Digital Channel->videotape->PC->viewing&capturing problems

[Ayrtonso]

Hi everybody!!

My uncle has Canal Satellite Digital and he has taped a documentary (from Motors channel) for me. I can watch it on my TV without any problems, but if I try to view it on the computer (connecting my VCR with a scart connector to the TV card; I use composite video) the image it is quite bad.
It often appears some lines (generally in the middle of the screen; and it seems that they are shown when bright colors apperared, but I'm not sure).
That it is just viewing on the computer, but if I try to capture with DivX, besides lines, the movement/motion is not natural (fluent), it seems to be slightly decelerate(something related to frames?).
If I capture with MPEG1, the results are far worse: it seems to be accelerate like it would be 2x (double speed).

And there is no problem when I capture a video from a videotape recorded from a analogue channel. The problem is only with a videotaped recorded from a digital channel.

Have anybody had the same problem sometime?

Can anybody help me?

Sorry for my bad english

cheers

PD: system characteristics:

AMD Athlon 1400 GHz 512 DDR
Winfast Geforce2 GTS Pro
Pinnacle PCTV Pro
Seagate 7200 rpm (HD)
Windows 2000 Pro

PDD: If anyone wants, I will send a video sample of the capture

[BaronVlad]

Welcome,

Never ever capture directly to DivX (please look into the FAQ on top for details)

Can you please attach an image that shows the effect, so that we all can participate ? That is easier than to gues whether there is a deinterlacing effect or not or what we could do to remove these "lines"

Thank you

[Ayrtonso]

Yes, I never capture directly to DivX but in this case I do this way cause I obtain worse results capturing to MPEG1. And I cant capture with no compression since my TV-card software doesnt have that option.

Ok, here you got an image. If you want I will send you a piece of the video (1 minute of duration for example). Tell me your email and I'll send you it.

Thanks for answering,

Cheers

[Ayrtonso]

Does anybody know the problem?

[thedodgy1]

macrovision?? maybe

[Ayrtonso]

What is macrovision?

[dar1us]

I heard that the info is avalible on google.com.

Not sure, but I heard that it was this good way of finding information, though how would I know, I am only a PHD in search engines:)

_________________________________

Head start, it is an encryption of video, your player stops itself from being copied, but I doubt it is as it is material you recorder already, if it looks fine on the TV, then it will copy fine, your video player doesn't add macrovision to non encrypted material.

-dar1us

[BaronVlad]

Sorry, this seems to be very strange. Never saw something like this, maybe macrovision or a bug in the card, did you try another one ?

[Ayrtonso]

Yes, I tried afew times and always the same problems.
Does anybody know what I can do?

[dilly]

OK, you say your video card doesn't support uncompressed video... well it does :)

Use a program that doesn't ship with your card, like iuVCR, VirtualVCR, AVI_IO, or VirtualDub (in order of difficulty) and try using a codec like HuffyUV (lossless) mJPEG (slightly lossy) or uncompressed RGB even.

Now, I don't know anything about macrovision other than it is a copy-protection method that distorts the picture. I don't know what kinds of things have it or how to fix it -- I've never run into it. Go to google and find out for yourself what it is and how to combat it.

If you conclude that it's not MacroVision then do some changes - try hooking it up coaxially and see if it still happens, stop using RCA connectors. Maybe you can pass it through another device, like another VCR (out -> in) and see if it still happens. Maybe your regions are set wrong.

[dar1us]

Use a program that doesn't ship with your card, like iuVCR, VirtualVCR, AVI_IO, or VirtualDub (in order of difficulty)

Which is the hard one, I use only iuVCR now, though I used to be quite partial to VirtualDub, yet seriously, which is the least/most difficult?

Uncompressed video has to be supported by the card, it is what your encoder compresses. Say if you have your input selected as YUY2 colourspace, it will compress uncompressed yuy2 data (raw video) to whatever is YUY2 supported, like XVID or HuffYUV.

Correct me if I am wrong.

-dar1us

[fccHandler]

Maybe the capture device is (incorrectly) detecting Macrovision because of the poor quality of the source. My All-In-Wonder will do this sometimes with really old VHS tapes, and it's very frustrating. I wound up purchasing a rather expensive black box to get around the problem...