Image quality issue/questions

[Roland Deschain]

Take a look at the screenshots. I realize they were taken at fullscreen 1600X1200 resolution and that it has to stretch the image. I'm using a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1950 and I have a few questions.

My tuner: http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr1950.html

http://www.darktoweronline.net/pics/tvtuner.jpg
http://www.darktoweronline.net/pics/tvtuner2.jpg

1) Is there any way to improve the quality?

2) If I get an HD antenna to pick up the local over-the-air stations, (QAM I think?) will I still have the same image quality problem due to stretching, or no?

3) How do the guys that post TV-rips of shows on torrent sites and such avoid this problem? Do they not use a TV tuner, do they use some other piece of hardware, or what?

4) I sometimes get scratchy audio for a second or three. The CPU usage isn't spiking above ~25%, it's running on an Athlon 64 X2 4200+ @ 2.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and an 8800 GTS video card with a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 sound card, the machine's more than capable.

If anyone can answer any/all of the above questions, I would greatly appreciate it - thanks!

[Mr.Guvernment]

getting HD wont improve standard def stations.

people who post ripped shows either

1. record them in HD
2. don't stretch when they record it.

[Roland Deschain]

The above screenshots were recorded in 640X480 windowed mode, not fullscreen. I took them while playing them in fullscreen mode.

The HD (QAM?) stations that are broadcast locally I will get in HD with an HD antenna though, won't I? I want to record Seahawks games this year and I want them to look better than the regular TV I'm getting now :(

[Atomic Dawg]

1) Is there any way to improve the quality?

The short answer is no... As you mentioned, this is an analog NTSC 640 x 480 recording. Playing it back at 1600 x 1200 is going to create a blury and blocky image. If you play it back in a 640 x 480 window, you'll see it looks much better. Also, recording it at a high resolution would not help. NTSC doesn't carry a high enough resolution for 1600 x 1200.

2) If I get an HD antenna to pick up the local over-the-air stations, (QAM I think?) will I still have the same image quality problem due to stretching, or no?

Image quality will greatly improve with HD recordings. Even standard definiton programs captured from digital broadcasts should look better. By the way, over-the-air HD is ATSC, not QAM. QAM is HD on cable.

3) How do the guys that post TV-rips of shows on torrent sites and such avoid this problem? Do they not use a TV tuner, do they use some other piece of hardware, or what?

Some may be HD captures. Even if it is an analog NTSC 640 x 480 capture, there are ways to improve the image. People use filters with programs like AVISynth and VideoDub. You can de-interlace, enhance color, reduce noise, scale the image, etc. There's a few good sites out there all about capturing analog NTSC video. Sorry, I don't have any links. Use Google. I used to be into it, but it's too time consuming.

If what you want to record is broadcast in HD over the air, then I would just record that. The image will be a zillion times better than any tweaked 640 x 480 analog recording.

4) I sometimes get scratchy audio for a second or three. The CPU usage isn't spiking above ~25%, it's running on an Athlon 64 X2 4200+ @ 2.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and an 8800 GTS video card with a SoundBlaster Audigy 2 sound card, the machine's more than capable.

Not sure about this one...

[Roland Deschain]

Atomic, thanks for the info. What I want is cast 100% on public over-the-air broadcast stations; I need to record all of the Seattle Seahawks games. (Fox, NBC, CBS are what they're on)

I don't suppose you have any recommendations for a good (but hopefully not too expensive) HD antenna? I've heard good things about an antenna selector on titantv.com but they redesigned their site, and I can't find it anywhere on there. I live approximately 12 miles as the crow flies from the broadcast towers, I don't really have a clear line of sight though, and a lot of electronics are in my room.

[Atomic Dawg]

I've heard good things about an antenna selector on titantv.com but they redesigned their site, and I can't find it anywhere on there..

This is the site you're looking for:

www.antennaweb.org (http://www.antennaweb.org)

It recommends the type of antenna you will need given your location. It also lists the channels you can expect to receive. It doesn't recommend specific brands and models. This website is a great place to start. You really need to look at this website before searching for an antenna. While a 24 element yagi antenna with an amp may be "the best" antenna, it doesn't make sense if "rabbit ears" will work in your location.

By the way, if you're interested in video capture, make sure to check out the forums at www.doom9.org. It's the definitive on-line resource for all things video.

[blakehenry00]

Exactly what he said on the last part^^^ On my main TV, (1080P samsung DLP) I have a pair of rabbit ears that I got for $15. I get All of the digital channels, the main key is having a ATSC decoder, in my case, my TV has it built in.