Yes, Osprey has recently released Directshow drivers, which are WDM compatible Please click on the following link to download Osprey's latest driver   ftp://ftp.viewcast.com/pub/OSP-200/winXP/latest/fcs3.0.0/

The MSMPEG4-V3 codec appeared in the beta phase of the Windows Media Tools, and was mainly intended for Microsoft/s new streaming media format .ASF. However this codec also worked with .AVI files. Since it had very good compression, even better than Intel/s i263, a lot of people started to use it when creating their .AVI material. However, later, when Microsoft released the official version of the Windows Media Tools, they included an MS MPEG4v3 driver that DID NOT work with .AVI/s, it only worked with .ASF files. The root of the problem is the MS MPEG4v3 driver (MPG4C32.DLL). Versions up to 4.00.0.3688 (from the last beta version of Windows Media Tools) DO WORK with v3 in .AVI/s. The version that is included in the now released version of Windows Media Tools (4.00.0.3845 or later) DO NOT work with .AVI/s.). This only affects MS-MPEG4V3 encoded avi/s. MS-MPEGV1 and MSMPEG-V2 can be used in avi, even with later versions of the driver. If you use one of the other codecs you should be able to capture video without any problems. We would suggest trying Microsoft video 1, Indeo , or Cinepak codecs.

The Osprey capture cards are software based compression cards, which provide the host application with audio and video for compression. Our cards remain in synch when the A/V is passed through board, but at this point it is fully dependent on the host application. The reason for this is that even though the a/v is coming from our card, the API being used provides a/v separately to the host application. Typically host applications(Windows Media Encoder,Real Producer) do an excellent job of maintaining sync between the audio and video. One of the major reasons for a/v sync issues is related to system resources. If the system does not have ample resources to compress the video it will cause the host application to drop frames. Over time each one of these dropped frames can cause the video to drift away from the audio. As a rule of thumb it is recommended that when capturing a/v you monitor the CPU and ensure that the average CPU utilization is never higher than 80%. If it is running above 80% we would recommend lowering the Bitrate or turning off the input and output video windows within the application. If the CPU utilization is low and you are still experiencing sync issues we would recommend that you try the following: Adjust the sample rate to 32,44.1 or 48 Khz, depending on what your source is using. We have seen instances where the A/V will be off if the sample rate does not match the source.

The Osprey-100, Osprey-101 and Osprey-50 are video only capture devices and rely on other devices for audio capture. You should be able to capture audio by simply using your system sound card in conjunction with the Osprey-100 for video.

No, the Osprey-500 can: 1) take a DV signal in 2) decompress it in HW 3) provide the decompressed video and audio to the host with optional scale, crop, and color conversion The Osprey-500 products do not provide the compressed DV data to the host application.

The issue you are experiencing can occur if you do not have a soundcard on your system. In systems that do not have soundcards Windows "sees" the Osprey card as a audio playback device and will not allow initialization as a video capture device. This will cause the system to freeze sporadically, as well as not allow the capture of video. To resolve this issue please do the following : Go to Start>settings>control panel>sounds and select "No Sounds " under schemes. When it asked to save the previous scheme select no. After making this selection you will need to restart your system.

The Osprey boards include a simple application called Vidcap32, which will allow you to capture a single frame into a dib format. Once it is in a dib format you will need to convert this to a BMP, using an application such as MS paint. Once in a BMP format it can then be converted into numerous graphic files, such as GIF,JPG, or TIFF. If you have a copy of the Microsoft VFW SDK, it explains how to use a VFW driver to get access to the raw data. Once you have read and understand this, then Intel has developed a freely available library to convert DIB directly to JPEG. Click here for information.

RealSystem Producer Basic only supports the default capture device. To utilize multiple Osprey capture cards with RealSystem Producer you must upgrade to the Plus version. This is can be purchased by visiting RealNetwork's website

Pre-allocation of disk space simply places the captured file on a contiguous area of the hard drive and does not effect the ability to write to this space in any way by other applications. However, if you would like to remove the pre-allocation of space simply run Windows Defrag on the hard drive.

This is normally attributed to user rights on the NT system. Be sure that the person logged in has Administrative rights on the system. If the problem continues please uninstall the driver using Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel. Then power off the system and move the Osrpey card to a new PCI slot. When the system reboots please try installing the drivers again using the latest drivers available from our website.

This is normally attributed to user rights on the NT system. Be sure that the person logged in has Administrative rights on the system. If the problem continues please uninstall the driver using Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel. (You may need to log out and log in again.) Then try installing the drivers again using the latest drivers available from our website. If the problem continues, there may be a resource conflict. This can often be resolved by shutting down the system, moving the Osprey card to a different PCI slot, then restarting. If the problem does not resolve itself please contact our technical support group for assistance.

You will need to use a 4-pin s-video cable to connect your device to the Osprey card. If you have a device which has a 7-pin output connector you can safely use the 4-pin s-video cable with the Osprey card with no video signal loss. Some early Osprey cards do have 7-pin connectors, however the 4-pin cable can still be used as the remaining pins are not used.

We have seen this on some Dell systems, including the GX150 and 530. To correct this, please be sure that you are using the latest Dell PC audio driver for your system. Should this not resolve the problem, some camera's allow you to select the audio sampling rate that is output - try setting this to 48kHz to resolve the issue. Another cause for this can be that, in some instances, when a capture is started before the audio has been selected then the audio may not be sampled at the correct rate, which causes it to sound slower or faster than normal upon playback. Should this occur stop and restart capturing audio.

You can capture a picture using the Osprey by using the VidCap sample application to capture a single frame. VidCap will save this as a *.DIB file. A DIB file may be opened using any graphic editor - such as MSPaint - which also supports BMP files, then saved in whatever format you choose (JPG, BMP, GIF). If you want to be able to double-click on the DIB file and have the editor open it automatically you must create a file extension association. To do this, press shift while right-clicking on the DIB file and select "open with". Choose the editor you would like to use and be sure that "always open this file type with this application" is selected. Alternatively, we have found that Capture Studio from Pegasus software preforms this well. This application allows the capture of single frames directly to Jpg or BMP format. For more information on Pegasus software, please visit: http://www.pegasusimaging.com/capturestudio.htm

A DIB file may be opened using any graphic editor - such as MSPaint - which also support BMP files, then saved in whatever format you choose (JPG, BMP, GIF). If you want to be able to double-click on the DIB file and have the editor open it automatically you must create a file extension association. To do this, press shift while right-clicking on the DIB file and select "open with". Choose the editor you would like to use and be sure that "always open this file type with this application" is selected.

In some instances, when a capture is started before the audio is selected the audio may not be sampled at the correct rate - causing it to sound slower or faster than normal when played back. Should this occur stop and restart capturing audio.

This is possible to do and is totally dependent upon the content creator and software. The Osprey card simply acts as a source for the live stream while the software plays the clip before the stream. The first way of doing this is to create an ASX file (a client-side playlist that defines the order in which streams are streamed to Windows Media Player) which has the links to both the canned and live stream in it. When the user clicks the link at the website the ASX would play the canned file before the live stream. For ore information and example playlists are available at Microsoft/s website. http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/en/advanced/help/ns_metafiles_bqsr.htm?id=4850

The second way is to create a welcome file which is streamed before the start time of the live event. To do this you must set up the encoder for multiple sources. During the wizard, select "Add Welcome, [etc] Files" when you reach the Video Option window. You can choose an ASF, AVI, BMP, MPG, or WMV for this. When the main window opens, make sure this file is selected when you start the encoding process, then switch to the Osprey/Camera input when the event starts.

A service allows the /program/ to start automatically when the system is started. A service keeps running in the background even when no one is logged into the computer.

Verify that the Niagara SCX Encoder Manager service is started.

Make sure that SimulStream is enabled. Refer to the SimulStream manual to make note of any limitations.

SCX can be used for 30 days for evaluation. See the SCX software page. Go here for additional information.

An evaluation key is available on our web site where the link for downloading SCX is located. A registered key is provided when SCX is purchased.

The SCX key may have expired. Right click on the Encoder Manger and select the "View Alerts" item to view the error message.

You may have an invalid or expired key. Right click on the Encoder Manger and select the "View Alerts" item to view the error message.

The Logon account for the Niagara SCX Encoder Manager has not been granted Administrator rights.

Currently we support both Real and Windows Media.

Presently only ViewCast Osprey Video capture cards are supported.

Right click on the Encoder Manager item and select the reconnect option, check network connectivity, check to see if the NiagaraSCXencoder manager service is started.

To do that, you will need to go to Windows Media Encoder, Tools, and Generate Stream Format File - just like you normally would to do a multicast. But once your desired profile exists on the server, you can then use SCX to stop and start your streams from then on. This same process is necessary of Windows Media Encoder & Server, as well.

As long as you can connect to the NiagaraSCX Manager Service on the encoder, you can set up and start your encode if the source is still providing a signal. If you wanted the peace of mind that the encode would restart after a power outage without having to manually set it up, simply check the "Automatically Start Device at Service Startup" checkbox on the Auto/Name tab for the added encoder. You also need to have the NiagaraSCX Manager Service set to start automatically at system startup for this to work properly.

The key has been disabled, please contact VideoMediaSolutions Technical Support for assistance.

Make sure you are selecting the appropriate card in the audio dialog. You can set the default record device to be your Osprey card in the Control Panel under Sounds & Multimedia. Go to the Audio tab and select the Osprey card from the drop-down list under the Sound Recording, Preferred Device.

Make sure you have selected the appropriate Osprey card, as well as the input you are using.

The Niagara system you have may not have a sound card and is trying to use the Osprey card for playback. Set the default playback device in Control Panel, Sounds & Multimedia. Click on the Audio tab and choose either the system's sound card (if available) or the OspreyX-placeholder as the system's preferred playback device.

It's possible that your card has become unseated due to handling of the system. Contact Customer Support for assistance and troubleshooting. We may have you open the box and reseat the card. Do not open the system unless directed to do so by an authorized ViewCast Support representative.

Contact Customer Support for assistance and troubleshooting. There is a possibility that the DV component of the Osprey card may have become detached. We may have you open the box and reattach the card pieces. Do not open the system unless directed to do so by an authorized ViewCast Support representative