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    Intel Smart Video Recorder: Symptoms and Solutions

    Contents:

    • SYMPTOMS AND SOLUTIONS - OVERVIEW
    • AUDIO PLAYBACK IS GARBLED
    • BLEEDING OR WASHED OUT COLORS ON VIDEO PREVIEW OR PLAYBACK
    • CAN'T GET AN I/O ADDRESS TO WORK WITH THE INTEL SMART VIDEO RECORDER
    • CHOPPY PLAYBACK/DROPPED FRAMES IN EISA SYSTEMS
    • COLORS LOOK WASHED OUT AND VIDEO IMAGE LOOKS BAD
    • DAUGHTER CARD MAY BE LOOSENED IN SHIPPING
    • DROPPING FRAMES WITH FAST 32-BIT SCSI ADAPTERS
    • FLASH OF COLOR WHEN USING VIDEDIT OR VIDCAP FOR VIDEO PLAYBACK
    • PREVIEW MODE IN VIDEO FOR WINDOWS LOOKS JERKY WHEN CAPTURING
    • PROBLEM WITH S-VIDEO JACK
    • RECORDING SEEMS TO WORK BUT IS VERY SLOW
    • SAVE SINGLE FRAME OPTION IN VIDCAP IS DISABLED
    • SINGLE FRAME IMAGES SAVED AS BLACK AND WHITE
    • VIDEO IS IN BLACK AND WHITE ONLY
    • SUPER COMPRESSOR OPTION IN VIDEDIT IS DISABLED (GRAYED OUT)
    
    

    SYMPTOMS AND SOLUTIONS - OVERVIEW

    
       This document contains solutions to problems experienced by Intel Smart
    
       Video Recorder users.  The possible causes and solutions are given for
    
       each of the following symptoms/questions:
    
    
    
         *  Audio Playback is Garbled
    
    
    
         *  Bleeding or washed out colors on video preview or playback
    
    
    
         *  Can't get an I/O address to work with the Intel Smart Video
    
            Recorder
    
    
    
         *  Choppy playback/Dropping frames in EISA systems
    
    
    
         *  Colors look washed out and video image looks bad
    
    
    
         *  Daughter Card May be Loosened in Shipping
    
    
    
         *  Dropping frames with fast 32-bit SCSI adapters
    
    
    
         *  Flash of color when using VidEdit or VidCap for video playback
    
    
    
         *  Preview mode in VFW looks jerky when capturing
    
    
    
         *  Problem with S-Video jack
    
    
    
         *  Recording seems to work but is very slow
    
    
    
         *  Save Single Frame option in VidCap is disabled (grayed out)
    
    
    
         *  Single frame images saved as black and white
    
    
    
         *  Supercompressor option in VidEdit is disabled (grayed out)
    
    
    
         *  Video is in black and white only
    
    
    
    

    AUDIO PLAYBACK IS GARBLED

    
       Symptom:
    
       The audio playback is garbled.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       IRQ conflict with an Intel Smart Video Recorder that is using IRQ 10.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       The onboard audio has an option for IRQ 9, 10, 11, or 15 (though 15 will
    
       give warning about PCMCIA conflict).  Select any IRQ that is available,
    
       other than 10 and put the Intel Smart Video Recorder on IRQ 10.
    
    
    
    

    BLEEDING OR WASHED OUT COLORS ON VIDEO PREVIEW OR PLAYBACK

    
       Symptom:
    
       Bleeding or washed out colors on video preview or playback.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       This indicates a problem with digitizing multi-color images.  Bleeding
    
       or washed out colors also indicates a problem with the color resolution
    
       depth of the video driver.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       Use a video driver that supports 16 million colors.
    
    
    
    

    CAN'T GET AN I/O ADDRESS TO WORK WITH THE INTEL SMART VIDEO RECORDER

    
       Symptom:
    
       None of the valid I/O address-IRQ combinations for the Intel Smart Video
    
       Recorder seem to work.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       The daughter card on your Intel Smart Video Recorder may not be properly
    
       seated. Occasionally the daughter card loosens during shipping.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       Check to make sure that the daughter card on the board is properly
    
       seated. Place the Intel Smart Video Recorder (daughter card facing up)
    
       on a hard surface and press down on the capture module until it snaps
    
       into place.  If this does not solve the problem, try doing a clean boot
    
       of your system.
    
    
    
    

    CHOPPY PLAYBACK/DROPPED FRAMES IN EISA SYSTEMS

    
       Symptom:
    
       In some EISA systems, video playback and capture look as if they are
    
       running on a slow system (frames are dropped, playback is choppy, etc). 
    
       This may happen even on fast EISA systems (33 or 50 MHz).
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       Choppy playback and dropped frames in EISA systems are the result of not
    
       running the EISA configuration disk after adding memory to your
    
       computer.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       After adding memory to an EISA system, always update the CMOS memory
    
       (with the options available at boot up) and reconfigure the system using
    
       the EISA configuration diskette.  If you update CMOS without running the
    
       EISA configuration disk, the memory will be recognized but not cached. 
    
       That means the new memory will be running at about half the speed of the
    
       rest of the memory. Boot to the EISA configuration diskette and
    
       configure the system from there.
    
    
    
    

    COLORS LOOK WASHED OUT AND VIDEO IMAGE LOOKS BAD

    
       Symptom:
    
       The colors look washed out and the video image looks bad.  The video
    
       signal appears to be weak.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       This can happen when you are using a Y-Connector with a single composite
    
       video output to both the Intel Smart Video Recorder and a Video Monitor.
    
    
    
        Composite outputs are power balanced for one connection only.  With the
    
       Y-Connector, the output signal from the video source is cut in half. 
    
       The signal coming into the Intel Smart Video Recorder is weak and the
    
       video image will not look right.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       Do not use a Y-Connector with the Composite input of the Intel Smart
    
       Video Recorder.  You can see what the image is going to look like on the
    
       preview screen in Video for Windows.
    
    
    
    

    DAUGHTER CARD MAY BE LOOSENED IN SHIPPING

    
       Occasionally the daughter card on the Intel Smart Video Recorder becomes
    
       loose during shipping.  Symptoms of a loose daughter card are:
    
    
    
         *  None of the valid I/O addresses will work with the Intel Smart
    
            Video Recorder
    
    
    
         *  VidCap can't initialize a capture device
    
    
    
         *  Vertical lines (multi-colored) appear on the VidCap screen
    
    
    
         *  Video preview window in Video for Windows is black
    
    
    
         *  Video is in black and white only
    
    
    
         *  Video image looks torn or bent at the top
    
    
    
         *  DOS INSTALL reports: "Unable to locate an available interrupt".
    
    
    
       If you experience any of these symptoms and have determined that your
    
       system does not have a hardware conflict see "Hardware Conflicts" -
    
       document 8062 and make sure the daughter card is firmly seated on the
    
       Intel Smart Video Recorder board.
    
    
    
       To do this place the Intel Smart Video Recorder (daughter card facing
    
       up) on a hard surface and press down on the daughter card until it snaps
    
       into place.
    
    
    
       Note: The Intel Smart Video Recorder diagnostics may not detect a loose
    
       daughter card.  The daughter card on the Intel Smart Video Recorder
    
       contains the I750 processor capture module.
    
    
    
    

    DROPPING FRAMES WITH FAST 32-BIT SCSI ADAPTERS

    
       Symptom
    
       In systems with fast 32-bit enhanced SCSI adapters, up to 50% of the
    
       frames are dropped when video is being captured at 160x120, 30fps.
    
    
    
       Description
    
       Frame dropping occurs when SMARTDRV.EXE loads the double buffering
    
       utility in the CONFIG.SYS file.  SMARTDRV will then slow down some
    
       system functions, including video captures.
    
    
    
       Solution
    
       To prevent fast 32-bit SCSI systems from dropping frames:
    
    
    
       Remove SMARTDRV.EXE from your CONFIG.SYS file.
    
    
    
            OR  
    
    
    
       If you need SMARTDRV.EXE for double buffering, capture some video at
    
       320x240 before doing your 160x120 capture.  SMARTDRV will adapt to the
    
       needs of the 320x240 capture and will capture subsequent frames (until
    
       the computer is rebooted) correctly at 160x120 and other resolutions.
    
    
    
       Note:     By default, Windows copies SMARTDRV.EXE into both the
    
       CONFIG.SYS and the AUTOEXEC.BAT files. This allows SMARTDRV to use less
    
       conventional memory. The SMARTDRV in the CONFIG.SYS takes less space and
    
       doesn't become active until it's executed by the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. 
    
       However, SMARTDRV will run fine if it's only loaded in the AUTOEXEC.BAT.
    
       The only reason SMARTDRV needs to be in both the AUTOEXEC.BAT and
    
       CONFIG.SYS files is if you have an older SCSI drive that needs double
    
       buffering.
    
    
    
    

    FLASH OF COLOR WHEN USING VIDEDIT OR VIDCAP FOR VIDEO PLAYBACK

    
       Symptom:
    
       A flash of color appears when the video starts to play in VidEdit or
    
       VidCap.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       This flash of color is a known problem with VidEdit and VidCap.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       Play back the video using Media Player or Media Browser.
    
    
    
    

    PREVIEW MODE IN VIDEO FOR WINDOWS LOOKS JERKY WHEN CAPTURING

    
       Symptom:
    
       Images in the preview window look jerky when video is being captured.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       This happens because Video for Windows puts an emphasis on getting the
    
       video image saved to disk correctly, updating the screen is secondary.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       Make sure the image in the preview window looks smooth before starting
    
       the video capture.  To do this, optimize your system for best video
    
       playback.
    
    
    
    

    PROBLEM WITH S-VIDEO JACK

    
       Symptom:
    
       The arrow on the Smart Video Recorder S-Video jack doesn't match up with
    
       the top of the S-Video cable.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       The S-Video jack on the Intel Smart Video Recorder is rotated 90
    
       degrees.  Because of this problem, the arrow doesn't match up with the
    
       cable.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       Turn the S-Video cable until the pins match up with the holes in the
    
       jack.
    
    
    
    

    RECORDING SEEMS TO WORK BUT IS VERY SLOW

    
       Symptom:
    
       Video captures are very slow.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       Slow video captures are caused by an interrupt (IRQ) conflict.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       Re-run the Intel Smart Video Recorder SETUP utility and choose another
    
       interrupt (valid IRQ settings for the Intel Smart Video Recorder are 9,
    
       10, 11, and 15).  Make sure the IRQ you choose is not being used by
    
       another device in your system.
    
    
    
       See Also: Document 8062, "Video Capture: Troubleshooting Hardware
    
                      Conflicts."
    
    
    
    

    SAVE SINGLE FRAME OPTION IN VIDCAP IS DISABLED

    
       Symptom:
    
       The VidCap option for saving a single frame of video to a bitmap file
    
       (Save Single Frame) is disabled or "grayed out."
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       This option is currently not available in the Indeo video technology
    
       device drivers for the Intel Smart Video Recorder. 
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       Use the procedure listed under "Video is in black and white only" to
    
       create a color bitmap file from a single frame of video.
    
    
    
    

    SINGLE FRAME IMAGES SAVED AS BLACK AND WHITE

    
       Symptom:
    
       Single frame color images captured using the ISVYVU9 and 640x480
    
       compression options are saved as black and white instead of color.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       The Indeo video technology device drivers for the Intel Smart Video
    
       Recorder do not currently support color for this type of single frame
    
       capture.  Intel has experienced this problem with the following graphics
    
       formats:
    
    
    
         *  MAC PIC
    
    
    
         *  Microsoft RIFF DIB, RLE DIB, and RIFF RLE
    
    
    
         *  PC Paintbrush
    
    
    
         *  Truevision TGA
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
    
    
       Use the procedure listed under "Video is in black and white only" to
    
       create a color bitmap file from a single frame of video.
    
    
    
    

    VIDEO IS IN BLACK AND WHITE ONLY

    
       Symptom:
    
       The video is in black and white only.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       This occurs when:
    
    
    
       The video source in VidCap is set to Composite but the input into the
    
       Intel Smart Video Recorder is S-Video
    
    
    
       OR
    
    
    
       The daughter card (capture module) is not firmly seated on the Intel
    
       Smart Video Recorder board.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       Check the video source settings in the VidCap utility in Video for
    
       Windows. In VidCap choose OPTIONS and the Video Source.  Verify that you
    
       have selected the correct Input Source for the type of device from which
    
       you are recording.
    
    
    
       Make sure the daughter card is firmly seated on the Smart Video Recorder
    
       board.  Place the Intel Smart Video Recorder (daughter card facing up)
    
       on a hard surface and press down on the capture module until it snaps
    
       into place.
    
    
    
       Note: Some VCRs have a button or switch (usually on the back) for
    
       setting the video image to color or black and white.  If your VCR has
    
       this feature, make sure color video is selected before capturing video
    
       images with the Intel Smart Video Recorder. 
    
    
    
    

    SUPER COMPRESSOR OPTION IN VIDEDIT IS DISABLED (GRAYED OUT)

    
       Symptom:
    
       The Super Compressor option in VidEdit is grayed out.
    
    
    
       Description:
    
       Rel1.0 of Video for Windows does not support the Super Compressor for
    
       Indeo video technology R3.0.
    
    
    
       Solution:
    
       The only compression option currently available in VidEdit is the Quick
    
       Compressor.  Super Compressor is an offline compressor that compresses
    
       and stores video files captured at 320x240, 15fps at the same data rate
    
       as CD-ROM (150 KB/sec).
    
    
    
       Note: This is not true in v1.1 of Video for Windows.
    
    

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