Member Avatar for steosaur(oWn)

My friend has a camcorder with rca output jacks including s-video, I was wondering if there is some software that allows you to plug the camera into the computer and record on the computer what comes out of the camera.

I do realize that computers don't have rca inputs which is why my second question is: What piece of hardware at radioshack or somewhere would I have to get to convert the rca's to say a usb plug?

Or if someone could just educate me on if this is even possible that would be nice. :)

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Short answer: yes — you can record what the camcorder outputs. There are two practical routes: if the camcorder has a digital DV/FireWire (i.LINK) port, capture the DV stream directly (best quality, little-to-no generation loss). If it only has analog outs (composite RCA or S‑Video plus red/white audio), use an analog→digital capture interface (external USB box or internal capture/TV card). S‑Video will usually give noticeably better image than the yellow composite plug because it keeps luminance and chrominance separate. (en.wikipedia.org)

Which hardware to pick: as and noted, both internal cards and external USB boxes work. For external boxes prefer USB 2.0 or newer (USB 2.0 “Hi‑Speed” is 480 Mbps and matters for smooth SD capture; USB 1.1 is too slow for good results). Mainstream vendors (Hauppauge, Elgato, etc.) make units with S‑Video/composite + audio inputs and driver support; when buying used/cheap devices, check chipset and driver availability for your OS before you pay. (en.wikipedia.org)

Quick capture workflow (applies to most setups):

  • Put the camcorder in Play/VTR mode.
  • Connect S‑Video (if available) + stereo RCA audio to the capture device.
  • In capture software (OBS, VirtualDub, or the capture app that ships with the device) select the correct input and TV standard (NTSC in the U.S.).
  • Do a short test capture, then record at the highest practical quality (DV‑AVI or lossless/intermediate if available), edit/then encode to your final format.
    If your footage is interlaced SD, plan to deinterlace during editing to remove combing artifacts. (en.wikipedia.org)

Troubleshooting notes: make sure the capture device has supported drivers for your OS; verify audio routing (RCA red/white) because some boxes require separate line‑in settings; test a short clip before digitizing many tapes. For live capture/streaming many people use OBS as the front end for USB capture devices. Credit to for the “use camcorder as webcam” idea — it’s completely feasible but depends on whether you can get a digital DV feed or must convert analog. (obsproject.com)

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Member Avatar for oalee

My friend has a camcorder with rca output jacks including s-video, I was wondering if there is some software that allows you to plug the camera into the computer and record on the computer what comes out of the camera.

I do realize that computers don't have rca inputs which is why my second question is: What piece of hardware at radioshack or somewhere would I have to get to convert the rca's to say a usb plug?

Or if someone could just educate me on if this is even possible that would be nice. :)

Yes this is possible, Im sure of that. I used to have a camcorder as a webcam. But that was way back in 1997. I had a pixelview video card with a tv tuner and an s-video connector. I just cant remember the software that i used. maybe i'll try and get back to you on this, i'll try and look it up. but you can try Camtasia. It's a software that i use with my yahoo messenger.

Member Avatar for Roberdin

Just get a cheapish TV card (about 30, which is approx $65 US) or a USB "break-out-box" thingy. They usually come with rudimentary editing software.

Member Avatar for steosaur(oWn)

Thanks I think I found just the thing.

Lemme know if that looks good.

Member Avatar for TallCool1

My friend has a camcorder with rca output jacks including s-video, I was wondering if there is some software that allows you to plug the camera into the computer and record on the computer what comes out of the camera.

There are a variety of hardware/software combos that will do this, ranging from the barely-adequate to the ridiculously over-engineered. Some of your decision as to which road to take will be based on the computer hardware and software involved. If it's a newer computer with Windows XP and USB 2.0, a USB solution is suitable. If it's older, or running Windows 98, your options are more limited. USB 1.1 works, but quality and flexibility suffer.

As Roberdin pointed out, most TV-tuner cards (and some mid-line and high-end graphics cards, as well) have video-capture capabilities. Some even have separated video (a/k/a S-Video) inputs -- and come with video capture software. Win XP comes with a simple video editor, and you can also check out the section on for free software that might be useful to you.

Member Avatar for TallCool1

Thanks I think I found just the thing.

Yes, something like that would work well, since it uses a standard-and-well-supported video chip.

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