[mythtv-users][OT] - How grab VHS tapes?

Dave Packham dave.packham at utah.edu
Wed Dec 7 11:32:10 EST 2005


Any way to detect good signal?  I have seen a lot of software that will
stop capture on BAD signal or snow but how about starting capture on
good signal?

Anyone seen anything like this?

Dave P

-----Original Message-----
From: mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org
[mailto:mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org] On Behalf Of David Watkins
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 9:10 AM
To: Discussion about mythtv
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users][OT] - How grab VHS tapes?

On 07 Dec 2005 06:29:13 -0800, Jim Reith <reith at racores.com> wrote:
> At 09:05 AM 12/7/2005, you wrote:
> On 12/7/05, Alessandro Boggiano <boggiano at libero.it> wrote:
> Hi all,
> usually if I want watch a VHS,I can use the antenna cable between the
> vcr and the tv (I know,the quality is bad),put channel 36 on my tv and
> it works!
>
> I'd like to do the same thing with my mythtv system in order to
recorder
> the vhs tape: so I unplegged the antenna from the tv and plugged the
vcr
> as above.
>
>
> Should work. I've done this with my VCR, setting myth to channel 3 in
my
> case.
> Not sure what VCR picks channel 36 - does the VCR have a switch on the
back
> to
> select which channel to use? (I think mine has a 3/4 switch).
> Since it's an Italy email address, it's probably all PAL
>
>
> Now the problem is that I can't find a valid channel/frequency with my
> PVR-150: I use ivtv-0.4.0 and the program ptune-ui.pl (I hacked the
> source to have a fine tune to 50) to set the channel.
> But I can'f find a valid frequency!
>
>
> I think you can use ivtvctl to manually pick an actual frequency, but
I'm
> surprised that ptune
> didn't work without being hacked. Do you normally use the cable input
on the
> PVR, or the
> composite/svideo? If you don't normally use the tuner, is it possible
that
> you have it set to the
> wrong country frequency sets? (I am guessing that you aren't in the US
based
> on the channel-36-VCR,
> since I've never heard of such a thing over here - VHF here only goes
2-13,
> and if you are cable-ready,
> chances are you don't need to use RF modulation on the antenna input)
>
> For a couple of secs I had a valid picture from the tape,but it
disappared!
>
>
> Keep in mind that that myth has a large delay, so if you are trying
things
> on the VCR, they take a long
> time to show up on the screen (same with tuning channels on the PVR -
when
> you change the channel,
> it has to propogate through the card AND through the ring-buffer.
> Might be better to use the component or S-video inputs if possible

I'd agree that that the S-Video output would be better, but if it's
not available then you're stuck with composite.

I ended up putting my PVR 350 into a windows machine and using the
windows software that came with the card to do a channel scan.  Then,
the channel number that it found the VCR on goes into the frequency
field on the second page of the mythtv channel setup.
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