How to use the analogue Video/Audio capture facility
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How to use the DigiTV PCI Card's analogue Video/Audio capture facility
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The first step in using the analogue feature of DigiTV is to download and install the latest software release from the following page:
http://www.nebula-electronics.com/downloads/downloads.asp
Please note that you must install this version manually, you cannot autoupdate from the software as the relevant analogue drivers will not be copied over this way. You can check that you have installed the latest version by navigating to Help -> About DigiTV and seeing if this version is stated here.
Once installed please connect your analogue source (eg VCR/Games Console/Camcorder etc) using the Scart output into the yellow composite input of our card. You can use a lead like this:
The yellow connector goes into our card and the red and black connectors will need to join into a single jack and feed into your sound card. You can use a connector like this:
Ensure that the cables are for use in the correct direction, i.e they carry a signal from Scart to composite, and not the other way round.
The set-up described above is just one example of how you might connect your analogue device to DigiTV, there are however many variants of this. We have found that all the cables and connectors you require can be found at www.maplin.co.uk .
Once you're all connected up, please try the following DigiTV settings:
Navigate to File -> Settings -> Analogue tab and check Video/Audio Passthrough mode. This mode is best for troubleshooting any problems but will not allow you to capture as no compression is done.
Now close the settings box and select File -> Video/Audio in mode and you should be able to see a picture. Please note that you may have to reselect this option a couple of times for DigiTV to refresh and work correctly. Once a picture is displayed you can move on to the next step however, if you are still unable to see a picture, please check that the cables are working correctly.
If you are looking to capture video from your analogue source, you can now navigate back to the Analogue tab and select Video/Audio Encoded mode.
Now you need only to select the bitrate and resolution. This is dependant on the power and speed of your PC but to give you an idea; if you were using a 2.8GHz processor we'd recommend a resolution of 352 x 288 (VCD) and a bitrate of 1 M bit/sec. Please keep the Frames/Sec to 25.
You should now be able to capture both video and audio (which DigiTV automatically synchronises) to your hard disk. If you are experiencing any audio problems (e.g lip sync issues, loss of audio, or an echoing effect) you may need to tweak your audio settings in Windows to reflect the chosen set-up. These settings will vary depending on if you have enabled Passthrough or Encoded mode. The following information explains the settings for each mode:
Settings for when you want to record (Video/Audio Encoded mode)
Double-click the volume control icon (should appear in the system tray, however, if it does not, you can bring it up by clicking on Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Sound and Audio Devices -> Check Place volume icon in the taskbar -> OK). This will load a Volume Control window. Please ensure that Mute is checked in the Line In section.
In the same window, click the Options drop-down menu and select Properties.
Select the 'Adjust volume for' option to Recording and then ensure that Line In has been checked in the 'Show the following volume controls' list. Then click OK.
This will present a Recording Control window. Please make sure that the Select checkbox is ticked in the Line In section and that the slider is set to about 50%.
Load DigiTV -> File -> Settings -> Analogue tab -> select Video/Audio Encoded and then check the Enable Audio Compression box.
Settings for when you want to view only (Video/Audio Passthrough)
Double-click the volume control icon (should appear in the system tray) and check that the Mute option is unchecked in the Line In section.
In DigiTV, click on File -> Settings -> Analogue tab -> Audio Compression unchecked.
Using the above settings you should be able to start capturing from your analogue source however, if you experience any further problems you should double check your settings ensuring that your resolution is not too high.
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