[SOLVED] Video capture software for VCR?

kenb1000 · 02-13-2016, 07:42 PM

Greetings:

Can anyone suggest video capture software for Linux Mint 17? I'm trying to transfer VHS tapes to disk. I'm using an EZCAP USB video capture device that is recognized by Linux:

Bus 008 Device 003: ID 1c88:1001 Somagic, Inc.

Someone on a forum suggested VLC Media player would work but it doesn't. I found a program called Cheese but apparently that's only for webcams.

Many thanks.

Ken B

Emerson · 02-13-2016, 08:36 PM

Test your device:

Code:

cat /dev/video0 > test

Press Ctrl+C to stop. Use any media player to play the file created. If your device is installed properly you will see video and hear sound. /dev/video0 is the device created by your USB device, if you have more than one video device it may be /dev/video1.

kenb1000 · 02-13-2016, 09:02 PM

Thanks for your response. I'm a Linux newbie so I may have done something wrong but when I ran the command I received this:

Code:

cat: /dev/video0: No such file or directory

Emerson · 02-13-2016, 09:06 PM

This means your capture device is not installed properly, check out LinuxTVWiki.

kenb1000 · 02-13-2016, 09:21 PM

OK. After following some links it appears that based on the ID 1c88:1001 this device is not supported by Linux. Such is life. Now I at least know not to waste any more time with it. Thanks for your help.

Emerson · 02-13-2016, 09:31 PM

Sorry to hear it. Unfortunately resellers do not tell you the USB ID. I remember once I wanted to set up an access point using FreeBSD, did my homework, purchased supported device ... only to find out they changed the chipset to an unsupported one, yet they kept selling the device under same model name ...

kenb1000 · 02-13-2016, 09:41 PM

I originally bought this EZCap to use with Windows where it works fine. But I'm trying to get away from Windows as quickly as possible - I've come to hate it like a plague. I knew going in that Linux takes some work but in the long run I think it will be worth it.