lot for your reply. I understand now why my old analogue VCR is not working correctly with VideoFactory. :P

Anyway, this is my setup: I have a VisionTek Xtasy GeForce4 Ti 4600 video card, with video in and video out. The s-video out on the card connects to an RCA converter, and then plugs into the RCA video-input on the back of the VCR. I also have a TV plugged into the VCR's video-output RCA, so that I can see what is being sent to the VCR.

I realize I can just play the movie on fullscreen through the VCR's input, and record that way (using something simple like media player), but the video out doesn't seem to work all that well (there's a black bar about an inch thick on the top of the picture, and to the left [when viewed through the TV]). Thus, I was hoping VideoFactory's print-to-tape service would compensate for that. I want the video to look just as good as it did on the original VHS, when I record it again.

Would one of these DV/AV converters correct the picture for me? How much do they cost?

Any additional help you can provide would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot,
Ryan