[gentoo-user] Re: video capture

[James <wireless@tampabay.rr.com>]

Matthew R. Lee <gentoo <at> matthewlee.org> writes:

> 
> On Thursday 05 April 2007 16:37, Uwe Thiem wrote:
> > On 05 April 2007, Matthew R. Lee wrote:
> > > I've been rumaging around on the internet for the last few hours, but I'm
> > > still confused ( a regular condition!)
> > > Here's my problem.  I have a video camera (ken-a-vision, 7000 series)
> > > which I can attached to my microscope which outputs a standard analog
> > > signal.  I want to capture this signal on my laptop and edit the video.
> > > What I need is a basic external video capture card that will work with
> > > linux. Any suggestions.  Sound and colour are irrelevant as the 'stars'
> > > of the videos are both dead and transparent
> >
> > Does the camera generate a "normal" TV signal (PAL, SECAM, NTSC,...)? If
> > so, the WinTV-PVR150 will work.


Most likely it has a standard 'RCA' style connector, which should just 
connect up to the (yellow) rca connextor on your tv. Try that to see if
you get an image.  I do not know if Chile uses ntsc/pal/secam as it's
standard, but for for traditional tv monitors are usually one of those three.

> I assume so, the manual doesn't explicitly say so, but it says just connect it 
> to a video recorder or tv and "away you go"

give it a whirl and let us know.


> A quick google and check of my usual computer suppliers here in Chile doesn't 
> bring up that card.  Does it belong to a generic type?  Will the average 
> TVtuner type card work along with video4linux ( I guess)?

The last time I purchased a plain old video (ntsc/pal) input card, I just
looked under '/usr/src/linux' until I found the dir with all of the video
stuffage...."media" or "video" are keyword, I think.

One of the files actually listed all of the cards and showed which kernel
drivers covered which grouops of cards. Sorry, I do not remember more
specifically, besides those sorts of things get 're_arranged' under
the kernel and support for any gven card can be dropped or added, depending
on the politics at kerenel.org.


A quick parse reveals this dir:

/usr/src/linux/drivers/media/video 

Get use to looking at the source code files as the comments in the various
drivers are often wonderfully full of enlightenment. REMEMBER video on
linux is a 'work in progress'.


The bt8xx is an excellent dir to poke around in. Start with this file:

/usr/src/linux/drivers/media/video/bt8xx/bttv-cards.c 


hth,

James




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