Tried many things but capture quality still poor

Hi,

i am fairly new at this and am at the tearing hair out stage...from what i have read this is probably normal...please help.

I have a Sony dcr-105, Windows 2000, ilink cable & caopture card. I am capturing video in .AVI format using Pixela software (also tried Vegas 4.0) and have the following probs;

1. Using the i-link i get bands of lines whenever the camera pans & the quality is the same as when i would use the USB cable. The red colour balance is also high & pictures look like a bad VCD.

2. When usign the i-link the sound & picture dont match exactly...bit like watching bad sattelite TV.

3. if i insert frames at the top of the movie it is cut off by the TV & they cant be read.

4. i think Vegas is transferring the movie into NTSC format & i cant figure out how to change it to PAL (Pixela is in PAL).

could the problem be the software or the capture card? Does Windows Movie Maker run on Win2000?

i dont have capture card software so cant change any settings i dont think.

Any suggestions are welcome...

Thankyou.

 

I don't know what an Ilink cable is but I assume it's a propitiatory thing from Sony?

I assume that the camera is digital?

Does the camera have a firewire socket or is the ilink the same as firewire?

When you say capture card do you mean capture card or do you mean firewire card?

The capture from a camera via firewire doesn't require a capture card (if the camera is digital). It will capture AVI pretty much as it is, it should look the same as playing directly from the camera.

So if it is a capture card then you don't need it and it is probably this that is causing the problem.

I use firewire directly into Vegas I don't remember adjusting any settings just the default.
(I am also on PAL)

Captured AVI won't be PAL or NTSC it will be 30fps (I think) as is. It is only after editing that you convert to PAL or NTSC (a one click process in Vegas)


http://www.dvdrhelp.com/capture for more help


Just as a note. You aren't viewing the capture in Vegas are you? As this just provides a low resolution preview.

 

sorry...my i-link cable, i mean the IEEE thing - firewire i think it is called. I used to download it via a USB cable until someone told me that was why my quality was so low, so i changed to firewire.

...and i meant firewire card (not capture card...sorry again...new to this.

i was capturing/editing in Vegas & viewing with Win Media Player 9. If i burn using Pixela or Nero the quality on the TV is the same as Media Player - which is terrible.

any further advice??? any is much appreciated...

 

What does the raw (pre edited) capture look like when played in Media Player?

 

the raw capture looks terrible in Media Player

it has small horizontal lines through it (does this mean it is interlaced?) these lines stay when i play this clip on my TV (burning using Nero or Pixela)

 

I don't know if the raw capture comes out interlaced or not but either way it shouldn't look terrible.

Have a play with the capture settings and see what you come up with.
Read the link from my previous post

 

I have this same problem. Doesn't matter if I transfer the video off the DCR-PC105 sony mini dv camcorder. There are these horrible bands of lines on a lot of my footage. I can even see them in the LCD with no tape in the device!!!

God I wish I had a service plan.
joe.

 

from sony's service site:



Follow this procedure to troubleshoot horizontal lines diplayed when playing the video.

NOTE: If this tape plays correctly, the first tape is faulty.

1. Record video using increased lighting.

NOTE: Video will appear dark, snowy, or pixelated if there is insufficient light when recording.
2. Record video on a new tape, and playback the tape.

NOTE: If this new tape plays back correctly, the camcorder heads are out of alignment. Service will be required to resolve this issue.
3. Clean the camcorder video heads using a dry head cleaning cassette of the correct camcorder format.
4. Reset the camera and attempt to playback a tape to test functionality.
5. If the issue is still unresolved after completing all of the troubleshooting steps, service may be required.


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so the heads might be out of alignment. that sucks. i'm trying a head cleaner first.
joe.