###############################################################################
# Copyright (c) 2010 by
# theothercliff at easycap.co.uk
# Contact me there for issues concerning this copyright.
#
# All rights reserved. See the end of this document for further details.
#
# Sorry about that, but I don't want someone grabbing my hard work
# and claiming it as their own.
###############################################################################
This will get your EasyCap (DC60) drivers running flawlessly on Windows XP SP2. It has been specifically written to avoid or fix many known problems such as no video, lack of color in the video, sound not working, unexpected "install the driver" pop-ups later on, driver installation failure, funny frame rates, incorrect pixel resolution, etc.
Follow all the directions, in exact order, even if you know what you are doing. There are several gotchas that will be avoided by following them all and in exact order.
I have heard that there are problems if you have SP3 installed. Please post if you try it with SP3.
Prerequisites:
= Windows XP SP2 (or maybe SP3 with downloaded drivers?)
It may be possible to use a slight modification of this guide to install
on Windows 2000, 32 bit Vista or 32 bit Windows 7, but that is untested.
64 bit XP, Vista, and Windows 7 do not work from the install CD
= The EasyCap USB hardware device itself
= The driver/program CD that it came with
mine is yellow and (among other things) says:
Model No: DC60
Version 2.1c
Installation & Application Software
You can use downloaded drivers, but these instructions won't fit exactly.
= AMCap.zip from (author's download page, but available from many sources)
http://noeld.com/programs.asp?cat=video
Yes, you really need this.
I used version 9.20 (build 132.2).
= A video source with either Composite or SVideo output and sound output
such as a VCR, DVD player, TV Set Top Box, Console Game, Camcorder, etc.
Yes, you really need this.
= A way to unzip a zip file (this is built into XP)
GETTING BACK TO A CLEAN SYSTEM IF YOU HAVE TRIED INSTALLING BEFORE:
Do not plug the device in yet. If you have plugged it in and run the device installation, the following may fix it, else skip this paragraph. This paragraph is a guess by a knowledgable geek. Caveat human. Generally, removed devices get reinstalled automagically, so this is not as dangerous as playing with guns. Right click on "My Computer" and select properties then the hardware tab then the device manager button. The device you want (to remove) will probably be listed as "unknown" or something similar. Perhaps it will be known, but will have a warning symbol of some kind beside it. Right click this device and select remove and when done get out of device manager. You may need to manually reboot. On the other hand, you may need to skip rebooting even if it offers to, try the default way first.
Understand the ramifications of doing the things in this paragraph before attempting them. Do some research if necessary. If you recently had a failed attempt at installing the drivers you may consider using the "System Restore" function (Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore) to change your computer back to a time before your failed installation attempt. This will remove any programs or updates that have been installed in the mean time, but generally you will not loose "documents". You might also consider using "Add Remove Programs" (Start -> Control Panel -> Add or Remove Programs) to remove "USB2.0 Capture Device" followed by removing the device from "Device Manager" as detailed in the above paragraph. Generally these things are a little like a knife. They are safe, but only if you read/understand the instructions and avoid being careless.
SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER:
We are going to install, configure, and test the drivers and hardware first. The ULead VideoStudio software installation is a separate task that is done after the hardware is installed and known to work. You don't have to uninstall ULead if it is already installed, unless you have badly messed up the settings with experimentation.
If you have anti-virus or anti-malware programs running, you may have to click a button on a pop-up to grant some or other permission on up to 1000 different things during the installation. You will find it much easier to temporarily disable your anti-virus and anti-malware programs before continuing if at all possible. For Comodo Firewall Pro, that is a right click on system tray icon -> Defense+ Security Level -> Disabled, but remember to enable it when you are finished. Otherwise, make sure that you allow permission on everything that is asked, quickly and accurately, and that you don't accidentally press some button underneath when you are clicking 1000 (not an exaggeration for COMODO Firewall Pro) pop-ups in a row.
Be patient, especially if you have a slow computer. I tested this on a new dual core 3ghz computer and progress was slow in places, even for it. A slow computer that is bogged down with malware, anti-virus and 20 things in the system tray will be painful. Generally if it hasn't moved for 15 minutes you should poke it with a stick to see if it is dead.
INSTALLING AMCAP:
Download and install AMCap. Here is how for the newbie. Run your web browser by double clicking it's icon. Copy/paste or type the following http: address into your web browser address box at the top of the browser window and press the enter key:
http://noeld.com/programs.asp?cat=videoScroll down a page or two and click the "Download" button at the end of the AMCap section. There are other download buttons for other programs, make sure you download AMCap. Save the download file (amcap.zip) to your desktop or some other location, but remember where you saved it. Run windows explorer (start -> all programs -> accessories -> Windows Explorer), navigate to wherever you have downloaded "amcap.zip" and double click it, then double click the setup.exe that you have found inside it. If you get a "File Download - Security Warning", "Do you want to run this file?" window, click "Run" then click "Next>" on the "AMCAP Setup", "Welcome to the AMCap Setup Wizard" window. Click "Install" on the "AMCap Setup", "Choose Installation Location" window. Uncheck the "Show Readme" and the "Run AMCap" and then click "Finish" on the "AMCap Setup", "Completing the AMCap Setup Wizard" window. To run AMCap later click Start -> All Programs -> AMCap. If you get errors running the program this way, you may try extracting the setup.exe (right click and extract?) and running the extracted copy.
You may get a donation pop-up while running AMCap ("AMCap", "Your support is needed"). If so click "Close" for now. You can go back and donate to the AMCap Author later as you see fit, but we need to stay focused for now. AMCap will close when you click "Close". You will have to re-run it and re-do the things you have done for that USB port (you will understand this later when you need to). I did not get this pop-up until I ran AMCap for 30 minutes after I was done with the installation.
INSTALLING THE EASYCAP DRIVER FROM CD TO HARD DISK:
Do not plug the USB device into the computer until I tell you to under the heading "PLUGGING IN YOUR VIDEO SOURCE AND THEN PLUGGING IN THE EASYCAP FOR THE FIRST TIME". The installation program will tell you to plug it in, but there are a few cables to hook up first.
Insert the EasyCap CD, and if autorun does not pop up a window that says "USB2.0 Video Adapter with Audio" with "Install Driver" (and other things) at the top right then do the following to get it to run. Run "Windows Explorer". In Windows Explorer, double click "My Computer" to expand it if it is not already expanded. Find your CD/DVD drive (it should have a label that says "EasyCAP_DC60") and double click that. In the right pane double click "Autorun" (a folder) then "HAutoRun.exe" (a program).
Now that you have the "USB2.0 Video Adapter with Audio" window running, click "Install Driver". Follow the directions on the screen that say "If you have plugged this device on the computer please unplug it before continuing the installation", then click OK, then click "Install". Click "Continue Anyway" on the "Hardware Installation" popup that says that "The software you are installing for this hardware, Imaging devices, has not passed Windows Logo testing...". When installation is done, click "Finish". Do not plug the USB device into the computer until I tell you, and that is not until the end of the next section. Click "OK" to the "USB2.0 Capture Device - Installshield Wizard" window that says "After finishing the installation, please plug the device back to the computer and wait for the device to be enunerated by the computer." Click "Exit" on the "USB2.0 Video Adapter with Audio".
PLUGGING IN YOUR VIDEO SOURCE AND THEN PLUGGING IN THE EASYCAP FOR THE FIRST TIME:
Get your video source (VCR, DVD player, Cable / Satellite Set Top Box, Console game, Camcorder, etc.) running and producing video output (preferably with sound) and plug it into the jacks on the USB device. From the EasyCap you must have either (not both, unless you intend to experiment later) the yellow jack (labeled CVBS) or the black jack (labeled S-Video) plugged into your video source before continuing. If you have audio, you should plug it in too (white and red plugs for the left and right channels). If this is live video and audio, like from a camcorder, turn your PC volume down now to avoid "feedback" which is a very unpleasant squeal from the speakers. Turn it up later for testing, but be ready to turn it back down if it squeals. I assume that you have several USB jacks in your computer. We will eventually plug the EasyCap into each jack in the PC, but be aware that you will get a capture device number for each PC jack and they will be numbered starting with the first one you plug in, so do it systematically so it is easy to remember later if you want to add a second EasyCap.
You are going to get some installation windows popping up that look almost exactly like what you saw when installing the drivers from the CD. They are not duplicates. Installing from CD just put the drivers where Windows could find them. These new installations are where the drivers are really loaded into Windows and you get a new installation for each USB port you plug the EasyCap into.
Now plug the EasyCap USB device into the first USB port on the PC.
COME BACK HERE FOR THE NEXT USB PORT:
You will get several (about 4) little information balloons at the bottom of the desktop (saying "USB 2.0 Video Capture Controller", etc.) that you don't touch and then finally get a window titled "Found New Hardware Wizard". Click the "No, not this time" selection and then the "Next>" button on the "Found New Hardware Wizard" window. Click the "Install the software automatically" selection and then the "Next>" button. Click "Continue Anyway" on the "Hardware Installation" popup that says that "the software you are installing for this hardware, Syntek STK1160, has not passed Windows Logo testing...". Click "Finish" to close the "Found New Hardware Wizard" window. At this point you MAY get about 3 new information balloons (don't do anything but read them), something like "Found New Hardware - USB audio device", etc. but finally you WILL get a "Found New Hardware - Your new hardware is installed and ready to use." balloon. Wait till you get that last balloon before doing anything else.
Run AMCap as described earlier. You should now be looking at a black "AMCap (Demo Version)" window. Even if it is working correctly (you see video), you need to do the following. Select the "Options" drop down and "Video Capture Filter..." from there. "Video standard" needs to be NTSC_M for the USA. It needs to be PAL_something-or-other in many other places in the world. The very important thing here is to select something wrong in "Video Standard", and then select the correct value. The correct value will be one that works and produces color. More than one value may work. If necessary, do some research to find out what it should be for the video source you are using which is probably the same as the value your country uses. Don't leave this screen until you get good video in your AMCap window? If it is not working, but you know that your video source is producing video and your cables are correct, you might consider moving on to see if the later settings make things work. Press the "Image" tab that is close to the top of the window and do the same (click wrong then right), winding up with the same value (like NTSC_M) in the left column in "Video Sources". Click both "Composite Video" and "S-Video" in the right column of "Video Sources", and then leave it on the one that works and finally press "OK". Select the "Options" drop down and "Video Capture Pin..." from there. Change the "Output Size" around (do "Output Size" first, because changing it can mess up the "Frame Rate") and finally leave it on whatever you want your video size to be. You may experiment with this later to see if you actually get wider video (like with 720 instead of 640) or just black bands on the sides of your videos. Change the "Frame Rate" around and finally leave it on 30 for NTSC_M and probably 25 otherwise. Click "OK". Finally, select the "Devices" drop down and "USB Audio Interface". You should now be seeing and hearing the signal from your video source. If it is live, tap on the microphone to make sure the audio is working. If you are using a camcorder, you will see the delay that is always there. A quarter to half second delay is normal. Close AMCap by clicking the "X" in the upper right corner of the window. Unplug the EasyCap from the computer, wait for the confirmation sound (two decending musical notes) and then at least another 5 seconds, and then plug it into the next USB port. Restart these instructions back at "COME BACK HERE FOR THE NEXT USB PORT" (the beginning of the previous paragraph) to repeat this section for each of the USB ports you plan to ever use with the EasyCap.
TESTING ALL USB PORTS WITH WINDOWS EXPLORER:
When you are done and AMCap is closed and the EasyCap is unplugged, plug the EasyCap back into the first USB port. You should hear the connect confirmation tone (a two musical tone ascending sequence, sometimes repeated once (the repeat starts happening after Ulead installation?) for a total of four tones) but there should be no balloons or anything else. You can make sure that the default settings you have now made work on all your USB ports by doing the following. Start Windows Explorer as described earlier. Double click "My Computer" to expand it if it is not already expanded. You should see at least "Syntek STK1160" if not "Syntek STK1160 #2", #3, and #4 under "My Computer" in the left pane. If the EasyCap is plugged into the first USB port click "Syntek STK1160" and you should shortly see video in the right pane! The audio does not work with this preview from Windows Explorer. Unplug the EasyCap, wait for the tone, wait for 5 seconds, plug it in the second port. A few seconds later you should see a "Syntek STK1160 #2" appear on the right side. Click "Syntek STK1160 #2" on the left side to test port #2. Repeat for the rest of your installed USB ports.
You have now installed, configured, and tested EasyCap on all your USB ports. I hope that this detailed installation document has got your EasyCap capturing as perfectly as mine does.
Cliff
###############################################################################
# Copyright (c) 2010 by
# theothercliff at easycap.co.uk
# Contact me there for issues concerning this copyright.
#
# All rights reserved with the following exceptions. Copyright terms are
# subject to change. Contact me before hand to attempt to arrange
# permission to publish this anywhere or link to it. Written or
# digital copies are only allowed one per person and then only for
# personal use. Written permission from me on a physical, paper
# document is required before non personal use is made of this document.
# For instance, this document may not be linked to or included
# in any written or digital document produced by any company for any
# reason (without prior permission). If the owners of the web pages
# I publish this on do not like this copyright, they must delete the
# entire document and any portions of it copied elsewhere on their site.
# Failure to enforce this copyright in any particular case does not imply
# consent to ignore it in any other case.
#
# Sorry about that, but I don't want someone grabbing my hard work
# and claiming it as their own.
###############################################################################
