VirtualDub cannot connect to the desired capture device?

[guyburns]

The status of this project is that:

Matthew in Melbourne has done 40 captures of the same source (the opening credits of a feature film) using a variety of devices, software, codecs, and platforms. They arrived last week as 320GB of files on an SSD. Tony in Devonport has provided a few captures as well, but using ordinary equipment.

All files have been converted to ProRes 422HQ, imported into Premiere, layered, aligned (both temporally and physically, so that the videos match very closely), and seven markers added to the timeline:

1. Letters in motion against a starry background
2. Distributor Still #1
3. Distributor Still #2
4. Universal's logo #1 (B&W, 1930s)
5. Universal's logo #2 (colour, 1990s)
6. Universal's logo #3 (colour, 1990s)
7. Universal's logo #4 (colour, 1990s)

Now it's my turn to add a few a few captures. I can do so using my Hauppauge HD PVR2, running Hauppauge Capture (the software), on a borrowed laptop (Windows 10), but I'd like to try VirtualDub as well. I know it can be done, as Matthew has done it with a Hauppauge USB Live 2. Tentative results indicate it gives the second best results, just behind Philips VR1600 > AJA IoHD > AJA VTR Xchange, captured directly as ProRes.

Here's I need some assistance. I've downloaded VirtualDub 1.9.11 from this website, the version with the filters, copied it to C-Drive, and when I ran it, an error came up with one of the filter files (I think) that halted the computer. I had to do a hard reset; couldn't even restart.

So I downloaded the same version from SourceForge, without the filters. That opened okay, but I can't capture anything. Within the VirtualDub window, these devices are listed:

0 Microsoft WDM…
1. …UVC WebCam (Direct Show)
2. Hauppauge Sienna Video Capture (Direct Show)
and three others.

When I select the Hauppauge, it says: "VirtualDub cannot connect to the desired capture device"

Any suggestions as to what is the problem? Am I missing a driver or something? I'm a Mac man and know very little about PCs, so any suggestions will need to be fairly detailed.

Hauppauge Capture was downloaded from this webpage.

[MasterOfCapture]

Can you post an example of the three best captures?

If I have undestood correctly they are:
1- Philips VR1600 > AJA IoHD > AJA VTR Xchange
2- XXX > Hauppauge USB Live 2
3- XXX > XXX

[guyburns]

MasterofCapture: Captures will have to wait a while. Probably a month or so until I generate a PDF. At this stage I'm more interested in generating captures on my system for comparison with the other captures already obtained.

I have a few general questions about capturing via USB, questions that could be answered by a large PDF explaining how capture works. Not at the equipment level, but at a deeper, technical level. If such a PDF exists, please respond with a link.

1. The cable into my Hauppauge has five connections: 2 x audio, one x video, and 2 x S-video. I assume that means there are five A-D converters inside, pumping out hundreds of millions of bits per second into the digital side. The audio converters probably runs at something like 96kHz, 16-bit, and the video converters at, say, 100MHz, 8-bit. In the ballpark?
   
2. Wherever those bits end up, they are turned into 720 x 576 pixels for PAL, plus stereo audio. What I don't understand is how software not written to suit a particular piece of hardware, knows how to interpret all those bits. How does VirtualDub know how to process data coming from the Hauppauge USB Live2? Is there a capture standard?
   
3. If I turn off the Video Stabilizer option on my VCR player, distortions appear at the top and bottom. See attachment, Video 48. They disappear if the option in turned on. "When this function is turned on you can automatically correct vertical vibrations…" Is that option somehow related to what Time Base correction does? It certainly cleaned up the top and bottom.

[traal]

If you want to compare capture devices, you should capture the tape just once via DAQ on each of the signals (left, right, luma, chroma), then play the file back through each capture device. This takes the VCR and tape wear out of the equation, otherwise it isn't an apples and apples comparison.

[timtape]

Yes, and for best playback there are things which have to be right at the tape, and at the VCR. Also alignments and synchronizations between tape and VCR. Even VHS decode is totally dependent on factors upstream of itself. In testing we change only one variable at a time and note the results.

[aramkolt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by traal

If you want to compare capture devices, you should capture the tape just once via DAQ on each of the signals (left, right, luma, chroma), then play the file back through each capture device. This takes the VCR and tape wear out of the equation, otherwise it isn't an apples and apples comparison.

I am planning to do a similar comparison myself and I get the concept of having a digital copy to play back to each device, but what is this "DAQ" you speak of? I thought you couldn't really capture the analog signal itself to then play back with everything

My thought was to do a head to head with something like an S-Video distribution amplifier were you could then use say 5 devices at once capturing the same starting analog signal, but then you are limited to needing computers for each device and that does limit you to 5 devices.

Other option I thought of was to just capture from something like a DVD that will have repeatable playback, but that also will also eliminate any time base errors, so you won't be able to see how each card handles those which is important.

If there is a device that can capture the actual chroma, luma, and audio waveforms and pay the signal back, do you have model numbers of devices that should work well for that?

Also, if it is possible to share those actual captured waveform files for playback elsewhere, it should be possible for others to try using their own hardware to see how their chain processes difficult sources and directly compare to what others have tested which would be the ultimate in comparisons between different users.

[guyburns]

Thanks for all the replies, and I know you're all trying to be helpful, but this thread isn't about methods of capturing, it's supposed to be about this…

When I select the Hauppauge, it says: "VirtualDub cannot connect to the desired capture device"
Any suggestions as to what is the problem? Am I missing a driver or something? I'm a Mac man and know very little about PCs, so any suggestions will need to be fairly detailed.

It's about this… the three questions in my first response.

Ques 1
This thread is also about this… My friend's laptop has two partitions, both with Windows 10, but he said don't use the second partition, it's just a backup or something. My understanding is that VirtualDub runs well under Windows 7 and is easy to setup. Is that the case? That if I install a brand new Windows 7 on that second partition, that VirtualDub should work as soon as I install it? I'm going to ask my friend if he can do that, if the consensus here is that Windows 7 is very much preferable.

Ques 2
But I'll need detailed instructions. Very detailed. Do such instructions exist? Instructions like (I just made these up)…

• After Windows 7 is installed, install VirtualDub from the zip file.
• Move the folder to C drive.
• Then you'll need to install the drivers. Download these from… and put them in this folder…
• You'll also need to install certain codecs. Download these from… and put them…
• Now you'll also need to do this…
• And this… and when you've done that, do this…
• Now, reboot, open VD and do this… to see if it makes connection to the driver for the Hauppauge.

Anyone have a link to such info?

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyburns

but this thread isn't about methods of capturing, it's supposed to be about this…

I renamed the thread title to reflect your issue.

Quote:

VirtualDub cannot connect to the desired capture device"

Probably.

Quote:

My understanding is that VirtualDub runs well under Windows 7 and is easy to setup. Is that the case? That if I install a brand new Windows 7 on that second partition,

Yes.

Quote:

that VirtualDub should work as soon as I install it?

No. VirtualDub = capture software
Hauppauge = capture hardware
Drivers still missing. Install those. You actually do not need to "install" anything. Turn on computer, wait for Windows to fully load, insert the driver disc (or ISO from virtual disc drive), then plug in the card to USB. It will prompt you to search your disc for drivers.

Quote:

I'm going to ask my friend if he can do that, if the consensus here is that Windows 7 is very much preferable.

Captiring video is a legacy task, 00s into 10s. Use OS from that era, either XP or 7. Win10 is for Facebook, not video capture.

Quote:

But I'll need detailed instructions. Very detailed. Do such instructions exist?

No. Too many variables, not possible, always different for everybody. Overview the same, exact details vary.

"Click this, click that" is the sort of instructions we had to give senior citizens in the 1990s, nobody does that anymore. It's as bad as typing "aitch tea tea pea colon slash slash dubya dubya dubya dot".

Fumble through. When roadblocks, ask for help.

[guyburns]

Thanks for the quick reply.

There is no driver disk. I downloaded the software, installed it, plugged in the Hauppauge, and away it went. Does a pretty good job at captures, but I think I can do better than the AVC, 14mbps speed limit the Hauppauge imposes. Thus my interest in VirtualDub.

If VirtualDub needs to see the Hauppauge drivers, where might I find them? Is there a driver folder in Windows 10?

[MasterOfCapture]

Quote:

Originally Posted by guyburns

MasterofCapture: Captures will have to wait a while. Probably a month or so until I generate a PDF. At this stage I'm more interested in generating captures on my system for comparison with the other captures already obtained

ok thanks, and sorry for the late reply; i had to register again because a bouncing email problem