Canopus DVRex-M1 vs. Canopus ADVC-110? XP instead of Win7?
 

Hello Lordsmurf,

I've been reading allot of your post and they are very informative, thanks for that. I currently purchased a AG-1980, For A FA-800 and a Canopus DVRex-M1 system. I may have my work cut out for me getting the Canopus to work with Windows 7. I don't have all the pieces yet but I may need to build and XP virtual machine in order to get the Canopus drivers to work. There are a few other tricks I can use to make legacy software run on Windows 7 but that will be the last resort. I know it will probably be easier to go with a ADVC-110 and call it a day and forget about the DVRex-M1 but I think the DVRex-M1 is the way to go.

If I cannot get the DVRex-M1 to work on Windows 7 (legacy drivers, etc.), would you recommend I build an older machine, throw on XP and use that instead or should I buy a ADVC-110? Is there a different capture card/box I should look at instead? Your insight would be greatly appreciated.

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For many, many capture cards, Windows XP is simply required. Microsoft changed to much of the audio/video subsystem in Vista and 7 (and now 8). Honestly, for a pure work tool that's not used for the internet (i.e., no virus/malware threats), XP is easier to use, and it can be faster on older systems.

Now, as far as Canopus DV hardware is concerned, it's really old. The ADVC line is from the Pentium III generation, and it shows. You get MUCH better quality by using lossless (i.e., Huffyuv, Lagarith) or uncompressed video. For this reason, I suggest instead the ~2002-2006 ATI All In Wonder cards (ATI AIW), or even the ~2009 ATI 600 USB cards. To me, the Canopus DV boxes are at least a 5th choice, behind other (better) cards. It's just DV compression, which isn't great for VHS. DV is great for shooting, but fairly lousy for transferring VHS videos.

I guess it depends on your precise workflow needs. That was never mentioned.

If you have more questions, ask here. :)