In a nutshell, VCD and S-VCD are formats that you can burn on a standard CD Writer, while DVD can only be done on a DVD-writer. Quality, as well as cost, of DVDs is much higher than VCD. SVCD's quality can be similar to DVD, but you only get about 40 minutes on a disc. For a complete list of all the formats and the benefits of each, please click here.

This option is for DVD+RW media only. Following DVD+RW specifications, Ulead's DVD software always needs to format a new disc before any recording can be made. After formatting, the program can read from or write to any sectors just like accessing a hard drive (that's why there is no "erase" function). The DVD disc will be checked if it has previously been formatted. If yes, it'll simply overwrite the previous data. If not, it will start a format operation. The "Format DVD+RW" can also be used, for instance, to attempt to repair bad sectors on a disc. So, check this option if:

1. You encounter burning problem when you burn to a non-blank DVD+RW disc.
2. You just want to re-format the DVD+RW disc every time when you burn new content on it.

(Note: for DVD-RW, the formatting is not required).

Make sure that all your cables are plugged in correctly. Especially with composite video it is easy to swap the audio and video cables by mistake. Generally the video connector is yellow and the audio connectors are red and white. For S-video input you use the 5-pin connector plus the two audio cables. Check in your capture hardware (Mpeg card) settings that you have selected the correct input. Change TV channels to see if you get any signal.

1. Click Capture Settings then select Input Source.
2. Select the appropriate Input source from the drop-down menu.
3. Select the channel you want to capture from then click OK.

Still not getting a TV signal:

1. Click Capture Settings then select Capture Properties.
2. Select TV tuner from the drop-down list then click Properties.
3. Make sure that the input value is correct for your system. Country code is 1 (for U.S.) and Video Standard is NTSC_M (for U.S.). If you are living in Europe, South Africa, Australia, Mainland China, Singapore or Hong Kong the video standard is PAL.
   4. Check if the Tuning mode is TV. You can use the AutoTune feature to simplify channel selection. Click OK.
4. Click OK to close the Capture Properties dialog box.

Before you start capturing, you may need to configure the Field order settings. Depending on your system, you might have to change the Field order setting according to your video record and output format. The field order for PAL video is normally A, and for NTSC it is B, but this can vary according to your capture device. If the field order that you have selected causes your video to flicker in playback, change it to the other option. Do a test with a short video clip with a lot of camera pans and movement.

Field Order Setting:

1. Click Capture Settings then select MPEG Settings.
2. In the MPEG Settings dialog box, click Advanced.
3. At the bottom of the Advanced dialog box, select Field order, then click OK.
   Note: You can test if you have the right field order setting by capturing a video that has 'motion' in it. Motion here is caused by an object moving in front of a camera or when the camera is panning. A wrong field order setting will result in the captured video being shaky or jittery.
4. Close the MPEG Settings dialog box by clicking OK.
   

If the video you captured doesn't have audio, firstly check if all your cables are plugged in correctly. Another reason may be that the recording input device has not been set up properly.

To check the recording device:

1. Go to Control Panel: Sounds and Multimedia - Sound and Multimedia Properties - Audio tab.
2. In the Sound Recording section, click Volume.
3. In the Recording Control dialog box, see if volume slider of the appropriate device has been selected and drag the volume slider of the appropriate device (usually Line-in) to increase the recording volume.

If you still have problems after this, check if your audio device driver has been installed properly.
To check your audio device driver go to Control Panel: System - System Properties - Device Manager - Sound, video and game controllers. If there is a yellow question mark next to any of the drivers, double click on it, and Uninstall it. Reboot your computer to allow it to find your audio device again. It will ask you if you want to install the driver for your device. Say yes, and supply it with the driver disc (CD-ROM or floppy) to do a fresh install.

The recommended system features for MPEG transcoding when capturing video to your computer are:

1. Intel Pentium III 933 MHz or higher
2. 256MB RAM or higher
3. High-speed hard drive (7200rpm)
4. Enough free hard disk space to store temporary system files
5. An IEEE 1394 (Firewire) or other capture device.

Capturing full-motion video is a hard job for a computer. You need to make sure that your system is operating at its best. First check the following:

• Make sure your system meets the Minimum System Requirements.
• Make sure you have enough free space on your hard disk.
• There may be too many applications running simultaneously with DVD MovieFactory 2. It's better to close all background applications before capturing. Disconnect from the internet, press Ctrl+Alt+Del or open Task Manager and shut down virus checkers, media players, and other non-essential software running in the background.
• The hard disk may need to be defragmented. You can run "Disk Defragmenter" from Start: Programs: Accessories: System Tools, or use a third-party defragmenting tool.
• In Display Properties: Screensaver, disable screensavers which can kick in and disrupt the video flow during capture.
• In Display Properties: Screensaver, select Power Settings and change the settings so that your computer does not shut down the monitor or power down hard drives before at least 1 hour.

Also, you might want to apply some more SYSTEM TWEAKS to optimize your computer.