Video Camera Capturing.

[njskatchmo]

My friend wants to take his magnetic tape video camera and import his video onto his computer. He has S-video and RCA out on his camcorder. What software would he need? Would a simple tv capture card with S-video input and yellow calbe sound input be sufficient?

[Force Flow]

What kind of camera is it? Digital (mini-DV tapes) or analog (VHS tapes)?

[njskatchmo]

Mini-dv sorry didn't know it mattered

[SonicVanguard]

If it's miniDV, all he'll need is a firewire/i-Link card (IEE1394) and some capture/editing software. Audio and video will be capture digitally via the firewire cable.

Dave.

[njskatchmo]

If it's Mini-Dv it has to have firewire? What software would you suggest? Will adobe premiere work? I have it laying aroudn somewhere. Any free software or something?

(edit)

He says it doesnt have firewire. Just S-video, and White, and yellow.

It's a Hitachi vm-h675-la. If that helps.

[Force Flow]

It is an 8mm camera, not mini-DV. In that case, it does not have firewire. You would have to have an analog capture video card.

[njskatchmo]

By analog you mean RCA or S-video?

[Force Flow]

RCA is analog; s-video and firewire are digital.

[njskatchmo]

He says it has a S-video out on it. What should i search for to find one of these? (ive searched for analog video capture, and rca video capture, on newegg). What about the software end what will i need there?

[Force Flow]

ATI all in wonder cards have analog capture capabilities.

Either that, or possibly a new mini-DV camera would allow you to capture video.

[SonicVanguard]

Originally posted by force_flow2002
RCA is analog; s-video and firewire are digital.
Sorry Force Flow, but S-Video is far from digital. S-Video simply seperates the black, white, chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) signals, but it is as analog as an RCA composite signal.

A good capture card wtih S-Video capabilities is the Pinnacle Studio Deluxe (http://www.pinnaclesys.com/ProductPage_n.asp?Product_ID=520&Langue_ID=7). It as S-Video and RCA composite video, a nice breakout box for easy connections and is bundled with Pinnacle Studio 8 which is a easier learning curve over Adobe Premiere. Although Premiere is much more powerful.

Dave.

[Hi Ho]

Pinnacle Studio 8 which is a easier learning curve over Adobe Premiere. Although Premiere is much more powerful.

And much more expensive. Your comparing a $600 program to a $99 program. Any good quality capture card would do. Pinnacle studio is supposed to be an excellent program. I use the video in on my GeForce 4ti 4800. The video quality is great although I have yet to purchase Pinnacle Studio so I haven't done any editing yet. If you just want to capture now and edit/burn later there is a free program called Virtual VCR (http://virtualvcr.sourceforge.net/) which works great. Ulead Video Studio 7 (http://www.ulead.com/vs/runme.htm) has a 30 day fully functional trial which I used to make some VCD's. Pinnacle Studio also has a trial but it is only available on CD.

[Force Flow]

Originally posted by SonicVanguard
Sorry Force Flow, but S-Video is far from digital. S-Video simply seperates the black, white, chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) signals, but it is as analog as an RCA composite signal.

Ah-ha! So that's why I was able to go directly through a s-video to RCA adapter.

[videobruce]

Originally posted by force_flow2002
RCA is analog; s-video and firewire are digital. Man are you wrong!

Since when S-Video is digital??
It is a Y/C connection which is a separated version of composite!

[videobruce]

Originally posted by force_flow2002
Ah-ha! So that's why I was able to go directly through a s-video to RCA adapter. Using a 'adapter' to encode/decode Y/C to or from composite without using a separate device would almost be the same as using a Y adapter to get stereo from a mono source! Some simple trap or filter isn't going to get you TRUE Y and C or won't combine them back together properly either!

[Force Flow]

Sorry, "Y/C"?

I don't quite understand how this adapted does it, but it does. I go out to my TV with it. I origionally was looking for a converter box, but I happend to stumble across this little adapter, and gave it a shot.

[SonicVanguard]

Originally posted by force_flow2002
Sorry, "Y/C"?

I don't quite understand how this adapted does it, but it does. I go out to my TV with it. I origionally was looking for a converter box, but I happend to stumble across this little adapter, and gave it a shot.

"Y/C" is a cool way of saying luminance (Y) and chrominace (C). Those little adapters are pretty good at combining the signal into a composite signal - actually, there's really no conversion going on at all. 4 lines into 1, it's really that simple.

And videobruce, I don't think Force Flow was in any way saying he was getting s-video quality from that adapter. Maybe reading an entire thread would be good practice before pointing out someone's error, since that error was already addressed. I don't mean to tread on any moderators toes or even offend you - but your response to Force Flow seemed overbearing.

Dave.

[njskatchmo]

Ok before my thread turns into a warzone, Lol. I have a USB Tv wonder laying around, I'll let him borrow that. But what about software. I just need something simple, Anything free , or should i just play with my copy of premiere?

[SonicVanguard]

Avid just released a free version of Xpress: http://www.avid.com/freedv/ It's quite powerful but there is a bit of a learning curve (comparable to Premiere).

Dave.

[videobruce]

Originally posted by SonicVanguard
"Y/C" is a cool way of saying luminance (Y) and chrominace (C).
And videobruce, I don't think Force Flow was in any way saying he was getting s-video quality from that adapter. Maybe reading an entire thread would be good practice before pointing out someone's error, since that error was already addressed. I don't mean to tread on any moderators toes or even offend you - but your response to Force Flow seemed overbearing.
Dave. Y/C is the correct way of naming the connection, nothing "cool" about it.
There was nothing "overbearing" about my response. Yes, I did restate a above response, but did so to add my own input.
There are too many of these 'cheap' adapters being sold to less knowgeable people as a cheap way of combining/splitting the composite video signal which is nothing but a scam AFAIK!
And yes I should of mentioned what Y and C stood for, but giving the fact 90% of the terms in any forum I have been to aren't described because everyone else is under the assumption that everyone else knows every term out there (all 105,000,000,001 of them).

The real question is; Why I Q? (to any video people out there)

[SonicVanguard]

I've said my peace...my intention here is not to tear anyone down but to help those who I can. I suppose I could show off my brilliance and experience by standing on a pedistal, but I'd rather help people at their level.

I'm beginning to think Yoda was right...this may not be the place for me.

Dave.

[Force Flow]

Hey, then who would help out the A/V guy wannabes? ;)

So the *best* way to get quality s-video output would be to con through a converter, correct?

Why don't I get audio as well comming off of the video card's serial port that is split into an audio RCA line and s-video line?

[SonicVanguard]

Originally posted by force_flow2002
Hey, then who would help out the A/V guy wannabes? ;)

So the *best* way to get quality s-video output would be to con through a converter, correct?

Why don't I get audio as well comming off of the video card's serial port that is split into an audio RCA line and s-video line?

A 'converter' does no more than your adapter - it's just more expensive. Will you get better quality? Yes you will. But will you notice the quality? Hard to say. Can you hear the difference between CD audio at 44.1K 16 bit and audio recorded at 96K/24bit? With the proper speaker and amp setup sure, but with average off the shelf speakers and combo recievers, I doubt it.

I'm not that framiliar with your video card, but why would it have an audio output? And why not just use the audio out from your soundcard?

Dave.

[Force Flow]

Got me. I have no idea why it has an audio channel off the sound card. I don't see what the point is if it doesn't work. :p

I don't have the right adapters, or enough of them. In order to have the signal go out to both the VCR and the speakers, I would need a mono channel Y-adapter, right?

[SonicVanguard]

Okay...before I'm totally confused, tell me what you want to accomplish and how things are currently hooked up.

Dave.

[Force Flow]

lol, sorry. My setup is a little out there.

First, off the video card's serial port comes s-video and an RCA connector. I attached the s-video to RCA adapter to the s-video connector. That then goes into my VCR's video-in connector (it's too old to have an s-video port). I plug the seperate RCA connector into the audio-in connector.

Then, I go out to my TV via coax. On the TV, I get video, but only a loud humming for sound.

Second, my audio setup:

I have a y-adapter comming out of the audio-out port of my sound card. On each end, I have a 1/8" audio connector to RCA adapter. Those lines go into my R and L in channels of my stereo. Then I have a y-adapter from the L and R RCA connections to the 1/8" audio connector, which goes to my speakers.

A little difficult to expalain, but that's about it.

[SonicVanguard]

That RCA connector on your video card - what color is it?

Dave.

[Force Flow]

lol, nevermind, on impuslse I just switched the two around. It turns out they are both sending out video signals. I feel like such a goof. :p

Thanks, SonicVanguard ;)

[SonicVanguard]

I had that feeling. But don't feel like a goof - it's easy to assume any RCA connector is audio, especially when you're doing things quickly.

I had a good friend call the other day about his new HDTV wondering how to plug it into his home theater since it's got more audio outs: Red, White, Red (again), Blue, and Green. It took me a while to convince him he didn't want to hook up is DVD player using S-Video but rather use Red, Blue and Green connectors for component video.

When we got to the digital audio, things got real funny.

Dave.