Canopus ADVC 100 Converter ?

808state · 21st March 2003, 07:52

Can anyone comment on the quality that the Canopus ADVC converter can produce from VHS or Digital Satellite?

To my understanding both the ADVC 100 & the ADVC 500 use the proprietary DV codec from Canopus. Will this mean that the converters resolution/bitrate will be locked? What is the bitrate that the DV codec uses, and dose Canopus use a standard or non-standard bitrate?

I would love to see some motion samples or screen shots!

TIA

Malow · 21st March 2003, 08:35

i have one advc100 on my old pc, and are really amazing.

about quality, a like more the advc100 than a matrox rt2500,
the image are sharp, good look, and i belive it has a better dv codec, because analog capture in advc100 looks better than a rt2500
(2500 make some blocks in some colors, and in advc100 a dont see)

the resolution will be allways 720x480, i donth now if some app can lower the resolution on capture or etc (i belive ho some mpeg2 capture programs can reduce the size) but, i allways capture in dv, so, nobody will want to change resolution.

the datarate of video will be allways the same, all codecs compress in the same ratio, except dvpro50.

the ratio are 8.6 : 1, 3.515Mb/s (i belive any 30-40g 5400 rpm can capture) 120000 bites the frame size.

is veeery compatible whith capture apps, are good capture programs and are simple to use... and have demacrovision too

a love it, more than any other capture board or equipment.
works, y may see the vcdhelp site, all people talk good things about it.

some pics using analog capture from a ag-dvc15 camera and a trailler from a dvd player. (jpg at higest quality)

www.malow.kit.net

Swan · 22nd March 2003, 22:40

I've had my Canopus ADVC-100 since January and I am more than pleased with it. I have previously used BT878-cards.

The quality on the captured files from the ADVC is great, the locked audio feature is a dream. Capturing has never been easier, editing has never been easier. If you get one you will not have any audio/video desync issues!

I am a meticulous person and I didn't think I'd ever find a capturing device that fit my demands to 100%, but the ADVC-100 is nearly there.
I'd say I'm 95% happy with it.

The only two negatives I can say about it is that:
A. There is no way to regulate the audio levels when "capturing" (tranferring data from the ADVC to the HD) and for me, capturing from satellite (DVB), the levels are always too low for my taste.
B. It has problems with some old VHS tapes. It can skip frames sometimes if the sync pulses on the tape is messed up.

The resolution is always 720 x 576 for PAL and 720 x 480 for NTSC.
This is because the Canopus is a DV25 (consumer DV) device and the consumer DV specification only contains those two resolutions.

But! Using for example Ulead DVD Workshop, DVD Moviefactory or VideoStudio enables you to capture to Mpeg-1 and Mpeg-2 on the fly.
These softwares can also downsize to 352 x 280 (PAL) or 352 x 240 (NTSC) so you can capture directly to VCD, if you like. The SVCD resolution presets does not work, though.
But it's always better to capture to Mpeg-2 using the DVD presets in Ulead's software and burn this directly to DVD (if you are short on HD space or just in a hurry) or as full resolution Avi DV and then convert this to whatever end format you desire, than to resize during capturing.

I whole-heartedly recommend any of the devices in the ADVC series.
Both for quality of the captured files, the locked audio feature and for the ease with which the captured Avi DV-files can be edited and converted to lossier formats (Mpeg-2, etc).

I have a short test image transmission you can look at if you like (about 3.2MB):
http://w1.837.telia.com/~u83704103/1..._testimage.avi
Plus one frame from a test image:
http://w1.837.telia.com/~u83704103/1...us_1_frame.avi

The source is satellite DVB.
I can upload another short avi-file with different type of image content, you like. Personally, I think a test image is the best thing for judging quality.

/Maria

808state · 23rd March 2003, 01:26

Malow

Thanks for the reply; your URL is not loading though…I would love a look at the clip!

Thanks

Swan

Wow…the test pattern clips look gorgeous!!! You have any actual footage from Pay-Per View or Premium Movie Channel? I would also love to see some VHS content!

I am seriously considering buying the ADVC-500 in the near future. You know if this unit uses the same converter as the ADVC-100? To my understanding they have the same internal goods with the addition of Component in, Balanced Audio and a few other controls.

I recently did some testing with a Sonic Blue ReplayTV that turned out very well but felt that I was to limited as far as tweaking video colors and such during the cap.

If you have a FTP and broadband I would love to see some longer raw clips capped from the ADVC-100!

Thanks so much for the help!

My E-Mail 808State@beer.com

ScrollLock · 23rd March 2003, 08:59

Hi!

Count me in as someone who is very happy with the Canopus ADVC100.

I have tried many capture solutions (various BT878 cards, MSI TV@nywhere, Lifeview Flyvideo 3000) but have returned using the ADVC100.
It is so much easier on the long-run than the PCI capture cards: No software/driver troubles; no dropped frames; very low CPU power for recording. Only drawback is the required disk-space: with 13GB per hour even a 80GB HDD gets filled quickly.

I have modified the DVApp sample application from Microsoft to allow capturing via the task scheduler, and some Perl-script to compress the 25Mbps down to some reasonable size with XviD.

I have a 2 sample captures on-line, as part of the thread "DV decoder differences" in the DV forum.
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33526
The source is [crappy, noisy] analogue cable TV (composite video from set-top-box), PAL, Singapore.

just 2 worthless cents, ScrollLock

Swan · 23rd March 2003, 18:39

@808state

Quote:

Wow…the test pattern clips look gorgeous!!! You have any actual footage from Pay-Per View or Premium Movie Channel? I would also love to see some VHS content!

I can only upload max 10 MB on my web space and I don't have an FTP.
But I've got ADSL, so I don't mind uploading larger files, if you have an FTP. Send me a PM if that is the case. I can upload 2 files of 3.5 MB or similar from a Movie Channel and VHS to my web space, if you like.

Quote:

I am seriously considering buying the ADVC-500 in the near future. You know if this unit uses the same converter as the ADVC-100? To my understanding they have the same internal goods with the addition of Component in, Balanced Audio and a few other controls.

The ADVC-500 must be brand new, I don't think it was not available when I bought the ADVC-100 in December last year. It looks *great*, even has the feature I lack on the ADVC-100, with audio peak level meters. WOW!

I'll download the pdf and see if the levels can be adjusted too.
If that is the case, I have to start saving up...
It looks so nice I want one.. Right now!

But... $1499.00.. That is juicy price!

The ADVC-100 at $299.00 doesn't offer many knobs to turn and twist. In fact, if you want to adjust anything before or during capture, like hue and sharpness, you have to get the ADVC-500.

The ADVC (consumer) series is made up of three devices and they are exactly the same, uses the same compression and resolution, and they all give you the locked audio feature. The only differences between them are that the ADVC-100 is an external box which you in addition to capture from, also can export video through, out to a VHS VCR or a video camera.
The ADVC-50 is a PCI card and does not have firewire (1394 Open Host Controller Interface), so you need a firewire port in your computer to use it, whereas the ADVC-1394, also PCI, has firewire built-in. The 500 is clearly for pro usage. If it uses the same compression as the other ones, I'm not sure. The ADVC forum can answer that, they have very knowledgeable moderatorns there and many skilled users too.

@ScrollLock
Thank you for the rundown of DV codecs. I read it when I got the ADVC and it helped me select a codec. It's a very good sticky.
I am using the Panasonic codec, btw.
Have you been able to have both MainConcept's and Panasonic's installed at the same time, and switching between them?

Another oddity I'd like to know if you understand.. Because I don't.

I wanted to test Procoder (which came with the ADVC).
I created an avs-script with a few things in it, (fade in and out). Procoder did not want to open av avs. So I fed the avs to VFApi and created a fake avi. Procoder opened this and encoded it.
But the finished Mpeg-2 file was much, much darker than the original avi. In the avs, I did not use "Directshowsource", so the Panasonic codec should have been what decoded the file, right?

Panasonic's DV codec operates in RGB and VFAPi too, so why did the file become so dark?
When I give Procoder an avi, it uses Microsofts decoder and I don't want that, because of the chroma upsampling bug you mention in the sticky. But the final file has correct brightness when Procoder uses the default DV codec, which is MS's.

/Maria

808state · 23rd March 2003, 22:51

Swan

Yep the 500 looks awesome as far as features are concerned. Here is an online vendor I found on www.pricewatch.com that has it for $1350 http://www.shopharmony.com/secure/pr...mID=CNPADVC500 I also found a few of them on E-Bay for around the same price!

You have ICQ or AIM maybe you can up me some clips through one of them. I also don¡¦t have a FTP

Thanks for the help

ScrollLock

Thanks for the good info, I will have to re-read it a few times to fully grasp what's going on...I am new to the DV codec

Swan · 24th March 2003, 00:40

@808state
The main question I have is if the ADVC-500 isn't overkill for my (and as it sounds, your) purposes: capturing from DVB and VHS. It is after all, pro equipment and has a price tag that shows this clearly.

I'm going to buy an external audio mixer with good LED indicators on, so I can adjust the audio levels to my liking before capturing.
I am getting about -12 DB as it is now from the satellite DVB receiver.
The ADVC-500 has many pro features which I probably don't need, and maybe you don't either. I will read up on the 500 before thinking about replacing the ADVC-100, that's for sure.

I don't wish to use ICQ or AIM, but I can upload short clips on my web space, if you like.

/Maria

808state · 24th March 2003, 02:27

Swan

In regards to your statement about whether or not I need a professional solution, I am planning on charging money for my video editing. In fact I have a local amateur dance studio that is willing to pay big money *Up front* for authored DVD’S and cassettes on a regular basis all year round. I’m not afraid to spend a little more money on entry level professional gear; because I will have it for years and hopefully it will pay for itself many times over.

A Mixing board sounds like a groovy idea for the audio peaks…I had an old *Radio Shack* one I paid $70 new that would work perfectly!

If you could post some clips on your web site I would be grateful!

Swan · 25th March 2003, 11:38

808state,
If the device would pay for itself, then I would not hesitate to buy the ADVC-500 either. At least it's a good excuse to get one.

The thing that scared me a bit is that it looked to me as if it comes with Windows software to control settings on the device. One of the best things with the 100 (and the 50 and 384) is that no special proprietary software is needed, no special drivers, so it just worked, virtually right out of the box. I really like that, after having struggled with various drivers and "TV-card"-capturing solutions until my hair turned grey.

I have uploaded two short clips for you, one from a store-bought VHS tape (transferred via s-video), and one from a satellite DVB movie channel (also s-video).
Here they are:
http://w1.837.telia.com/~u83704167/canopus/

Sorry that they're so short, but it's the best I could do with the limited space from my ISP. Hope you have some use of them anyway.
If you want longer clips, PM me and we can work out how to send you avi DV samples from the ADVC-100 on CD-R via snail mail.

/Maria

25th March 2003, 13:28

Hi all

i am considering buy an advc-100 (or a vidac card, or a hauppauge vpr 350

) , after reading all comments here and on dvdrhelp.com.

But i have a doubt.

I primary will use advc100 for tv analog capture (PAL format).

Can i capture and at the same time, with other capture software, converting in mpeg1/2 ? ( on a p-iv 2.6ghz) or avi codec (with virtual dub) ? The cpu stressing is too much ?

The dv1 format is interlaced ? ( i think yes ...)

thanks all
BTW : what pvr's card ( hardware mpeg or not) you will buy with 350€ (or 350 $) ?

andres

Swan · 25th March 2003, 14:30

@majerle

Quote:

Can i capture and at the same time, with other capture software, converting in mpeg1/2 ? ( on a p-iv 2.6ghz) or avi codec (with virtual dub) ? The cpu stressing is too much ?

There is a difference between "capturing" as one does with a "TV-card", the often BT878 based cards, and the ADVC's.
With a BT878 card, it's the capturing software that compresses the video, for example in VirtualDub, you select to capture in avi-format with Mjpeg compression. This means that your computer (cpu, etc) is busy, as it has to take care of the transfer of the incoming video to your hard drive and compress the video with Mjpeg, HuffYuv or whatever you use. If you capture to Mpeg-2 (real-time Mpeg-2 encoding), the cpu has to work really hard. Real time Mpeg-2 capturing takes a lot of power, you need a fast computer for it.

To "capture" with the ADVC takes much less power (needs a less powerful computer). Because it's not a "capture" in the sense we often use the word here in the forum. It's a "transfer of video to the harddrive". With the ADVC, the compression is done *inside the ADVC* and the video is then simply transferred to the hard drive via Firewire. The capturing software is what decides what format the final video will be in (type-1 or type-2 avi).
One can also compress the already DV-compressed video from the ADVC to Mpeg-1 or Mpeg-2 in real time, with software like VideoStudio, Moviefactory, etc, from Ulead. But what comes out, straight from the ADVC is DV-compressed video.

The cpu-heavy process of compressing the video is not done by software, it's done in hardware, inside the ADVC.
Your computer sounds powerful enough to be able to "capture" video from the ADVC with real-time Mpeg-compression, if that's what you want.

You can't use VirtualDub, because it doesn't work with Firewire devices. I have not seen any capturing software for DV devices that write down any other files but avi (type-1 or type-2) or Mpeg-1 and Mpeg-2 to the HD. And I wouldn't want one either. The best thing is to transfer the video from the ADVC as Type-2 OpenDML avi, then editing can be done in VirtualDub (provided one has a a VFW DV codec installed) and exported to your preferred end format. Second best is capturing with Ulead's software with the DVD quality presets.

Yes, if the video you are capturing is interlaced, then the file you get from the ADVC is interlaced too.

25th March 2003, 15:13

Thanks a lot Swan !

I have understud but a have few questions unanswered:

may be a stupid question : how is comparable the dv quality with mpeg 2 (say a near dvd quality (4 Mbit/s)) ?
and is dv format good for tv capture in your opinion ?
another one : how much space require dv format for 1 hour of movie ?

fell free to put links your answer.

Thanks again

Andres

Swan · 25th March 2003, 21:50

Quote:

how is comparable the dv quality with mpeg 2 (say a near dvd quality (4 Mbit/s)) ?

The quality of a DV file from the ADVC is much, much, much better than anything else I have seen on "home captures" from broadcasts. It's hard to answer this, majerle, because in my view it is not fair to compare the DV material from the ADVC with a Hollywood DVD.
A professional DVD is made from the finest raw material (film), edited, processed and encoded with professional equipment and is something a "regular" person as myself can not have access to.
The source I have is DVB, which is already Mpeg-2 compressed, so there's blocking it the material I get even before the video is DV-compressed in the Canopus. I don't have the best raw material, which the DVD Studios have. But, in my view, the picture quality on the DV-files I get from the Canopus is the best I've ever seen and I can't (at this stage of my personal "video evolution") wish for anything more. When I output the TMPGEnc encoded Mpeg-2 files I have made from the DV material via TV-out, I can hardly tell the difference from the live broadcast. The picture quality on files captured with the ADVC is stunning. It has been compressed three times before I am through with it; first Mpeg-2 (DVB); then DV, then Mpeg-2 again. Even so, it looks great. So, in my view, you don't have to be concerned that the picture quality on the files from the ADVC-100 won't satisfy you.

Quote:

and is dv format good for tv capture in your opinion ?

Yes. It's excellent. Picture quality is excellent, the audio is always in sync with the ADVC and the files are dead easy to edit and encode to another format, like DivX, Xvid, Mpeg, etc. If you are looking for an easy capturing solution that gives great results with little effort, the ADVC devices is for you.
The only downfall with capturing in avi DV format is the file size. I get about 13 Gigabytes per hour, so you need two hard drives if you want to record some marathon event from TV. Or, you can capture to high-quality Mpeg-2 with Ulead's software, if a minium of file sizes is a high priority for you.

I usually do this:
Capture in avi DV when I want to create an SVCD or DVD and image quality and audio quality is the most important factor.
I capture in Mpeg-2 with Ulead MovieFactory's DVD Preset (PAL DVD VBR 8000 kbps/s) when I want to watch the file via TV-out and then throw it away. I use the PC as a VCR and have been doing so for quite a while. The files from Moviefactory can also be burned directly on a DVD disc and in my view, after testing it on several occasions, it can also be encoded to SVCD with sufficient quality in the end. The combined quality from Ulead's Mpeg-2 encoding and the ADVC's DV compression is *that good*.

^^-+I4004+-^^ · 25th March 2003, 23:25

>But, in my view, the picture quality on the DV-files I get from the Canopus is the best I've ever

better than bt8x8+huffyuv?
(you naughty,naughty swan...heheh)

26th March 2003, 07:44

@Swan

A big thanks !

You are truly kind and exaustive.

Andres

Ookami · 31st March 2003, 15:25

I didn't read all the comments, so bare with me if this has been already said.

I own the ADVC-100 so I'll add one very important thing that is not noticed or mentioned many times.

If you plan to capture VHS tapes (especially those with bad signals) you should either have a good VCR with a good TBC, or even better, buy a external TBC as the ADVC-100 has quite some problems with bad signals. But, with a normal GPU, you'll have also problems, but the ADVC stutters primarly in the audio, the capture programs that you use with the "normal" GPUs tend to drop frames...

@ScrollLock

Would you like to share your tweaked program with the other Canopus ADVC users? I don't even have time to convert all my capture stuff, so I, sadly, didn't even searched for the timed capture possibilities with this device

.

Cheers,

Mijo.

yg1968 · 31st March 2003, 17:07

This is a bit off the topic. But if you are willing to spend a little more, you can get a digital camcorder with a passthrough feature (many Sony or Canon digital camcorders have this feature). The passthrough feature is essentially equivalent to having the Canopus ADVC-100.

Entropy512 · 31st March 2003, 17:28

Quote:

Originally posted by Ookami

If you plan to capture VHS tapes (especially those with bad signals) you should either have a good VCR with a good TBC, or even better, buy a external TBC as the ADVC-100 has quite some problems with bad signals. But, with a normal GPU, you'll have also problems, but the ADVC stutters primarly in the audio, the capture programs that you use with the "normal" GPUs tend to drop frames...

THANK YOU. I was going to ask if anyone knew how well the ADVC-100 performed on "old" VHS tapes. (i.e. if it appeared to have a TBC). Now I have the answer. Looks like I might have to get an ADVC-100 AND a TBC for backing up old home videos.

^^-+I4004+-^^ · 1st April 2003, 02:11

would you like some screenshots to see how much noise
bt8x8 can capture with btwncap drivers.....

i tell ya.......

btw. would this be your first capture device?

>This is a bit off the topic. But if you are willing to spend a little more, you can get a digital camcorder with a passthrough feature (many Sony or Canon digital camcorders have this feature). The passthrough feature is essentially equivalent to having the Canopus ADVC-100.

this is true....
you pay as for advc100 + tbc and you get video camera as an
extra.....heheh
i would take dv+tbc+camera in one device,how bout you?

21st March 2003, 07:52	#1 \| Link
808state Registered User Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 71	Canopus ADVC 100 Converter ? Can anyone comment on the quality that the Canopus ADVC converter can produce from VHS or Digital Satellite? To my understanding both the ADVC 100 & the ADVC 500 use the proprietary DV codec from Canopus. Will this mean that the converters resolution/bitrate will be locked? What is the bitrate that the DV codec uses, and dose Canopus use a standard or non-standard bitrate? I would love to see some motion samples or screen shots! TIA

23rd March 2003, 01:26	#4 \| Link
808state Registered User Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 71	Malow Thanks for the reply; your URL is not loading though…I would love a look at the clip! Thanks Swan Wow…the test pattern clips look gorgeous!!! You have any actual footage from Pay-Per View or Premium Movie Channel? I would also love to see some VHS content! I am seriously considering buying the ADVC-500 in the near future. You know if this unit uses the same converter as the ADVC-100? To my understanding they have the same internal goods with the addition of Component in, Balanced Audio and a few other controls. I recently did some testing with a Sonic Blue ReplayTV that turned out very well but felt that I was to limited as far as tweaking video colors and such during the cap. If you have a FTP and broadband I would love to see some longer raw clips capped from the ADVC-100! Thanks so much for the help! My E-Mail 808State@beer.com Last edited by 808state; 23rd March 2003 at 01:49.

23rd March 2003, 08:59	#5 \| Link
ScrollLock Registered User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 9	Re: Canopus ADVC 100 Converter ? Hi! Count me in as someone who is very happy with the Canopus ADVC100. I have tried many capture solutions (various BT878 cards, MSI TV@nywhere, Lifeview Flyvideo 3000) but have returned using the ADVC100. It is so much easier on the long-run than the PCI capture cards: No software/driver troubles; no dropped frames; very low CPU power for recording. Only drawback is the required disk-space: with 13GB per hour even a 80GB HDD gets filled quickly. I have modified the DVApp sample application from Microsoft to allow capturing via the task scheduler, and some Perl-script to compress the 25Mbps down to some reasonable size with XviD. I have a 2 sample captures on-line, as part of the thread "DV decoder differences" in the DV forum. http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33526 The source is [crappy, noisy] analogue cable TV (composite video from set-top-box), PAL, Singapore. just 2 worthless cents, ScrollLock

23rd March 2003, 22:51	#7 \| Link
808state Registered User Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 71	Swan Yep the 500 looks awesome as far as features are concerned. Here is an online vendor I found on www.pricewatch.com that has it for $1350 http://www.shopharmony.com/secure/pr...mID=CNPADVC500 I also found a few of them on E-Bay for around the same price! You have ICQ or AIM maybe you can up me some clips through one of them. I also don¡¦t have a FTP Thanks for the help ScrollLock Thanks for the good info, I will have to re-read it a few times to fully grasp what's going on...I am new to the DV codec Last edited by 808state; 23rd March 2003 at 22:56.

24th March 2003, 02:27	#9 \| Link
808state Registered User Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 71	Swan In regards to your statement about whether or not I need a professional solution, I am planning on charging money for my video editing. In fact I have a local amateur dance studio that is willing to pay big money Up front for authored DVD’S and cassettes on a regular basis all year round. I’m not afraid to spend a little more money on entry level professional gear; because I will have it for years and hopefully it will pay for itself many times over. A Mixing board sounds like a groovy idea for the audio peaks…I had an old Radio Shack one I paid $70 new that would work perfectly! If you could post some clips on your web site I would be grateful! Last edited by 808state; 24th March 2003 at 02:31.

21st March 2003, 08:35	#2 \| Link
Malow In bytes we trust Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Torres Beach, Brazil Posts: 266	i have one advc100 on my old pc, and are really amazing. about quality, a like more the advc100 than a matrox rt2500, the image are sharp, good look, and i belive it has a better dv codec, because analog capture in advc100 looks better than a rt2500 (2500 make some blocks in some colors, and in advc100 a dont see) the resolution will be allways 720x480, i donth now if some app can lower the resolution on capture or etc (i belive ho some mpeg2 capture programs can reduce the size) but, i allways capture in dv, so, nobody will want to change resolution. the datarate of video will be allways the same, all codecs compress in the same ratio, except dvpro50. the ratio are 8.6 : 1, 3.515Mb/s (i belive any 30-40g 5400 rpm can capture) 120000 bites the frame size. is veeery compatible whith capture apps, are good capture programs and are simple to use... and have demacrovision too a love it, more than any other capture board or equipment. works, y may see the vcdhelp site, all people talk good things about it. some pics using analog capture from a ag-dvc15 camera and a trailler from a dvd player. (jpg at higest quality) www.malow.kit.net

22nd March 2003, 22:40	#3 \| Link
Swan It's more fun to compute Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Scandinavia Posts: 536	I've had my Canopus ADVC-100 since January and I am more than pleased with it. I have previously used BT878-cards. The quality on the captured files from the ADVC is great, the locked audio feature is a dream. Capturing has never been easier, editing has never been easier. If you get one you will not have any audio/video desync issues! I am a meticulous person and I didn't think I'd ever find a capturing device that fit my demands to 100%, but the ADVC-100 is nearly there. I'd say I'm 95% happy with it. The only two negatives I can say about it is that: A. There is no way to regulate the audio levels when "capturing" (tranferring data from the ADVC to the HD) and for me, capturing from satellite (DVB), the levels are always too low for my taste. B. It has problems with some old VHS tapes. It can skip frames sometimes if the sync pulses on the tape is messed up. The resolution is always 720 x 576 for PAL and 720 x 480 for NTSC. This is because the Canopus is a DV25 (consumer DV) device and the consumer DV specification only contains those two resolutions. But! Using for example Ulead DVD Workshop, DVD Moviefactory or VideoStudio enables you to capture to Mpeg-1 and Mpeg-2 on the fly. These softwares can also downsize to 352 x 280 (PAL) or 352 x 240 (NTSC) so you can capture directly to VCD, if you like. The SVCD resolution presets does not work, though. But it's always better to capture to Mpeg-2 using the DVD presets in Ulead's software and burn this directly to DVD (if you are short on HD space or just in a hurry) or as full resolution Avi DV and then convert this to whatever end format you desire, than to resize during capturing. I whole-heartedly recommend any of the devices in the ADVC series. Both for quality of the captured files, the locked audio feature and for the ease with which the captured Avi DV-files can be edited and converted to lossier formats (Mpeg-2, etc). I have a short test image transmission you can look at if you like (about 3.2MB): http://w1.837.telia.com/~u83704103/1..._testimage.avi Plus one frame from a test image: http://w1.837.telia.com/~u83704103/1...us_1_frame.avi The source is satellite DVB. I can upload another short avi-file with different type of image content, you like. Personally, I think a test image is the best thing for judging quality. /Maria

24th March 2003, 00:40	#8 \| Link
Swan It's more fun to compute Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Scandinavia Posts: 536	@808state The main question I have is if the ADVC-500 isn't overkill for my (and as it sounds, your) purposes: capturing from DVB and VHS. It is after all, pro equipment and has a price tag that shows this clearly. I'm going to buy an external audio mixer with good LED indicators on, so I can adjust the audio levels to my liking before capturing. I am getting about -12 DB as it is now from the satellite DVB receiver. The ADVC-500 has many pro features which I probably don't need, and maybe you don't either. I will read up on the 500 before thinking about replacing the ADVC-100, that's for sure. I don't wish to use ICQ or AIM, but I can upload short clips on my web space, if you like. /Maria

25th March 2003, 11:38	#10 \| Link
Swan It's more fun to compute Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Scandinavia Posts: 536	808state, If the device would pay for itself, then I would not hesitate to buy the ADVC-500 either. At least it's a good excuse to get one. The thing that scared me a bit is that it looked to me as if it comes with Windows software to control settings on the device. One of the best things with the 100 (and the 50 and 384) is that no special proprietary software is needed, no special drivers, so it just worked, virtually right out of the box. I really like that, after having struggled with various drivers and "TV-card"-capturing solutions until my hair turned grey. I have uploaded two short clips for you, one from a store-bought VHS tape (transferred via s-video), and one from a satellite DVB movie channel (also s-video). Here they are: http://w1.837.telia.com/~u83704167/canopus/ Sorry that they're so short, but it's the best I could do with the limited space from my ISP. Hope you have some use of them anyway. If you want longer clips, PM me and we can work out how to send you avi DV samples from the ADVC-100 on CD-R via snail mail. /Maria

25th March 2003, 13:28	#11 \| Link
majerle Guest Posts: n/a	Hi all i am considering buy an advc-100 (or a vidac card, or a hauppauge vpr 350 ) , after reading all comments here and on dvdrhelp.com. But i have a doubt. I primary will use advc100 for tv analog capture (PAL format). Can i capture and at the same time, with other capture software, converting in mpeg1/2 ? ( on a p-iv 2.6ghz) or avi codec (with virtual dub) ? The cpu stressing is too much ? The dv1 format is interlaced ? ( i think yes ...) thanks all BTW : what pvr's card ( hardware mpeg or not) you will buy with 350€ (or 350 $) ? andres

25th March 2003, 15:13	#13 \| Link
majerle Guest Posts: n/a	Thanks a lot Swan ! I have understud but a have few questions unanswered: may be a stupid question : how is comparable the dv quality with mpeg 2 (say a near dvd quality (4 Mbit/s)) ? and is dv format good for tv capture in your opinion ? another one : how much space require dv format for 1 hour of movie ? fell free to put links your answer. Thanks again Andres

25th March 2003, 23:25	#15 \| Link
^^-+I4004+-^^ Banned Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Croatia [local name:Hrvatska] Posts: 552	>But, in my view, the picture quality on the DV-files I get from the Canopus is the best I've ever better than bt8x8+huffyuv? (you naughty,naughty swan...heheh)

26th March 2003, 07:44	#16 \| Link
majerle Guest Posts: n/a	@Swan A big thanks ! You are truly kind and exaustive. Andres

31st March 2003, 15:25	#17 \| Link
Ookami Xe-Rotaredom Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Croatia Posts: 1,029	I didn't read all the comments, so bare with me if this has been already said. I own the ADVC-100 so I'll add one very important thing that is not noticed or mentioned many times. If you plan to capture VHS tapes (especially those with bad signals) you should either have a good VCR with a good TBC, or even better, buy a external TBC as the ADVC-100 has quite some problems with bad signals. But, with a normal GPU, you'll have also problems, but the ADVC stutters primarly in the audio, the capture programs that you use with the "normal" GPUs tend to drop frames... @ScrollLock Would you like to share your tweaked program with the other Canopus ADVC users? I don't even have time to convert all my capture stuff, so I, sadly, didn't even searched for the timed capture possibilities with this device . Cheers, Mijo. __________________ "Only those who attempt the absurd achieve the impossible."

31st March 2003, 17:07	#18 \| Link
yg1968 Registered User Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 67	This is a bit off the topic. But if you are willing to spend a little more, you can get a digital camcorder with a passthrough feature (many Sony or Canon digital camcorders have this feature). The passthrough feature is essentially equivalent to having the Canopus ADVC-100.

1st April 2003, 02:11	#20 \| Link
^^-+I4004+-^^ Banned Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Croatia [local name:Hrvatska] Posts: 552	would you like some screenshots to see how much noise bt8x8 can capture with btwncap drivers..... i tell ya....... btw. would this be your first capture device? >This is a bit off the topic. But if you are willing to spend a little more, you can get a digital camcorder with a passthrough feature (many Sony or Canon digital camcorders have this feature). The passthrough feature is essentially equivalent to having the Canopus ADVC-100. this is true.... you pay as for advc100 + tbc and you get video camera as an extra.....heheh i would take dv+tbc+camera in one device,how bout you?

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