CONNECTING ANALOG VIDEO CAMERA OR VCR TO COMPUTER

Digital Video FAQ

What kind of computer do I need for PC video production?
PC video production is resource consuming task. A Pentium 3 500Mhz, 256MB RAM, 20G computer with Windows 98SE would be the low end. An Intel 865 or 875 P4 motherboard with a 2.4G P4 processor, 512MB DDR RAM, an 80G 7200rpm hard drive and Windows XP would be good. A 3.0G P4, 1G DDR RAM, a second hard drive or RAID and Windows XP Pro would be better. You may want to add more hard drives or a DVD/CD burner, make sure the computer you buy will be able to handle these upgrades.
What do I need to get video from my camera into my computer?
Digital Video-IEEE 1394(MiniDV,Digital8): You need a firewire or USB2.0 interface depending on which brand and model of DV camera you have. Most computers come with USB2.0, you can order firewire with your computer or install a PCI firewire card.
Analog Video(VHS, 8mm, Hi8): You will need some kind of analog capture device or an AGP graphics card, like the ATI All In Wonder, that has analog capture. You can order an analog capture system from Dell, there are other analog capture devices listed HERE.
Capture/Editing Software: To capture and edit video you will need software. Most of the time, an editing package will come with your capture device or firewire card. Entry level software from Pinnacle, Ulead and Roxio have similar features. To figure out which one works best for you, download a trial version and check it out. You can find links to these software manufacturers HERE.
Can't download video from camera
Check your Device Manager to see if the computer recognizes your camera. If you don't see your camera, or there is a warning symbol next to your camera, you have a hardware problem. Usually, these problems are related to the camera's drivers. Windows comes with DV device drivers installed. Use Microsoft camera drivers. If these DV drivers are not installed on your system, they can be found on the Windows installation disc.
If your camera shows up in the Device Manager, check your software configuration. Make sure you are using the correct capture drivers. Check the Device Control settings. If your software uses capture templates, make sure you have the correct template selected. Check the cables that connect your camera to the computer.
Capture Problems, Dropped Frames, etc.
You can find some basic troubleshooting information HERE. The DVDR Help Forums are a good place for information and support. Links to other information HERE. Click HERE for links to Microsoft Support articles regarding digital video and firewire. Click HERE for information from Dell regarding earlier Movie Studio versions(8/02-3/03).
How do I make video DVDs or VCDs?
You will need a DVD or CD writer. Click HERE for installation instructions and information regarding CD and DVD burners for your Dell. Digital video must be converted to MPEG1 for VCDs or MPEG2 for DVDs. Usually, your video editing or disc authoring software will do this. TMPGEnc is a popular program for MPEG encoding. DVD authoring software allows you to make menus and chapters for DVDs. DVDR Help has a great deal of information about DVD and VCD production from start to finish.
Please keep in mind, these are just general facts about basic digital video questions. The more you learn about video production, the better your video productions will be. Use Help menus and product manuals.

I am recording videos to DVD("home videos") with my Leadtek TV2000Xp Deluxe TV tv tuner card. It was $47 delivered from newegg.com. You need a VCR with composite output connections (RCA type). Most 4 head Hi Fi (stereo) units have this. You need a DVD burner to write to disc, althogh a CDRW would work if you used a VCD format. Writing to DVD can be pretty confusing with all of the video codec options and the different video formats,as well as the different audio options. So use RW media while you are getting the hang of it and even after you achieve some degree of success and write from the RW disc original to the R media. This method would require you to have a DVD-ROM as well as a DVD RW (along with a fair amount of patience).

Dell Dimension 4400
1.6Ghz P4w/ int. sound mobo
768 PC2100 ddr sdram
15" E151fp flat panel monitor
Ati Radeon 7500 64 Mb ddr agp card
20 Gb W.D. master H.D.
60Gb W.D. secondary H.D.
Sony DWU 14ABK 4X/4X/8X DVD +/- RW
Sony DDU 1621 16X DVD-ROM
Leadtek Winfast TV2000Xp TV tuner card
Soundblaster Live! 5.1 Digital
4 port USB 1.1
4 port firewire PCI adapter card
Conextant V.92 data/fax modem
Belkin 4 port powered USB 1.1 hub
Harmon Kardon speakers
H.P. 930c Deskjet printer
H.P. 5400c Scanjet scanner
Sony TRV 330 Digital 8 HandyCam
Olympus Camedia D-390 digital camera
Intel ProPac Web cam
Palm IIIXE
Realistic LAB-310 Turntable
TEAC W-350 Dual Cassette Deck
Panasonic PV-4523S VCR

I'll also add from my experience with this same model (4600) that you must have the Dell Movie Studio Plus (not Essentials) if you are going to do analog video capture, since it is the one that does both that and digital. DMSE only does digital.

If you ordered the 4600 with DMSP you should have a BOB (Break Out Box) which has the RCA connectors for video/audio in/out. From there, it's fairly simple to run the Movie Studio software (Roxio VideoWave Movie Creator) and begin VHS tape capture.

Snags I ran into:

• VWMC asked for a CD upon 1st run, it's the one called Content CD that's needed.
• Sonic's MyDVD 5 LE upgrade to Deluxe? It lacks analog capture (last I knew of, patch required).
• Might have issues regarding video/audio previews not working, check the FAQ about updates.

Unfortunately, you seem to be describing a configuration of your 4600 which is the DMSE package and it only has the IEEE 1394 connections for digital sources. I made that mistake when ordering and luckily managed to phone in a change or I'd have lost a great bargain price at the time. That, even after I went through the configuration web pages three times to make sure it was okay first. Late at night though.

I have a brand new 8300(3.0 ghz, 1G RAM) with DMSP i have tried several setups but i havn't managed to capture any VHS image i've finaly got some audio. I use a Scart (EURO-AV) to RCA cable as a connection between my VCR and the BOB.

It all works fine when i am connecting a digital camera to the IEEE1394-port and even an old hi8-camera works using the RCA connectors on the BOB. when connecting the VCR to a TV using the same set of cables works as well. So could somebody give a me a hint what to try next or just solve my little problem. i am lost

Zeeej,

Get yourself a TV tuner card like the one I have. I have Winfast TV2000XP Deluxe ($47 delivered ). I am capturing analog VHS off of a VCR and you can do the same with an analog camcorder or a digital camcorder, for that matter.

By the way, I don't have and don't need Dell Movie Studio Plus to do this. I am just using the Ulead software bundle that came with the tuner card.

Message Edited by NFFAA on 12-30-2003 05:00 AM

Thanks,

I'll try that. even as it's gonna cost me extra. it's an option i didn't think off.