Frequently Asked Questions

1)  How do I take screenshots of videos in RealPlayer or Windows Media Player?

For RealPlayer, you will need to turn off the optimized display.  You can do this by running RealPlayer, clicking on View -> Preferences, going to the Performance tab, unchecking the box labeled "Use optimized video display", hitting OK, and restarting RealPlayer.  Now you may make take a screenshot by pressing the [ALT + PRNTSCRN] combination.  You can paste this screenshot into any graphics editing program (e.g. MS Paintbrush) and save the file.  When you are done taking screenshots, you should re-enable the optimized video display because this makes videos play smoother and look better.

For Windows Media Player, you have to disable Hardware Acceleration.  You can do this in Windows Media Player 6.4 by clicking on View -> Options and moving the Hardware Acceleration slider to None.  You can do this in Windows Media Player 7 by clicking on Tools -> Options, going to the Performance tab, moving the Hardware Acceleration slider to None, and restarting Windows Media Player.  Now you may make take a screenshot by pressing the [ALT + PRNTSCRN] combination.  You can paste this screenshot into any graphics editing program (e.g. MS Paintbrush) and save the file.  When you are done taking screenshots, you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider back to Full because this makes videos play smoother and look better.

2)  What do I do if I get muffled sound or no sound at all when playing back a captured file?

This can be caused by several things.  First of all, if you have a slower computer, the audio might skip during playback.  This is normal for slower PCs and will not negatively affect your final encoded video.
Second, if you are capturing from an external video source (like a VCR), make sure that the audio cables are plugged into the Line-in jack on the back of your sound card.  Then open your Volume Control and make sure that Line-in is not muted.
Third, if you are capturing from a coaxial cable connected to your capture card, make sure that, if necessary, there are audio cables running from your capture card to your sound card.
Finally, if you are using a WinTV card, the driver might be getting confused about which audio source to use.  To correct this, run the AudioSel.exe program and select the proper audio source before capturing your video.  You can find this program in the \MISC\UTILITY\ folder of the WinTV Installation CD.

If you have any questions not answered here, please post them in the Message Boards.