Video to PC - Sound Recording Problem

25 Jun 2005 6:05 PM

graham

I seem to have a generic problem with trying to record video to my PC.

I am trying to transfer a bunch of old VHS tapes and a few laserdiscs
to DVD.

I bought a Turtle Beach Video Advantage video capture system and
installed it in my Athlon XP3000, Win XP Pro, 512Mb RAM. I have tried
transfering a number of titles across and although I get decent results
with the composite video, the sound crackles every time the volume gets
high.

I turned down the amplification on the audio-in to zero and this helped
but the problem is still very evident.

I have tried switching to another sound card (Soundblaster Vibra 128)
with no luck. I have tried using Nero, PowerDirector and Turtle
Beaches' own AD Vidcap software. I get the same problem from my JVC
VHS deck and my Pioneer Laserdisc player. I switched to different
cables, and tried by-passing the Turtle-Beach pass-thru connector by
plugging the sound directly into the line-in jack but nothing has made
any difference.

The worst case can be heard on THX laserdiscs during the THX-logo
sequence as the point-of-view passes through the logo, but it occurs
throughout most of the titles I have tried to transfer, VHS and LD.

I did try connecting the LD player to my Canon ZR85 DV Cam and
recording off the DV, and although this gave great sound the picture
quality sucked!

Any ideas? Would a better sound card work? Could I buy one of those
external USB-connected sound digitizers and combine that with the Video
Advantage?

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

graham

25 Jun 2005 10:03 PM

Gene E. Bloch

On 6/25/2005, graham managed to type:
Show quoteHide quote

> I seem to have a generic problem with trying to record video to my PC.
>
> I am trying to transfer a bunch of old VHS tapes and a few laserdiscs
> to DVD.
>
> I bought a Turtle Beach Video Advantage video capture system and
> installed it in my Athlon XP3000, Win XP Pro, 512Mb RAM. I have tried
> transfering a number of titles across and although I get decent results
> with the composite video, the sound crackles every time the volume gets
> high.
>
> I turned down the amplification on the audio-in to zero and this helped
> but the problem is still very evident.
>
> I have tried switching to another sound card (Soundblaster Vibra 128)
> with no luck. I have tried using Nero, PowerDirector and Turtle
> Beaches' own AD Vidcap software. I get the same problem from my JVC
> VHS deck and my Pioneer Laserdisc player. I switched to different
> cables, and tried by-passing the Turtle-Beach pass-thru connector by
> plugging the sound directly into the line-in jack but nothing has made
> any difference.
>
> The worst case can be heard on THX laserdiscs during the THX-logo
> sequence as the point-of-view passes through the logo, but it occurs
> throughout most of the titles I have tried to transfer, VHS and LD.
>
> I did try connecting the LD player to my Canon ZR85 DV Cam and
> recording off the DV, and although this gave great sound the picture
> quality sucked!
>
> Any ideas? Would a better sound card work? Could I buy one of those
> external USB-connected sound digitizers and combine that with the Video
> Advantage?
>
> Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> graham

OK, I was going to ask if you were using mike-in instead of line-in,
but you answered that OK.

Next idea: get an attenuator that you can put in series with line in.
That is, a passive volume control. Turn it down and see if the
crackling goes away.

The above is based on my assumption that the crackling is in fact due
to clipping, which in digital sound, is very bad.

If not, forget my advice.

To disambiguate, here's one example of what I mean :
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=42-2559
except its impedance might be too low, since it's for headphones. You
want something similar made for line-level input.

Another question: is there something in the path to the computer that
is used in common by all the sources you've tried? Like - do they all
go through the audio section of a receiver? Maybe that's where the
problem is.

Gino

--
Gene E. Bloch (Gino)
letters617blochg3251
(replace the numbers by "at" and "dotcom")

26 Jun 2005 12:39 AM

Netmask

If you set the record level so that there are no more than around 6 or 7
peaks to "0" on the record level meter every minute you should be okay.
Don't go into the red at all. Digital is unforgiving in this respect.
Play through the tape until you find the loudest passage and check the level
at that point. Also check on the VCR that the playback level is not flat
chat (some VCR's do allow playback volume setting) most don't. Most audio
gear is designed so that "on average" the level controls should sit around
the 12 to 1 O'clock position or midway ish on linear controls. You can
overload an output stage as much as you can an input.
Show quoteHide quote

"graham" <oracle_j***@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1119722713.334088.154010@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>I seem to have a generic problem with trying to record video to my PC.
>
> I am trying to transfer a bunch of old VHS tapes and a few laserdiscs
> to DVD.
>
> I bought a Turtle Beach Video Advantage video capture system and
> installed it in my Athlon XP3000, Win XP Pro, 512Mb RAM. I have tried
> transfering a number of titles across and although I get decent results
> with the composite video, the sound crackles every time the volume gets
> high.
>
> I turned down the amplification on the audio-in to zero and this helped
> but the problem is still very evident.
>
> I have tried switching to another sound card (Soundblaster Vibra 128)
> with no luck. I have tried using Nero, PowerDirector and Turtle
> Beaches' own AD Vidcap software. I get the same problem from my JVC
> VHS deck and my Pioneer Laserdisc player. I switched to different
> cables, and tried by-passing the Turtle-Beach pass-thru connector by
> plugging the sound directly into the line-in jack but nothing has made
> any difference.
>
> The worst case can be heard on THX laserdiscs during the THX-logo
> sequence as the point-of-view passes through the logo, but it occurs
> throughout most of the titles I have tried to transfer, VHS and LD.
>
> I did try connecting the LD player to my Canon ZR85 DV Cam and
> recording off the DV, and although this gave great sound the picture
> quality sucked!
>
> Any ideas? Would a better sound card work? Could I buy one of those
> external USB-connected sound digitizers and combine that with the Video
> Advantage?
>
> Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks
>
> graham
>