Hi guys, thanks for any help anyone can give me in advance, ive been trying to capture VHS to my PC for a few days now and have not managed to do it yet. I have an old miroMEDIA PCTV card from years ago (1997 i think) that I remembered I had and wanted to try and capture some VHS that I taped. I have downloaded the latest PinnacleSystems drivers for the card as they are quoted as being compatible. They work perfectly for the TV Tuner. I am having trouble however connecting a video player to my capture card. Are the composite and S-video sockets on the TV card INs or OUTs? i.e. will they send or recieve data or both? The first video i tried to connect to was a Phillips tv/video combo, which has S-video and audio holes on the side of the TV, are these for recieving signals or sending them as well? I think this is one of my main problems, I dont know if lots of my sockets are ins or outs... I tried connecting a yellow Video jack of the 3 phono - 3 phono cable i have from the side of the TV to the composite port of the caputure card, but could not get any picture, (i tried all options (i am in the UK so PAL is my standard i think) running through all the video interlacing types and tv standards (PAL, NTSC etc..) but with no joy. I have another cable which didnt work either, which is a composite to S-video cable. I plugged the phono (yellow end) composite into the side of the TV and the S-video into the back of the TV card and tried all the standards again, but still nothing. If the socket on the side of the TV is video IN only (it doesnt specify) does that mean it wont send any signal to the PC i am connecting it to. I have also a scart to 3phono adapter, which can accept the 3-phono wires, it does say on it though, Video and Audio in and it only has half the number of pins it should (not through damage), so does this mean that if i connect it to the back of the Video player, no data will be sent, only recieved? I have one other cable, which is from our video camera. Which is a complete cable of scart to 3 phono jacks. All the pins on the scart are present, but at the phono jacks end, the cables say video out and L and R audio out. So I am wondering if these cables only send data one way??? i.e. the flow of data will be from the phono jacks to the scart, while i need it going the other way round??? I have another VCR downstairs with Video and L and R audio sockets on the front. Would these just be IN sockets too? or am i just doing something wrong. I am sorry that this is a very large post, especially for my first one, but I have been reading forums for 2 days and trying lots of VCRs with no luck, Thanks again for any help and insight Mike
They are IN's. They take a signal from some other device. These are also IN's, for hooking up a dvd player, or other device to the TV. Yes, these are IN's too. Look on the BACK of the VCR. It should have VIDEO out's, similar to the ones on the front. Plug a cable into each of the red (right side stereo), white (left side stereo) and yellow (video signal). Plug those 3 into whatever inputs you have on the capture card. You'll need a composite to S-Video adapter I would think (maybe not) for video, and a composite to stereo micro (maybe not) for audio. It depends on what plugs are on the back of the card. If the card has all 3 composite, then just go direct. This will work from the back of the vcr to the video card as well. In your capture software, make sure you specify which input you're using. If using S-video, you will also have to supply audio somehow. If using composite, the 3 should already be there.
Thank you rebootjim for your reply and help. My video downstairs does have s-video and composite outs, but it says for DVD only (the unit is a DVD/VCR combo), I will still try it anyway, and see if I can get the video to play through it too. 2 questions I am still unsure about are about my SCART to 3 phone lead, which says Video Out and Audio Out at the phono end. Is it possible that data only flows one way through this lead... i.e. from Phono end to Scart end? Also, if i were to get a correct cable (assuming this cable does not do what i want it to do) Is it possible to connect my TV card to the VCR via a SCART to phono lead? Thanks again for your help, it really is appreciated Mike
Yes, it's possible, but I think that means the signal comes from the SCART end, and goes to the phono (aka Composite) ends. I can't see it, so I can't say for sure. Try it. What you should do is plug the scart into the VCR, and the composite connectors into the capture card, and see if you can get anything working.
Hello again, I have connected this cable to the back of 3 different VCRs previously now, but with no luck. I have just taken a picture of both ends. As this is from our video camera, the 3 phono jacks connect to the video camera and the scart goes into the back of the video, and we can record stuff to VHS from out video camera. I am thinking the Video/Audio out on the 3 phono wires means out from the video camera. http://www.mikecosten.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/scartphono.jpg What do you think? Thanks again rebootjim, bouncing ideas off u is a big help. M
yeah the same here.i have a all-in-wonder 9200 128mb card.it captures digital video great(sattelite,dvd,digital cam,etc.)but it will not even try to copy vhs.
Yeah, looks like it's one way, but the wrong way Can you not use composite out from the VCR to composite in on the card? Or composite out to S-vid in? (you said you had the cable). Plug the composites into the BACK of the VCR, the S-vid into the card. Select S-vid in for video, and hook up the audio somehow. You might need a composite to stereo mini plug for that, and it would go to Line In on the sound card. Select Line In for audio source in your capture program. I just thought of another way. Get your capture card set up to capture TV. Plug in the VCR regular patch cable out (the one that would normally go to the TV) to the card's TV cable in. Set the capture program to channel 3 (same as the VCR out). Play the tape, and see if you get anything onscreen.
yo, The back of out latest VCR on the back has, Aerial In, RF Out (which can connect a normal co-ax cable to the tv) 2 scart sockets, then in a box on the back which specifies it is for DVD only, it has S-video out, audio out left and right channels, and optical audio out. My video does not have a composite out. I have tried with a different VCR doing what i think you just thought out. Using the stardard RF out (as it is called on the back of the VCR) do the aerial IN on the TV card, and then scan for the video channel as i would any other channel. This did work, but was very poor quality. I shall try it with out newer VCR downstairs and see if i get a better picture. Just to let you know, my PCTV card has an audio out which loops to the audio in on my soundcard. But i am just interested in video at the moment. Think maybe i should see about investing in a scart to phono cable the right way round? Thanks again mate, Mike
Excellent news!!! It's all sorted! I went ot maplin and bought one of these.. http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=-9471&TabID=1&source=14&doy=7m3 Plugged in my s-video and audio cables and bam! VHS on my PC. Thanks rebootjim for all you help, it is all much appreciated, you are a legend. Mike
