Connecting VHS recorder to computer

[Nick Glenister]

Strange question but...

I've got a Gainward TI4200 VIVO graphics card (analogue port, DV port and VIVO port) and a panasonic VHS recorder with RF In and Out and scart socket.

You would think you could join the two togther in perfect harmony so my masterful creations can be recorded to VHS.

Not quite that easy.

Currently the setup is as follows:

Scart plug in back of VHS with L/R phono going to Sound card and Composite Video cable going to Black connector of composite video splitter cable plugged into the port on the back of the graphics card (also have option of using svideo cable but haven't tried this yet).

The splitter cable has two S-Video (phono) one black and one yellow and two composite video, again one black one yellow. Manual though brief says the yellow is for TV out and for recording video onto computer I assume this is the black cable (tho i'm actually tring to record to vhs ultimatly but wanted to cature video from VHS to test its working).

Have installed video capture driver so computer knows to capture video from this port on the back of the card. Premiere doesn't allow the selection of this device but windows moviemaker does so been trying to capture with moviemaker. I can select the device and i have four different pal options; Pal-I, Pal-D, Pal-G and another which i can't remember, frames per second i set to 25. Nothing i seem to do allows me to record any picture or sound.

Was trying for two hours last night to get it to work.

Anyone have any suggestions for me to try???

Thanks

Nick

[Nick Glenister]

Extra question:

How do you guys get your edited films onto VHS???

The only way i've been able to do it is record back to camera and then from camera to VHS recorder but I don't want to do this anymore.

Nick

[Rob Lohman]

It is not wise to record of your video card, because it will go to
way too much conversions before it ends up on your VCR.

The only ways to record good video:

1. record from your camera

2. record from a firewire card with analog out

In regard to point 1 (which you claim you don't want to do anymore),
some camera's allow you to send the footage to the camera
while it is not recording it to tape, it will send it straight out
to your analog ports for you to be able to record it (that is also
how some people hook up a TV/monitor to their editing setup).

Try it.

[Nick Glenister]

Thanks Rob,

you've given me a couple of good things to think about. Firstly I have a canon XL1, will that allow me to do as you say and use it as a conduit to record to VHS??

Secondly how would i connect the firewire port to the Video recorder, you say analogue out but i don't follow you is it just a ccase of getting a lead that goes from firewire to scart/phono/;s-video or something else? I have a horrible feeling you're going to say its a special connector on the firewire card specifically designed to do the job (which i don't have).

I shall abandon my attempts at connecting my video cards up to the recorder.

Thanks again

Nick

[Ed Smith]

Nick i'm not Rob but I think I can answer some questions.

If you connect the XL1 to your firewire port and then you connect your VCR to the XL1's analogue output via a Phono - Scart adapter.


Least expensive option:

In Premiere make sure you have set it to DV output/ preview and make sure everything is rendered. Then hit REC on your VCR and play on the timeline. That simple.

Quite expensive:

You can buy an anologue to firewire convertor. Canopus do a range which are highly recommened around here.

Expensive:

Or otherwise you can buy specific hardware for your PC which has Anologue In/Out and DV In/Out i.e. Matrox RTX 10/100 Pinnacle DV500/ Pro one or the canopus range

[Rob Lohman]

Ed has answered it already. Just connect your VCR to your
analog out of the XL1 (check your manual). Make sure the
XL1 is in VCR mode.

First hook up a TV to your analog out, that way you can see
if your getting a picture. If so, then hook up your VCR and
your TV to that so can monitor it.

[Kevin Foristal]

Just buy one of Canopus' advc units it is firewire driven and has rca outs to hook to any vcr.

[Rob Lohman]

That is the other more expensive option Ed mentioned. If it works
with your camera I'd personally stick to that.

[Nick Glenister]

Thanks guys,

I'm going to stick with passing the film through the XL1 into the VCR for now but thanks for the other options


Nick