Zoltrix-logo-big.jpg

to 

and


TV Max
Video Capture Card Q&A's

The Zoltrix TV Max video capture card has all the features of the Zoltrix Face to Face video capture card, with the addition of a TV tuner. The Win95 driver used and the instructions for installing the driver are the same for both the TV Max and the Face to Face video capture card. In addition, the TV Max TV tuner/capture software will operate with the Face to Face video capture card (without the TV features of course).

Table of contents

Face to Face/TV Max Q & A's

Online Support

Face to Face/TV Max Q & A's

Where can I locate the Windows 95 driver for my Face to Face/TV Max Video Capture Card?

You can find the newest drivers on the drivers page.

Are there drivers for other Operating Systems like Windows NT?

There are not available driver for Windows NT.

How can I capture an video image or movie with my Zoltrix Face to Face/TV Max Video Capture Card?

You can download Microsoft's free Win95 Video Capture Utility right here.

Vidcap32.exe (92,416 bytes) {No online Help file is available from Microsoft}

This program will allow you to create still frame shots and AVI movie files. You can also download and install the TV Max TV Tuner software, but you will not be able to view TV with the software unless you have the TV Max, but all the capturing features will work when selecting the VIDEO IN source.

Does the quality of the video (AVI files) and the capture of still shot's (BMP files) depend on the quality of the video graphics adapter card that is used in conjunction with the FACE TO FACE TVMAX?

In capturing mode, the answer is NO, the captured video (AVI file) or still shot (BMP file) will not depend on the VGA card used.

But in the Overlay display mode, the answer in YES, since the BT848 chip set will use the VGA direct draw surface to display the video or still shot.

How can I capture an AVI movie file at the max frame rate of 30fps?

To enable a 30fps capture with TV Max or Face-to-Face PCI card, you must have:

Steps to capture.

How can I convert AVI files to MPG files?

The Zoltrix applications cannot record in MPG format, but there are applications for sale and freeware programs to convert AVI files to MPG available.

Zoltrix does not recommend this version over any other and does not provide support for it, but our testing shows the program operates as claimed.

In one test performed with the AVI2MPG program, on a 44 Meg 17.5 second AVI file (320 x 240, 264 Frames, 15.003 Frames/Sec, 2485 KB/Sec, Unknown Format, PCM,11,025 Hz, 8 Bit, Mono)

The MPG file created was just 2.5 Megabytes in size. That is a compression level of about 17.5.

Here is a simple command line mpeg-1 encoder that runs at the command prompt under Windows '95 or NT:

AVI2MPG1_VER1_7.ZIP

Here is a Windows GUI interface wrapper and source:

AVI to MPEG1 Graphical Control Interface v0.1

How do I connect the audio from my Camcorder to the Zoltrix Face to Face/TV Max Video Capture Card?

The TV max and Face to Face do not have a audio input. The audio output from the Camcorder needs to be connected to your sound cards audio-in jack.

You then use the Windows recording volume control to set the recording level of the Line-in input to control the recording volume.

How do I record the audio from my Camcorder?

Use the Line-in input on your sound cards bracket to connect the audio output of your camcorder or other device.

Then ensure that the Line-in is selected as the recording source in the Windows Recording Volume Control.

To ensure that the Line-in is selected as the recording source, first start the Volume Control and then click on the Options menu and then select Properties. Select Adjust volume for Recording and click on the OK button. Then ensure that the line-in is selected and the volume is raised and not muted.

Note: If Line-in is not on the Recording Volume Control, click on the Options menu and then select Properties. Ensure Adjust volume for Recording is selected and ensure there is a check mark next to the line or line-in and click on the OK button.

How to I ensure the audio is recorded when recording from the TV tuner?

You must ensure that either the CD-ROM or Line-in (depending upon how you connected the TV max audio to the sound card) is selected as the recording source using the Windows Recording Volume Control.

To ensure that the CD-ROM or Line-in is selected as the recording source, first start the Volume Control and then click on the Options menu and then select Properties. Select Adjust volume for Recording and click on the OK button. Then ensure that the CD-ROM or Line-in is selected and the volume is raised and not muted.

Note: If CD-ROM or Line-in is not on the Recording Volume Control, click on the Options menu and then select Properties. Ensure Adjust volume for Recording is selected and ensure there is a check mark next to the CD-ROM or Line-in and click on the OK button.

Where can I download the TV Max TV tuner application?

You can find the newest TV application on the drivers page.
 

How can I Video Conference with another user without using the Internet?

The TV Max is bundled with the VDOPhone Pro version while the Face to Face is bundled with VDOPhone  Internet version. You need the VDOPhone Pro version for a point to point connection using your modem.The VDOPhone Pro version allows you to connect over the Internet or directly to another user via your modem. Of course if the call is long distance, you will rack up the phone charges with this method, but the frame rate delays caused by the slow performance of the Internet will be gone.

When I attempt to run any video software it does not recognize the card being present. What should I do to check to see if the driver is loaded correctly?

  1. Verify that either the Zoltrix Bt848 grappler for Intercast or the Zoltrix Bt848 Video Capture Device is installed without conflicts from the Control Panel => System => Device Manager => Sound, video and game controllers.
  2. Verify that the Brooktree Bt848 Capture Driver is enabled from the Control Panel => MultiMedia => Advanced => Video Capture Devices
If either of the two above areas show that the driver is not installed or enabled, you may need to remove the drivers and reinstall them. Use the NUKE848.exe program found on the drivers page to completely remove the old drivers.

In addition, some VGA card may bundle a VGA+capture driver for their VGA+Capture combo board. This special driver may also be bundled with the stand alone VGA card. If such a capture driver is installed, it may affect BT-848 operation. You would need to select the BT-848 as the capture device for every capture software, failing to do so, may cause the capture software to call the VGA's capture driver. One type of this kind of board is a Trident 9685.

If you have a a VGA video capture driver or a video capture card driver or a parallel port camera driver loaded, you may need to remove all references to this driver before installing the Zoltrix video capture card and driver. Removing the drivers may require that you physically reinstall the device before you can remove the drivers from the Control Panel. After removing the drivers, shut down the system and physically remove the device.

(8-28-1998)

Another problem has been detected on a M717 (Intel LX/EX chips P-II MB) motherboard that may apply to many other motherboards.

After the installation, there will not be any conflict show in the Device Manager but the TVMax or Face To Face capture cards will not work.

Possible reason:

  1. IRQ conflict - The Device Manager cannot display the IRQ conflict correctly for the PCI device. You have to check it from device to device.
  2. Memory address conflict - When using Automatic Setting, BT-848 will use the address 4000000. There is no device registered to use this address except BT-848. However, BT-848 will not work in this case. After manually adjusting the Memory Range to another address (any address not showing a conflict will do), BT-848 will work.
The critical point is that the BIOS or Win98 sets the resource to one which will cause a conflict but the Device Manager will not show the conflict. The settings will look correct but there is still a conflict.

(6-26-1997)

It has also been found that some systems running Win95 V 4.00.950 and 4.00.950a, that the capture card will not be recognized by any capture software. In most cases, when checking the properties of the Brooktree Bt848 Capture Driver from the Control Panel => MultiMedia => Advanced => Video Capture Devices, the SYSTEM WILL HANG!

Following are the two solutions we have found to this problem.

http://www.microsoft.com/directx/
Note: Do not allow DirectX to overwrite your video card drivers if prompted.
The best order to install everything is:
  1. TV Tuner software. (Version 1.65 from the drivers page)
  2. Video Capture driver. (Version 2.3d from the drivers page)
  3. DirectX v5.0 or above (without overwriting any drivers that it recommends not to; like video drivers and other ones, like the one for the Diamond Monster 3D).

When using the VDOPhone software, I do not get audio. Where can I get the fix?

There was a minor problem with V 2.02 of the VDOPhone Internet software, click on the following link to download the patch file:

Patch424.zip (168,483 bytes)

My system locks up after installing the Face to Face/TV Max. What could be the cause?

System lockups can be caused by a few things:

PCI Configuration Problems

The Face to Face requires two system resources: one Interrupt and a memory segment. Most installation problems are related to Interrupt conflicts. While Windows95 Plug-and-Play is very convenient to use, it is not able to detect Interrupt conflicts in all PC's.

Checking the Plug-and-Play configuration

After installing the Face to Face, it is handy to check the Plug-and-Play configuration. Click on the Start button, then Settings then Control Panel. Then double click on the System icon and then the Device Manager tab. Double click on "Sound, video and game controllers" to see the "Zoltrix Bt848 Video Capture Device".

If Plug-and-Play has found a conflict between it and other device in your system, you'll see a little yellow circle with an exclamation point or an "X" inside. But remember, Plug-and-Play will not always be able to find all interrupt conflicts.

Now double click on the Zoltrix Bt848 Video Capture Device. This brings up the Zoltrix Bt848 Video Capture Device Properties window. Then click on Resources.

Take a look at the setting for the Interrupt. If there is no Interrupt listed, then Windows95 was not able to find an clear Interrupt. If an Interrupt is listed, you should check to make sure this interrupt is not also being used by a non-Plug-and-Play device.

Clearing an Interrupt by swapping PCI slots

The first way you can try to get a free interrupt is by swapping PCI slots:

Put the Face to Face in another free PCI slot and then reboot your PC. After rebooting, check in the Windows95 Device Manager to see if there is an assigned Interrupt for the Face to Face. Note: you will need to reinstall the Face to Face driver if Windows 95 gives you the message New Multimedia Device has been found during the reboot. Have your Face to Face Driver disk ready during the reboot..

Or:

Swap the Face to Face with another PCI device. For example, if you have a VGA card in the first PCI slot and the Face to Face in the second PCI slot, swap them (while the power is off, of course!) and then reboot Windows95. This often clears up an interrupt conflict because Windows 95 will reassign the PCI interrupts. Once again, check the Windows95 Device Manager for a non-conflicting interrupt for the Face to Face card.

Clearing an Interrupt for use by the Face to Face by deleting an unused system device

If your PC is pretty well loaded with devices, you might find that there are no free interrupts available in your PC. In this case you'll need to find an unused device which has an interrupt reserved for it and free up its Interrupt.

We have found many sound cards use 3 interrupts, and that the MPU401 interrupt can be freed up for use by the Face to Face. To free up the MPU401 interrupt you need to run the sound card setup program and disable the MPU401.

We have found that many PC's reserve an interrupt for the PS/2 mouse or the USB port, even though these devices are not being used. Also we have found that in systems that use SCSI hard disk drives, the system

To free up an Interrupt by disabling a system device, you must:

  1. Go into the BIOS and disable the Peripheral not being used (for example: the PS/2 style mouse). You can enter the BIOS by hitting the DEL key, F1 or the F2 key (depending upon which BIOS your PC has) while your PC is being rebooted.
  2. After rebooting Windows 95, go into "Device Manager", highlight the device and then click on "Remove".
  3. Reboot Windows95 again and check the Device Manager and make sure the Face to Face has been given the interrupt freed up by the deleted system device.

Checking the BIOS PCI interrupt settings

While most PCI-based systems configure interrupts automatically via a Plug-n-Play chip set on your motherboard and system BIOS, there are occasional problems.

Sometimes you need to tell the BIOS which interrupt to use for the Face to Face. You can do this by going into the BIOS during the boot up (hit the DEL key or the F1 key during system reboot), and then finding the PCI configuration menu.

Once you are in the PCI Configuration menu, you can reserve an interrupt which you know is being used by a another device in your PC. For example, if you know (by looking in the Windows95 Device Manager) that IRQ 9 is being used by your LAN card, yet Windows95 insists on assigning IRQ9 to the Face to Face, you can often go into the BIOS and set IRQ 9 as being used by an ISA device. This reserves IRQ 9 and the next time you reboot your PC, Windows 95 should find a different (and non-conflicting) interrupt for the Face to Face.

Also, in the PCI Configuration menu, you can manually assign an interrupt which you know is not being used to the PCI slot used by the Face to Face. For example, if you know IRQ 10 is not being used, you can sometimes assign this interrupt to the PCI slot that the Face to Face card is in.

The following PCI interrupt specifications are needed by the Face to Face. These are normally the way most PCs are set at the factory, but if you are experiencing problems, look in the PCI Configuration menu to check these settings:

Some PC's do not have all PCI slots as bus-master slots. This will require moving Face to Face card to another slot which is a bus-master slot.

System Lock-ups when using VGA cards based on the S3 Vision968 or 868

When using the Face to Face with VGA boards based on the S3 Vision968 or S3 Vision868, which can be found in the #9 Motion 771 and the Diamond Stealth VRAM, some installations report random system lock-ups while using video capture software. Lock-up is quick, occurring within seconds of starting the application.

This problem is related to a Plug-and-Play memory overlap between the Vision968 and the Face to Face. To fix this problem, you need to manually readjust the Memory Address of the Face to Face.

To change the address, click on the Start button, then Settings then Control Panel. Then double click on the System icon and then the Device Manager tab.

Double click on Sound,video and game controllers. Then double click on the Zoltrix Bt848 Video Capture Device. This brings up the Zoltrix Bt848 Video Capture Device Properties window. Then click on Resources.

Now un-click the 
Use automatic settings. 
 

Highlight 
Memory Range
and click on 
Change Setting:

The Memory Address range of the Face to Face is a set of two 8 digit hexadecimal number, such as:

FFFA0000-FFFA0FFF

To eliminate the memory overlap, either increase the second digit by 4, or decrease it by 8 (remember to use hexadecimal arithmetic!). This changes the memory space between the Vision968 and the Face to Face to 64Mbytes. For example:

original configuration increase by 4 decrease by 8
80000000-80000FFF 84000000-84000FFF 78000000-78000FFF
FFFA0000-FFFA0FFF can't do F7FA0000-F7FA0FFF

What are the VGA Driver issues and what video cards have been tested with the Face to Face/TV Max?

The most common issues that arise when using the Face to Face tend to involve VGA card compatibility. Since the DirectDraw software technology is relatively new, not all VGA cards will support it equally well. You should upgrade to Direct Draw drivers not only for the Face to Face, but also because many new game and entertainment programs are being written for DirectDraw!

VGA chips which normally include Direct Draw drivers and normally DO NOT require updates includes: S3 Trio64V+ and ViRGE, ATI Rage and ET6000 based VGA boards.

Your PC’s VGA graphics adapter needs Windows 95 DirectDraw support.

VGA cards tested for compatibility with the Face to Face are:

What is meant by the following error?:

A Direct Draw driver is required for the Overlay mode of operation. Most PCI VGA accelerators may be upgraded with a Direct Draw driver. Many VGA board and chip manufactures have updated drivers which include updated Direct Draw drivers. Either call the technical support staff or check their web pages for updated drivers.

Refer to Installing an Updated Direct Draw VGA Driver for directions for installing the updated driver.

If your VGA chip was sold before Windows 95 was introduced, it is possible that your VGA chip does not have (and will not have) a Direct Draw driver. In this case, you can upgrade your VGA card to a new model that supports Direct Draw.

How do I install an updated VGA driver?

Installing an Updated Direct Draw VGA Driver

If you receive a message indicating that you do not have a suitable direct draw driver, you will need to obtain and install the updated direct draw driver to enable the Video Overlay mode. Use the following procedure to update the VGA driver.

  1. Open the Control Panel by clicking on Start/Settings/Control Panel.
  2. Double click on Display, then click on the Settings tab.
  3. Click on Change Display Type...
  4. Where it says Adapter Type, click on Change.
  5. In the Select Device window click on Have Disk ...
  6. Make sure the updated VGA Driver diskette is in drive A:
  7. Click on the OK button to copy the files from drive A:
  8. You will now see a list of the drivers available on the diskette. Select your correct driver and click on the OK button.
  9. After the files have been copied, click on Close, and the Apply.
  10. Click on Yes, when prompted to reboot you computer, to have the new drivers take effect.

What do I need to setup the TV max for use with Microsoft's NetMeeting?

To make the TV Max work with NetMeeting 2.1, the YUV9 codec must be installed in the system. The YUV9 codec can be a software driver or included with the VGA card. If the system card does not have the YUV9 codec, there will be error when running NetMeeting.

To get the YUV9 codec, either, obtain it form the VGA card maker, or download the Intel Indeo driver from Intel web at:

http://developer.intel.com/ial/indeo/video/driver.htm

BrookTree also provides the YUV9 codec with the TV Max driver. But since it is a software only driver, it will not be better that the one provided by the VGA card maker and therefore not installed with the TV Max driver.

You only need to install the driver if the card fails to operate with NetMeeting.

Brooktree Prosumer YUV Driver Installation Instructions:

  1. In Control Panel => Add New Hardware, do not let Windows Auto detect new hardware and click on the Next button.
  2. Then scroll down the list and select Others Devices and click on the Next button.
  3. Then click on the Have Disk button and browse to the correct location of the TV max CD or to where you have unzipped the drivers.
  4. Select the Brooktree Prosumer/ YUV Video Compressor and Decompressor and click on the Next button.
  5. Then follow the on screen instructions to complete the driver installation.

I cannot see my self in the NetMeeting preview window. What's the problem?

The solution involves installing the YUV9 driver. Refer to the previous question for more information.

I can't get Closed Captioning to operate. What's the problem?

This is a problem with older drivers. Download and install the latest drivers and TV application found on the drivers page.

How can I get video compression to operate when recording AVI movies?

The BT-848 chip set used in the capture cards does not include any video compression driver. If you have a compression driver installed (from some capture/editing software), the BT-848 can use the compression driver, otherwise, it will have an error.

If you want to use MPEG compression, you can do it in offline by using the MPEG encoder from XING (not freeware) or try the AVI2MPG Freeware program.

Note: Real time video compression require a very powerful processor. Usually real time MPEG compression requires an add on digital signal processor.

When attempting to record a movie, I get a couple error messages. What's the solution?

If you first receive the following message from the BT848 Capture driver:

BT848: can not capture at this time. If you are in full-size overlay channel you should switch to preview channel. Another possible reason is memory allocation failure. Restart application.

And you then get another message after clicking on the OK button as follows:

An error occurred during movie capture. The capture driver provided the following information:
"Warning: No frames captured. Confirm that vertical sync interrupts are configured and enabled.

There are usually a couple of easy solutions.

or

Why do I get a pink (magenta) screen when starting the TV Max application?

The cause of the problem should be one of the following:

  1. There is no suitable DirectX installed. Refer to this link to obtain and install Microsoft's DirectX.
  2. The VGA driver has a problem. Refer to this link for instructions to update your video card driver.
  3. Hardware conflict. Refer to this link for possible solutions to hardware conflicts.

Are there any motherboards with known problems causing the face to face card to fail to operate?

It was reported that the M748 which is based on SiS5595, SIS530 or SIS620 chips does not allow the capture card to operate. The engineers reported that these chips are not PCI 2.1 compatible, and therefore the BT-848 and BT-878/9 will not work with this motherboard. Any motherboard based on this SiS5595, SIS530 or SIS620 will not work with TV Max or Face to Face capture cards. A patch was released on 5-13-1999 that can be found on the drivers page for the SiS 5511, SiS 5596, SiS 5597 and SiS 5598.

Also any motherboard using an AMD CPU should check with the motherboard chip set manufacture for the latest updates. Both motherboards based on the SiS chip set (http://www.sis.com.tw) or VIA chip set (http://www.via.com.tw) need a driver patch before they will be fully compatible with other hardware, especially PCI cards and AGP VGA.

The card operates after installing the driver until the system is rebooted. How do I solve this?

Check the Memory and I/O address of the BT-848 driver before and after the reboot. In some cases, Windows will change the Memory address to a very low region. Manually modify it and select another address to try and resolve the problem.

Refer to the section System Lock-ups when using VGA cards based on the S3 Vision968 or 868 for instructions to change the memory range used by the capture driver.

Online Support

I cannot find the information on the problem that I'm having with the Face to Face/TV Max video capture card. What should I do now?

You can contact online support.

When sending your message, please include the following information:

  1. The chip set used by the Motherboard
  2. The chip set used by the VGA card
  3. The OS (Win 95, Win95 OSR1, WIN95 OSR2, Win98, Win98 2nd edition)
  4. Is there any reported hardware conflict? I/O, Memory or IRQ?
  5. Is Microsoft Direct X 5.0 or above installed on the system?
  6. Are you using the latest VGA driver from the manufactures web site?
  7. If you have the SiS (http://www.sis.com.tw) or VIA (http://www.via.com.tw) motherboard chip sets, did you get the latest motherboard driver from their respective web sites?
  8. Have you tried swapping the PCI slot used by the card?
  9. Have you tried selecting a different memory address range? (Refer to the section System Lock-ups when using VGA cards based on the S3 Vision968 or 868 for instructions to change the memory range used by the capture driver.)

My sound card is defective, where do I return it?

If you purchased your sound card in the United States, read the warranty for information on obtaining a RMA number and return instructions.

If you purchased your modem in Canada, refer your RMA requests to 3D Microcomputers.
If you purchased your modem anywhere else in the World, refer your RMA requests to your local dealer or Zoltrix (International).
 
Copyright@2000 Zoltrix International Limited
                            Last updated on 27 April 2000