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View Full Version : So, how do I start?



thx0125
08-28-2007, 11:16 AM
Hi, i've been donwloading muisc videos from the web (not just videopimp, altouhg I think you are the best) for several years now. Bu I would like to take one step futher and start ripping my own videos. So, what do I need to get started (I mean, besides the obvious things, a TV and a PC).

Someone could tell me where I can find a decent tutorial, step by step maybe, for the process of rip a video.

Thanks.

gilaboyfjs
08-29-2007, 01:39 AM
you will have to have a capture card and a good video card, and good software to edit your rips..

N3v4d4
08-29-2007, 12:34 PM
First off, I feel it is my duty to inform everybody reading this everything below is based on only 2 months of experience and this my second post on these forums so I don't have a reputation for ripping (yet?)... you guys might find my advice misleading or incorrect.

A capture card and cable or satellite are a start however from my experience, there are a few other things to take into consideration (assuming you already have a capture card):

1) Get to know your hardware: What sort of connections does your cable/satellite receiver and capture card have (Firewire, S-Video, etc)? This will determine how you setup your hardware configuration. You also need to find out which ports are enabled by default on the receiver, or else you won't be able to capture in the first place. In most cases, some ISPs disable Firewire, USB, and Ethernet because they explicitly don't want you transferring files from from a live broadcast or harddrive (if you have DVR) to your PC. For example, the Firewire, USB, and Ethernet ports on my receiver are disabled so for now I'm using S-Video, which isn't the best quality (results in artifacts on the video after it is transferred to my PC). Since my receiver doesn't have S-Video but my capture card does, I had to buy a converter-thingy that allows me to plug in S-video (coming from the capture card) into the video-out port (the yellow one) on the back of the receiver. I also had to but a special cable which, on one end, has two plugs for the left and right audio ports (the read and white ones) on the back of the receiver and, on the other end, has a totally different connector to plug into the audio-in (or out?) port on the capture card.

2) Decide on codec and software: Once you get the hardware configuration figured out, you need to decide on what software to use for recording/capturing. This will depend on which codec you want to use for encoding video (audio is fairly universal among all codecs). The most popular choices are VCD, SVCD, and XviD.. although there is other stuff like WMV and Matroska (.mkv). I don't have any advice here except to say try different programs/codecs and read forums/articles based users' reviews. For capturing, I'm using whatever came with my card because it's fairly easy to navigate and has decent options. What I use for audio and video in irrelevant.

3) Put it all together: After you figure out how to use the software to capture and what codec to encode in, it's time to decide which applications to use for encoding video and editing audio. I believe there are guides here for those two tasks. Again, test different applications to figure out which suits you. Even if somebody tells you exactly how to get a perfect encode with application A, you might like application B more so you need to know how to use it fairly well. A good starting point for understanding the capture process and video encoding (including step-by-step tutorials and decent explanations on application options/properties) - well, at least the encoding video part (the capturing process described might not be applicable to your capture card) - is www.doom9.org (sorry to admins if you don't want links). doom9 also has a guide for cleaning up video (i.e. chroma artifacts from S-Video sources) and forums. You might want to start at www.doom9.org > GUIDES > TV-Capture & DV cameras (Under "Convert, Edit & Capture) > pick a guide for your signal type (analog which is S-Video, DV, DVB, etc).

I'm sure I missed stuff, but I'm sort of in a rush. This, and the other guides on these forums, should get you started.

Remember, I'm outlining only one way of going about things, so there are a lot more resources out there to use. If I were you, I'd at least pay attention to the first point (check ports on capture card and receiver) I made or else you might end up buying incompatible hardware!

The main thing is be patient and read. You can't expect to learn this stuff by looking at pictures or taking verbal directions. I was fortunate enough to have a friend with a lot of experience help me, plus I read and asked a lot of questions.

Good luck!

thx0125
08-29-2007, 01:14 PM
Thanks that was very helpful.

It's a good start

N3v4d4
08-29-2007, 02:52 PM
I forgot to mention the information I provided might not be approved by Videopimp since they have their own standards. Also, I apologize for the typos but that post was written fairly quickly, without a second read-through.

One other thing I wanted to mention: in your original post you didn't clarify if you already have some form of digital tv (cable or satellite). If you don't have anything yet, you might be a little overwhlemed by what type of tv to subscribe to. I have digital cable because I was able to bundle it with other services, but I've heard satellite ("DSR" depending on if you get HDTV or not?) is better quality. This will depend on where you live (the U.S.? Europe? etc), the quality of the video feed from your TV provider, and (again) what hardware you use to capture video.

If I think of anything else I'll post.

Frenchy
11-07-2007, 10:41 PM
You can't expect to learn this stuff by looking at pictures or taking verbal directions. I was fortunate enough to have a friend with a lot of experience help me, plus I read and asked a lot of questions.

Well I worked mine out by many hours of trial and error.
It took me a week until I bought a long enough S-Video cable to reach my receiver and PC. Some of my releases are from composite so make do.
And I wish my Receiver had USB.
All mine has is Composite (TV), S-Video, SCART, 2 sets of Stereo outs, and 1 Set of mono Outs.
So With 1 reciever I cap and watch at the same time with the TV & PC.