Computer Equipment Help

I have pinnacle, roxio, or windows movie maker. None of them can pick up a signal. And I know it's plugged in right too. Maybe it only picks up from video cameras...

I have a dvd drive, I don't know how to rip small clips to my computer.
And I do have the dvd going to dazzle, then dazzle going to usb.
I'm using the 2 audio and visual port too.

Omaha, SONY VEGAS 8.0 has an option to import video from a dvd in the dvd drive directly, which you can edit inside the program, cut and save the clip in a new video.

Or you can give me the exact details of your dazzle video equipment and i'll tell you how to do it but you'll still need software to do it. Is it by Pinnacle? If i am not mistaken, they have the pinnacle studio 11 included in their hardware.

Why don't you use pinnacle studio 11 ? Doesn't it come with the hardware you bought? I think movie maker doesn't support capturing from analog devices such as vcr or dvd-player connected to the pc via such devices as dazzle dvd recorder.

ok, you have to have the dvd outputs (yellow, red and white i.e. video and audio (stereo, LR) respectively) connected via the relevant cables http://www.usbvideoadapter.com/RCA-vide … -audio.jpg to the correspondingly colored inputs on your dazzle dvd recorder. Then you have to start playing the dvd on the dvd player and you'll have to open a capture function within a relevant software. Are you sure you have them connected?

The pinnacle instand dvd recorder won't do you any good 'cause it's designed to transfer vhs (or miniDV from cameras) straight to dvd, you already have the dvd, you don't want another one. You have to have software one way or the other, windows movie maker doesn't capture from analog sources such as an external dvd or vhs player, except if these have a firewire digital out which i have never seen 'till now, i don't think it actually exists on commercial home systems.

You have to either purchase (or *cough* find) such software Or get a free software like that, which i doubt it exists, if anyone knows they can help you. There's a trial at http://www.avs4you.com/AVS-Capture-Wizard.aspx which does some basic stuff and then you have to pay for more but i haven't tried it, i use adobe premiere pro.

Sony vegas will save you all the trouble of connectivity and all and the conversion from digital to analog and back to digital. Cause this is what happenS:

briefly: the pinnacle dazzle dvd recorded uses analog input and then internally converts the analog input coming from the VHS (via the red, white and yellow cable you saw above) to digital in order to be edited and saved in the pc.

Whatever device you connect to those 3 inputs, it comes in as analog input so a dvd player that goes through those is also handled as such and you need software that supports analog capturing. Windows movie maker doesn't, it only supports digital camera capture.

thanks for all of the excellent info dude!

I'm not sure why you want to go from digital (DVD) to analog (capture) to digital, when you can easily rip directly from digital.

Put the DVD on your computer and rip the video using a free software (try BitRipper).
Use a software to cut clips from your ripped video

thanks for all of the help guys
I think I've got things running, at least it appears so
I will be returning that dazzle tomorrow

I'm toying with the idea of buying a new PC and am looking for recommendations from the selection below.

Day-to-day use is really only word processing, internet browsing & some photo editing (nothing too extreme, just optimising holiday photos, CD covers, etc.). No gaming whatsoever.

Dell Inspiron 545

Dell Inspiron 546

Compaq Presario CQ5115UK

Compaq Presario CQ5244UK

Packard Bell iExtreme X6719UK

Is there any difference between Intel and AMD? Or is it just a label thing?

Of the list of possibles does anyone have other recommendations with a similar spec?

A custom machine could be the way to go but I don't know anywhere obvious locally that I'd feel any more comfortable in going to than I would a large chain store. What a customised PC would give me would be a PC without all the rubbish that's bundled with the store-bought PCs. It's difficult to get one that does not have some sort of anti-virus bundled with it. And something like McAfee or Norton would be one of the first things I would remove when I got the PC home!

Looking again at the specs of the PCs I've listed there's not too much different between them.

Alan, I'll try and avoid as much of the "techie talk" as I can.

There's really not much difference between the systems you link to, if you have needs as modest and limited as you describe. All have ample computing and processing power for what you need.

As a matter of generics, I would opt for an Intel processor.
AMD processors have a different way of processing information, and sometimes it's noticeable. Intel processors will be faster (at the comparable speeds all of these PCs share, the Intel will be the faster and least 'hiccuppy' processor).

Also generically I wouldn't by definition recommend Dell.
Dell, while easy to assemble and order, and relatively cheap, has the nasty habit of using proprietary builds, i.e., it's VERY hard to upgrade, change or add any other component that isn't also from Dell.

This doesn't only go for things like memory or cards, but also for peripherals like speakers.

It doesn't have to be an issue (I actually own a Dell, and as I bought all my peripherals from Dell as well in one go, any peripheral issues were of little concern to me), but it might be something to keep in the back of your mind.

Unless you have money to burn, are very fashion-conscious and/or are heavily into multimedia editing and creation, I wouldn't recommend a Mac at all.

Unfortunately that's not true (any more):

2. Are there any real Mac viruses out there?
Some try to answer this question literally, based on the strict definition of 'virus' - i.e. malicious software that infects other files. But the term 'virus' is used much more loosely these days and in that context refers to malicious software in general (or what the industry terms 'malware'). The answer also depends on the version of the Mac operating system (OS) in question. While Windows tends to be essentially the same "under the hood", the various flavors of the Macintosh OS vary widely. Thus the answer to the question is Yes, there are real Mac viruses out there. But whether you are vulnerable or not depends on the OS. As for malware in general, it's an even stronger Yes.

From About.com

Monitor and keyboard mouse should be OK.
But indeed the speakers will almost certainly not fit on a Dell.

As for your IDE drive, I'd seriously consider an external casing: it's going to be quite challenging finding a free IDE harddisk slot in any off-the-shelf PC.

External IDE casings are quite cheap. You should be done for under 30 quid or so.
And they're just plug'n'play through a USB port.

You'll save the difference in being able to buy a simple SATA-drive only PC (which are a hell of a lot easier to get).

Yep!

It's an external case with a bay for your hard drive (the same way your PC has bays that lodge hard drives).
Basically it's just a box for a hard drive!