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Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:38 pm Post subject: Getting audio to work...

on my new Phillips SAA7130 TV Card - Video Capture. I am able to save the video to a number of file formats through an S-Video cable or a composite cable hook-up but I am not able to hear any audio.
I have tried to find help at the software website { Site } but have had no luck finding any kind of help pertaining to this particular software, Honestech TVR.
There is a link for TVR 2.0 but not as an update, only to buy new software.
So I pose the usual question's that are as follows:

1: How can I get my audio to work ( the duh question)
2: Is there a better software solution to the inadequate piece of crap software bundle that was supllied with the card.

As a follow-up to those who want/need to know here are the listed capablities of the card...

Records Video and Audio from your TV.
Video CD compliant.
NTSC & PAL support.
Compressed MPEG file can be displayed easily with a cassette function.
The "FilePool" function enables you to easily view and check a compressed MPEG file.
The "File Edit" function enables you to edit a recorded file.
The "Mail Forwarding" function enables you to attach a recorded file to an e-mail message.
It is easy to operate the file since it provides several ways of viewing the list of recorded files
1. Video compression : MPEG-1, MPEG-2

Input : Video source from TV.
Output : MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVI Video

2. Audio compression : MPEG-1 Layer II

Bitrate : 32-384Kbits/sec

Microsoft Windows 95 / 98 / 2000, ME, XP
450MHz or better CPU for CIF format

The settings with-in the software mostly pertain to video saving options and one lonely tab for audio. There was also a mention in the printed install booklet that an AC'97 sound environment was fully supported and that other types may cause the program to crash. I am using a Sound Blaster Audigy with EAX. Now it has not crashed the program but I am thinking that it just doesn't like my sound card. Sad

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 5:44 pm Post subject:

ok... so the TV is connected to the video capture card via S-vid... what about audio... do you have the audio connected to a line-in port? or does the capture card have audio jacks too? s-vid is only vid, no audio. to get the audio you gotta connect the audio parts too.

also check to make sure that the recording mute is turned OFF on whatever connection you've connected the audio on in the mixer settings.

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 6:15 pm Post subject:

Slymer wrote:
ok... so the TV is connected to the video capture card via S-vid... what about audio... do you have the audio connected to a line-in port? or does the capture card have audio jacks too? s-vid is only vid, no audio. to get the audio you gotta connect the audio parts too.

also check to make sure that the recording mute is turned OFF on whatever connection you've connected the audio on in the mixer settings.

There is a Line-in and Line-out jack on the card.There is a double ended audio cable supplied with the card. Sound card out to Vid Capture card in, then speakers go into the vid cap. card out. Yes that was hooked up as instructed in the manual. Confused

Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2007 7:17 pm Post subject:

I meant the line in on the sound card should probably be connected to the audio out from the TV. if the audio isn't connected from the TV to the computer somehow, there will be no audio to capture.

Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:22 am Post subject:

exactly as Slymer is saying, my vid cap card requires you use the double ended audio cable. One end in the Line Out on the cap card and the other end goes to Line In jack on your sound card.

If you're not getting sound still, check your mixer settings. It's entirely possible that you have the Line In muted.

Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 12:45 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the input,but I finally figured it out. I am using my Microphone to record the audio from the speaker. Not the best quality sound but it works. And the weirdest thing is the Microsoft Movie Maker is now working with the cap card. It has better options for video/audio saving than the piss poor software that came with the card. But my original question for a better software is still open.

Posted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 1:27 pm Post subject:

as for better software... if the ATI multimedia center will work with it, it's got nice options and it's free. I know that pinnacle studio is good, but kinda pricey. Adobe premier is great, but you gotta have LOTS of resources (ram, video, cpu, etc) and $$$$. I have one of those TV wonder elite (ati theater 550pro) set up with multimedia center (cause the bundled software sux - see a common theme here?) and have my DVD player, VCR, and rabbit ears plugged into it (though I can't get any over the air stations due to the crater my apartment complex is in... but that's another problem). and if ATI's MMC doesn't work with that card... movie maker works, so just use that. no sense spending tons of cash on overblown software that won't do much (if anything) more than movie maker.