Connexant CX23880 Cards

[Prospero]

The only thread mentioning these cards, that I can find, is here (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39122&perpage=20&highlight=CX23880&pagenumber=1) . Any one used one yet? I picked up the Asus card to replace my Marvel G450eTV as primary TV and capture card, but ran into some issues. The picture quality is absolutely gorgeous, but I can't get sound to initialize in Dscaler or VirturalVCR. Kind of hard to watch tv with no sound, and capturing isn't realy possible. Any thoughts on how to get sound working? I can get it to work in preview in VirtualVCR, but not capture. I'd realy like to move away from an integrated capture solution like the Marvel, but have gone back to it until I can figure out the Connexant card.

[^^-+I4004+-^^]

prospero from "ars"?

these cards have driver issues (didn't know asus is
jumping to bandwagon too...),but no one complained
about sound.....

why not use your normal sound card (i presume you wan't
everything from asus,sound and image?)

does the card have a proper wiring for that
like the tuner and so?

sounds like typical "is it win sound card mixer on" or
such isues.......(such meaning "if it has sound output it should go to
soundcard input" but i guess you're not rookie..so i won't menton that..hehe)

btw did DS got support for fullres capturing
in it's last incarnation?

[Prospero]

prospero from "ars"?
Yes.


why not use your normal sound card (i presume you wan't everything from asus,sound and image?)

Tried that, got sound but no video. I'm at a loss on that one.

does the card have a proper wiring for that like the tuner and so?

Yep, external pass through. I got sound in preview, but not capture.

btw did DS got support for fullres capturing

I'd seen somewhere it was supposed too, but never saw the option anywhere. I spent most of my time trying to get the VCR program working though.

Here (http://www.jfreeland.net/video/capture%20(2003-02-22%20at%2012-48-40).avi) is an avi it capped with no video.

Here (http://www.jfreeland.net/video/conexantsample1.avi) is a 30 frame clip in huffyuv, it capped no audio.

And last, a frame converted to .jpg. No filtering or deinterlacing done, but it still looks gorgeous. Source for all is Digital Cable via svideo and composite audio. You can see why I want to get this working. Besides, I want a faster video card. Not an option with an integrated solution.

http://www.jfreeland.net/images/conexant1.jpg

[^^-+I4004+-^^]

>Source for all is Digital Cable via svideo and composite audio

if that's the setup
[svideo fed to svhs-in on card,and audio fed to input of sound card]
then it's either faulty hardware or you haven't set audio input mixer
properly....
you say you hear it in preview,so it means it's not written to disk...

are you aware that windows volume control has one set of controls for "playback" volume ,and other set of controls for "recording"
volume?
it's possible to have "preview" ("playback") sound real low,and have
"recording" sound to normal level:in this case audio is recorded to disk
with normal volume and you hear no "preview" in PC speakers....
i think you have the case of "other way around"........
"preview" sound is increased (so you hear it) and "recording" volume is turned down..(so it's not recorded to disk)
perhaps it's not even selected....(line-in should be selected....)

i just did that on my system:VDub volume display shows i have decent signal,but i have turned off "playback" (preview) sound.....so the sound would record even though i don't hear it.....

these windows vole controls are separated and one DOESN'T affect another one (playback and recording controls are completely separated...)
i hope your case is simple as that....just a plain volume control issue....

http://www.jfreeland.net/images/conexant1.jpg

not bad,but i guess you didn't had bt8x8 card before?
(matrox' video-in cannot stack up to bt8x8's quality...)
i can beat that quality without problems with my bt8x8....
(but we have different sources,you have NTSC, i have PAL,etc.)
i have read somewhere on avs forum that new chipset is better,but not much better.......
[i would provide some images,but cannot connect to my web-space at this moment,so check some DS (uncalibrated,brightness and contratst are way off)) screenshots on
http://i4004.bizhosting.com/
("tv0000xx.jpeg" series...)
if it's working at all.....]

{edit:correction-->succedeed connecting,uploading some jpeg's now...
"btreference" series........}

DS doesn't work with this new chip as they didn't found chip datasheet so they can add support....
if conexant doesn't provide it,then DS won't have support for this thing..(i doubt they can reverse engineer it...)

with proper drivers,even VDub should work with capture card
(because VDub can use wdm->vfw wrapper and in that way w2k or xp capturing with VDub is possibility..)
this works for bt8x8 chipset with btwincp drivers....(at least on my system...)

i'm saying that virtvcr is not the only wdm capture prog:
others include iuVCR,atv2000.....(but i have sync issues on wdm capturing,so i have given it up...)

regards

/ivo

ps.i have written like an essay about why you SHOULDN'T try to capture both audio and video with the tuner card (but use sound card for audio..) but erased it when i saw you use svhs+ soundcard solution....now i was on ars forum and see indeed that you're trying to get tv-tuner card to capture you both sound and video....
not to repeat whole essay:when capturing use sound card for audio,use tv-tuner (aka. video capture card) card for video

trying to get tvtuner card to capture sound too is a trouble in PC
configs of these days,and capture programs don't count on that sort of layout too...

[Shayne]

Well I Would

Install these drivers for Vid http://btwincap.sourceforge.net/

Plug the audio source direct into sound card

Make sure line in is un-muted

Use Dscaler and more often Virtual Dub

LeadTek WinFast 2000xp Owner

Hope it helps

Peace

[dar1us]

DScaler doesn't yet work with the card. I dont like it at all, as it doesn't run on WDM driver sets exclusivly, it uses the actual drivers and there for, will only work for cards which they have designed it to work with. I think that is right, just never really delved deep in to it.

Use iuVCR or something that runs on WDM and NOT VFW when capturing, in VFW, max res is 352x240 (eek!) and in WDM 768x576 (woot!).

The card (rather the chip - myself and CJV have a msitv@nywhere) is pretty solid, it works rather nice, though it really hates interlaced material, does it's own 'hardware 2d decombing'! Yuck, it is disgusting, when u manually de-interlace, it is the most artifact filled stuff you ever seen.

If you insist on tuning, the tuner on the MSI (I think it could be the same on whatever you want to get, cheap and new) is fine. It is the best one I have used so far, I will inspect the card to try and assitane exactly what it is, though as I remember, it it plain and says nothing (generic hardware:)?)

As for the audio problem, I just pass the audio out of my satellite box and into the speakers, how are you gaining your video and audio, SCART breakout? If so, you can run that into your soundcard, is it imperitive that you get it from the video card, sync issues are as past it as DVD sync issues, though I still hear of some pirate groups releasing rips that are out of sync. Heh, fools. I remember the days when you hit the start menu and the audio became out of sync, yay vidomi (whatever it was called)... all those years ago.

[dar1us]

ivo - did you go through all of ure sat tv channels and take a shot of them (the tv... series).

and i take it that all of those shots are taken from a tuned' source

[Prospero]

I tried going through the sound card, but for some reason it didn't capture video when I did. Have no clue why. Yes I looked at both playback and recording volume controls. I'll install it again in a day or two and give it another try.

[cjv]

Originally posted by dar1us
...it really hates interlaced material, does it's own 'hardware 2d decombing'! Yuck, it is disgusting, when u manually de-interlace, it is the most artifact filled stuff you ever seen.
Weird...I haven't noticed this at all. Maybe some PAL/NTSC differences, but I'll check this out very soon. Care to post a screenshot when you get a chance? Actually, I had to remove my MSI card temporarily. I'm currently running an Athlon TBird, 3 hard drives, and a burner on a 230w generic power supply!!

cjv

[Prospero]

Install these drivers for Vid http://btwincap.sourceforge.net/

Just noticed, those drivers will not work on the new chipset. They appear to be for BT series, not CX.

[dar1us]

230!! us rude boy UK overclockers run our machines on dual 600 watt beasts:) - not me, no money

I will get some samples soon, going to learn in about 30 mins, gotta get ready:(

[tjdavis1138]

Don't feel bad, I can't get mine to capture with sound either. I thought my old ATI tuner was bad. I've had alot more issues with this card than any other I've had.

[^^-+I4004+-^^]

>Use iuVCR or something that runs on WDM and NOT
VFW when capturing, in VFW, max res is 352x240
eek!) and in WDM 768x576 (woot!).

this generalization is not
quite right:
on win98 i use vfw drivers (bt ones)
and with VDub i can capture to 768x576

on w2k i use btwincap and with
VDub i can use 768x576....

problems with certain drivers and
wdm->vfw wrapper are not an vfw issue
at all.....(as this is the cause for
problem of only lores
in VDub on w2k...)

>ivo - did you go through all of ure sat tv
channels and take a shot of them (the tv...
series).
and i take it that all of those shots are taken
from a tuned' source

nope,just a few channels...random selection...
source is tuned all right ("pace" analog receiver
),but i didn't tempered with brightness/contrast
of the card....on "btreference" it was default
values of vfw driver (as i recollect),and on
DS samples same thing...it turned to be high
on contrast for the latter....

Prospero>I tried going through the sound card, but
for some reason it didn't capture video when I
did. Have no clue why. Yes I looked at both
playback and recording volume controls. I'll
install it again in a day or two and give it
another try.

you had preview,or no image at all, all along?
don't tell me you lose preview when you connect
sound ( cause that would be funny...)
perhaps it's an old issue as with bt cards:
"preview" or "overlay" for video might make a
difference....(as bt chip can't output video to 2
locations at once-->it can output to either
display or to DMA(disk)....although "smart-tee"
should sort this one out...(as it should blit
video from the RAM...))
anyhow,hard to discuss something if there's a
known
drivers issue with that new chipset....
device is useless without a decent driver...
but obviously,some got it working...

btw. no one will help you if you can't provode ALL
the relevant info.....you keep providing
fragments.....
with video capturing there are many variables
you should mention all relevant setings,and not just say:
"i got sound but no image"..that doesn't help much...

dar1us>The card (rather the chip - myself and CJV
have a msitv@nywhere) is pretty solid, it works
rather nice, though it really hates interlaced
material, does it's own 'hardware 2d decombing'!
Yuck, it is disgusting, when u manually
de-interlace, it is the most artifact filled stuff
you ever seen.


oups!
so even if you have film source but with pal phase
shift it's a mess?
are you sure you can't turn that off?
but wait:prospero's jpeg HAS SOME combing!
a bit weird combing (as if only her eyes and mouth
moved,and not complete head.) but has it....
don't tell me that it does sort of "i'll
deinterlace a bit and will leave a bit interlaced"
thing?

[Prospero]

I need to do some better testing, but that will have to wait until Wednesday or Thursday. I'll try to document individual settings a little better this time. Mostly I'm just unfamiliar witht both dscaler and virtualvcr. I've always used virtualdub, and avi_io for capture work. Not an option here.

[dar1us]

IVO, i was talking specifically about the CX... drivers. Not VFW and WDM as a whole.

[^^-+I4004+-^^]

take your time........
we'll (probably,hehe) be here....

>IVO, i was talking specifically about the CX... drivers. Not VFW and WDM as a whole.

ahaaa....another piece of cx... puzzle i don't like..(hehe)

[ViperZ]

I just got the Asus 880 card and tried using dScaler with it. The tuner image with DS is awesome to say the least, however I too could not get audio from the preview. I mucked around with the audio settings to a point where I got a constant hum/buzz everytime I started dScaler. I could not get rid of this buzz afterward in dScaler (except disabling the line in on the SBL).

Reading in the help files, I read that dScaler does not support audio from PC tuners so I concluded that it is currently best designed for a capture from S-video/DVI with separte audio captures via the RCA jacks. The help file stated that currently Audio capture in dScaler is of a low priority.

Another strange thing was once I started dScaler, it loads the temporary windows driver, but even after shutting down dScaler, other capture programs (Power VCR II, iuVCR)will not work until windows is rebooted.

I captured a show using PowerVCR II and it lloks pretty good at 640x480, however it captures in MPEG 1&2 only. I would like to learn how to cature in the uncompressed formats but I find I'm just barely able to comprehend what everyone talks abut using huffy, vdub, wrappers, WDM drivers.... It's all very confusing.

Mostly from what I have seen of dScaler, i would love to use this if it wasn't loaded with all it's idiosyncrosies :scared:

[fluss]

Try to use teh application
http://kickme.to/svcdcorder
It will install a complete SW suite
consisting of free SW allowing you
to do timed captures via WDM drivers.
The capture will be done with huffyuv.
You use vitrualdub to remove comersail and you
convert to SVCD images.
You can choose to conver to other formats
-- f

[dar1us]

corder will allow me only to tune - I cant capture from S-Video/composite with my MSI tv@nywjere (cx...)