Importing video from a video capture card
Use Media Import to import video from an analog video device (such as a VCR or TV tuner) to your hard disk. An analog device must be connected to one of the following supported video capture cards:
n AGP Bus combo analog capture card
n PCI Bus combo analog capture card
n AGP/PCI Bus combo analog capture card
Video capture cards support both Composite and S-Video connection ports.
Note: If you are unsure what kind of cable you need to connect the device to your computer, check the documentation provided by the device manufacturer.
Note: If a video capture card is installed on your computer, the card always appears in the Device drop-down list on the Video Import Home page, regardless of whether a supported device is connected.
Note: The entry in the Device list for the video capture card shows the manufacturer or product name, or both. It does not show the device name for the connected analog device.
To import video from an video capture card:
1 Connect the analog device to your computer using the appropriate cable.
2 On the Media Import Home page, click Video.
3 On the Video Import Home page, in the Device drop-down list, select the video capture card.
4 In the Input box, specify the type of connection to the video capture card. Select Composite or S-Video to import video from a VCR, or Tuner to import video from a cable, satellite, or antenna feed.
5 If your Input type is Video Tuner, select the channel from which you want to import video.
6 In the Capture Settings box, select the output quality. You can choose from the following options:
n DVD HQ: Select if you will be burning the video to DVD, and you want the highest possible DVD quality. This option gives the best results with all video sources. You can usually edit the video with little or no effect on the image quality.
n DVD SP: Fits twice as much video onto a DVD as the DVD HQ option does. Not recommended when the video source is low-quality or noisy. Not recommended for editing.
n DVD LP: Lets you fit more video onto a DVD than the Standard Play option, but video quality is low. To get good results with this setting, you need a very clean DV or analog source. Not suitable for editing.
n VCD: Select if you will be burning the video to VCD.
n DV: Select if you will be editing the video.
7 If you want to specify the amount of video to be captured, in hours and minutes, select Set Capture Length, and enter the time, in hours and minutes. For example, to capture 30 minutes of video, enter 00:30.
8 Optional: To change your audio source or the broadcast standard, click Options. You can change the following options:
n TV Standard: Select the TV broadcast standard for the country or territory that is the source of the video broadcast you want to capture. The NTSC standard is used in North America, Japan, and most of South America. The PAL standard is used in Europe, Africa, and most of Asia.
n Device: Select the audio input device.
n Input: If the audio input device is a sound card, select the input channel to use.
9 Optional: To improve the picture quality, click Enhance and use the sliders to adjust the following settings:
n Brightness: The amount of light in the video, and the difference between the light and dark areas in the video.
n Hue: The amount of red, green, and blue color in the video.
n Contrast: The difference between the light and dark areas of the video.
n Saturation: The strength, or depth, of color in the video.
10 In the Save To box, select the folder in which you want to save the media files.
11 In the Rename files text box, enter a name for the new video file.
Media Import uses the text you enter to name the new video file. If a file with this name already exists in the selected location, Media Import appends a five-digit number to the name (for example, “Imported Videos 00001”).
12 Click Capture now.
Media Import copies the video to your hard disk. While it copies the video, Media Import shows the amount of video copied, in hours, minutes and seconds, and indicates how much disk space is available on your hard disk, in GB.
13 When you are finished importing video, click Stop capture.
A thumbnail of the new video file appears in your Import Bin.
See also: