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Intel Smart Video Recorder: Symptoms and Solutions
Contents:
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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