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-   -   ATI 600 USB vs. Canopus ADVC capture cards (https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/5399-ati-600-usb.html)

tomswift 09-19-2013 07:50 PM

ATI 600 USB vs. Canopus ADVC capture cards
 
Admin Note: Split from http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/vide...asonic-ag.html
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Quote:

Originally Posted by volksjager (Post 27789)
the 600 is a decent device, just dont use the default settings

With the 600 (or any of the other ATI's), I don't get how you think they are decent devices, especially when, for analog inputs, such as composite and S-Video, they are basically acting like an RF modulator, since the connection on the board is a F-9 connector (so it's converting the S-Video to a composite signal, mixed with the audio, even before it digitizes it)? Not to mention, but DeeSeven said he's using the USB version which is for USB 2.0!


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volksjager 09-19-2013 08:10 PM

i use an AIW card
i have a 600PCI too but dont use it for VHS
but have owned a 600usb in the past and it is a decent card - i just didnt like the clumsy USB card hanging out of my PC.
the site staff here highly recommends ATI cards and they are the best in this business.
USB 2.0 has enough bandwidth for capture - not sure what you issue with that is???

your just stuck on sham canopus DV devices, even though a $20 ATI card is better

tomswift 09-19-2013 08:52 PM

You're trying to say that capturing from a device that converts the video into an analog RF composite video/audio signal, and then digitizes it, is better than capturing from a device that takes analog audio and component video directly from an S-Video connection and seperate audio connection and digitizing it? Not only are you losing quality with the MPEG capture, and it doesn't matter whether the VCR's connected by S-Video or composite, but the video's already lost quality before it has been sent to the digitization circuits!

ATI made good video capturing devices back in the mid-90's for dial-up internet and VideoCD, but their capture devices for modern video have fallen far short of acceptable quality, even for Standard Definition. At $20 you get what you pay for. And I use Canopus because I have found that I get the best quality transfers with it than with these other transfer devices---especially ones that convert S-Video and seperate audio to combined RF composite/audio.

USB 2.0 is not good for video transfers. 3.0, maybe, but not 2.0. 2.0's speed just doesn't allow for the necessary transfer of information, and I've found, leads to a lot of out-of-sync video and audio. I know that the specs say that USB 2.0 is about 80Mbps faster than Firewire400, but even computer professionals (like here at PCWorld: http://www.pcworld.com/article/185415/article.html) admit that Firewire is the better of the two connectors, especially when you need the speed.

volksjager 09-19-2013 09:12 PM

this just never ends...
do you work for canopus? or maybe you are a retailer of their garbage??
the staff here has probably forgotten more than you will ever know and they all recommend ATI cards

OP- you should just ignore Tom

tomswift 09-20-2013 07:17 AM

I don't work or have any connection to Canopus. And it's funny how you completely side-stepped the fact that the 600 brings the video in by RF Composite. From my tests, ATI cards offer the worst quality, unless we are talking about video for dial-up internet and VideoCD.

The ATI's were designed to by capturing devices for programs from analog/digital cable-satellite-OTA. They were never meant for video transfers.

volksjager 09-20-2013 08:19 AM

you just make this crap up
a fountain of mis-information you are
this forum is for people looking to do the job right - which obviously isnt you

fact is your $300+ canoPOS is outclassed by old ATI cards

NJRoadfan 09-20-2013 08:45 AM

The ATI 600 USB has S-Video and composite inputs. It is not just an RF input device.

tomswift 09-20-2013 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by volksjager (Post 27807)
you just make this crap up
a fountain of mis-information you are
this forum is for people looking to do the job right - which obviously isnt you

fact is your $300+ canoPOS is outclassed by old ATI cards

Sorry, but as far as ATI's go, you are the ones with mis-information. The Canopus ADVC-300 provides better quality picture and color than the ATI All In Wonder or the 600 USB. I've done my own tests, and unless I was watching the video through composite, ATI's provided over-cooked and outblown colors over S-Video, Component and HDMI playback. I even changed the settings multiple ways and the ATI's just gave garbage video.

ATI makes great video cards, but their capture cards have been sub-par since 1999. Canopus outclasses ATI in terms of capture quality. Period.

The old saying "You get what you pay for" is true with capturing devices. Pay $20 dollars, you get garbage video. Pay more and you get a lot better video.

volksjager 09-20-2013 09:33 AM

if more money equals better why dont you have a aja Kona or Matrox?
no- it isnt about the money

the recommend ATI cards don't even have component or HDMI - so as usual you have cranial-rectosis

the ATI is superior to anything canocrap has ever put forth.
you are the one with garbage video
i cant believe you run a transfer service.
you should be ashamed to scam your customers of their money for trash DV transfers.

metaleonid 09-20-2013 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomswift (Post 27796)
With the 600 (or any of the other ATI's), I don't get how you think they are decent devices, especially when, for analog inputs, such as composite and S-Video, they are basically acting like an RF modulator, since the connection on the board is a F-9 connector (so it's converting the S-Video to a composite signal, mixed with the audio, even before it digitizes it)? Not to mention, but DeeSeven said he's using the USB version which is for USB 2.0!

What makes you think so? If S-Video is converted to Composite, how come I don't see dot crawls and rainbows on Snell & Wilcox test pattern?

I own both ATI USB 600 (thanks to this group) and ADVC-300. I of course is using ATI USB 600 if I need to archive high quality video losslessly. ADVC-300 would be good for low quality VHS cassettes. Image quality is better on ATI USB 600.

By the way, I just got ATI USB HD 750 which I will review later. I like it better than ATI USB 600.

juhok 09-21-2013 12:42 PM

I have no experience with ATI but I've tested ADVC-55, ADVC-300 and whatnot against cheap and expensive (lossless) capture devices ($100 to $1500) and Canopus loses horribly.

msgohan 09-26-2013 10:49 PM

Wow.
 
2 Attachment(s)
FUD-busting anyone? :eek:

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomswift (Post 27806)
From my tests, ATI cards offer the worst quality

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomswift (Post 27810)
The Canopus ADVC-300 provides better quality picture and color than the ATI All In Wonder or the 600 USB. I've done my own tests

Sorry to catch you in a lie. If you had tested the ATI 600 USB, you would know that it is packaged with a little spaghetti cable that plugs into a port on its side.

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...1&d=1380253086
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/atta...1&d=1380253086

The quotes below are perhaps based on a simple misunderstanding from not seeing full product photos, but to claim that you've compared for yourself?

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomswift (Post 27796)
for analog inputs, such as composite and S-Video, they are basically acting like an RF modulator, since the connection on the board is a F-9 connector (so it's converting the S-Video to a composite signal, mixed with the audio, even before it digitizes it)

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomswift (Post 27799)
You're trying to say that capturing from a device that converts the video into an analog RF composite video/audio signal, and then digitizes it, is better than capturing from a device that takes analog audio and component video directly from an S-Video connection and seperate audio connection and digitizing it?

Quote:

I use Canopus because I have found that I get the best quality transfers with it than with these other transfer devices---especially ones that convert S-Video and seperate audio to combined RF composite/audio.
As for USB...

Quote:

USB 2.0 is not good for video transfers. 3.0, maybe, but not 2.0. 2.0's speed just doesn't allow for the necessary transfer of information, and I've found, leads to a lot of out-of-sync video and audio.
The designed rate is 480Mbps and the effective throughput is 280Mbps. 480i30 at 8-bit 4:2:2 is less than 166Mbps (under 21MB/sec). Audio only adds 190KB/sec. I've done sustained USB 2.0 HDD transfers in the 30-35MB/sec range all the time.

Frame drops and loss of sync really aren't a problem for the other people you see on this site using the 600 USB (providing the source is stable).

admin 09-26-2013 11:40 PM

We do professional work -- working with most consumer tape formats (VHS/S-VHS, Hi8/8mm, DV, MicroMV and others) -- and have a number of ATI products in use here. It's not junk. The Canopus ADVC boxes, unfortunately (and quite sadly, given the price), perform poorly. I'll put an ATI 600 and ATI AIW against a DV box any day. The ATI does lossless, and the hardware is excellent. Done deal, nothing else to say. We only use the best tools, and those are some of the best for this kind of work.

msgohan is 100% correct here. USB2 is fine, etc.

metaleonid, if you have a review of the 750, I'll publish it on the main site if it's thorough and no-BS, like our other reviews. That's a card I'm also curious about.

Matrox cards are mostly good for NLE work.
I forget what the deal with Aja is (search this forum; it's here somewhere). Don't use it, don't need to, don't want to.

Quote:

ATI made good video capturing devices back in the mid-90's for dial-up internet and VideoCD, but their capture devices for modern video have fallen far short of acceptable quality, even for Standard Definition. At $20 you get what you pay for. And I use Canopus because I have found that I get the best quality transfers with it than with these other transfer devices---especially ones that convert S-Video and seperate audio to combined RF composite/audio.
ATI cards were terrible in the 90s. It wasn't until the Radeon series (128 Pro and 7000+ cards) that it was really good. The Theatre chipset was a game changer.

"Modern" video cards are mostly DVR cards, HD NLE cards, and some piddly/fireware USB junk. The days of excellent video cards was 2001-2006, which a few stragglers until 2009 (ATI 600). If you work with tapes -- ANY tapes (pro or consumer!) -- the best cards are at least 5 years old now, if not older. It's a lot like high quality VCRs; new ones are crap.

As stated, the ATI 600 USB doesn't combine as RF. Even a rudimentary glance at the drivers would have showed you that. ;)

Maybe you didn't actually test with an ATI 600, but something else. Because none of that is true.


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