Capturing Video in Windows Movie Maker from Analog Sources
Published: February 4, 2002
By Galan Bridgman, Windows XP Expert Zone Community Columnist
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In my first column for the Expert Zone, Moviemaking 101, I briefly mentioned the content import process. In this column, I cover how to import video content using analog capture devices. In my next column, I'll be covering digital capture.
Analog capture is especially useful when you have older video content, such as VHS tape, and want to convert it to digital. Or you may have an older camcorder that only provides analog outputs, such as composite or S-Video. If you have this type of older equipment and want to get started in desktop video editing, analog capture is fine and is supported by Windows XP.
Note: Making the decision about whether to use analog or digital capture used to be more difficult than it is now. The price of digital video (DV) camcorders and higher-end computers that are capable of processing the higher throughput of DV has come down significantly over the last two years. So if you've invested in digital video equipment, choose digital capture, which is also supported by Windows XP.
Performing analog capture requires a device to take video input from a composite or S-Video signal and convert it to digital data. Composite video, the type used by most TVs in the U.S., transmits all information as one signal. S-Video transmits separate signals for color and brightness, producing a sharper image. The formats do not matter. But make sure the analog capture device you get has a Windows XP-compatible device driver. This presents the data in the required format to applications such as Movie Maker using Microsoft DirectShow® interfaces. This is what you want to make sure of before you purchase any solution.
I have used a video capture card from ViewCast, the Osprey-200, with great success. They have just released Windows XP-certified drivers on the ViewCast Downloads site, and their Windows 2000 drivers do indeed work as advertised with Windows XP. I bought this card because it supported both S-Video and audio inputs. It's reasonably priced, but if you want an even less expensive solution, they do have models with composite input only. For these you need to use your own sound card as your audio capture source.
Pinnacle Systems (one of the leading providers of video solutions for PCs) has a variety of cards, including a new one that supports both DV and analog inputs. Several of their products even include software that allows you to burn your finished movies to a DVD. But check their support site FAQ on Windows XP compatibility before you purchase. A number of their products are compatible already, but many aren't yet, and some aren't planned to be.
Another interesting solution if you don't want to (or can't) install a video capture card in your system is the Digital Video Creator from Dazzle, an external box with a USB connection. These companies (and others) have products that work out of the box with Windows XP.
Whatever capture device you have, use S-Video input if you can, because it has more scan lines than composite, and may yield higher quality video.
Capturing With Movie Maker
After you have a compatible capture device installed and a video source such as a camcorder, VCR, or TV plugged in, you are ready to start capturing video content. Open Movie Maker, create a new project or collection as needed, and then click the Record button on the toolbar. The Record dialog box opens and presents you with several choices, such as the input sources available and the quality to capture. Make sure the correct device is selected in the Record list and/or Change Device button, shown in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1
You'll want to clear the default 2:00 minute Record time limit if you plan to record more than that. Also decide whether you want Movie Maker to create clips for you based on scene changes in your input. Multiple clips make editing easier. If you don't want clips, clear the Create clips check box.
 | Before you start capturing, make sure your hard disk has enough storage for what you intend to capture. |  | |
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Finally, choose the quality setting based on your intentions for the created video. Be careful about choosing a quality setting that's too high for your hardware to process. If you notice the captured video is jerky compared to the original, some frames are probably getting dropped. Go back and re-capture at a lower setting as necessary.
The quality setting contains a number of different formats and frame rates. You won't see every available format that's installed on your system, only the ones that are considered suitable for use within Movie Maker. But make sure you have installed the Movie Maker 1.2 upgrade, available through Windows Update (download size 3/3 MB). This update to Movie Maker contains the ability to encode using the improved Windows Media v8 video codec, as well as to format targets specifically tailored for playback on Windows CE devices.
Before you start capturing, make sure your hard disk has enough storage for what you intend to capture. As you update your input source and quality settings, the Record dialog box calculates and displays the duration of video you can record based on available disk space. When you are ready to capture, start the playback on your source device if necessary and then click the Record button. Click the Stop button when you are finished capturing. It will take a while for the encoding process to convert your input. When completed, the Record dialog box closes. You'll see the clip or clips from your input in your current collection, as shown in Figure 2 below.
After you have captured your inputs and edited your movie, you can create your finished product as described in my Moviemaking 101 column.
Figure 2
Live Broadcasts
Movie Maker allows you to capture either recorded video or live video sources, but its output is WMV files only. This is fine if you're recording video onto CDs for archival purposes or to trade with family, or if you are putting video onto a Web site for on-demand streaming, but what if you want to broadcast video live over an intranet or the Internet?
A product that is freely available from the Windows Media Technologies Web site is the Windows Media Encoder. This application can create WMV files as well, but it does not have editing capabilities like Movie Maker. However, it also provides for real-time streaming of encoded video for broadcast or multicast, allowing viewers to watch a live video with only a slight delay (10 to 30 seconds) introduced to ensure encoding quality and transmission reliability.
I use this application with the Osprey-200 card a lot. In a future column, I'll describe the steps I used with this application to help my friend, Edward, 14, stay in touch with his church and friends. Although he's contracted cancer twice in his life, his high spirits are an inspiration to everyone around him. Edward was disappointed that his chemo treatments prevented him from contact with crowds, and in particular from his church services. Using Windows Media Encoder, I was able to set up a live video feed of the services. Fortunately, he lived close enough to the church that he could receive better than 56K streams over the Internet, but the street dividing his house and the church prevented an Ethernet cable connection, so I opted for an 802.11b network. I customized an encoding profile using Windows Media v8 and just the right frame size and rate to produce a 262Kbps stream that works quite reliably over the wireless network, and produces good quality video on his computer. See the screenshot in Figure 3. He's delighted with the quality now, but wait till he gets a load of the full-screen, full-motion video that's just around the corner with the next round of upgrades!
Figure 3
It's truly amazing what non-professionals can do with video today using home computers and affordable cameras. In the next column, we'll step it up a notch and look at how digital video can improve the quality in more demanding applications.
Galan Bridgman is a developer, architect, and enthusiast for digital media technologies. He co-developed QuickTime for Windows for Apple Computer. At Starlight Networks he developed innovative client and backend technologies using ActiveMovie® and NetShow® Server, the precursors to Windows Media Technology. He is a full-time consultant, and is currently developing a next-generation, fully-automated radio station using Microsoft Windows Media 9 Series technologies. After hours he enjoys showing others how to make the most of Microsoft's latest Windows Media applications. Check Galan's Web site for more information about him.
