DV life stream import plugin

[stan3]

I'm not any good in programming but I think a dv-capture plugin could be very useful in avisynth.

Firstly you could serve, after applying realtime avisynth filters, directly from a dv camera to a realtime mpeg encoder or even dvd burner, like nero("Burn directly to disk"-Function, though you'd also need a plugin for nero to make it recognize avs streams).

Secondly you could use say a laptop while filming with a bluescreen and with ColorKeyMask you could immediately get a first impression on how good your bluescreen background is and how good your character integrates with the future background feed. (this technique by the way was used for the first time in the film "Artificial Intelligence" by Steven Spielberg, where they had to place characters into a completely computer animated city)

I think it shouldn't be very difficult to import the dv stream from DirectShow. I've found a page where it's explained how to do this: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/archive/en-us/directx9_c_Summer_03/directX/htm/capturedvtofile.asp

Though as I said I'm not good in programming and I've never programmed with DirectX. But maybe someone else here is interested in making it.
I think it'd be very useful.

[thoralf]

hi stan,

i got this working once by setting ffdshow to handle either all raw and / or dv video material. it's possible to run avisynth scripts from within ffdshow.

hope this helps,
thoralf.

[IanB]

This works fine with the DirectShowSource in the latest 2.5.7 Alpha 3. There are some limitation! (like only 1 of audio or video, need to prespec a framecount, no seeking)

Make a .GRF file containing "Microsoft DV Camera and VCR". Connect the "DV Vid Out" pin to a "DV Video Decoder", leave the "XForm out" open.

Load it with this .AVSDirectShowSource("Camera.GRF", Audio=False, Seek=False, FrameCount=10000)Play it. It should give YUY2 output. There is a fair amount of lag. You can't afford to get behind, your script must suck frames as fast as the camera provides them.

[Mug Funky]

sweet! i've been wanting to do this for a while.

i wonder... could this work with any capture driver? i have a crapload of webcams around (one of my housemates was using them for some art thing that escapes me at the minute), and it'd be cool to be able to run them all into the same script and switch between them when stuff starts moving...

of course i'd need to have insane speed happening, but with small frame sizes i think it could work :)

i think i'll try this tonight in fact...

[stan3]

Thank you thoralf and IanB!
Ian, I've just tried it, it is great! Exactly as I imagined! Though MediaPlayer hangs when you start seeking and delivers strange repititions when you stop and then click play again. But these functions aren't needed anyway.

Thanks alot!