Unable to capture w/out blockiness/artificating

[Alex Thames]

I used a Panasonic DVX-100 to record a festival onto Panasonic DVCassette LinearPlus tapes. The tape plays back perfectly on the camcorder itself, as well as on other camcorders including Sony ones. It even plays back fine when I connect it to the TV. However, when I try to capture into Vegas using the Vegas capturing application, it will capture and the preview seems fine both on my computer as well as the LCD screen on the camcorder. However, when I'm done capturing, I play back the .avi file and it has tremendous grey blocks as well as other major blocky distortions everywhere. You literally cannot recognize a thing in the picture. This distortion is present on Winamp, VLC, Media Player Classic, GOM Player, Windows Media Player, as well as in the Vegas preview window when I put the file onto the timeline. Furthermore, the audio pitch is distorted. Everything becomes much deeper sounding.

I tried recapturing with the same results. I thought maybe I'm trying to capture too much at once (60 minutes - an entire tape), so I just captured a couple minutes to test it out, but the same exact problem is present.

Help! Why is it doing this and how can I fix it? Why does it play back fine on several cameras and on my TV, but when I go to capture it, it can't end up with the same picture (not even remotely close)?

Also, it might be important to know that when I finished capturing, Vegas gives me the notice that "Clips captured successfully." Obviously not though.

Also, one more thing: this show was about 1.5 hours long, so I used two tapes. The second tape was the same Panasonic LinearPlus tape, recorded with same camera, and captured in the same exact way, but it has no problems. It plays perfectly on cameras, TV, and the captured footage is perfect. So I'm very confused why my first tape cannot capture right.

[David Jimerson]

You really shouldn't be having this problem . . .

What did you use to capture with? The DVX?

Did you get the same result trying to capture with anything else?

[Alex Thames]

I filmed/video taped with the DVX-100, and tried to capture to my computer using the Vegas capturing application (for DV, etc., not the HDV/SDI one).

Now, here's something even more bizarre. I've tried it three times with my laptop with the first tape now, all with the same diastrous result. The second tape, which is identical to the first tape (and all other settings are identical as well, same capturing app, same project template, same settings for everything, same cables, capturing from same camera - not the DVX, but a consumer Sony camcorder...it captured fine with the second tape, but not the first).

However, when I took the "defective" first tape to my friend's computer and capturing with the same settings, template, etc. and the same Vegas capturing app, it worked beautifully.

So, why was his computer able to capture fine, but mine was unable too (yet, my computer was able to capture the second Mini DV tape fine)?

[David Jimerson]

Well, I meant what camera or deck did you capture with? It shouldn't matter, but I was trying to get all the details.

That IS strange behavior; I've never seen that happen.

Try capturing the tape using Windows Movie Maker and see if it captures without the problem. If it does, then there might be some kind of glitch with the Sony capture program, and you might try a reinstall.

[Alex Thames]

I used the Sony camera to capture. I don't think it's a glitch because it captured the second tape fine.

[Chad Rigal]

I've had the same problem before, but it's usually just a few clips (not the whole tape). I think the worst time was maybe 5 clips out of 30 or so total. I went back and re-captured those sections of my tape and it worked fine. Still, it's really annoying to have to rewind and find the pieces that I missed to recapture them (basically end up going through the whole tape twice).

And it looks a lot like you described... it's checkered with large gray blocks and blocks from the video (except the blocks from the video look like you're looking through that distorted glass they use for bathroom windows).

Chad

[Alex Thames]

Actually, it captured the entire tape horribly. But it was all one clip, since I was filming a show, I didn't press stop rec until I needed to change tapes. I've tried recapturing several times on my computer with no luck, but the first time I tried capturing on a friend's computer, it was perfect.

[Eric Pontbriand]

I had very similar problems here, but are you sure it isn't that you are playing them back in Windows Media Player? Check out an actual render to DVD footage on a set top box and see if it's really screwed up or if it's just Media Players crap gamma settings.

Also, how does it look when you preview it back on your reference monitor straight out of vegas?

Pretty much all the media players in Windows play back crappy output of captured footage I'm noticing.

[Peter Jefferson]

this could be from a number of things, predomainately the "blockiness" could be from a corrupted HDD. Ive had this happen before the 132gb XP fix was released... so if u have an older system, be sure that your runnign NTFS and that you can indeed exceed this threshold on it.. Its a controller issue, not a HDD issue..

another issue could be your 1394 interface on your pc.. another thing could be the capture settings on Vidcap.

Have u had issues capturing before?? Have u installed any new software which may have corrupted your DV drivers/codecs???

this could be from many things... and its a difficult one to troubleshoot..

[Alex Thames]

I have a relatively new system, so I doubt it's a corrupted HDD.

I've had no problems with capturing before, and I use Media Classic Player rather than Windows Media Player to play my footage. Whatever I see in my player is what I see when I render.

It captures fine sometimes now, not fine other times.

[Edward Troxel]

Are you doing a "Capture Tape"? If yes, instead, rewind the tape, press play, wait 3-5 seconds and the click on "Capture".