Following a reboot there is now only one avcap device - I assume udev was getting confused with the udevstart. So now avcctrl works and the capture looks like it working, with the green light on the front flashing while grabbing stuff from /dev/avcap0. But the video is completely black and no sound. I'll try to find another cable to eliminate that, but it's strange there's no video or sound. Here's what I tried :- # avcctrl -v -i -s COMPOSITE -f PAL -t MPEG2 -q BEST 0 lib init AVCCONFInit running retrieve int array string =1,2 got int array rc=0 retrieve int array string =3,4 got int array rc=0 error handler init running aarg DEVOpenDevice - dpath=|/dev/avcap0| DEVOpenDevice - hdev=|0| DEVOpenDevice - hdev=|5346512| avcctrl : initializing to format PAL, type MPEG2 block 01 number 352 read from UX file - 4 sections read read from UX file - 21 sections read setting input to COMPOSITE setting quality to BEST gencmd - type 2b len=10 lenres=2 gencmd result matched lib term Apr 8 07:29:55 jdally AVC2x10K : index 0 opened Apr 8 07:29:55 jdally AVC2x10K: marking stream ready Apr 8 07:29:55 jdally AVC2x10K : sending firmware initialization sequence Apr 8 07:29:55 jdally AVC2x10K : loading RAM firmware Apr 8 07:29:56 jdally AVC2x10K : loading CODEC firmware Apr 8 07:29:58 jdally AVC2x10K : firmware load successful - marking dev init Apr 8 07:29:58 jdally AVC2x10K: marking stream stopped Apr 8 07:29:58 jdally AVC2x10K : gencmd result 2b000000 Apr 8 07:29:58 jdally AVC2x10K : close index 0 Apr 8 07:30:05 jdally AVC2x10K : index 0 opened Apr 8 07:30:06 jdally sending initial buffer block Apr 8 07:30:06 jdally AVC2x10K : waiting for full buffers Apr 8 07:30:07 jdally AVC2x10K : got full buffers and running Apr 8 07:30:27 jdally AVC2x10K : close index 0 Apr 8 07:30:28 jdally AVC2x10K : buffer block is full - initiating stop handler Apr 8 07:30:28 jdally AVC2x10K : state -> DEV_STATE_STOPPING Apr 8 07:30:28 jdally AVC2x10K : stream stop handler entered Apr 8 07:30:28 jdally AVC2x10K : flushing buffers Apr 8 07:30:40 jdally AVC2x10K : index 0 opened Apr 8 07:30:40 jdally sending initial buffer block Apr 8 07:30:40 jdally AVC2x10K : waiting for full buffers Apr 8 07:30:41 jdally AVC2x10K : got full buffers and running Apr 8 07:30:41 jdally AVC2x10K : close index 0 Apr 8 07:30:42 jdally AVC2x10K : buffer block is full - initiating stop handler Apr 8 07:30:42 jdally AVC2x10K : state -> DEV_STATE_STOPPING Apr 8 07:30:42 jdally AVC2x10K : stream stop handler entered Apr 8 07:30:42 jdally AVC2x10K : flushing buffers Apr 8 07:30:56 jdally AVC2x10K : index 0 opened Apr 8 07:30:56 jdally sending initial buffer block Apr 8 07:30:56 jdally AVC2x10K : waiting for full buffers Apr 8 07:30:57 jdally AVC2x10K : got full buffers and running Apr 8 07:31:09 jdally AVC2x10K : close index 0 Apr 8 07:31:09 jdally AVC2x10K : buffer block is full - initiating stop handler Apr 8 07:31:09 jdally AVC2x10K : state -> DEV_STATE_STOPPING Apr 8 07:31:09 jdally AVC2x10K : stream stop handler entered Apr 8 07:31:09 jdally AVC2x10K : flushing buffers $ mplayer /dev/avcap0 MPlayer dev-CVS-060302-14:36-4.1.0-beta20060127 (C) 2000-2006 MPlayer Team CPU: Advanced Micro Devices Athlon 64 Newcastle; Athlon 64 X2 Manchester (Family: 15, Stepping: 1) CPUflags: MMX: 1 MMX2: 1 3DNow: 1 3DNow2: 1 SSE: 1 SSE2: 1 Compiled with runtime CPU detection. 91 audio & 206 video codecs Opening joystick device /dev/input/js0 Can't open joystick device /dev/input/js0: No such file or directory Can't init input joystick Playing /dev/avcap0. MPEG-PS file format detected. VIDEO: MPEG2 720x576 (aspect 2) 25.000 fps 6000.0 kbps (750.0 kbyte/s) ========================================================================== Opening audio decoder: [dvdpcm] Uncompressed DVD/VOB LPCM audio decoder AUDIO: 48000 Hz, 2 ch, s16be, 1536.0 kbit/100.00% (ratio: 192000->192000) Selected audio codec: [dvdpcm] afm: dvdpcm (Uncompressed DVD/VOB LPCM) ========================================================================== ========================================================================== Opening video decoder: [mpegpes] MPEG 1/2 Video passthrough VDec: vo config request - 720 x 576 (preferred colorspace: Mpeg PES) Could not find matching colorspace - retrying with -vf scale... Opening video filter: [scale] The selected video_out device is incompatible with this codec. Try adding the scale filter, e.g. -vf spp,scale instead of -vf spp. VDecoder init failed :( Opening video decoder: [libmpeg2] MPEG 1/2 Video decoder libmpeg2-v0.4.0b Selected video codec: [mpeg12] vfm: libmpeg2 (MPEG-1 or 2 (libmpeg2)) ========================================================================== AO: [oss] 48000Hz 2ch s16be (2 bytes per sample) Starting playback... VDec: vo config request - 720 x 576 (preferred colorspace: Planar YV12) VDec: using Planar YV12 as output csp (no 0) Movie-Aspect is 1.33:1 - prescaling to correct movie aspect. VO: [xv] 720x576 => 768x576 Planar YV12 A: 11.2 V: 2.2 A-V: 9.010 ct: 0.116 34/ 34 10% 1% 851.3% 32 0