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Does your Spectra 8 card captures audio as well as video
? |
The
Spectra8 card does not have audio capture capabilities
(even if you see an audio driver associated with the
card). The solution is to use separate audio capture
cards for the job.
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Can you explain this statement a little better: "four
simultaneous inputs at 30 fps (120 ftps total) or 8
inputs at 15ftps (120ftp total)? |
The card has 4 true capture inputs that can sample at
30fps each, a total of 120fps per card. However, you can
'split' each input into 2 inputs at the cost of lowering
the frame rate. [back
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You say that the card works with popular video capture
software. How does the software handle 4 simultaneous
inputs? Most software is only looking for 1 input? |
You can bring up multiple
instances of your software and each time select
different capture devices (1,2,3,4).
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Will the card handle a mix of NTSC and PAL inputs at the
same time? |
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Yes, the card handles
NTSC/PAL/SECAM |
Can real-time video be displayed and recorded at the
same time? |
Yes, this is up to the
application developer.
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What type of quality can I expect at 640x480 and 30fps
on 4channels? |
640x480 at 30Ftps is almost
broadcast quality, maybe better than VHS, lower in
quality than DVD. However, you need to ensure that you
have a good system to do this.
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Can I
record TV shows with this card? |
The Spectra8 has composite
inputs, you need a tuner to convert RF into composite so
that you can feed it into the Specrtra8.
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Does
Spectra8 come with applications? |
The card comes only with
drivers, no applications. However, you can use any
frame-grabber application to view the inputs (launch
separate instances if the software is not capable
handling multiple inputs). For example, you can use
Windows Media Encoder 7.1 or 9.0 Beta, RealProducer,
etc.
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I have several wireless cameras that go into a receiver.
The receiver has a RCA video out. What I need is a video
card, install it in my computer, and watch the cameras
on my computer screen. |
Yes, you can take multiple outputs
from your video source in RCA format and feed them into
the Spectra8 card so that you can preview on a PC. You
would need RCA to BNC adaptors because the Spectra8 card
uses BNC as input.
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Technical Issues |
I've installed my Spectra8 and it's not working.
- Verify that the board
is completely seated in the 16-bit or 32-bit (E)ISA
slot inside your PC. These slots are usually black or
brown. The board should be level and attached to the
chassis using the mounting screw.
- Verify that all of the
cables are connected securely to the proper board.
- Verify that there is
no other video capture card installed on the
computer. If there is, remove the other card.
- Reboot your computer
after installation.
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top]
I'm not getting a video display (black screen).
What do I do?
- Verify that your
video source is properly connected to the Spectra8
board and powered up.
- Make sure the
physical jack used for the connection is the same
as the one selected on the Video Control panel.
Composite selects the
RCA jack, S-Video selects the 4-pin mini-DIN, and
MXC selects the multimedia extension connector.
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My
video is "scrambled." What do I do?
If your video display is
scrambled or video is displayed in the Video Control
Panel but not in the application window, try the
following:
- Verify that your
NTSC/PAL setting is correct for the type of video
source you have
- Verify that your
video capture format is compatible with the
applications; see the documentation for the
application.
- Verify the
recommended image sizes and capture formats from
your application
- Restart the
application.
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My video looks grany
If your video display looks grainy,
set your display High Color (16-bit) or
True Color (24-bit). |
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There is some latency when all four inputs are
being used and the system is overloaded.
The
latency issues are not from the card, they are from
the encoders you are using.
Regarding system load: Keep in mind that you are
processing 4 live streams at the same time and that
can generate a lot of PCI bandwidth.
If
frame dropping occurs, lower the encoding settings
by selecting lower frame rates or lower resolution
or increase your CPU speed.
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