Hey, how do you capture an image from a DVD?

[ljenab]

I finally have my boxed sets, and was thinking of making some desktops (if I ever get the time!!). Do you just use your screen capture function, or is there some snazzier way to do it?

Thanks,
LJ

[Hank]

It depends a lot on your computer and the software you have available. On my Mac, I can't use the DVD Player; the screen capture program (Grab) refuses to snap a picture from the DVD Player. So I use the freeware VideoLAN Client to play the DVD, freeze frame where I want and then do the screen capture.

VideoLAN Client is available for Windows and other operating systems at www.videolan.org.

[grapeshot]

I use a PC, and I went out and bought PowerDVD, which does an EXCELLENT job, both as a DVD viewer and in making screen captures. True it cost a bit ($60 US, if I recall) but I've had hours of viewing pleasure with it. You can purchase and download it on line.

[ljenab]

Originally posted by grapeshot
I use a PC, and I went out and bought PowerDVD, which does an EXCELLENT job, both as a DVD viewer and in making screen captures. True it cost a bit ($60 US, if I recall) but I've had hours of viewing pleasure with it. You can purchase and download it on line.

Hey, that's great--I use PowerDVD to play DVDs on my computer already (it came with my Dell). I don't seem to have any documentation, though. How do you do a capture?

[grapeshot]

Well, I don't know what version you may have. I have version 4.0. However, these instructions should give you some idea of what you need to do.

If you go into the Configuration menu (right click on the screen and a menu will appear), and select the tab labeled "general". Then click on the "advanced" button. You should see a box open, and one of the tabs should be labeled "capture". Pick that tab and you'll see a choice of how to store the capture. You can store it to your clipboard, Wallpaper, or to a file. Select the file, and then browse for and select where you want that file to be kept.

Next you can select whether you want to capture the original video source size, or the display size. The only thing I've found is if you're viewing a PAL format DVD (i.e. anything other than region 1), if you select the original video source size, you'll get a slightly narrow picture and everyone will look a little distorted. Otherwise it doesn't matter that much what size you select.

After you've made all your screen captures, you'll find them all listed in the file you selected when you set up the configuration. These files get numbered so if your finished making your captures, make sure you move them out of that folder. Otherwise the next batch of screen captures you make will overwrite on these files. (Ask me how I found this out!)

[ljenab]

Thanks! I can't wait to try it.

Your mention of PAL DVDs raises another question, grapeshot. I bought some Region 0 DVDs from England (Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin--my second favorite TV show). Supposedly they play anywhere, but I couldn't get them to play on PowerDVD and returned them. Is there a way to make a PC play Region 0 PAL DVDs???

Thanks again!!

[grapeshot]

After thinking about this, I think I forgot to tell you how to actually make the screen capture. I’m not sure what skin you’re using, but somewhere on you control panel you should have a pause button. You should also see a button with a camera icon on it. To make the actual capture, you only have to pause your DVD, and then click on the camera icon button, and voila, you’ve made a screen capture.

Your DVD drive should have played a region 0 DVD without a problem. However, I think you might have to go into the configuration settings to see if you need to check a box for NTSC (or it might be called PAL to NTSC). I’m at work now, so I can’t check on this. I was able to play my region 2 DVDs, but only after setting the DVD drive on my computer to region 2.

Setting the region on your computer’s DVD is done through the operating system, but PowerDVD may also be able to set it. Again, I can’t remember. In any case, most of the time your system limits the number of times you can change this setting so I wouldn’t do it without thinking about it. At the time I played the region 2 DVDs, I do not recall that I had to set anything in the PowerDVD configuration to do a conversion, although that may have already been a default setting once I had changed the drive to region 2.

A region 0 DVD is supposed to be able to be played in ALL regions. Are you sure that you did in fact get region 0 DVDs?? If you bought them from the UK, it doesn’t seem likely that they really were region 0. A true region 0 DVD would also play in your regular DVD player. It’s also possible that the DVD drive on your computer just couldn’t read them. For example, my laptop’s DVD drive simply refuses to play the second episode of all my season 1 Farscape DVDs, but my desktop DVD drive has no problems with them.

If you like, I have the PowerDVD manual in adobe document format. I’m not sure how big it is, but I might be able to e-mail it to you. (It’s prolly pretty huge, though.) You could also try checking PowerDVD’s website. They’re pretty good about on-line technical support.

[sny]

If I understand it correctly, the DVD region and the PAL or NTSC format are actually two separate issues. (I did a ton of research on this because I'm a big Monty Python fan, and of course, the memebers did some DVDs that Brits can get but we can't. But I've probably forgotten a lot since then. Anyway, here's what I remember.) Regions are basically a marketing thing. They are there mostly for distribution reasons. Regions mostly make it harder to import/export material. Think of the region like the "front door". If you have a Region 0 DVD, basically, there is no lock on the front door, you can come in and try to play the content regardless of what kind of player you are. If a player is regionless, it's like having a skeleton key. You can get in any front door on any DVD and try to play the content.

NTSC and PAL is a video format, almost like two different languages. While most things, like TVs, that can "speak" PAL can also "speak" NTSC, NTSC quality isn't as good, since there isn't as much information encoded. So, essentially, Europe can watch NTSC stuff, generally with no problem save a lower picture quality. Most devices there handle both.

PAL, however, is generally not spoken by our NTSC televisions and DVD players and such. Depends on your television, but most in North America won't handle PAL, at least not without a small adaptor that goes between your DVD player and your TV. Think of that as the interpreter. I think these are (or were) available at your typical electronics store, like Radio Shack. Typically called a PAL-NTSC convertor, best I remember.

Computers vary, but most limit the number of times you can change your "region". Mine limits it to five. After that, you're stuck at that region unless you feel like redoing your machine. I bought WinDVD, for about 19.99. It's a great player, it has the built-in capability to do screen captures, and I noticed just last night, it has the ability to compensate for PAL playback. Basically it has a PAL mode, which allows you to play PAL discs (if they are region 0, your computer is "regionless", or you have your computer set to whatever region the DVD happens to be) without them appearing to skip or play too fast. It was a pretty darned good piece of software, and cheap, too. I like that.

Anyway, try looking up "PAL"in your player documentation or help. Possibly it has a similar "mode".
Stacie

[ljenab]

Originally posted by grapeshot
Well, I don't know what version you may have. I have version 4.0. However, these instructions should give you some idea of what you need to do.

If you go into the Configuration menu (right click on the screen and a menu will appear), and select the tab labeled "general". Then click on the "advanced" button. You should see a box open, and one of the tabs should be labeled "capture". Pick that tab and you'll see a choice of how to store the capture. You can store it to your clipboard, Wallpaper, or to a file. Select the file, and then browse for and select where you want that file to be kept.

Next you can select whether you want to capture the original video source size, or the display size. The only thing I've found is if you're viewing a PAL format DVD (i.e. anything other than region 1), if you select the original video source size, you'll get a slightly narrow picture and everyone will look a little distorted. Otherwise it doesn't matter that much what size you select.

After you've made all your screen captures, you'll find them all listed in the file you selected when you set up the configuration. These files get numbered so if your finished making your captures, make sure you move them out of that folder. Otherwise the next batch of screen captures you make will overwrite on these files. (Ask me how I found this out!)

This is weird--my version (which is 4.0.12C) doesn't have an "Advanced" button on the "General" tab, nor does it have (with any skin) a button with a camera on it. ???? Has Dell screwed me with a crippled version? How much $ could they save to shave vidcap functionality off the software?

[grapeshot]

It's Cyberlink PowerDVD, right?

Check with their website: http://www.gocyberlink.com/english/products/product_main.jsp?ProdId=28

Looking around on their website, I bet you have PowerDVD ver. 4.0 for OEMs. You just have a "cheaper" version 4.0. (Sorry, man, I'm just guessing.)