Re: Configure Media Center for Direct RCA or S-Video Input

Hi,

You have a point.
My last tv tuner card was an ATI all-in-wonder, which had the Display Adapter and Tuner on the same board.
I assumed the same.
My mistake.

I can't find anything in the Device Manager relating to a TV tuner.
The Laptop spec *** only mentions that the Encoder is MPEG2.
I am not sure if that has anything to do with movie maker compatibility, but that is for another group.

Thanks,
"JW" <JW@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:8F1E80C8-A717-4F37-B51F-42B8FCD6A33F@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I believe that the Video device being referred to as in use is your
TVTuner/Video input capture card and not your Graphics/Video output card.
"Nobody" <Nobody@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23yWZRiM8HHA.1204@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
My question to you would be why would you want Media Center to record your
camcorder? I don't see any advantage to you recording in dvr-ms format.
Get a cheap recorder card and encode to a standard format (MPEG1/MPEG2 or
whatever)

The card is built into the laptop.
I tried using Movie Maker, but for some reason, I keep getting the error
"the video device is in use."
I don't believe Movie Maker came with the laptop and I had to download it.
I am not even sure if it is compatible with the video device that I am
using.
ATI Mobile Radeon X1400.

So, I went to the Media Center route for just recording to dvr-ms format.
I have the converter, so that is not a problem.

Like I said earlier, I am able to use the camcorder using Media Center.
It is just not an easy process.
It is not as simple as selecting the inputs.

Everybody keeps saying that it is not designed to do that.
To go out and buy a piece of hardware, or buy some other software,
When, in fact it is possible, but difficult to do.

I went to buy a rubber washer for a faucet.
I asked an attendant where to find the washer.
He said, "That is where they get you. You can't just replace the washer, you
have to buy the whole assembly."
I knew he was full of it. I finally found the washer.

*If* you were to record off your camcorder, you'd be using the tv tuner
hardware, which is needed for the recording/live showing of tv. The use
of
this hardware in this scenario will cause a potential conflict.
Your wrong. It does work. It is no different than using a set top box or a
satellite box, which both use the Tuner.

A DVD player is not used to record a tv show.. so you can watch a DVD
while
recording a tv show.
I was referring to a regular DVD player. I failed to mention that. My fault.

I should post a YouTube video of the process,
but I am lazy and not really into proving my point.



"Jason Tsang" <jason-onlineDEL@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:efR4daL8HHA.4880@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Your example doesn't work

A DVD player is not used to record a tv show.. so you can watch a DVD
while
recording a tv show.

*If* you were to record off your camcorder, you'd be using the tv tuner
hardware, which is needed for the recording/live showing of tv. The use
of
this hardware in this scenario will cause a potential conflict.

Microsoft has decided not to allow less common usage scenarios (i.e.
recording from a camcorder) to compromise on its core features
(showing/recording of tv).

My question to you would be why would you want Media Center to record your
camcorder? I don't see any advantage to you recording in dvr-ms format.
Get a cheap recorder card and encode to a standard format (MPEG1/MPEG2 or
whatever)

--
Jason Tsang - Microsoft MVP

Read my blog for the latest in Media Center topics
(and other topics that interest me)
http://jtsang.blogspot.com

More information by me
http://jtsang.mvps.org
http://www.classicsunveiled.com

Find out about the MS MVP Program -
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx



"Nobody" <Nobody@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:egwZwUK8HHA.980@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
So, I am forced to buy some 3rd party software and/or hardware to use the
RCA and S-Video jacks?
I can't buy that.

Then, I try to use Movie Maker and it complains that "Video Device is in
use"
*Wonderful*. Now, I have to go and disable Windows Media devices.
That is the great solution.
(It still doesn't work. I don't know what else to disable.)
I think I will have to figure that out on my own as well.

Your example is the same as saying
I am not allowed to watch a DVD, because the DVD player is scheduled to
record a TV show.
Do you really think that is a reasonable scenario?

I am using my camcorder. Therefore, Media Center does not record a TV
show.
I should be able to manually select the source inputs.

It seems as though I remember something along thes lines about hitting the
brakes on a car.
Windows would say that I am not allowed to hit the brakes because a right
turn is scheduled a half mile ahead.
Manual should always take predence over automatic.

I will give you a good example of that.
I can't remember all the details, but there was a jet being tested with an
automatic pilot.
Well, the plane almost crashed because the pilot tried making the plane go
down
and the automatic pilot wanted the plane wanted to go up.
This is from that same TV show that was on either the discovery channel or
history channel or PBS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMrsH4qlmw4

Is it any wonder people get frustrated when they try to do something
manually
and they are not allowed to?


"Jason Tsang" <jason-onlineDEL@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uc0EgwJ8HHA.5184@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
So it's simple to select the source input with other electronic devices?
Well, Media Center is not like other electronic devices.

What happens if you are recording stuff from (for example) a camcorder
and
Media Center needs the tuner. What's an easy way to resolve this issue
via
the UI? Does it always favour your manual recording? Or does the
scheduled
recording take precedence? There are other core Media Center scenarios
that
can be impacted too by taking away a tuner. What if you are using an
Extender and that user needed the tuner? Who wins out?

Media Center has a set of features/scenarios that it does well. The
Media
Center team has focused on making those features work well, at the
expense
of other not-so-common/needed features. If it were a trivial task to add
what you propose without compromising on other features/scenarios that
Media
Center does well, Microsoft would have done it already.


--
Jason Tsang - Microsoft MVP

Read my blog for the latest in Media Center topics
(and other topics that interest me)
http://jtsang.blogspot.com

More information by me
http://jtsang.mvps.org
http://www.classicsunveiled.com

Find out about the MS MVP Program -
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/default.aspx



"Nobody" <Nobody@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:OcYJpqJ8HHA.5404@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Anybody, with any common sense, knows that it is just that simple to
select
the source inputs.


Most, if not all, electronic devices have a button that allows inputs to
be
selected.

There is no need for sarcasm. I am merely offering alternative
strategies
for you to accomplish
something that Media Center was never intended to do.
I don't know who to trust anymore. I am very distrustful of people.
So, I get very argumentative when a salesperson specifically states that
only "Monster" cable will work.

No. Three perfectly reasonable answers that will allow you to do what
you
want. Media Center has not
been designed for this purpose. Incidentally it's not been designed to
do
many other things that
could vaguely be described as 'Media' like play LP records, or
laserdiscs
or Compact Cassettes or
Eight-Track tapes.
As long as they have RCA outputs, they would be able to connect to the
PC.
There are even head phone jack to RCA jacks if there are no RCA jacks.

Next, they will remove the microphone jack and insist that we need to
upgrade to the newest firewire microphones
becuase they have an IR port.
You are thinking I am wrong to state that?. That will never happen you
say?

Do you work for Microsoft?
I don't know why you defend it?
They make it difficult to force people into buying other software or
hardware.
Then you go and support it.
Perhaps you will meet a salesman that insists you need to buy "Monster"
cable or something for your device to properly work with XP media center.
I should be there saying "Yes, Monster cable is the only cable you can
use.
It has the XP logo right there on the package."


"Nigel Barker" <nigel@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:4q40e3tljct6vh3eb70efn6nac47cilp6f@xxxxxxxxxx
On Thu, 6 Sep 2007 07:38:00 -0700, "Nobody" <Nobody@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

You do realise that Media Center is mostly designed as a Personal
Video
Recorder. The TV tuner card
is for watching & recording TV & not for hooking up a camcorder.
BS!
It has RCA and S-Video inputs. What do you think those are for?

Connecting a Set Top Box delivering TV to the PVR in Media Center. They
are not there by design to
hook up a camcorder.

Any, I repeat ANY device that has S-Video or RCA jacks can and should be
able to be used.
It is just that simple to add a button to select the source.

Why? It's designed to capture TV from a STB. The interface is not
designed
for a camcorder.

There are various options open to you none involving the Media Center
interface.
1) Stop all Media Center services thus freeing up the TV tuner to be
used by some other capture
software e.g. if it is a Hauppauge card download their TV/capture
software & use that.
What services?
Why should I have to do that?
Why make it so complicated?

Because you want to do something that Media Center is not designed to
do.

2) Get a cheap analogue capture card just for your camcorder & use the
software that came with it.
This is better as it will not interfere with your Media Center TV.
It is a laptop that comes preinstalled with a video card and Windows
Media
Center.
I should not have to buy 3rd party devices or software with a "Media
Center" PC.

Why? Nobody promised you that Media Center could be used to capture
video
from an analogue
camcorder. If you have a laptop then a USB 2.0 device specifically
designed for analogue video
capture is what you want
http://www.gizoo.co.uk/Products/AvCommunications/TvGadgets/VideoCapturelead.htm

That is a typical answer.
I was expecting "Try reinstalling the Operating System and Software"

There is no need for sarcasm. I am merely offering alternative
strategies
for you to accomplish
something that Media Center was never intended to do.

3) Get a modern digital camcorder that has a Firewire connection & use
Windows Movie Maker or any of
the many software packages designed for handling DV.
That is the answer I would expect.
Then, of course, Windows Movie Maker complains that the "Video device is
already in use".

I don't understand. Why would WMM complain that the "Video device is
already in use" when you
connect a digital camcorder via Firewire. I have never seen that error
when I have done just that.

3 round about, complicated answers, when a simple button would surfice.

No. Three perfectly reasonable answers that will allow you to do what
you
want. Media Center has not
been designed for this purpose. Incidentally it's not been designed to
do
many other things that
could vaguely be described as 'Media' like play LP records, or
laserdiscs
or Compact Cassettes or
Eight-Track tapes.
--

Cheers

Nigel Barker
Live from the sunny Cote d'Azur
MCE MVP





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