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Problem with Hauppauge PVR 250

Discussion in 'Video capturing from analog sources' started by thefred, Apr 28, 2005.

  1. thefred

    thefred Member

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    The video shows up in black and white! I haven't programmed any channels or anything, because I have yet to buy the propper aerial cable, but I have connected my VCR, and wheather I use the composite video or the S-Video, it still shows up in grey scale.

    I don't know if it's a setting problem or what, so if anyone can help it would be great.

    Edit: Have sorted out the black & white problem, but I have another, scroll down please.
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2005
  2. GrandpaBW

    GrandpaBW Active member

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    Did you set up a channel for your VCR? I made mine channel 200.

    I had the same problem with my PVR 350. I played around with it for a long time, and finally, my solution was to get all new cables and then set it up as Composite 2.
     
  3. thefred

    thefred Member

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    I've made a channel for my VCR. I've tried it with a games console. I've tries it with both composite and s-video cables, so I don't think it can be coming from the cables or the VCR.
     
  4. thefred

    thefred Member

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    Okay, I've sorted it out, turns out it was just a simple setting. In the manual it said use SECAM L setting when in France (I'm in France), turns out it was PAL BG or something I was supposed to use.

    However, I have another problem. When I record a video, the resulting MPEG video looks a little weird, I see horizontal lines denting away at some areas of the video, and some frames seem to be two at one. I don't really know how to explain it, I'll try and get a screenshot.
     
  5. thefred

    thefred Member

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    Okay, here's a screenshot. It's not a screenshot from WinTV 2000, I used another program to take a shot of the actual captured video.

    [​IMG]

    Anyway, the ball is the most obvious example, as you can see it looks like 2 frames in one, and you can see horizontal lines going through it. But you can also see the "double frame" thing on the side of the house, and the horizontal lines on the guys arm.

    Where does this come from?
     
  6. rebootjim

    rebootjim Active member

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    It's called interlacing.
    If the finished product is going to be played on a TV, then you won't see it, because TV's play interlaced material just fine.
    It only shows up using software players on a computer monitor.
    If you find it a problem, get ffdshow, and set up postprocessing in your software to deinterlace it.
    The Hauppauge tweak tool can also help.
    Check out www.shspvr.com for lots more on tweaking a 250.
     
  7. thefred

    thefred Member

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    does the quality change or anything if I deinterlace it?

    what I mean is, is it better to keep like this? As long as it doesn't show up on TV, I don't really mind
     
  8. thefred

    thefred Member

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    anyway, i think that's video sorted out. now for audio, what kind of adaptor can I use to go from my VCR (scart plug) to the PVR 250 (the audio plug on the card is like a microphone or speakers plug on a PC)
     
  9. rebootjim

    rebootjim Active member

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    Quality doesn't change. TV is an interlaced signal. An interlaced (DVD spec) mpeg consists of 17 P and B frames and 1 I frame per GOP.
    The I frame is the whole image. The P and B frames are half each.
    If you load the mpg into virtualdubmod, look at an I frame, then the nearest P and B frame to that I frame, you'll see what I mean.

    Scart to composite to stereo mini 3.5mm, and you would plug that into your sound card's line in port, not the PVR-250.
    Set your software to get video from composite (assuming you're using composite in), and audio from Line In.
     
  10. thefred

    thefred Member

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    so I'm plugging the audio into my soundcard, not into the PVR?

    okay thanks
     
  11. rebootjim

    rebootjim Active member

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    The PVR-250 only uses audio from the tuner portion, for TV.
    If you're using composite video in, then audio must go to the sound card.
    Set your capture software accordingly.
     
  12. thefred

    thefred Member

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    I did that, and I have sound, but it's not in sync with what I see. I think it's a problem with the video, not with the audio, because when I press play on my VCR, it takes about a second for it to show up on WinTV 2000.

    PLus, when I captured a video, there was no sound, and the message "error downloading codec" came up. I don't have internet on the PC with the PVR in it, so that explains the download error, but I can usually read MPEG2 files fine, with audio.
     
  13. thefred

    thefred Member

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    Okay, everything's working fine, except when I watch the mpeg's there's no sound. Old mpegs I have (that used to have sound) now also have no sound. I guessing when I installed the new drivers, I might have deleted the MPEG2 codecs somehow! Where can I find an MPEG2 codec?
     
  14. thefred

    thefred Member

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    Okay, I've tried reinstalling Winodws Media Player, Power DVD, Ulead Videostudio, and a new codec, but no difference, there is still no sound when I read MPEGs. So apparently it's an audio codec that's gone missing, I'm wondering if it's possible that the Hauppauge program to delete old drivers might have deleted my audio codec to. Anyway, if anyone can help, please do!
     
  15. thefred

    thefred Member

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    Okay, I found the problem. I installed the demo of Ulead Videostudio 9, and it seemed to mess up all my decoders. I've taken it off, and all works fine again.

    Now what I want to know, is how can I use Videostudio 9 without it messing everything up? (even in the program itself I couldn't read MPEGs)
     

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