Plug any video source into your computer using a card.
Computers used for a lot of digital video editing often have a dedicated video capture card. These cards provide more options than software-based video capture because they allow capture from any source, including analog VHS. However, video capture cards can be prone to errors, just like any other method of importing video to a computer. If your capture card is not working correctly, there are several steps you can take to troubleshoot it.
Instructions
1. Check that you have enough hard drive space to capture video. Uncompressed video files are very large. A half-hour of standard-definition video will take up several gigabytes of space in most formats. If your computer or drive is low on space, capture problems will result. Avoid these problems by capturing to a different drive.
2. Check that your computer meets the minimum requirements for your capture device and software. These requirements can be found on the device's packaging or in the software's "Help" section.
3. Check the connection between your card, computer and video device. Many video capture card problems can be solved by replacing the cable between the card and video device. Disconnect the card from the computer and your video camera, VHS or other device, then reconnect and try capturing again.
4. Restart your computer. If video capture is slow or intermittent, the problem may lie with the computer being used to import video. After restarting, open only the software necessary to capture video. Do not open any other programs until the video has been captured.
5. Ensure you are running the latest software and drivers for your video capture card. Check the card's packaging or the help file for the software to find the manufacturer's website and download the latest software. Disconnect your card, re-install the software and try the card again.
6. Connect a backup VHS or camcorder and see if your card captures video more easily from this device. If your source device is faulty, the capture card will be unable to import clean video.
7. Contact the card's manufacturers or the store where you purchased it if all the above steps do not work. If the fault does not lie with storage, software or capture media, the card itself may be faulty and in need of repair or replacement.
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