ATI 600 USB captured file size too large?
 

I have an ATI 600 USB card. I don't have any trouble capturing on a Windows XP system. The trouble that
I do have is the software that came with the 600 USB. It works, but the file size gets to about 3.91 GB and then it starts a new file for the video. My question is there a setting to make it one file size or is that the way the program is written. I am using the NTFS file system. I have a 500 GB hard drive with 475 GB free space. I tried this on 2 different computers running XP and got the same results. I just want it to remain one file.
Thank you for any input.

What software are you using for capture?
VirtualDub or ATI CMC?

Ati 600 usb
 

I am using Catalyst Media Center. It is the CD that came with the ATI 600 USB.

ATI CMC is best for MPEG capturing only, and only after setting up custom presets.

What file size are you trying to get?

Understand that MPEG file size = bitrate * running time.
Too low a bitrate create artifacts, blocks.

Lossless is near-fixed at 35gb/hour (Huffyuv) or 25gb/hour (Lagarith).

600 ati usb
 

I am try for 5 GB. I will look at the settings some more.

600 ati
 

I have look at the setting and can not figure out how to make the file larger. It still writes a new file after 3.91 GB. My files are not that large. They are just a little over 5 GB's. I think I will try and use VirtualDub. I have used VirtualDub in the past but I am a beginner at it. I am not doing any editing. Does ATI 600 USB work with any other programs? I am happy with the picture quality I get from ATI 600 USB. The picture looks great. Is there a way or setting to make the file one using ATI CMC?

FAT32 formatted drives cannot write larger than 4gb files.
Is the drive NTFS, or FAT32?

600 ati
 

The system is using NTFS. I thought that at first if it was fat 32 and I check and it is NTFS. Is it possible that the ATI CMC version that I have that come with the ATI 600 card is an older version that cuts the file size down to 3.1 GB's? I have version 1.0.4210. Is there is a newer version, and if there is, where can I get it.

I've not used ATI CMC in several years, and need to reinstall it. It's probably just a setting hiding somewhere that splits the file into smaller chunks. A similar setting existed on ATI MMC, as the last step in creating a preset. You could change to several sizes, or do "Windows limit" for much larger files.

ATI CMC MPEG is fine, but I prefer to use ATI MMC with AIW cards for that. I use my 600 for AVI in VirtualDub.

Try a lossless capture in VirtualDub, just to see what happens. You can always delete the large capture file after the test.

600 ati
 

Problem solved. The Catalyst Media Center has a setting for good, better and best. I had it set on best.
I got looking and there are three other settings. Ipod&PSP, DVD compatible and Divx compatible.
I changed it to DVD compatible and the files stay as one file and the file size is small. I don't know if the quality is better on best or DVD. I can not tell the differents. I hope this helps someone in the future that might have the same problem. Thanks for your advice.

ATI presets are all low quality. They deinterlace and use IVTC, destroys the quality.

Make a custom preset, use that.
Pick the correct interlace settings, correct frame rate to match source (29.97), etc.

I can help step you through it. I had a guide made for it, but can't find it at the moment. Just take screenshots, upload those, and I can advise.

600 usb
 

I have uploaded 4 pics. On the 1st pic

Video capture quality I put 100%
Bitrate at 8000 with 6000 variable. Always use close caption.
The rest of the 1st page I left blank.
second pic I set it to use interlace
Frames in GOP is set at 15. I don't know what it should be set at.
B Frames set at 2
The rest of the page I left blank. I didn't check anything.
My question is that my custom setting is the 6th setting. How does it know to use my setting? Does it do it automatically? I think I figured it out. Each time I have to go to setting and click on custom profile. Click on my setting then click off of it and then click record at the bottom. Also, I did not see frame rate to set it at 29.97. I think I am going in the right direction.

I know this post is a little old, but I can not find the "ATI CMC guide" on this website (if it was actually uploaded or not?)

I am currently going through this myself and the best settings I have found so far are:

Custom Profile:
DVD MPEG-2
Leave interlaced
Bit rate 6K w/ peak at 8K
GOP 12, No B frames (I prefer least compression possible)
Closed GOP
Resolution 704x480 (I'm recording home VHS tapes)
S-video connector

Once you have "Apply"d your preset, make sure you select it in the drop down from (Good, Better, Best, Custom)

If anyone can locate LS's CMC guide, please link below. Thanks!

ATI CMC has no dropped frames counter, so highly NOT suggested. You're capturing blindly.

I'm using the TBC-1000. Doesn't that cover me or can you still have drops?

No.

Dropped frames can come the analog side (what the TBC-1000 will address), or the computer side (not addressed). Dropped frames can happen from HDD acitivity, such as it being connected online for any reason. Or bad spots on the HDD. You just have no idea what's going on without a counter.

You need to fill a drive with lossless captures, using VirtualDub. If you never get any drops, and I mean 0 frames, very strict here, then format it and capture MPEG with ATI CMC. But that only addresses HDD issues, CPU not addressed. MPEG is CPU using.

Then watch your first MPEG capture all the way through, at least 2 hours. If all is well, nothing odd, no sync issues, then capture away.

Not having a counter is still bad, still no idea what's going on. But at least after these tests, and assuming it passes flawlessly, the likelihood of issues is far lesser.

However, you'll need to reformat after captures. You cannot merely delete, as the drive will exist in fragment state. Fragmentation is a HDD issue, and can cause dropped frames (audio sync, etc).

I have both SSD(running XP) and HDD(for writing my transfers onto). Should I write my transfers to the SSD first to avoid those issues?

Any harm in capturing .avi (HuffyYUV) from Vdub then transferring to .mpg (MPEG-2) with other software, (other than the gigantic size of AVI files)?
I'd rather not use my S-VHS player twice for each transfer tape.