Can't capture audio? Is it a sound card?

Carionite · Post by **Carionite** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 3:08 pm

Hi all, I hope someone can help.
I have installed Ulead's Video Studio SE on my laptop and in the instructions it says that to capture audio I must have a Windows compatible sound card.
I have checked in my Device Manager and under Sound it has: VIA High Definition Audio.
My question is, is the above a "sound card" and if so, any ideas why I cannot capture the audio when capturing from the USB device.
Many thanks

.

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 5:05 pm

What is the type of audio you are trying to capture? Is it Dolby? If so you probably won't be able to with an SE version (licensing issues), since your version of VideoStudio probably came free with a hardware device.

Carionite · Post by **Carionite** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:08 pm

Black Lab wrote:What is the type of audio you are trying to capture? Is it Dolby? If so you probably won't be able to with an SE version (licensing issues), since your version of VideoStudio probably came free with a hardware device.

Thanks for asking.
Yes, the software came with a USB video capture device.
I am trying to capture video and sound from my camcorder (tape type) via AV or S-video leads.
PS: What a lovely dog!

Post by **Ken Berry** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:17 pm

How old is the camcorder? I mean, can you give us a make and model number? We need to work out whether it is analogue or digital.

Carionite · Post by **Carionite** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:11 pm

Ken Berry wrote:How old is the camcorder? I mean, can you give us a make and model number? We need to work out whether it is analogue or digital.

Hi.
It's a Samsung Mini DV VP-D87Di PAL.
It's a few years old now but hardly used until recently and the outputs work fine connected to the TV or DVD Recorder etc.
Thanks for your continued help.

Carionite · Post by **Carionite** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:47 pm

Hello again chaps.
An update:
I've tried to capture the audio via the microphone socket and it's worked fine. Whether it'll be good quality once burnt to DVD I wont know for a while.
I'm doing another test to make sure it's in synch.
It would be nice to do it all via the USB device, but if this is the only way and will give good results I don't mind.
Any thoughts as to why it works this way?
Thanks.

Carionite · Post by **Carionite** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:47 pm

Post by **Ken Berry** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:14 pm

The long and the short of it is that you should not be doing *any* of it via the USB device. Your camera is a mini DV modeil, and the ONLY way you can capture high quality video from it is in its native DV format, and capture ONLY via Firewire. If your computer does not have a firewire card, then buy one as they are quite cheap these days. They also usually comes with a cable, but make sure it is the correct one -- a 4 pin (camera end) to 6 pin (computer end) one. Check the camera manual or Google for photos of DV plugs so that you recognise if you have them. The camera certainly will, but it may be described as an i-Link or IEEE-1394 connection.

Carionite · Post by **Carionite** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:57 pm

Ken Berry wrote: the ONLY way you can capture high quality video from it is in its native DV format, and capture ONLY via Firewire. If your computer does not have a firewire card, then buy one as they are quite cheap these days. .

My computer is a laptop though that doesn't have Firewire and I don't believe it can be fitted.
It's a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Li 1705.