Missing dvd Pal under capture video

[dmxlights]

Hi,

I am sorry if this has been asked before. I am missing the option for DVD pal under capture video. When I click the options beside format box it shows DVD NTCS only and no pal options.

How can I fix this when I was installing I pick Ireland as thats where I am from and our video format is pal. This is the same when I also pick my usb web cam. My main input is a Roland VR-3 Video mixer the max out put is 1020x576 or it is 720x576 (Wide screen)


Tony

[BrianCee]

Mine shows the same - but if I capture PAL I get a PAL video - have you tried capturing a small section of video and checking it's properties

[dmxlights]

Hi Brian,

No I have not as of yet as I had to leave what I was doing and sort out the rost for the oven and then carve it. Well with dinner over and I will get back to it and see what happens.

I am glad to know its not just me and my settings. I will post back when I try it out.

I normaly use firewire to get the video on to my computer for editting as my main computer has given up I am using my laptop and it does not have firewire on it so its USB via my video mixer is the only way.

[Ken Berry]

Pity about your main computer! If your camcorder is a DV/AVI tape cassette model, then as you are already totally aware, Firewire is really the only way to capture from it. Moreover, while DVD/mpeg-2 is a valid format to capture in, we usually recommend that capture from such camcorders should preferably be done in the native DV/AVI format. Quality is maintained as it is essentially a non-lossy format. Editing is easy, and at the end, conversion to DVD-compatible mpeg-2 is normally also problem free.

Your current workflow -- using USB -- has a major (and I mean MAJOR) flaw because DV camcorders, while having a mini USB port in addition to the Firewire one, only use that USB port for transferring still images taken by the camcorder, or at most video which is poor streaming-quality. Almost no point as the quality is IMHO simply not worth the effort.

I've been a DV, and now HDV, man from the beginning and realise that these days it is virtually impossible to get a computer with a Firewire connection unless you build it yourself and include a Firewire card or Firewire PC-Express card. I'm lucky in that I have three older working computers with Firewire ports, so I can still capture either DV or HDV on any of them and transfer the captured video to my main computer. So if your main computer has totally given up, my only suggestion would be to look for a second hand computer with Firewire on-line (or even a junk shop!!) It is unlikely to cost much, but will at least guarantee you the best quality from your DV that is possible.

One thing you need to check in the Properties of your captured video is that is uses Lower Field First. I notice that the default in recent versions of Video Studio is Upper Field First, but DV, even when captured as DVD/mpeg-2, uses Lower Field First.

[dmxlights]

I have tryed capturing video and it very good qualty and I am happy with it. I think I have made a big mistake when doing it. I captured it as mpg4 and then converted it to dvd/mpg2 which I seem to have losed a lot of qualty.

Ken, I am aware of all of what you have said I do work with computers and also repair them and when I get time I am going to strip my own pc down and replace what ever I need to replace. I have firewire pci card in it, so hopefully that I can use it with the next motherboard. I just need time to do this.

I am off to try and capture the video as dvd/mpg2 and see how it comes out. will post back when done.

[dmxlights]

Well have redone some of the capturing I done but this time as mpg2 which I am very happy with and I have also tryed doing it avi as well I am also happy with. I also have worked out the max resolution I will get from my video mixer is 1024x576 and do my capturing in mpg2 or avi, I get much better qulaty video than doing it in mpg4.

I am converting a few dv tapes that are of a friends wedding done by his brother 10 years ago in the last minute as the video photography did not trun up. There was a good reason for this.

My own DV Camera does not have usb out its firewire only it is a HDDV camera and this is why I have also to use my video mixer.

I have done a test dvd and have played it back in my dvd player (connected to 48" tv via scart) and a blueray player ( to the same tv via HDMI). I am very happy the way it truned out.

I will be finnishing this later or tomorrow.

Thank you to all who have posted all the info I got was very help full.

[dmxlights]

I have been capturing away at video and have started edting it and have ony notice that there is no audio in any of my capured work.

I have gone back to the start and see why I am missing it and I see no option for audio under capture via my mixer which is a usb sound card and nor do I see my own sound card.

I have tried Rolands own software and it works fine. I have also tryed recording audio only via Audacity and it recodes fine from my mixer. I have done this test to make sure that my mixer is not limited to roland software only. I would use Roland's video capture software but only records in mpg4. I would like to record eveny thing in mpg2 or dv/avi then it would be faster to render to a DVD

[Ken Berry]

I don't think you have ever told us exactly what your 'mixer' is (brand/model -- roland?). But if it is like a capture device -- and by your reference to the software which came with it, it sounds like it -- then I'm afraid that while you have found at least one other program (Audacity) which works with it, this does not mean that Video Studio will do so as well. You will no doubt be aware that a lot of hardware manufacturers tweak their products to work only with their own software, and it is a matter of luck after that if other software will do so.

Is there a separate audio cable from the device to your computer? If so, what have you plugged it into?

[dmxlights]

Hi Ken,

I dont mean to be smart I have its on the last line of my very first post here under this topic.

It a Roland VR-3 video mixer. Roland do software but its just to capture video and audio. Video and audio are usb from the mixer. This mixer has a audio mixing desk built in as well as a video mixer.

The audio is link a usb stereo usb sound card its just left and right out that all that goes to the pc.

Video studio works with the video but no audio at all. I use audacity to see if would let me get audio from the mixer which it does. Under my sound properties in windows you can see it as it shows up recode input.

I also said that videostudio does not even see my sound card even when I set it to capture from my web cam.

[Ken Berry]

Thanks. Sorry for missing that! Anyway, I have now looked it up on the Roland website, though the specifications there are rather short on the exact format of the video. I did notice one reference to Motion JPEG (MJPEG) which is an old but good quality format, which is pretty easily converted to mpeg-2 and other formats. (See p.40 of the VR-3 Manual.) I note, however, that you say that the Roland software captures in mp4 format, though I can find no reference to that in the VR3 manual (not that I have read it from cover to cover

As for the audio, I see that the cord that came with the VR-3 is the USB one. But from the specifications I see there is also a headphone jack, and RCA audio outputs, though no cables supplied for the latter. Do you have any? Using either one, you could try connecting a cable to the headphone jack and to the MIC jack in your computer; or even the Line-IN jack... Or if you can get a cable with RCA plugs at one end (for the VR-3 end) and a stereo standard plug for the MIC/Line-IN jacks in your computer. That may be a way of capturing the audio as well as the video.

[dmxlights]

Hi Ken,

I have any number of leads and with any connection on them. I also seem to have the problem of Video Studio not seeing my sound card in my laptop which if it did I would have done what you have said. I would any root if I could get video studio to take in audio.

The mixer out puts live video in the formats of 720x480 29.97 frames per sec, 720x576 25 frames per sec and 1024x576 25 frames per sec. well this is the options when I use the software from Roland.

[lata]

Hi Tony
When we use a Mini DV camcorder we record to DV tape as DV-AVI
When we Capture the video using Firewire we should select DV as the capture format.
Capture is probably the wrong description, we are transferring / copying the DV-footage to our pc as DV-Avi.
There is no re-coding what we have on the camera is what we get DV-Avi, same quality as on camera.
If we choose DVD Mpeg2 (or any other format) as the capture format then we are now recoding the video during capture.
You seem to indicate that VS shows the properties as using NTSC not Pal, are you sure the footage was not recorded using NTSC? Afaik Video Studio will recognise the input stream and set the properties accordingly, well at least choose the correct frame rate.
You should capture the Mini DV Tapes using DV format.
I think USB is now fast enough to do that although Firewire has always been the best option.

Beg steal or borrow a DV camcorder with USB
or
Fix your pc to use Firewire
I think you must capture to DV-Avi, direct transfer to the pc, no recoding.

Ken said
“Pity about your main computer! If your camcorder is a DV/AVI tape cassette model, then as you are already totally aware, Firewire is really the only way to capture from it. Moreover, while DVD/mpeg-2 is a valid format to capture in, we usually recommend that capture from such camcorders should preferably be done in the native DV/AVI format. Quality is maintained as it is essentially a non-lossy format. Editing is easy, and at the end, conversion to DVD-compatible mpeg-2 is normally also problem free.”