If you follow the same process I do, then you can expect amazing quality like this:
Here is a fairly low compression clip check it out. (Just imagine what it looks like in uncompressed .avi hah).
I use an ATI TV WONDER PRO and split the video signal from my xbox to my cap card and the other signal back to my TV.
How I do this:
Use three simple cheap AUDIO Splittlers 1 female end to 2 females. Put my Xbox red white and yellow cord into all three of the 1 female end parts. Then I have two pass through red white and yellow cables (Pass through meaning red, white and yellow on one end, red white and yellow on the other end). Put both pass through cables into each of the 2 female's and have one set go back to my TV and the other into my capture card.
Then I use the standard software that comes with my cap card to record my playing.
The settings I use for recording with the ATI File player are:
MPEG-2
Deinterlacing Options: De-interlace
NTSC 720x480
P Frames 4 ( The frames should be set at this already)
B Frames 2
Max Bit Rate 10 mbit a second
Target 8 mbit a second
Motion Estimate Quality 100
Audio 224 k a sec
The rest I don't think I changed, but this will only matter if you are using an ATI TV Wonder Pro.
DL this codec it's called
huffyuv (Not necessary but it cut's your file size down - you'll see later in the post)
After I have my footage recorded into MPEG-2 format I use a program called
Virtual Dub MPEG 2 which I then use to open all of the MPEG 2 files (I recorded earlier) into.
File / Open Video File / YourClip
After I do that I select the in out points
Then select video / compression pick Uncompressed RGB. IF, however you downloaded the huffyuv codec from a prior step, this is where you then select Huffyuv.
Press ok
Then File / Save Segmented .AVI file
Specify your name and location and you're done with that clip.
Then I import the clips I got into my editing program: I use Adobe Premier Pro - work my magic, export via adobe media encoder
Using the following settings:
I select format / windows media video
Then audiences tab:
I use D1/DV NTSC (.9) [ that basically equals 720x480]
(I capture in 720 x 480 so these are the same settings you'd use if you were filming from a mini dv camcorder)
Audio Format 128 kbps 44 khz Stereo VBR
Frame Rate 29.97
Average bit rate is dependant on how large you want your file size to be I normally only need 1.5 to keep great quality. Whereas, most of the dumb people at h2f use 3 mb and up getting over twice the size of my videos' with less quality.
(The rest of the settings in audience shouldn't need to be changed)
Then click the video tab,
codec: windows media video 9
two encoding passes
bitrate: Variable unconstrained
Now click the audio tab
codec: windows media audio 9.1
two encoding passes
bitrate: Variable unconstrained
The above are the settings that I use, if I didn't list them here, then assume the default setting is fine.
Really it's just a matter of testing to see what works best
As when I first started doing montages I messed around with many programs until I found what worked best.
This is just the way I do it, and if you have the exact same set up as me, then you should just do it like me heh.
Whenever I get questions that I haven't answered above I will post it here, so keep checking back.
***EDIT FRAiD Here, I stickied this thread. Nice in depth tutorial***