NTSC Capture via Docking station video port

[stiffan]

:smileygrin: Hello VAIO users. I did acquire a A series Vaio with multimedia docking station VGPPRA1 with the hope of being able to capture NTSC analog video via the docking station video port. Works great with PAL but does not seem to find the image. Anybody can provide help with this?
Thanks

[rich912]

Welcome to Club Vaio stiffan.
What software are you using for the capture? If it is DVGate then the answer is no as this only supports PAL on European models.

[mopheta]

Hi all. I´m new here (I boght last week my VGN-A217S notebook). I have some question about NTSC and external inputs with the docking station:

- I connect my NTSC console with the RCA (yellow-red-white) to my docking station, but I can´t see anything with Vaio Zone. Would be great to see the games with this panoramic screen. I have another PAL console and Vaio Zone capture perfect this PAL signal.

Is there any way to see these NTSC games in my computer? I use only VAIO Zone to see.... is there any other program (Sony program or not Sony program) to capture NTSC?. Seem to be impossible to understand this limitation.

I only want to see the games in the screen, not to save videos.

[stiffan]

Hi,

I use tryied with Adobe Premiere but it does not take analog entries. Other try was with ScreenBlast´s MovieStudio (Sony Pictures Digital), but no entry there either.
Is this a Hardware limitation because it was purchased in Europe?

[stiffan]

Rich,
Is there a userguide for that docking station. Could not find one online.
Thanks
Stiffan

[mopheta]

Yes, I purchased in Spain. But I have another TV capture card (Miro PCTV) in another PC, and all software that I install for it gives me the possibility to capture in PAL or NTSC.

Maybe possible to do this with this Sony hardware?. I think this is not a hardware limit..... seem to be a driver limit.... and I don´t understand why.

[kee-lo_]

Simply you can't capture NTSC as these machines are made for Europe, so they only support PAL if bought here and SECAM if bought in Europe

[rich912]

Kee-Lo,

If you use a capture card and the associated software you certainly can capture in NTSC, so I also doubt that the problem is hardware limited. It is Sony that has limited the options in their software.
A pal of mine had a similar problem with Pinnacle Studio software purchased for a pittance in the States ¿ it would only capture in NTSC. He eventually had to fork out for the European version to get PAL support.

Stiffan,

The only inforation that I have found is contained in the on-line user manual for the A series ¿ this basically tells you nothing, but for what it is worth have a look
here.

[mopheta]

And why there is no information and it is out of sales the dockstation?.
I asume that you have the same than me.... my notebook is the VGN-A217S purchased one week ago (I don´t know the name of this dockstation). But I can describe:

Capture TV card, 4 USBs, 1 printer, speaker inputs, optical audio input, video/audio RCA´s inputs and outputs, s-video input and output, VGA out and DVI out.

I was surprised with the NO documentation about it in the box, and I´ve looking for but no information about. I´m very interested in the capture card properties and capabilities... there is a program for TV watching called "DScaler", but you can only see some frames per second, but it works, so may be possible to use another sofware than VAIO Zone to see TV.

Another problem with this dockstation is the speakers volume... it is very low, and some DVDs are difficult to ear with any sound in the room.

I don´t know if this dockstation is not sell today because any problem, or because has too much goods and Sony prefer not to buy.

[rich912]

T

Another problem with this dockstation is the speakers volume... it is very low, and some DVDs are difficult to ear with any sound in the room.

Try double clicking the volume icon in the system tray and have a look at the settings. Check if any volumes are set too low, you may need to increase the Wave volume.