alternative to ati mmc

[ledeuxmachina]

is there an alternative software to ATI's multimedia center? i'm using ati aiw radeon.

[Comberman]

ATI's MMC has been developed around the AIW Radeons. However if you are having difficulties, much of what MMC does can be done by other 'separates'.
What are you trying to do that you think isn't being done well by MMC?

[ledeuxmachina]

i'd like to be able to use the card without the overlay.

[Comberman]

Video Overlay supports a number of functions, from overlaying an image/video clip on top of another to providing support for two or more display devices. If you cannot disable VO from the Advanced tab within the Properties page, you can disable it by inserting coded instructions into the card's Configuration Setup; either directly into one of the .dll files or the .ini. However this procedure is not one to be undertaken without specific guides and instructions as it is interfering directly with the Install criteria of the card in question. You could try disabling the Direct Draw features in "dxdiag"; they can be re-enabled if the new settings do not work.
I have only come across reference to VO when capturing video via Premiere and then it is always "off". I have used the ATI Rage Fury with MMC and never had cause to concern myself about Video Overlay. Sorry to have to put another question to you but why do you need to disable VO, or have the need to do without it? I might be able to offer a bit more help, if I knew.
Regards

[ledeuxmachina]

i'd like to capture multiple screenshots with another program, but when i try, i get a black screen. i'm assuming this is because of the overlay.

[Comberman]

Rather than tinker about with the Radeon's settings, you could try disabling Hardware Acceleration - this has been known to cure 'black screen' issues is some systems. Bear in mind tho' you will be disabling HA on a global basis and it may have implications for other items (games/graphics) which may depend on it.
To disable graphics hardware acceleration globally select Control Panel > System > Performance tab > Graphics > Advanced settings. Slide the Hardware Acceleration slider all the way to the left (None). You can re-enable HA by going back into the Graphics properties page and moving the HA slider back to its former position. When you make this HA change, you should be prompted to re-boot; if not then I recommend you do a manual restart just to make sure the change has taken effect.
Let me know how you get on.

[Comberman]

A quick PS. It occurred to me you might be trying to capture screen shots of a game. If this is the case and disabling HA means you can't get into the game, you could try reducing your screen/game resolution - way, way down as far as you can without making the screen shot resolution impractible for use.
Cheers

[ledeuxmachina]

When I disable HA, the tv player fails to initialize video. I tried reducing the resolution with the same error.

[Comberman]

Perhaps you could give me some details on these "multiple screenshots" and the "other program" you are using to capture them. As you are not trying to capture from within MMC 7.5 (???), I assume that this has not worked. Have you tried to capture your multiple screenshots from within MMC? Are you trying to capture frames from a video? From a DVD? From a game? I'm familiar only with the ATI Rage Fury but I assume the Radeon AiW cards are not that far removed from Rage architecture. I know for a fact that if you try to capture screen shots from a DVD using an analogue capture card you will get a black screen.
Regards

[ledeuxmachina]

i used to have a wintv card, and set SnagIt to capture the picture every 2 sec. i don't think it's possible to set mmc (7.5) to capture automatically every x seconds (though i'm not sure). since i've upgraded to ati, i haven't been able to capture the picture using the tv player because it just captures a black screen. i'd like to find a way around it. i thought another player might work but i'm not sure what software to use in place of mmc. i'd like to capture screenshots from vhs, dvd, and tv, all of which i used to be able to do with wintv.

[Comberman]

I also used a Hauppage WinTV card in the past, until I upgraded my PC into which I installed the 128 Rage Fury (a great card!). This PC (my latest) uses a LeadTek A280 ViVo Ultra, a G4ce nvidia with a lot of power and memory. I do a lot of desktop video and graphics work - it keeps me out of the pubs
I have just checked my old machine (the one with the Fury) and I see it is using MMC 6.3. I checked the player and it has stills capture facilities (either to the gallery or a named file) but nothing to specify an auto, timed capture. I use Adobe Premiere and it allows me to capture stills at intervals. It's called stopped motion capture. So you could be correct in assuming that your MMC 7.3 player cannot do an auto still capture but what surprises me is the fact that when you do try to capture stills you keep getting this black screen. I never experienced this problem at all in 6.3. I therefore think it must be something to do with your display settings. You mentioned TV in a previous post, therefore I assume you are using the card as a dual device driver: TV and PC Monitor. Can you play and capture video from your MMC player? Say from a VCR. You cannot capture from TV unless you've got a TV Tuner, or Super-VHS out on your TV. Make sure your Monitor is checked as the Primary Display.
Play a VHS tape through the MMC player and try to capture stills - you can capture stills as often as you like by just tapping the space bar (or a HOT Key designated by you). Are you still getting the Black Screen? Suggest you go through the Help files and check your ATI folder for a Readme file which will contain info on any issues associated with the card. I'll try to find out a bit more about MMC 7.3; I hate to be beaten.
Regards
Dave

[ledeuxmachina]

i can capture stills and video using mmc. i'd just rather not manually capture stills. does adobe premiere let you watch tv or just edit video?

[Comberman]

I never capture stills while the video is being captured or even when playing a video I have previously captured, simply due to the fact that even under the best circumstances it is very much a hit and miss affair due to imterlacing and movement in the video. If I needed a still image, I would capture a section (a movie clip) and then use Premiere to select the best frame from the clip (usually a 768x576 still image). I will then put this frame through Photoshop's de-interlacing filters to give me a perfect image for further processing. In the simplest of terms Adobe Premiere is a professional video editor with capture facilities which can produce up to broadcast quality NTSC or PAL video. As such it has a video player but this is used only for monitoring purposes during editing.
Premiere will capture direct from TV provided a TV tuner is present and processed video can be output to VHS tape. Output to TV or a Monitor is governed by how your display adaptor is configured.
I also have Cyberlink's PowerVCR and I checked if it has auto still capture. Sorry to say it doesn't.
Suggest you give Google a shot to see if you can locate an application which will give you still capture. The latest version of Adobe Premiere (6.5) will set you back £350 - £400, but you could pick up Version 6 at a snip on Ebay.
Sorry I can't of any further help, but this thread will stay open so maybe you'll let me know if you resolve your problem.
Regards