Capturing Hi8 tape using Scenalyzer

[TheAncient]

Hi there,
I would appreciate if someone could help me using the Scenalyzer-v4 software available for download from your site. Some background:
I am trying to convert some old 8mm and Hi8 tapes to digital format using a Sony handycam to play the videos and an Elgato video capture device and software to digitize them. This software allows me to create one long mp4 file from my tape but often it is more convenient to get separate clips so one can, for example, lighten up indoor scenes. I remembered that years ago, when I had an ATI "All-in-Wonder" card, I had software that could automagically split the movie into different scenes while converting it.
I downloaded and installed the Scenalyzer-v4 software from your site onto my Windows 7-64 machine, and started selecting options such as
- Optical scene detection
- Output file directory
- Max size 4GB
- No device control
Next, I started the “short test” as per the first paragraph on page 20 of the manual:
“Start ScLive, connect your camera/VCR to the PC and select the capture-device in the
driver selection combobox. Insert a tape and start the playback. If everything is set up
correctly, you should now see a video picture in ScLive monitor window.”
Well – I do not see anything. I also cannot find an option to open the captured MP4 file directly. (I guess the MP4 format is newer than this software). Note: The camcorder I am using only has RCA-type outputs (red/white/yellow) It does NOT have a firewire connection.
How can I detect the individual scenes of my movies either directly from the camera, or from the captured MP4 files, using the Scenalyzer v4 software?
(This is my first post here. If this is not the right place to post this problem, please feel free to point me to the appropriate place.)

[volksjager]

what model camera are you using?
Scenalyzer is for DV - 8mm & Hi-8 tapes are analog
unless the cam is one that can convert analog into DV or that elgato device does Scenalyzer wont work

edit: i just looked up the elgato device and if yours is the same model (looks like a white colored easycap) then it is not a DV converter

[TheAncient]

As stated in my original post, I am using a Sony handycam (analog only). Scenalizer has an option to use optical scene detection which is supposed to work with analog sources. If you do a search in this forum, you will find a few posts where people have, in fact, converted analog tapes using Scenalizer except, if and when they elaborated, it turns out they used Firewire to connect their cameras.

You are correct: The Elgato device (http://www.elgato.com/en/video/video-capture) is not a DV converter but an analog converter (given that my camera is not DV but analog, a DV converter would not really help me)

Even if a direct conversion from tape is not possible, there ought to be a way to take my MP4 file (the digital version of my original movie - produced by the software bundled with the Elgato capture device) and run it through the Scenalizer software to split it into separate clips.

[lordsmurf]

Hmm...
What I can say is that an MP4 file will not split easily. That's too compressed. It would need to be an AVI of some kind.

We archived it, but it's not something I've ever really used.

[TheAncient]

Is there a way to do this "the long way around" by first converting the MP4 to an AVI file (does anyone know of software to this?) and then running the resulting AVI file through Scenalizer?

[volksjager]

why not just capture the tapes with virtualdub?

[TheAncient]

I will give it a shot as soon as I have time.
By the way, the link you provided points to a download of version 9.1.11
A newer version, 1.10.4, is available from http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/

[lordsmurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheAncient

I will give it a shot as soon as I have time.
By the way, the link you provided points to a download of version 9.1.11
A newer version, 1.10.4, is available from http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/

Versions 1.10.x has so unsavory quirks, which is why most of us still use 1.9.x.