MPC-HC's "Open Device" for analogue TV

[kieranrk]

This poll is to see how many of you use the "Open Device" menu item for watching video from an analogue capture card.

[Tuubi]

Hard to find any use for that since analog broadcasts have been dead for quite long time now here in Finland.

[Mark_A_W]

Analogue TV? Wow, how last century ;)


I have 5 DVB-T digital tuners in the PCs. Analogue is dead.


But I'm glad you spelled analogue properly!

[pirlouy]

Indeed, MPC is not really usable to watch Analogue TV. I use another software to decode analogue TV, since it allows me to watch some channels. Else, I watch DBV-T channels.

Do you mean this poll is in order to delete this functionality ?

[kieranrk]

Do you mean this poll is in order to delete this functionality ?

That was my thought. I don't really see the point of it any more.

[tetsuo55]

Is there another analog tv program for windows that doesn't have the limitations of mpc-hc with the same or better image quality?

I know a few people who use the analog tv card to play old game computers like nes on the monitor.

[pdanpdan]

About TV software, you can try GB-PVR (http://www.gbpvr.com/).
About the Open Device, there is another use except opening TV - external imaging devices, live external cameras.
I don't use if very often, but the feature should stay there IMHO

[Mark_A_W]

Is there another analog tv program for windows that doesn't have the limitations of mpc-hc with the same or better image quality?

I know a few people who use the analog tv card to play old game computers like nes on the monitor.


Dscaler4?

[mariush]

I actually couldn't find any software that would properly work with my Winfast 2000xp Expert so I no longer bother...

They either showed the image as grayscale, or with chroma channels inverted, or stuck at something like 400x300, or didn't use the deinterlace functions the card has or didn't have sound... and this is if the software programs could actually tune to it..
The only one I managed to work (but it would stiill freeze randomly) was Myth TV.. but I didn't like it because it recorded everything and showed the encoded video instead of the actual tv, which was better quality..

When I want to record something and I don't want to record to MPEG2 up to 10 mbps that's offered in the software (which imho is very good), I just:
* open Virtualdub
* set it to capture mode (and virtualdub won't tune itself to a channel - It'll only get noise)
* enable overlay mode
* start the application that came with the tuner...

At this point the app initializes, tunes to the last channel, sets the sound but here's the nice trick... the application also uses overlay and pops an error saying overlay can't be initialized but after clicking OK it remains running just fine... In virtualdub the tv image appears crystal clear, just as it would appear in the tuner application, I can change channels using the application and even switch through sound tracks, switch to video/tv/s-video... basically everything...

Same trick works with VLC for example, as long as it starts to show the image in overlay mode, but it inverts the colors on the screen (depends on the version, it's buggy as hell) ... and used the same trick with Real Producer.

Adobe Live Encoder is the only one that I know of that was able to detect the tuner from the start, set the channel, enable sound and get everything right.

ps... and even if it would work...I wouldn't know how to switch channels with mpc-hc for example, in the case of the TV tuner. I see in the status bar Channel 4.. but I don't know why it's 4 and how I could change it... I know there are some preset channels for each country but I never could figure those channels and I don't even think my cable company uses those standards... I know the frequency in Mhz for each channel but I don't remember seeing any app capable of tuning to a frequency I give. Maybe ChrisTV...


Here's a video showing what I'm saying, about inverted colors in VLC and using the Winfast app to initialize the tuner and how it doesn't work right in VLC and MPC-HC...

http://www.definethis.org/temp/tuner.avi (about 50 megs - quality's not so great because it's recorded with all lights in the room turned off and with digital camera )

[Keiyakusha]

never used this option in MPC-HC. After reading this topic it was the 1st time I actually clicked on it...

I know a few people who use the analog tv card to play old game computers like nes on the monitor.

Afaik every more or less popular console up to PS2 can be emulated, which often gives you better quality than original... So using analog card for that seems to me weird...

[tetsuo55]

never used this option in MPC-HC. After reading this topic it was the 1st time I actually clicked on it...



Afaik every more or less popular console up to PS2 can be emulated, which often gives you better quality than original... So using analog card for that seems to me weird...Emulation is never perfect, and playing on the original console is a lot more fun.

[Keiyakusha]

Emulation is never perfect, and playing on the original console is a lot more fun.

I agree with "never perfect" part, but better quality worth it! But why "lot more fun"? The only thing I can imagine is a gamepad, but it's possible to use them on PC.

[tetsuo55]

I agree with "never perfect" part, but better quality worth it! But why "lot more fun"? The only thing I can imagine is a gamepad, but it's possible to use them on PC.True, but it requires additional (hard to get) hardware.

With just the tv card every console will just work, no drivers or fast computer required.
It will even work on an old p1 computer.

[flanger216]

I've often found that timing characteristics on emulators don't really feel right, especially for the older platforms. In other words, an NES for me ends up being much more fun than an NES emulator, just because everything feels 'tighter.' But anyway, I use the MPC-HC's analog-in for just that purpose, and don't really understand why it should be removed if it's not hurting anything.