System Configuration Help

Yug wrote on 12/18/2002, 6:21 PM
I am starting to get deeper into video editing for my own use now that I am disabled. I have a lot of time on my hands. I have an AMD XP2400 2gig processor, an Asus A7V8X Motherboard, 512meg DDR-333 2700 RAM and 2 hard drives. One is a 40gig 7200 and the other is 80gig at 7200rpm. I presently have and want to get rid of an ATI All In Wonder Radeon 32meg video card and it is nothing but problems (drivers and compatibility mainly). I am capturing from my analog camcorder and my svhs machine. I have video factory v2 (no plug ins yet). My final product must be put back on svhs or vhs. PLEASE HELP!!!

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 12/18/2002, 8:38 PM
If you can afford it, by far the best thing to get is an external A/V -> DV converter. Most folks in here use the Canopus ADVC-100 unit which converts analog NTSC composite or S-Video to DV and back again. It operates nearly flawlessly, and vastly better quality than using a capture card like the ATI. It connects to your computer through a firewire port, so you'll need one of those too if you don't already have one. The list price on the converter is about $300 or less (my church just bought one on eBay for about $185), a generic OHCI compatible 1394 firewire card is about $20, and a firewire cable is also about $20.

You can keep the ATI card as your primary video display card if you wish. It's pretty harmless if all you're doing with it is driving the computer monitor.
Yug wrote on 12/19/2002, 6:39 AM
I forgot to mention that I was running Win98se and then changed over to XPpro. There wasn't much change with the capture. There was a change when I upgraded from a Pentium III 700 (512meg ram), the resolution for my capture settings changed from a highest available of 720x480 to 320x240 in AVI capture.

I have a friend with a GForce 2 video card he is not using. It has both composite and s-video out. If I use this to run my monitor, can someone suggest a good capture card. I do not have a firewire port available without adding a card.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 12/19/2002, 7:21 AM
People have had mixed results with other capture cards. (read: lots of problems) I wouldn’t purchase any card without going to their forums and checking with their users first. The other two major analog capture card companies (Dazzle and Pinnacle) have their share of problems and the software they ship is buggy a best. If you do decide to get one of these other capture solutions, I would continue to use Video Factory because it’s better and more stable.

What Chienworks has suggested is a rock solid solution that people have been very happy with. If I had to do it over again, I would definitely go with the Canopus ADVC-100 solution instead of what I’m using now. So you can look for another solution, but you won’t find a better solution.

~jr
discdude wrote on 12/19/2002, 7:37 AM
A lot of the "trouble" people attribute to ATI products can acutally be blamed on MS. Basically, MS changed the standards so everyone's old software and hardware no longer works.

In the past, everything used Video for Windows. Now everything has to use WDM's and DirectShow.

I'm guessing you are using VirtualDub for capture. VirtualDub capture component is now obsolete since it uses Video For Windows (the rest of it still kicks butt). Basically, in Windows XP, Video for Windows is emulated (using a wrapper to translate VFW -> DirectShow) and in usual MS fashion, the wrapper is buggy.

I have Windows 98SE, a Radeon 8500, and a TV Wonder. I haven't had a fraction of the problems other people have had with ATI products (then again I never owned a Rage 128). The key is to get the "right" software.

First
1) Get the latest drivers. This means Catalyst 2.5 (don't forget the Control Panel is a separate download) and the WDM Display Driver ver 6173v3. Go to http://www.ati.com

2) Get a DirectShow compliant capture program. I recommend VirtualVCR. Go to http://www.digtv.ws

The Radeon has higher quality RAMDACs (better 2D graphics using the VGA connector), better DVD (more hardware acceleration) and better overlay quality (10 bit processing vs GForce's 8 bit) so I wouldn't bother with the GForce 2 (especially if it is a MX which is notorious for bad 2D).

Ultimately, its better to capture with the Canopus unit recommended by Chienworks. But, in the meantime, update your software.
Yug wrote on 12/19/2002, 7:51 PM
So if I buy the Canopus converter along with a firewire card and cable, I will be able to capture using VF2 through the firewire card and the converter? Correct? And then what do I render to (file type and do I keep all at 720x480 res.) and play back on to send the signal back out through my firewire to my converter and will this change my rendered movie back to a full screen TV display for my svhs to record?
Yug wrote on 12/19/2002, 7:56 PM
Should I also keep my OS as XP Professional?
discdude wrote on 12/19/2002, 8:38 PM
> So if I buy the Canopus converter along with a firewire card and cable, I will be
> able to capture using VF2 through the firewire card and the converter? Correct?
> And then what do I render to (file type and do I keep all at 720x480 res.) and
> play back on to send the signal back out through my firewire to my converter and
> will this change my rendered movie back to a full screen TV display for my svhs to
> record?

Yes.
discdude wrote on 12/19/2002, 8:40 PM
Keep XP Pro, but make sure you upgrade your drivers and applications regularly since most people are still getting used to writing WDM drivers and DirectShow compliant applications.
Yug wrote on 12/19/2002, 11:27 PM
Then what do I render to (file type and do I keep all at 720x480 res.) and play back on to send the signal back out through my firewire to my converter and will this change my rendered movie back to a full screen TV display for my svhs to record?
Chienworks wrote on 12/20/2002, 6:24 AM
You will render to the standard DV template, either NTSC or PAL depending on where you are.
JohnnyRoy wrote on 12/20/2002, 6:57 AM
That’s the beauty of the Canopus converter. You just treat everything like its DV and capture and play back to firewire in DV (720x480 if you're NTSC) format with *ANY* application that supports firewire/DV combo and Canopus does the conversion to and from VHS for you. If you ever upgrade to Vegas Video, you can print to tape right from the timeline and not have to create a big AVI file first. This is the ultimate set up (VV and Canopus).

~jr
Yug wrote on 12/20/2002, 9:34 AM
NTSC, I'm in Nova Scotia.
Yug wrote on 12/20/2002, 9:42 AM
I would just like to thank everyone for all their help. I will be buying the Canopus converter just after Christmas(money gone on my upgrade and presents). Shortly after I will be upgrading to VV3. Until that time, I guess I will have a couple of weeks off with no editing to keep me busy. Thanks again, you have all been a great help and I look forward to dropping back in in the near future (hopefully with fewer questions and more results to tell you about).

Yug