Capturing Video from Broadcast, Cable or Satellite TV

Capturing video from broadcast, cable or satellite television is another way that educationally-meaningful video clips can be acquired. In the example video based on a speech by television journalist, Edward R. Murrow, video clips from several television programs and news broadcasts were used to demonstrate how Murrow’s view of the media in the 1950s is still applicable to today’s audience more than a half a century later.

Example video: Edward R. Murrow



Capturing television broadcasts requires both a hardware and software solution and to illustrate how this video project was created, we will use the OnAir Creator.   


OnAir Creator
$249.00
Available from: AutumnWave Storefront:
http://www.autumnwave.us/product_p/hdtv-creator.htm 

The OnAir Creator connects to a computer via a USB connection and can receive broadcast television signals over the air, or when connected to a cable or satellite television converter box with a coaxial cable. The converter box is used to receive the television signal and tune to a specific station and when that is done, the program can be viewed on the computer and captured. The device comes with its own software that is used to capture either still frames from the show television being broadcast or to record video full-motion video clips.




The software’s interface mimics a VCR or DVD player with buttons that control both recording and playing back video files.

Screen capture from cable television using the OnAir Creator.	High-definition recordings can also be made when used with a high definition source, such as an HD digital cable converter.

When using the OnAir Creator’s software, you can make changes to the quality of the video and audio, as well as select where the recorded video will be saved by clicking on the TV Input tab or the Screen/Sound tab, two of the options that appear in the program’s Options menu.

 
The Options panel in the OnAir Creator software allows you to make changes to the audio and video quality of the clip being recorded.

The process of recording a video segment of a television broadcast is quite simple. When the record button is pressed on the program’s software control panel, green text appears at the top of the screen indicating the date, selected channel and file format of the recording; and a timer is displayed at the bottom of the screen indicating the length of the recording plus how much hard drive space is left on the computer.



The green text at the top and bottom of the video preview displays the date, file type and length of the video being recorded.

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