Recording Video with Canopus ADVC-100
 

Hello there:

I am trying to capture some old VHS tapes as well as super 8 movies.
Presently, I am digitizing the VHS tapes via Sony Camcorder, (does not have the pass through option), then I either go AVI and encode, or go directly from the digital tape to DVD via the capture option offered by MC trial version, which works very good. However, because I do not have the pass thru option on my digital camera, I have to save it to minitape and then play it again to capture it. This is not only time consuming, but it is also overworking the Sony unit.
I had a Dazzle unit, but this unit works via USB port, and unfortunately, I do not have USB 2.0, therefore I have to look for the ieee solution.
Anyway, reading some posts, I have found that the Canopus unit is perhaps the best in the market, within its price range. Actually, there is a nice comparison on: http://www.simplydv.co.uk/advc100.html
(Nice site, with lots of reviews)

So the questions for those qho use the Canopus avcd 1- 100 are:

1.- Is Canopus as good as it is protrayed in this article?
2.- Which software are you using with it?
3.- Are you happy with the results?
4.- Would you use a different external capturing device?

Thanks for your replies.

Totonho03

hi tots,

That short answer: Yes.DVIO.Histatic.No

Once you get this device, you'll be satisfied forever (till something better
comes along)

Basically, this device is the end of all:
* frame drops
* video noise (Analog cap cards a proan to this)
* audio sync

Quality.. fantasic for a DV format (and good quality source fed in to it)

Just remember, that if your source is satellite, keep in mind that it's getting
worse in quality. something to do w/ "adding TOO many channels" and the
and "transponder bitrate trick/technique" that is causing poorer quality.
Some channels will come in better than others, while (depending on the
source) will come out worse. All this from the so called great DirecTV.
I can give you plenty of good quality source, pending on channel and time
and source material. But, shows like Nick@Night's Rosanne is crap in some
while ok in others and great in few. Cosby show is like this too. it just all
depends on various factors above and then some :wink:

yea, but don't let that stop you. VHS comes out pretty good w/ this device.
Though, I still prefer the Analog route for this, however. The advc route
usually outweighs the Analog route, given the issues it usually suffers from,
ie frame drops, noise, audio sync etc.

If you're asking is it monies well spent.. the answer is YES. But, it could ues
a lower price tag, imo.

This is one device you will not have an regrets w/ (assuing you go for the
100 model)

Good luck,
-vhelp

what is histatic?

Re: ADVC- 100
 

How did you manage to capture your super 8 movies?

Thank you for your advise vhelp. I will more than likely purchaswe the unit one of this days. I will mostly use it to digitize VHS tapes, however, I see that I can also use the other applications.

@ WOWIEGURL
A long time ago, my kids sent the film to a local film to video transfer place, and they did not do a very good job. I am also looking for video to transfer equipment, and thanks to nicksteel, I found some ideas on e-bay. But that is a different story. Now I am trying to concentrate on capturing VHS tapes. I have borrowed a Sony digital camera that passes through the digital signal to the computer, via firewire, and I will try that as well. I have not decided whether to go from VHS to avi or VHS to Mpeg; and for that purpose I am going to use MC capturing software.

Thanks and regards to both of you.

Totonho

hey tots,

IMO, I would go w/ the VHS to AVI first, then encode to MPEG.

I would recommend this because as you already know, VHS source is a bit
noisy and limited, and that much more difficult to work with than a cleaner
source, of which you can get away w/ some things w/out much notice.

Yeah, unless you mean, stuff you (or was) shot on camera and then was
later on, transfered to VHS. That's another issue too, but still something to
think about when you are ready to plan your VHS conversion.
.
.
And, if you end up choosing VHS to MPEG, you pretty much rule out the
noise factor (eliminating there of, that is) and you would now have a noisy
MPEG, hence your bitrate issues (will be higher) etc. That's why you would
rather do better if your VHS to AVI first, then work out some decent filters
(can check w/ Dialhot and Rendalunit for these.. as they are
pretty good at conjuring up w/ good ones for most sources) :)
And, by going directly to MPEG, you'll have no way of ridding the noise,
unless you re-encode 8O and that's not what you want to do when it comes
to VHS !!

The way I look at it, is like this...
Most people here (there, that is) claim that "being that it's already louzy
quality and all, that it's best to use minimal settings/parameters" but I totally
disagree there. BECAUSE your source is already louzy, you have to opt for
the maximum quality using more elaborate settings/params ie, higher
resolution, and then if you want to go say, SVCD, you lower your params
to that format. I think that especially for lower quality sources like VHS, it
would be wiser to use higher params in your initial conversions :)
.
.
I mean, just because you have no-name brand cake batter, doesn't mean
you have to bake a cheap cake, right ??
You want to bake the best cake you can w/ what you got, providing you have
the acquired skills (or recepies) to obtain as good a tasking cake as that,
which was bought w/ a name-brand cake batter :wink:
Apply this to VHS conversions, and in time, you'll be cooking up some sweet
VHS conversions :)

-vhelp

Hi vhelp:

I thank you once again for your advise. What I would like to go from VHS capture -avi- to DVD, and hopefully, I can use some filters to reduce noise, or at least to maintain the same quality as seeing in the VHSD tape.

Thanks again and will more than likely talk toyou manana....

Totonho03

How do you convert vhs to avi with a dv camcorder? then avi to mpeg? I'm really new at this.

You capture your VHS video to AVI ( NOT DivX :!: ) with a capture board ( WinTV, etc. ), using MJPEG or HuffYUV CODECS. Then you encode your captured AVI to MPEG.
You can use VirtualDub, WinVCR or many other programs to do the actual capture.

-kwag

Can you cenvert the VHS material to AVI after its arrived in the computer,
or must do you it when it is being transferred into the computer?

Thanks

NTSC or PAL? If NTSC, you should be aware of the differences between 4:1:1 and 4:2:0. NTSC DV uses 4:1:1 which means one color for each block of 4 horizontal pixels. This can lead to soem real ugly artifacts on non-natural subjects. CGI and striaght lines cna look like junk, especially if there is high contrast. Reinterpolate411 (AViSynth) and 411Helper (VirtualDub) will help reduce these artifacts.

Still, I find for captures whicha re going to MPEG that it's better to use the ADS Instant DVD 2 to cpature as MPEG2 at a high bitrate. It uses 4:2:0 so the color mode is matched and the artifacts are reduced. I wouldn't do this with a wimpy system, however.

Given you are capturing film, you should probably post-process with some of Donald Graft's filters to remove the flicker.

When I capture VHS, it's always at full D1 and I reduce to 1/2 D1 as the last step of the filtering. That's regardless of NTSC or PAL.

This is an outstanding piece of hardware!! I recently transformed my old VHS tapes with this device.

My setup was just this:

I ran the video from the vcr through a video stabilizer first before it got to the Canopus 100. Audio can go straight into the "100".

I used "DVIO" to capture with on the computer (find this tool in vcdhelp.com)

Also you will need the Panasonic DV codec installed as well, your DV has to be type 2 or TMPGEnc will have problems with it.

It's really as simple as that.

You will need at least a 80 gig HD as the captured source will be several gigs depending on length. I had a seperate HD to capture too.









d

Hi nighthawk:

Thank you for your post. I am still procrastinating, and have not purchased the Csanopus 100 version, and am looking to purchase the 300 version of Canopus (I think it is the 300 version, it is one step up from the 100 but it requires XP).
Again, thank you for your comments regarding this unit.

Regards

Totonho

Also I used the Adaptec 4300 fireconnect for the firewire card and it worked flawlessly.

Got canopus 100.
Just pluged in the dv cable, captured my old VHS and made wonderful DVD in KDVD format 720 x 576.
avisynth,tmpgenc,tmpgegDVD author
I used also the Kawg script for the VHS capture.
Wonderful :lol:

What script is that :?:

:lol:

-kwag

The onw in optimal scripts -> Latest scripts -> Vhs material