Hi there,

First of all: I really like the program, just looked at it briefly, but looks very nice. I want to test the capturing to see if it's better than my Pinnacle PCTV Vision program (somehow that program keeps crashing when I push the record button).

I used also WinDVR with the Intervideo Filters 3.0 from http://toolsheaven.altervista.org/

In my Pinnacle program I use this settings:

Video compression: MPEG 1
Bitrate: (Mbit/s): 1.15
Size: 352*288

Audio compression: MPEG Audio
Bit rate (Kbit/s): 128

What kind of settings are recommended to get almost similar results for size and quality in christv?

If you have a TV Card with MPEG Hardware Encoding, then you should check this topic : Tips For For Mpeg Hardware Encoding Tv Cards.

Bellow you can find some of the tested recording settings for a good image quality and reduced capture file size :

AVI Recording Module :

Frame Size (depends on CPU) : 384x288 or 640x480
Video Compressor : XviD (with the 90-95 % quality set in properties) ; DivX Codec ; FFDShow Video Codec
You can customize the Video Codec Settings by going to ChrisTV->Program Settings->Recording->AVI Recording->Main Settings besides the Video Codec list there is a Settings Button.

For XviD Video Codec :
The latest version of this codec has by default some debug window activated.
In order to disable it while recording, go to XviD Codec Settings->Advanced Settings...->Debug and disable "Display encoding status" and save the changes.


Audio Compressor : PCM (in trial version) or MP3 (in registered ChrisTV)

Download from : http://www.divx-digest.com/software/xvid.html or http://nic.dnsalias.com/xvid.html


MPEG Recording Module ( Registered MPEG 1/2 filters required to be installed)

You can choose between many predefined MPEG recording presets.
And you can create SVCD, VCD, DVD compatible MPEG files.

• VCD Format: Conventional CD-Video Standard consists from MPEG-1 file
  PAL : 352 x 288 pixels with 25 Frames per Second
  NTSC: 352 x 240 pixels with 29.97 Frames per Second
• SVCD Format: Upper Standard from Video CD consists from MPEG-2 file
  PAL: 480 x 576 pixels with 25 Frames per Second
  NTSC: 480 x 480 pixels with 29.97 Frames per Second
• DVD Format: High Quality Video Standard CD consists from MPEG-2 file
  PAL: 720 x 576 pixels with 25 Frames per Second
  NTSC: 720 x 480 pixels with 29.97 Frames per Second

THNX for the reply...

Will I be able to edit the video to a reasonable quality afterwards?

Try out and you'll see.

You can use also in trial the Huffyuv lossless Win32 video codec

http://neuron2.net/www.math.berkeley.edu/b...rg/huffyuv.html

Use PicVideo MJPEG codec - it produces large files too but not so big as huffyuv. (~4gb per 30min in 720x576)

Why AVI files not editable sometimes?
This is because video editing operating with frames. Compressed video (Let's take MPEG, for example) do not contain frames but difference between them. To start finding difference codec uses ordinal frame - key frame. If you choose non-destructive editing in your editor it will only operate with key frames. Normally, in compressed video, key frames appear only in completely new scene (100% different from previous image). After that, codec will store only newly appeared parts of the image plus moving paths of the present parts until new completely different image will found - it will be next key frame. If you place search mark, or select fragment in non-destructive editing mode, editor uses nearest key frame. If you want to make your video more "editable" or "searcheable" (video players also use key frames for positioning) you can force codec to make key every n frames or seconds.

I just found more interesting informations about some codecs settings :

About XViD codec :

XVID FAQ
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?threadid=16935

"Newbie" Settings
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?threadid=53136

XviD forum
http://forum.doom9.org/forumdisplay.php?forumid=52

XviD Download
http://www.roeder.goe.net/~koepi/

XviD Latest Binaries
http://www.roeder.goe.net/~koepi/xvid.shtml

We Recommend this XviD Binary
Nic's XviD Binaries


About DiVX Codec :

DIVX5 FAQ
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?threadid=19252

DivX Forum
http://forum.doom9.org/forumdisplay.php?forumid=56

Windows Media must suite your needs (it is produce low detailed picture - but you can't see details on high motion anyway, and it is highly compessable). If you prefer low resolutions - DivX set to constant bitrate.

What about MP3 settings?
I'd like 128 kbit/44khz, but I can't choose that. Can I use LAME as encoder in some way?

You have installed the Windows limited MP3 codec.
Check this topic for the full bitrate mp3 codec : http://forum.chris-tv.com/index.php?showtopic=457

You can install ACM codec based on LAME.
search for "LAME ACM download" in your favorite search engine.
NOTICE: LAME ACM codecs available today may interfere with Video/Sound applications and other codecs.

If the recording with mpeg 1 or 2 doesn't work make sure that Intervideo Filters 3.0 are installed.
Many tv cards come with this filters bundled in their software or you can find them here http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22In...der%22+mpcodecs or http://translate.google.com/translate?sour...rvista%2Eorg%2F

A bug, at least for me in USA. The MPEG1/2 encoder I downloaded from Toolsheaven installed just fine. But the program generated an error message, because the frame rates are listed as 29,97 and so on. In USA we use a period (.) not a comma (,) as the decimal point. I have never run into anything like this. Is there a version that uses a period instead of a comma? Thanks.

This bug has been already fixed from version 4.01.

Chris, you are AWESOME. The bug in MPEG recording is gone, now that I have installed version 4.05!