Capturing a frame from a DVD

[Adam Beck]

How do I capture a frame from a DVD? What kind of card do I need and what kind of software can be used?

Thanks for your help

[Ed Smith]

Most hi end PC DVD players will export a frame from DVD. However everytime I have done it it just records a Black frame as if the Overlay was not captured.

If you have analogue video input in your computer and you have a settop DVD player, you could hook your DVD player to your computer and then capture a frame from an NLE program such as Premiere.

There might be other programs out there that can capture straight from your PC DVD-ROM. Have a search on http://www.dvdrhelp.com/.

Cheers,

Ed

[David Hurdon]

I've never had a problem capturing a still frame from PowerDVD, my software player.

David Hurdon

[Rob Lohman]

Let's first walk the easy route before going the difficult one. Get
yourself either WinDVD or PowerDVD. Both have an export frame
function when it plays the DVD.

You usually cannot use an analog capture card to capture a
source from a DVD player since it is protected (macrovision).

You also cannot use a regular screen capture program with a
DVD player on your PC since the image is being drawn using
overlays (ie, it is not in the frame buffer).

Just use the native frame export functions in the software DVD
players!

[Ed Smith]

I use Sonics Cineplayer, Power DVD both when I tried to export a frame just gave me a blank picture. I got a feeling it might have something to do with my display settings.

Capturing through a software DVD player is by far the easiest.

Rob - Most Analog capture cards will enable you to capture from the composite or S-vid output of the DVD player. I have done it numours times with my Pioneer XVD-303 and DV-500. However If I connect my TRV 900 (which has analog in) to the DVD player I get a Copyright protected message.

Ed

[Rob Lohman]

Are your Pioneer players "region free" by any chance? That usually
disable Macrovision as well.

If PowerDVD will not export a frame I suggest trying WinDVD
(personally had better experience with that anyway). It might
also be that you have a custom MPEG2 decoder installed (Sonic
might very well have done this!) which might cause these problems.

[Ed Smith]

Ah, yes they are region free!! But I don't see how this makes a difference surely that only stops you playing a region 1 DVD in a Region 2 player etc, and should have nothing to do with Macrovision. after all my Sony TRV-900 camera gets the copyright warning from my XVD-303 pioneer.

I'll try WinDVD when I get home but sill very interesting. And As you say I think Sonic installs its own MPEG 2 decoder which could be proventing it.

Since this thread is about DVD should'nt this be moved to the DVD forum?

Cheers,

Ed

[Rob Lohman]

Indeed. I missed that, thanks for pointing it out. Thread now
moved.

[Ed Smith]

I've kinda hi-jacked this thread.

So back on subject...

To re-cap for Adam.

Place the DVD in your PCs DVD-ROM drive and use a software DVD player like Power DVD and use the export frame function provided with the software. This will enable you to export a frame from the DVD.

Cheers,

Ed

[Adam Beck]

You all have helped me out. This has got to be the most informative forum I have ever been to. Thanks again, i'll tell you how it goes.