Video Capture Formats

[Darkandlight]

Hello,
I have read some good posts on video capture cards and I was wondering more about which format to capture the format in. I have a Leadtek TV2000XP Deluxe, and there are several formats available, like MPEG 1 and 2, DivX, Windows Media, uncompressed AVI, etc. I tried recording stuff and the files are monstorus( in the multi-gigabyte range)! Which format takes up the least space? Or can you compress them later to fit on a CD? Any video advice would be welcome. Thanks!

[TwoRails]

Hi Darkandlight,

That's a very broad question, Darkandlight. If you want to record a late night show to watch later, then discard, MPEG 1 might fit the bill. If you want to record to put on DVD without much editing, then MPEG 2 might work for you. If it is some "precious moments" you want to cherish forever, then the highest, uncompressed format might be the ticket as it can be edited and chopped to your hearts desire later on.

HtH

TwoRails

[redbaron_snoopy]

I am also toying with my home videos recorded on DV and I *think* that you can't get away with a big file when downloading the avi file.

I believe though that the big file can be compressed (rendered ?) to fit onto a VCD/DVD using mpeg or similar which is provided by the video software.

[TwoRails]

That's kinda it, redbaron_snoopy, and why DV is so popular. It may be large in size, but it's also very high in quality. You can port the movie(s) to the computer, edit as you wish, and port it back out to the camera to save the very high quality.

You also can burn the finished movie to DVD. Don't forget that VCD is very low quality, but is better than nothing if that's all you have. If you want to re-edit, or add to an existing movie, you can simply take it off your camera again as needed.

TwoRails

[redbaron_snoopy]

Is there a loss in quality if re-recorded into VHS format ?
The videocam allows for porting into a VCR to record into VHS tapes. Would the quality be better than a VCD ?

Another option is DVD - can my system handle DVD recording ?
Will it be too slow ? What other upgrades to my system is needed (besides my harddisk) if I go the DVD way ?

[TwoRails]

Yes, porting out to a VHS tape will be lesser quality than the DV tape. I should be, however, good looking for a VHS tape if the source tape (DV) looks good.

Many people say that VCD is "tape" (meaning VHS) quality. It is actually a little less.

Nobody can answer if your system will handle DVD unless they know what your system is!! :) What do you have??

[redbaron_snoopy]

Oh! I didn't know that my signature is missing. Strange.
I've a PIII-1.2 cely (tualatin) processor, 512mb SDRAM memory, GeForce 256 graphics, 20gig HDD(going to increase it soon), CD-ROM and CD-RW. Motherboard is Asus TUSL2-C, Windows 2k pro. It has been a very stable system so far, though dated.

What kind of upgrades (besides a new DVD writer) would greatly reduce the time needed for compressing the avi file to a DVD ?

[TwoRails]

First, Darkandlight, did you get your question answered??

redbaron_snoopy, I have a friend that had a very similar system, and yes, things were ridiculously slow. It would take hours for just a few minutes of video. To be brutally honest, you'd really need to upgrade just about everything if you want to see any dramatic time reductions. I went from a 1.33 T-Bird, to a 1800+ T-Bred, to a 2700+ 333 and I still want to go faster.

The biggest drop in time was going from analog source (VHS tapes and the like) to DV format. This saves considerable about of editing time. But, of course, you'll need a DV camera and a FireWire port.

HTH

TwoRails

[Xayd]

The best option would be to capture as uncompressed AVI and edit/encode after.

The next best option if you don't have the space for AVI is to capture as MPEG-2.

[ogrerocks]

you can get alot of info here.
http://www.dvdrhelp.com

I have a hauppauge Win-TV FM. I have had minimal luck capturing. I believe, when i did capture something, i encoded directly to MPEG-1 and then edited it using VirtualDub, then re-encoded it to Divx.
It's hard for me to say what the quality was like because I was capturing from a VHS tape which had been made from a first generation 8mm camcorder. Yes, first generation, 8x zoom from about '94 i'd estimate. So the quality was bad to begin with.

[redbaron_snoopy]

Right now I'm encoded a 45min DV AVI file into MPEG2. Took about 1.5hrs to encode 50% of it.
Which component of my PC will give a big jump if upgraded ?
Would it be the processor+motherboard+ram ? Or video card ?

Btw, just added a WD 120gig HDD (with 8MB cache) earlier on.

[glc]

Processor speed and ram have a lot more to do with conversion speed than the video card - the video card only works to run the display where it's computational power that does the conversion.

[Xayd]

RAM will help a bit but CPU speed is the most deciding factor.

Video card doesn't matter at all.

Unlike many other apps which will reach a threshold at which more CPU power doesn't make much difference, more CPU will always make video encoding faster.

[redbaron_snoopy]

Finally encoded 45mins of video (DV to MPEG2) using 3hrs 10 minutes! Never knew the meaning of a slow PC until now !

Can someone share information as to how long you take to encode from DV to mpeg2 and what CPU you have.
This will give me a feel what level I should go for the best bucks. I don't think I'm ready to buy the best and the latest yet. Looking more for a "sweet spot" with regards to pricing and performance.

[Xayd]

What program are you using to encode with?

Using CCE I get roughly 75% of real time on a Celeron 1.1ghz PC, about real time (a little more maybe) on a P4 2.2ghz.

I would think TMPG is probably comparable, maybe a bit slower.

[redbaron_snoopy]

I'm using Ulead Videostudio SE 6. It came with the camera.
It is a good software ? My PC seems close enough to yours and I'm getting probable 25% (3hrs/.75hrs).

[TwoRails]

As far as your requested input on encoding times, I used a test clip before and after going from a 1800+ to a 2700+.

It was a an uncompressed .avi analog capture from TV. My test used Aheads NeroVision to convert the clip to VCD format. I used a stop watch to time the process. I lost my oringal notes, so I can only be appoximate on the seconds, but I remember the minutes.

With the 1800+ the process took about 25 1/2 minutes. After the CPU / mobo swapout, it took only about 18 1/2.

The final test was to setup the memory to DualDDR usage and the times drop to about 17 1/4 minutes.

HTH

TwoRails

PS: Oh.. the mobos were an A7V333 to a A7N8X Dlx.

[Xayd]

Originally posted by redbaron_snoopy
I'm using Ulead Videostudio SE 6. It came with the camera.
It is a good software ? My PC seems close enough to yours and I'm getting probable 25% (3hrs/.75hrs).

Yeah CCE is great only problem is it doesn't process audio well at all and costs roughly 2 thousand dollars, hehe.

Give TMPG a try, there's a free trial version of it and it'll give better results than the encoder bundled with your editing software for sure.

Should you decide to buy it it only costs 50 dollars, well worth the price for everything it's capable of.

http://www.tmpgenc.net

[redbaron_snoopy]

Hi Two Rails,

I check the prices of the XPs and the prices jumps up a big step from the 2500 to the 2700. But the 2700 times are interesing compared to the 1800. Will consider it seriously.
For now, I'll try out Xayd's suggestion

[ineedacbr]

What kind of a video card would I need to capture video recorded on a standard (non-digital) camcorder? Is S-video utilized for this, or can you use the regular RCA cables?

Thanks. I'm a newbie to this sort of thing, but it seems like it would be very nice to be able to put together my own videos.

Also, what is some of the better video editing software available?

[TwoRails]

Originally posted by redbaron_snoopy
I check the prices of the XPs and the prices jumps up a big step from the 2500 to the 2700. Strange how prices jump, eh? Just for curiousity, I just looked at www.newegg.com and the prices were 2500+ for $94; 2600+ for $103; and the 2700+ for $137. All prices Retail.

Good luck, redbaron_snoopy !! :D

TwoRails

[TwoRails]

Originally posted by ineedacbr
What kind of a video card would I need to capture video recorded on a standard (non-digital) camcorder? Just about any card with "TV" in can do this. One of the favorites of Forum Members is that ATI AIW card, which is made specifically for this. I just use an Asus 8200 Deluxe, as when I got it it was, for me at least, the best combo of "capture" and "gaming." There are other options, depending on budget and actual needs, but just to get VHS, TV, and the like into the computer, you have a lot of choices with video cards that can capture.

HtH

TwoRails