VirtualDub capture configuration, image cleanup?
 

I'm using VirtualDub to capture old home movies using a VC500 and a JVC VCR with TBC. I have two questions:

1) Should I connect the VCR via s-video or composite?
2) I notice some blurry lines at the bottom of the image. I can't tell if it's a fault of the VCR or if it's common to have some lines at the bottom that need to be masked. I'll post an image when I get home. How do I mask it if it's normal?

S-Video.

Some lines at the bottom of the image are normal. Though it's possible to make an internal adjustment to avoid it on some models. Not sure about JVCs, without special equipment, though.

S-video.

2) I notice some blurry lines at the bottom of the image. I can't tell if it's a fault of the VCR or if it's common to have some lines at the bottom that need to be masked. I'll post an image when I get home. How do I mask it if it's normal?[/quote]Bottom border nosie is head switching noise, seen on almost all tapes on all players. You can mask it later using Virtualdub, or use Avisynth to crop off the bottom noise and add new black pixels top and bottom to center the image. There are many examples of doing both in forum threads. You'll also notice a black border on one or both sides of the image, which can be evened out later.

Edit: Too late to edit the above, sorry for typos. Msgohan replied at about the same time anyway.

Thanks, both replies were very helpful.

Everything was working fine, but now suddenly I lost video in VirtualDub. It was working when I got home and yesterday. I uninstalled the drivers, reinstalled them, uninstalled EZGrabber, reinstalled it and it still isn't working. I have no idea what went wrong, but now when I select the device in VirtualDub it is just black.

The video does show up in VirtualDub if I select the "Microsfot WDM Image Capture" but its a blank screen when I select "Conexant Polaris" which I believe is the VC500.

UPDATE: Alright, just to add more confusion to the mix. The screen only goes blank if I select the VC500 in the audio menu. As soon as I select another audio source, the video shows up. But when I select the VC500 audio input, the video goes black. Any ideas?

Are you using the preview view or overlay?
If you select another audio source, for instance your sound card, do you still have audio?
What video source for the VC500 did you select, s-video or composite?

I think I found the problem. I reread the guide on this site and found that many USB devices require you to select the first audio source option, not the USB device itself. I forget what it's called, but it seems to work. I'm guessing it's the actual sound card like you mentioned. The video comes back and audio is recorded correctly. I must have just missed that step when I first went through the guide!

Good work. I thought about that one myself, but I see you figured it out before I woke up today. :wink2: