Has anyone been using Vidblaster Software Switcher?

[greenidge]

It would make sense if we download the version that we are looking to buy, this way it is a direct comparison. It seems Mike is the sole person working on this program(among other things he is doing) so there are somethings with the support side that could be better. However I highly recommend continuing asking the users on the VidBlaster Forum for help as some of them have put a lot of time in on the program and they are a great help.

[Mark0514]

Well, that's part of my beef. The trial version is equal to the studio version. I wish I could have tried exactly what I was buying.

[VidBlasterUS]

Mark,

As I have stated to you in several emails in the past, I am sorry about your situation. However the Help file included in the demo version of VidBlaster clearly states that the crop function is not available in the Home edition.

The Home version is primarily for hobbyists, the Professional is for small businesses and Studio which offers all of the most required features.

As far as support, as a US reseller I have videos and other training materials on my site.

[Mark0514]

Scott


And as I responded yes that is correct.

To quote the VB site - VidBlaster Home is ideally suited for home enthusiasts, gamers, small businesses and faith-based organizations


So in this try before you buy, I was supposed to go and read the help section for something that was working perfectly fine? That doesnt make sense to me. I am not asking for something for nothing here, I am merely asking for some concession on Mike's part and he has not answered my email or acknowledged any of my posts on his forum. To say oh well it was in the help so you should have know doesnt fly, because that's the only place it was and I didnt go to the help until we licensed it and it didnt work. I am about at the point where I am considering going to the leadership and just telling them it wont work and ask for a refund, not because I dont like the product, because I do. I just dont like the way we were treated.

[julett]

wmsaved u given great information because I need some on better capture. I've been using firewire the stream our church service and what I find everything is delay, should I use a capture card other than a firewire? I would like to know more about presenting songs and scripture while streaming instead of moving the camera. Our system is hook up to a Kramer presentation switcher and we're using easyworship to project to the congregation but I would like to present it to internet audience. what would be the best solution?

thanks
julett

[sinc747]

Most capture cards will help eliminate the video delay that firewire introduces on your camera. If you want HD, the Blackmagic Intensity Pro card is a good choice although it can be a little trick to set up. For SD, options include the Osprey line of capture cards by ViewCast and other similar cards. As with most of us, the real keys are budget and function.

With VidBlaster you can use one of the Player modules to show the same graphics (songs and scriptures) that are shown to the congregation. Or if you want it all automated, reconfigure your PC running easyworship to do dual output: one to the projector and one to a 2nd PC running VidBlaster. You would need a capture card like BM as an input on the VB PC to receive the output from the PC running easyworship. Again, budget and function rule the day.

I'm sure there are some other good options, too.

[wmmsaved]

Hi Julett,

Describe your system. Are you webcasting with a PC, Mac, laptop, other?

How many cameras do you have? How many would you like to be able to connect?

What other video sources do you want to show? DVD player, etc?

It appears that the Kramer switcher your church has is feeding a projector or other large screen up front. There is a scaler you can connect to the back of the Kramer (assuming you are using the VGA output) that will pass through the VGA to the screens but also provide you with 2 video outputs (composite and S-Video) to connect to a capture card. That will allow you to switch directly to the same video that is on the screen but with much better clarity than swinging around and shooting it with your camera. (I know. That is what we did when we started.) A link to it is in one of my earlier posts on this thread. It ran about $33 when I bought one.

I then bought some RG-6 TV/cable antenna coaxial cable and picked up an RF (the ends on the RG-6) to RCA (the connector on the scaler) and an RF to BNC (the connector on my Osprey 440 capture card) and I was in business.

Hope this helps.

Michael

[julett]

Thanks Mike, I'll try what you suggested and I'll let you know the outcome.

Thanks again!
julett

[julett]

wmmsaved, I've lost my other contacts because I had an virus and I had to reinstall windows. Anyway I would like to know how does a DV camera works with a capture card.

[julett]

we're using a firewire card with one camera(sony hv1000u) and a dell pc.

[wmmsaved]

Hi Juliette,

A capture card installs just like any other card in a spare slot in your PC. Connectors (In the case of our Osprey 440, they are BNC connectors) are accessible on the back of the PC. Software called a "driver" has to be installed for the capture card and this driver must also be compatible with your operating system (Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, etc).

Once the card is installed and ready, you'll need a cable that connects your DV camera's composite video output to the capture card connector on your PC. You'll need to check your owner's manual to see which cable you need and how/where to connect it on your camera as each one is different.

Some newer DV cameras are HD and have more or different options for outputting streaming video.

Also, check your camera's setup menu to make sure it will not time out and shut down when not recording. Some default to a time out if RECORD function has not been used for several minutes. You want the video to remain available to the camera's output even when you aren't recording to a tape or other media inside the camera so be sure to disable timeout.

I hope I answered your question.

Michael