im trying to recrd frm my video device /dev/video0 with mencoder
it works to view using mplayer with these options

mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:input=1:channel=1:width=768:height=768 :device=/dev/video0:norm=NTSC
however when i try to use mencoder using these options i get the following error:

mencoder tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:input=1:channel=1:width=768:height=768 :device=/dev/video0:norm=1 -o a.avi -ovc xvid
MEncoder SVN-r1.0~rc3+svn20090426-4.4.3 (C) 2000-2009 MPlayer Team
success: format: 9 data: 0x0 - 0x0
TV file format detected.
Selected driver: v4l2
name: Video 4 Linux 2 input
author: Martin Olschewski <olschewski@zpr.uni-koeln.de>
comment: first try, more to come
Selected device: BT878 video ( *** UNKNOWN/GENER
Capabilites: video capture video overlay VBI capture device read/write streaming
supported norms: 0 = NTSC; 1 = NTSC-M; 2 = NTSC-M-JP; 3 = NTSC-M-KR; 4 = PAL; 5 = PAL-BG; 6 = PAL-H; 7 = PAL-I; 8 = PAL-DK; 9 = PAL-M; 10 = PAL-N; 11 = PAL-Nc; 12 = PAL-60; 13 = SECAM; 14 = SECAM-B; 15 = SECAM-G; 16 = SECAM-H; 17 = SECAM-DK; 18 = SECAM-L; 19 = SECAM-Lc;
inputs: 0 = Composite0; 1 = Composite1; 2 = S-Video; 3 = Composite3;
Current input: 1
Current format: YVU420
tv.c: norm_from_string(1): Bogus norm parameter, setting default.
Selected input hasn't got a tuner!
Audio block size too low, setting to 16384!
Video buffer shorter than 3 times audio frame duration.
You will probably experience heavy framedrops.
[V] filefmt:9 fourcc:0x32315659 size:768x480 fps:29.970 ftime:=0.0334
xvid: using library version 1.2.2 (build xvid-1.2.2)
Opening video filter: [expand osd=1]
Expand: -1 x -1, -1 ; -1, osd: 1, aspect: 0.000000, round: 1
================================================== ========================
Opening video decoder: [raw] RAW Uncompressed Video
VDec: vo config request - 768 x 480 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
videocodec: XviD (768x480 fourcc=44495658 [XVID])
xvid: par=0/0 (vga11), displayed=768x480, sampled=768x480
xvid: you must specify one or a valid combination of 'bitrate', 'pass', 'fixed_quant' settings
FATAL: Cannot initialize video driver.
VDecoder init failed
Cannot find codec matching selected -vo and video format 0x32315659.
Read DOCS/HTML/en/codecs.html!
================================================== ========================

Exiting...

any ideas on how to fix??

Did you even read the output you pasted there?

now that it records it output looks like this what could be causing it,

Attached Thumbnails

 

Before recording it, try to watch it, using mplayer.

same issue, however i did try in ekiga and in tvtime and it looks great.

Try norm=0.

i tried 0-7 i dbout it goes that high tho maybe theres something wrong with the command
mencoder tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:input=1:channel=1:width=768:height=576 :device=/dev/video0:norm=0 -o a.avi -ovc xvid -xvidencopts bitrate=687
also trided with
mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:input=1:channel=1:width=768:height=576 :device=/dev/video0:norm=0
and
mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:input=1:channel=1:width=768:height=576 :device=/dev/video0:norm=NTSC
my tvtime xml is here
http://pastebin.com/Hi28AHxc

Do you have ffmpeg installed ? Maybe try that, or use:
http://xawdecode.sourceforge.net/

ill try that one, and see what happens, on a sidenote, mplayer tells me selected input does not have a tuner?
i guess i should give more info on what im doing,
i have a bttv card with a cctv camera hooked to the composite input 1, i thought i had it working in mplayer at one time.
i also had this working in the cheese program too, but i changed the resolution in the program and now whenever i try to use it segfaults, is there somewhere i can do a debug as the verbose option doesnt show me enough to find out the cause of the fault.
once again mplayer i trued was this its a little more detailed now.

mplayer tv:// -tv driver=v4l2:input=1:channel=1:width=768:height=576 :device=/dev/video0:norm=NTSC
MPlayer SVN-r1.0~rc3+svn20090426-4.4.3 (C) 2000-2009 MPlayer Team
mplayer: could not connect to socket
mplayer: No such file or directory
Failed to open LIRC support. You will not be able to use your remote control.

Playing tv://.
TV file format detected.
Selected driver: v4l2
name: Video 4 Linux 2 input
author: Martin Olschewski <olschewski@zpr.uni-koeln.de>
comment: first try, more to come ;-)
Selected device: BT878 video ( *** UNKNOWN/GENER
Capabilites: video capture video overlay VBI capture device read/write streaming
supported norms: 0 = NTSC; 1 = NTSC-M; 2 = NTSC-M-JP; 3 = NTSC-M-KR; 4 = PAL; 5 = PAL-BG; 6 = PAL-H; 7 = PAL-I; 8 = PAL-DK; 9 = PAL-M; 10 = PAL-N; 11 = PAL-Nc; 12 = PAL-60; 13 = SECAM; 14 = SECAM-B; 15 = SECAM-G; 16 = SECAM-H; 17 = SECAM-DK; 18 = SECAM-L; 19 = SECAM-Lc;
inputs: 0 = Composite0; 1 = Composite1; 2 = S-Video; 3 = Composite3;
Current input: 1
Current format: YVU420
Selected input hasn't got a tuner!
open: No such file or directory
[MGA] Couldn't open: /dev/mga_vid
open: No such file or directory
[MGA] Couldn't open: /dev/mga_vid
[VO_TDFXFB] This driver only supports the 3Dfx Banshee, Voodoo3 and Voodoo 5.
[VO_3DFX] Unable to open /dev/3dfx.
==========================================================================
Opening video decoder: [raw] RAW Uncompressed Video
VDec: vo config request - 768 x 576 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12)
VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0)
Movie-Aspect is undefined - no prescaling applied.
VO: [xv] 768x576 => 768x576 Planar YV12
Selected video codec: [rawyv12] vfm: raw (RAW YV12)
==========================================================================
Audio: no sound
Starting playback...
v4l2: 54 frames successfully processed, 36 frames dropped.

Exiting... (Quit)
im thinking it has something to do with the current format or selected video codec line, how do i change that or can i?