TDK indiCapture VC-2600 UE drivers and insides

I happened across this TDK IndiCapture with driver and software disk today. Curious I took a look inside and at the device drivers.

This comes from around the year 2002-2004 when video capture from camcorders, and later television became popular.

 

The device driver hints that its actually based on a Lumanate / Emuzed / Bali USB device which uses the Broadcom KFir-II hardware compression chip.

TDK 2002

IndiAvIn.inf

HKLM,Software\Sonic\OEM\Capture,"BaliDevice",,%IndiAvIn.DeviceDesc%


;;; ---------------------------- REGISTER EMUZED DIRECTSHOW FILTERS
[EzdFilters.AddReg]
HKLM,Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce,"EzIKfir.ax",,"RunDll32.exe %11%\EzdReg32.dll,RegisterControl %11%\EzIKfir.ax"
HKLM,Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce,"EzdFWrtr.ax",,"RunDll32.exe %11%\EzdReg32.dll,RegisterControl %11%\EzdFWrtr.ax"
HKLM,Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce,"EzdFCtrl.ax",,"RunDll32.exe %11%\EzdReg32.dll,RegisterControl %11%\EzdFCtrl.ax"

;----------------
; Localizable
;----------------
STRING.PINNAME_MPEG_OUT       = "MPEG Out"

IndiAvIn.InstallationDir    = "TDK INDI AV-IN USB Drivers"
IndiAvIn.Provider              = "TDK Electronics Corp."
IndiAvIn.Manufacturer      = "TDK Electronics Corp."
IndiAvIn.DeviceDesc        = "TDK INDI AV-IN USB Device"
IndiAvIn.Crossbar             = "TDK INDI AV-IN USB Crossbar"

The TDK Suite disc is in BIN CUE format but easily converts to .ISO format

It includes ArcSoft ShowBiz 1.2

Since it is designed for Windows XP only with a 32 bit device driver, its probably not of as much interest today, but the KFir-II chipset was often used in Rovi Tivo devices of that day and of fairly good quality.

The Moonsoon capture utility SnappySoft might also work with it.. and since SnappySoft works with many MPEG sources of the day, PowerDirector 8,9,10 may also be a viable capture software.

The primary Video decoder chip was the Thompson / Philips / NXP SAA7115 although the device driver clearly suggests its the SAA7114

;
; SAA7114
;
HKR,SAA7114,"DeviceAddress",0x10001, 42,00,00,00
;HKR,SAA7114,"CrystalFrequencyKHz",0x10001, 24576 ; 24.576
HKR,SAA7114,"CrystalFrequencyKHz",0x10001, 32110 ; 32.11

The SAA7115 also supported "frame locked" audio sampling which suggests it discarded audio samples for which there was no frame data, and thus avoided loosing synchronization between audio and video where frames were lost.

 Versions of the Bali USB appeared as Pinnacle / Avid bundles and as combo video capture and NTSC / PAL TV tuner capture devices.

[IndiAvIn.Device]
%IndiAvIn.DeviceDesc%=IndiAvIn.Install,USB\VID_04BF&PID_0A28

or just

USB VID 04BF PID 0A28

I believe there was a slight update that TDK made available for ShowBiz 1.2 but it was never archived and did not seem related to the device driver.

The design and implementation of the device driver is extremely simple and minimal. and being associated with Luminate / Emuzed it was probably fairly stable.. L & E went on to manufacture and import devices for Dell Computers.. and their selection as a provider probably speaks to their costs, simplicity and stability compared to the competition at the time.

The original MSRP was at the time I think $199 .. there is no equating that to today, in todays dollars even with inflation adjusted figures.. since the whole process of video capture has changed substantially.

Tivo Humax (03-20-2023) DRT800 Pwr Supply, Capacitor List

Replaced the capacitors in the Power Supply with these, proactively, some were swelling, but Tivo Humax DRT800 was still working.

 

This was a lot more capacitors, but they looked in much worse shape than before. Clear signs of bulging and heat stress. Removing the white (charred) stabilizing caulk around the caps holding them or attaching them to the PC board took a lot of effort. I had to use a dental pick like tool to gradually and carefully chip away at the compound.

Finally got it done however. I took a pic of the main filtering capacitor.. but don't have that pic handy right now. This power supply seems common between the DRT800 and DRT400, not entirely certain yet.. I have a DRT400 I plan to proactively re-cap as well.. its caps look even worse than the DRT800. 

Seems the older and further back in time I go with my Tivos the worse off the capacitors are.. most are Capxon or OST.. I'm sticking to mostly replacing with Nippon and Rubycon.

Tivo HD (02-14-2023) TCD652160 Pwr Supply, Capacitor List

Replaced the capacitors in the Power Supply with these, proactively, some were swelling, but Tivo HD was still working. 

Soldering isn't my best skill, but I was slow and careful and got it done. There was a surface mounted capacitor or resistor very close to the through hole for some capacitors, so I might have considered cutting the existing leads and tagging the replacements to the old leads sticking up from the board.. but I desoldered and succeeded at replacing them. I left them standing a little higher than normal away from the board to help with possible cooling by air and heat reflection from the caps to the pc board and back to the caps. I did not use non-corrosive silicone caulk to hold them still.. its kind of expensive, but I did leave them widely separated to keep them from vibrating into each other. I think this is a risk with the heat and cooling cycles and possible physical harmonics, be that fan vibrations, hdd vibrations, or some other vibration from the caps themselves. The electrolytic caps have a fluid between the paste and the wrapped internal planes and expansion and contraction can possibly generate an internal vibration of the cap itself and have adverse side effects if coupled to the pc board or neighboring caps.

The Tivo HD is a Series 3, but there were two or three models in that series, and in the Tivo HD I have apparently there were two different power supplies.

If it helps any my Power supply had the following label on the Input Filter Capacitor

My read is -

Model No: YM-3081A OP AR

3Y Power: CP-1319R2

TiVo P/N: SPWR-00011-000 

These are clearly not related to the Capacitor itself or its value and voltage.

There are other markings on the pc board itself.

Installing Windows 7 and updating in 2023

 

I had to install Windows 7 to support some older capture hardware with drivers and editing software that only worked under Windows 7, no Windows 8 and no Windows 10.

I got a few unfamiliar errors.

The first was I mistakenly used a Windows 7 (no Service Pack) install ISO image and then when I tried to install Windows Updates I had saved manually.. I got one to install and then all subsequent said "Not applicable to your version of Windows)

You have to install with a Windows 7 with SP1 slipstreamed ISO to succeed at Updating it with saved Updates.

So Windows updates meant for Windows 7 with SP1 , barely, or will not work with Windows 7 with no SP1 installed.

Same thing happens if you use a Windows 7 32 bit ISO and not the Windows 7 64 bit ISO, but that's easier to recognize.. I think it might have even a more specific error message hinting at the architecture not being right.

Then once you are installing the Windows Updates there are several critical de-marcations that really should have been Service Packs.. but since the culture had changed they couldn't use old terminology.

01 - 2015 April Servicing Stack Update 

- windows6.1-KB3020369-x64

02 - 2016 April convenience-rollup (Windows 7 Service Pack 2)

- windows6.1-kb3125574-v4-x64

03 - 2016 July and August Update Rollup

- windows6.1-KB3172605-x64

- windows6.1-KB3179573-x64

04 - 2019 March Servicing Stack Update and SHA 2 update

- windows6.1-kb4490628-x64

- windows6.1-kb4474419-v3-x64

After all of this.. amazingly.. Online Activation "works"

Until now I had to activate using the phone app.. but apparently its a matter of certificates and algorithms for online communications.

There are other Updates, but for various reasons.. you might want to not install them since they start monitoring or nagging the user about Updating to Windows 10 or later.

You also need to consider using this for "a specific purpose" rather than "general purpose" since it will be less secure than other operating systems and no longer receives security updates.

Origin of the name Ty Files

Tivo Ty Files were an exported version of the database oriented FSID files from an early version of the Tivo operating system. This is purely speculation.. but

T could stand for Tivo

Y could stand for 'Yellow Dog Linux'

Early versions of the Tivo recording box were based on the IBM PowerPC PPC cpu.

A version of Linux compiled for the PowerPC cpu was called 'Yellow Dog Linux' which is where the fancier YUM command later used in RedHat Linux came from. Its was more the Package manager to the package format, as APT was to the debian dpkg file relationships.

Anyhoo.. that the original Tivo operating system probably had some similarities or origins to the Yellow Dog Linux, might explain the inclusion of the letter 'y' in the name.

And since the FSID objects in the storage system were a type of non-file, file which held an entire recording, calling them Ty files .. might make a nice play on words or 'pun' attractive to program writers at the time.

Setting up Airpods Pro on Windows 7 - eliminating Yellow Exclaimation Cones Error 28

Airpods Pro are nice, and will pair with a Bluetooth Adapter on Windows 7, however there will be one Unidentified Bluetooth Device

BTHENUM\{74ec2172-0bad-4d01-8f77-997b2be0722a}_VID&0001004c_PID&200e

Checking the device manager under Other devices will have an unmatched device for which there is no driver and Error 28

I do not know if this is proper, its based on 

Airpods windows 7 conection error "Bluetooth Peripheral Device Driver Not Found"

Basically (this does work).

You have to find a source for the install package, for 32 bit or 64 bit Windows 7 for;

"Windows Mobile-based device support"

1. Install that

2. Then find that device and right click to update its device driver

3. Choose to navigate the Local system device drivers and wait for a complete list to compile

4. Scroll down to "Microsoft Corporation" and ignore the other surrounding "Microsoft" collections

5. Find "Windows Mobile-based device support" and choose that one to install for this device. Click on dismiss to continue to install it no matter what the warnings.

It will install a new service under the Device Manager : Bluetooth Radios, with no error or warning cones.

And it will decorate the "Devices and printers" object (for me); "John's AirPods Pro Properties" in the Hardware tab

With a new Device Function - Windows Mobile-based device support

And the Airpods Icon in "Devices and printers" will no longer have a Yellow Cone, and "Device Manager" will no longer have an un-associated device with no device driver.

The Key thing is the "Windows Mobile-based device support 6.1" which has been de-supported and Microsoft has removed the download install packages from its home websites. This was the replacement in Windows Vista for ActiveSync for Mobile devices like iPods, iPads, iPhones, Windows Mobile devices and Android devices. (2007)

The final install packages are archived all over the Internet.

EDIUS - AJA, Blackmagic, Matrox, Canopus/Grass Valley. DV, HDV

Getting a copy of EDIUS is expensive and rather hard for the older versions. Being as its basically from Japan and I understand it I can understand there would be some challenges.

But I kind of like it.

I have EDIUS Pro 6.5, following the "Pro" model - this includes a software waveform and vectorscope feature. The non-Pro version effectively leaves that feature out among other things.

Its got a fast, snappy response and a proxy system for pre-render that speeds up the editing process on lower powered machines.

But what really makes it interesting for me, is that EDIUS seems to work well with AJA Kona, Blackmagic Intensity Shuttles, Express USB3.0 and Thunderbolt devices, and the entire line of Canopus capture devices.

There are some quirks depending on the device, some only play sound in preview, while capturing, some don't at all.. but by the time of this type of software, it was more common to also output the incoming signals through a second set of jacks to an analog monitor setup like an LCD monitor or TV and speakers or headsets.

EDIUS 7 was the last version to support Matrox mini and MXO2 hardware, but I think that may be because either Matrox desupported them, or because of the lack of 64 bit device drivers for some older gear. Its seems Adobe Premiere Pro went through something similar between CS 4 and CS5.5 where CS5.5 was 64 bit only and offered a gratius copy of CS4 for 32 bit operating systems.

EDIUS 10 (X) is available for Windows 10 and Windows 11, but I am not sure if it retains the ability to support older capture gear.