Capture Software (Examples)

A capture card is only as good as the capture software. Remember to select a capture software does not harm the incoming signal, but rather encodes or transfers it as needed. Capture software often has the ability to both filters and re-encode the video to the desired codec or MPEG format. Much like capture cards, the quality of software varies greatly, from excellent to complete rubbish. Your goal is to use software that complements your card, in the pursuit of high quality video captures.

What is the Source? And What Capture Resolution?

The Understanding Your Source capture guide has detailed information on source files. However, the following quick-list will cover the suggested capture resolutions for the most common sources, sorted by resolution:

• 352×480 = VHS, S-VHS, 8mm, Hi8, Betamax, most of satellite, cable, broadcast antenna
• 480×480 = anything being converted directly to SVCD
• 640×480 = anything being captured as AVI intended for advanced editing in an NLE
• 704×480 = laserdiscs, Betacam SP, PPV satellite channels
• 720×480 = laserdiscs, Betacam SP, PPV satellite channels

Suggested AVI capture resolution. If you plan to heavily edit to video, experience has shown capturing at 640×480 or 720×480 resolution will often yield the best final product. It may be a huge file, but if quality is important, you’ll find a way to store it. You can resize to a smaller resolution when encoding the final MPEG.

MPEG or AVI?

All too often, videographers and hobbyists make this appear to be a harder choice than it really is. Choosing AVI over MPEG, or MPEG over AVI, is a simple choice to make, and should take maybe 10 seconds to decide.

Ask yourself this one question: Do you plan to do advanced editing* with the video?

• If yes, then use an uncompressed (YUY2) or low compression (HuffYUV or MJPEG) codec using the AVI file format. Use this AVI to edit in your favorite editing program (like Adobe Premiere) and then encode to MPEG-2 (for DVD) or other desired final format.
• If no, and you merely want to convert the video to VCD or DVD format, then encode directly to MPEG-1 or MPEG-2. You gain no benefits** by capturing AVI then encoding to MPEG afterwards. In fact, all it does is take more time.

* Removing commercials and cutting away unwanted footage is NOT considered advanced editing. That is basic cutting and splicing of footage. You can do this with either AVI or MPEG without reconverting the video or harming quality.
** Capturing in MPEG format assumes you have a decent MPEG capture card and capture program, such as an ATI All In Wonder card using ATI MMC. Many cards and many software give poor MPEG capture results. Non-ATI users can try other programs, but the options are few and disappointing. This is the main reason I suggest ATI cards. Cards like Matrox, Canopus and Hauppauge can also give great results, using their supplied software.

Note: Capturing in high compression codecs, like that of XviD/Divx MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4 or Windows Media, is not suggested. It will give lower quality video output using that method. For best results, capture with an uncompressed or low-compression codec, and then re-encode the material to the higher compression ratio.

Analog Source Resolutions

There are only two kinds of source: analog and digital. Analog source comes from tapes or analog broadcast signals, and digital source comes from computers, digital broadcast signals or digital cameras. Analog source cannot be measured in the same terminology as digital source. While resolutions, bit-rates, audio levels, etc, are rigid measurements in the digital world, this does not hold true in the analog world. Analog sources are measured differently, typically using various power and output measurements. The following table uses approximate digital equivalents for the various analog sources. The table presents both IN PRACTICE and IN THEORY numbers for the digital equivalents, with theory being the higher of the two. Information presented on this chart currently reflects only the USA NTSC video standard. PAL and SECAM standards (outside the USA) may be added with a future updates. In most cases, you can simply substitute x480 with x576 and get the PAL variants.

Analog Source Notes:

• Digital cable: Not all digital cable is a digital signal. Sometime it is a digitally-compressed analog signals being decompressed by the digital cable box. Check with your cable provider to see what you have. Although satellite systems are digital signals, encryption prevents them from being downloaded. The only way to legally record digital satellite is by using analog methods. Satellite is either on or off, and cannot be harmed by static or other noises that affect cable or broadcast. DirecTV and DISH Network typically use 544×480 and 480×480 resolutions.
• VHS/S-VHS History: The Video Home System (VHS) format was invented by Victor Company of Japan (JVC) in 1976. Super VHS (S-VHS) format is a 1987 JVC invention that made use of s-video (“separated-video” cable that separates luma from chroma) and incorporated a denser particle mixture on the tapes.
• S-VHS-ET and SQPB: Although some VHS units allow SQPB (S-VHS quasi-playback), it is still a VHS-quality signal being broadcast from a VHS player. VHS VCRs are unable to extract all the S-VHS information, so use an S-VHS player for S-VHS tapes. S-VHS-ET is the official name given to an old cheap trick used by many poor or cheapskate S-VHS users. In the old days, we would drill or burn holes in a VHS cassette housing, as S-VHS tapes have holes that VHS tapes do not, thus allowing players to know the difference in the equal-size tapes. In the past few years, JVC labeled it S-VHS Extended Timebase (ET mode) and has put the option onto its recorders. A VHS tape actually has more signal bandwidth available than is used by VHS players. However, it is not quite as good as a regular S-VHS tape. I highly suggest JVC, TDK EHG or any broadcast-quality VHS tape for S-VHS-ET use.
• Satellite TV: Satellite television is a special format (DVB/DSS) of MPEG-2. Satellite centers (like the DirecTV location in Colorado, or the DISH centers in Wyoming and Arizona) encode the video to MPEG-2, uplink it to a satellite, and it is then resent to Earth and intercepted by the digital dishes on our roof. Because the original digital files cannot be accessed (due to encryption), footage must be captured from the analog output given off by the satellite receivers, and this is why “digital” satellite has been included in this analog source list. It is often higher quality than cable or broadcast because it is a digital signal, and cannot be harmed by static or other noise than affects cable and broadcast, and therefore appears cleaner and crisper. Satellite signals are either on or off (excluding macroblocking and freezing due to signal interferences as caused by weather or aerial objects). Some DVB and FTA signals can be captured directly with acquisition cards (not really capture, more like downloading data). This is because the information is not encrypted. More information on digital satellite broadcasts can be found at CoolSTF.com and Henry-Davis.com.

Digital Source Resolutions

Digital source is already digital. It has rigid limits, specifications of acceptability, and resolutions and bit-rate. Everything about a digital file can be quantified and qualified, unlike analog. Digital formats like VCD and DVD must adhere to certain specifications. This chart is completely technical, contains all information about the spec. Newbies may not understand all of this information just quite yet, but it will be important to refer back to when capturing, encoding and authoring.

This information appears in this “understanding your source” guide mainly for comparisons purpose to the analog chart above, as well as for those that desire to edit or re-convert video already in the digital domain.