![[Intel Navigation Header]](/CONTENT/PIX/HEADER.GIF)
Intel Smart Video Capture Frequently Asked Questions
Contents:
DOES THE INTEL SMART VIDEO RECORDER(TM) WORK IN WINDOWS 95?
Q. Does the Intel Smart Video Recorder(tm) work in Windows 95?
Yes, the Smart Video Recorder will work in a Windows 95 environment. To
install it, you will need to do the following:
- Use version 1.2 of the Smart Video Recorder drivers. (ISVR12.EXE,
available from any of Intel's On-line services)
- Run the SETUP.EXE program and configure the card.
- You may then need to manually amend the SYSTEM.INI file with the card
settings, because the setup program may not do it automatically.
in SYSTEM.INI:
[ISVR.DRV]
IO Port=0x###
IRQ=##
## = card settings
DOES THE INTEL SMART VIDEO RECORDER PRO(TM) WORK IN WINDOWS 95?
Q. Does the Intel Smart Video Recorder Pro(tm) work in Windows 95?
The Smart Video Recorder PRO works in the Windows 95 environment. There
are not any special drivers available, but in fact are not needed. The
current driver version 1.2 can be used. Just run the Setup programs for
both the capture software and the Smart Video Recorder PRO software.
If you do not already have version 1.2, you can get it by downloading
SVRP12.EXE from any of Intel's on-line services.
Typically, any installation problem you might run into are the same for
any system, whether you have Windows 95 or not. After installation, if
you have a black preview screen in the capture program OR if you are
unable to open the capture program at all and you get an error that the
capture device cannot be detected, that likely means that there is a
hardware conflict with some other device in the PC.
WILL THERE EVER BE A TRUE WINDOWS 95 32-BIT DRIVER FOR THE SMART VIDEO RECORDER PRO?
Q. Will there ever be a true Windows 95 32-bit driver for the Smart
Video Recorder PRO?
There currently are NOT any plans to develop true Windows 95 32-bit
drivers for either the Smart Video Recorder or the Smart Video Recorder
PRO. (The Smart Video Recorder is a discontinued product and as such,
there are no longer any development resources available for it.)
This is an explanation of why 32-bit drivers are not currently needed.
First, though, is the definition of the term `thunk':
"A piece of coding which provides an address", according to P. Z.
Ingerman, who
invented thunks in 1961 as a way of binding actual parameters to
their formal definitions
n Algol-60 procedure calls. If a procedure is called with an
expression in the place of a
formal parameter, the compiler generates a thunk which computes the
expression and
leaves the address of the result in some standard location.
Microsoft kept a 16-bit interface between Video for Windows and the
capture drivers in their Windows 95 Video for Windows. If Intel wrote a
32-bit capture driver, the Smart Video Recorder PRO would have to thunk
down to 16-bit for every Video for Windows call, and Video for Windows
already internally thunks back up to 32-bit for every call. The extra
thunking would slow things down. The Smart Video Recorder PRO is
actually faster now as a 16-bit capture driver than it would be as a
32-bit capture driver, because it only has to do one set of thunks.
DO THE INTEL VIDEO CAPTURE BOARDS WORK UNDER WINDOWS NT?
Q. Do the Intel video capture boards work under Windows NT?
No, Intel has no current plans to support the Smart Video Recorder or
the Smart Video Recorder PRO within the Windows NT environment. They
are both fully supported under Windows 3.1 and 3.11. The capture boards
also works as a 16-bit capture devices in the Windows 95 environment
with the current driver versions.
WHERE CAN I GET THE LATEST DRIVERS FOR MY CAPTURE BOARD?
Q. Where can I get the latest drivers for my capture board?
You can get the latest drivers for the Intel capture boards from any of
Intel's on-line services.
- If you have the Smart Video Recorder, the current driver version is
1.2. Download the file ISVR12.EXE.
- If you have the Smart Video Recorder PRO, the current driver version
is 1.2. Download the file SVRP12.EXE.
You can also get the latest Indeo drivers by downloading the file
IV32RT.EXE.
WHEN I OPEN THE CAPTURE PROGRAM, ALL I HAVE IS A BLACK PREVIEW WINDOW. OR
When I try to open the capture program, I get an error that the capture
device is not detected. What's wrong?
Q. When I open the capture program, all I have is a black preview
window. What's wrong?
OR
Q. When I try to open the capture program, I get an error that the
capture device is not detected. What's wrong?
The first thing to check if you have a black preview window, is how you
have your video source configured in the Digital Video Producer capture
program. Click on OPTIONS; VIDEO SOURCE
- make sure you've selected Composite if you are using an RCA/composite
cable or S-Video if you are using an S-Video cable.
If the video source setting is correct, then most likely you have a
hardware conflict with something else in your system. Check for the
following:
1. If you have a soundcard or multimedia card in your system: Does the
sound card have a built in gameport? Try plugging a joystick into the
gameport if there is not one attached or disable that feature altogether
from the soundcard's utility program. We've had reports that these
gameports can interfere with the configuration of the Smart Video
Recorder PRO and show what appears to be IRQ conflicts.
2. If your system has both PCI slots and ISA slots: Check the BIOS
setup and make sure you've designated the IRQ that you plan to use for
the Intel board to be used by ISA cards. The terminology you want to
see associated with the Intel board's IRQs is 'USED BY ISA' or 'NOT
AVAILABLE'. If it says 'FREE' or 'AVAILABLE', that means the PCI bus is
using it and the Intel card will not be able to use it.
3. Get the latest CFGBORG.DLL from any of Intel's on-line services.
You'll need to download the file called ISVRBORG.EXE, a self-extracting
archive that provides the .DLL file.
It is an updated version which specifically addresses installation
problems in some plug and play systems. Copy the file into the
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory, overwriting the old one.
4. Are you running a Plug and Play driver in CONFIG.SYS? Try remarking
it out.
5. If you have a network card in the system: Try removing the network
card while configuring the Smart Video Recorder PRO. We've had customer
reports on certain NICs (including 3COM and NE2000), that if the NIC is
physically in the system while trying to configure the Smart Video
Recorder PRO, you may see what appears to be IRQ conflicts. Once the
Smart Video Recorder PRO is installed and configured, you can safely
replace the NIC.
WHENEVER I ACCESS THE SMART VIDEO RECORDER PRO APPLET IN THE CONTROL PANEL TOTRY TO CHANGE THE IRQ FOR THE BOARD, IT SHOWS THAT THE BOARD IS
DISABLED. WHAT'S WRONG?
Q. Whenever I access the Smart Video Recorder PRO applet in the Control
Panel to try to change the IRQ for the board, it shows that the board is
DISABLED. What's wrong?
This is a known symptom when the Smart Video Recorder PRO is installed
in a system that has certain types of soundcards. If your soundcard has
an OPTI or Crystal chipset, and has a gameport, you may see this
conflict.
In the control panel, the IRQ selection shows DISABLED and no choices
are available. We've seen two workarounds to solve this:
1. Plug a joystick into the gameport, if one is not there. (Not all
customers report success with this workaround.)
OR
2. Disable the gameport feature on the soundcard. Consult the
documentation that came with your soundcard to find out how to change
the hardware configuration. It may be a jumper setting on the soundcard
or you may need to run a software setup program.
WHEN I TRY TO CAPTURE VIDEO, I GET AN ERROR "NO FRAMES CAPTURED. CONFIRM THAT VERTICAL SYNC INTERRUPTS ARE CONFIGURED AND ENABLED." WHAT'S WRONG?
Q. When I try to capture video, I get an error "No Frames Captured.
Confirm that Vertical Sync Interrupts are configured and enabled."
What's wrong?
There are several reasons this error might occur, and generally it means
there is a hardware conflict present. Here are some of the known
issues.
1. The Adaptec 1542B & 1542C 16-Bit ISA SCSI controllers were tested
with the Intel Smart Video Recorder using IRQ 11 and I/O address 330 and
found to be compatible. When the Intel Smart Video Recorder was also
set to IRQ 11, the VidCap utility in Video for Windows returned blank
video, and no frames were captured. In another test VidCap failed with
a warning "No Frames Captured. Confirm that Vertical Sync Interrupts
are configured and enabled."
2. The Media Vision Pro Audio Spectrum 16 16-bit sound board was tested
with the Intel Smart Video Recorder using IRQ 5, IRQ 15, and I/O
addresses 220 and 388 and was found to be compatible. In one test the
Intel Smart Video Recorder and the Pro Audio Spectrum 16 were both set
to IRQ 11. The Intel Smart Video Recorder software detected a conflict.
When Video for Windows was run, the VidCap utility failed with the
warning: "No Frames Captured. Confirm that Vertical Sync Interrupts are
configured and enabled".
3. In addition to the black preview window in Digital Video Producer,
you get the error "a vertical interrupt sync error has occured" when
trying to capture video. All IRQ's will pass diagnostics but will still
produce the vertical interrupt sync error when you try to capture.
This can be caused by a Diamond VLB Speedstar PRO Video board using IRQ
2 by default. Disable the use of IRQ 2 on the Diamond Video Board.
4. Customer report: No matter what IRQ the Smart Video Recorder PRO is
set to, when capturing video, the message "0 Frames Captured, 0.00
Seconds Captured at 0 FPS" appears simultaneously with the message "No
Frames Captured. Confirm that Vertical Sync Interrupts are configured
and enabled".
The Motherboard is an SIS FI2 P54C system (this particular one was a
75mhz Pentium) with an Award Bios (version unknown).
Solution: In the Bios go to Chipset Configuration. Change "ISA BUS
Clk Frequency: PCI Clk divided by 3" to ": PCI Clk divided by 4."
Caution: This changes numerous settings in the chipset configuration;
i.e. SRAM, Read Pulse, SRAM Burst, Refresh, all of which go to slower
value.
HOW DO I CAPTURE AUDIO ALONG WITH VIDEO?
Q. How do I capture audio along with video?
To successfully add audio to your video clips, ensure that:
- Your sound board is MPC compliant.
- Your audio input source is turned on and is properly connected to the
sound board.
- You have set the audio parameters in your video capture application.
In both Vidcap and Digital Video
Producer, click on OPTIONS; AUDIO FORMAT.
- You have enabled the capture of audio. In VIDCAP, click on CAPTURE;
VIDEO. In Digital Video Producer,
click on CAPTURE; SETTINGS.
- You have set the appropriate audio input line as a recordable source.
In your soundcard's mixer software,
make sure you select the proper RECORD source (either Line In or
Microphone) and adjust the record
level.
After verifying that your system is properly setup to capture audio,
capture your video clip.
Note: There is no audio capture module on the Intel Smart Video
Recorder or Intel Smart Video Recorder Pro. To capture and play back
audio, you must have an MPC compliant sound board. The capture software
takes care of integrating video and audio.
WHY DO I GET AN ERROR "CALL TO UNDEFINED DYNALINK" WHEN I TRY TO CAPTURE A VIDEO CLIP?
Q. Why do I get an error "CALL TO UNDEFINED DYNALINK" when I try to
capture a video clip?
The Error "Call to Undefined Dynalink" in Digital Video Producer is
being caused by an older version of MSVIDEO.DLL or by multiple versions
of MSVIDEO.DLL.
The error can be corrected by completely reinstalling DVP3.0c or
installing the latest release of the Indeo Drivers (IV32RT.EXE). You
can get IV32RT.EXE from any of Intel's on-line services.
HOW CAN I GET RID OF THE "TEARING" ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGE OF MY CAPTURE WINDOW?
Q. How can I get rid of the "tearing" along the bottom edge of my
capture window?
If you are capturing window sizes of either 160x120 or 240x180, then you
can crop out the "tearing". Just click on OPTIONS; VIDEO SOURCE, and
under PICTURE EFFECTS, the last option is CROP.
If you are capturing at 320x240, cropping is not an option.
CAN I SEND VIDEO OUTPUT TO A VCR WITH THE SMART VIDEO RECORDER PRO?
Q. Can I send video output to a VCR with the Smart Video Recorder PRO?
The Smart Video Recorder PRO does not provide for output to VCR. You'll
need a separate video output card if you want to send your AVI files to
video tape. If you have World Wide Web access, you can get a wealth of
information on devices that provide video output. Just do a web search
using the following key words: OUTPUT VIDEO VCR.
IS THERE A SOFTWARE DEVELOPER'S KIT FOR THE SMART VIDEO RECORDER PRO?
Q. Is there a software developer's kit for the Smart Video Recorder
PRO?
Intel does not have its own developer kit for the Smart Video Recorder
Pro. The Smart Video Recorder Pro works with Video for Windows so if
you want to develop an application that uses the Smart Video Recorder
Pro, you can use the Video for Windows developers kit from Microsoft.
However, since Intel does not have any engineering resources available,
if you run into any problems creating your application, you will have to
will need to solve them on your own.
WHEN I CAPTURE VIDEO CLIPS, I SEEM TO DROP A LOT OF FRAMES. WHAT CAN I DO TOELIMINATE THIS PROBLEM?
Q. When I capture video clips, I seem to drop a lot of frames. What
can I do to eliminate this problem?
Tips to avoid frame drop during capture:
- Use a bigger, faster hard disk. Use a fast (~10 ms access time or 1
MB/sec sustained data rate), large (at least 350 MB) hard disk. Newer
SCSI drives are ideal for video because of their speed and size. You
can also link SCSI drives together if you need more disk space.
- Use an Intel Pentium(tm) processor. The sheer speed of the Pentium
processor will keep up with the amount of video data being captured
(this is especially important if you're capturing raw video).
- Increase the memory on your system board. Try using at least 16 MB
(or more).
- Use Smartdrv. Make sure your capture system is using Windows Smartdrv
or DOS Smartdrv, whichever is more current. Also, avoid using
Smartdrv's double buffer setting if you can ("rem" out the double buffer
parameter in the Smartdrv line in your config.sys file). (Note that
some hard disk controllers require double-buffering.)
- Defragment your hard disk regularly. See your DOS documentation. DOS
6.0 has a tool called Defrag.
- Capture at a lower resolution (e.g., 160x120). Some computers can't
process the large amount of data at 320x240.
- Use lower audio sampling rates. For example, if you're capturing
audio at a 16-bit, 44 kHz rate, the audio data rate alone is 176 KB/sec.
- Don't use disk compression programs like MS Doublespace or Stacker.
Compressed drives are slower and will affect performance.
WHAT'S THE BEST TYPE OF SYSTEM TO USE FOR SUCCESSFUL VIDEO CAPTURE AND PLAYBACK?
Q. What's the best type of system to use for successful video capture
and playback?
The video capture and playback performance of a system is based on the
type and speed of the components that make up the system. The faster
the microprocessor, the video card, the controller and the hard drive,
the better the video capture and playback performance will be.
The following types of system components are recommended for best video
capture and playback:
- SYSTEM BUS: PCI or VESA Local Bus systems that can use 32-bit PCI or
VESA Local Bus add-in boards
- PROCESSOR: Minimum of Intel486DX-50 or Intel486DX2-66, Pentium 60 or
90Mhz
- VIDEO CARD: PCI or VESA Local Bus accelerated video cards that speed
up Windows performance
- CONTROLLER: PCI or VESA Local bus SCSI or enhanced IDE hard drive
controllers
- HARD DRIVE: SCSI or enhanced IDE hard drives with fast access speeds
and sustainable data rates
- RAM: 32 Mb
- VIDEO DRIVERS: Minimum 640x480x256-colors
HOW CAN I CONVERT .AVI FILES TO .MOV FILES (OR .MOV TO .AVI)?
Q: How can I convert .AVI files to .MOV files (or .MOV to .AVI)?
A: Download SMARTV.EXE from Intel's online services.
Trademark information