[vmpaul]

So, after a bunch of research, and a couple of helpful PM's from tr, I ended up getting a ADS Instant DVD for Mac box. The quality of the image is excellent but I had a problem with some of my source material. I would get a stuttering picture or it would crap out after a certain period of time. After a call to Tech Support they said it was a common problem with older analog material that had frame drop-off and suggested I go to a straight DV capture. Of course they suggested THEIR DV capture box, the Pyro A/V Link, which looked pretty economical compared to the Formac or the Canopus boxes.

I found it a Circuit City yesterday. It was $140. I've used it a couple times now and the quality is crap. Not even close to the other ADS MPEG-2 converter box. In fact, it's barely better than my EyeTV captures. That's no slight to the ElGato device but that's capturing in Mpeg-1! I expected WAY better with a pure DV capture. I've tried both in iMovie and Final Cut Pro. I'm no expert in either so maybe there is some setting that would improve the capture. If that's it please let me know.

So, I'm in a quandary. Do I order another ADS MPEG-2 converter because the quality was so good? I've been reading the DVDRHelp Forum that others have had to revert to a Time Base Corrector to fix the drop-off frame problem.

Has anybody used one of these Time Base Correctors? If so, any suggestions for what where to buy them?

Or would the Canopus be any better?

Any suggestions would be helpful at this time.

Note: I forgot to mention that I sent the original ADS box back because I decided to go with the DV capture. Gotta love that re-stocking fee.

[willab]

I will sell you mine with shipping for the amount you got back after restocking fees.

[tr]

i've never seen that ADS Pyro A/V Link until you mentioned it, and i did a web search. that's strange that it captures so badly, i would think that most DV firewire convertors would capture about the same.

i use the Canopus ADVC100 at work, and those captures look great. it's a pricey box, though, like maybe a little under $300.

and from what i've seen, time base correctors aren't that cheap either. the cheapest ones i've seen run about $300 or more. maybe there's some place where you can rent one or something.

so, i'm assuming you've captured DV footage, and then exported movies and such, and the output was still inferior? like i said, i would assume all DV capture products were created equal (at least on the video side).

tr

[vmpaul]

This is starting to sound like a Blog but I'll keep it up and maybe it will help someone out down the line.

The thing with the ADS Pyro A/V Link is, I think, I bought an earlier Rev of the box. I got it for $140 at Circuit City in a clearance sale. I remember the ADS Tech Support mentioning that I should buy it from ADS since I can get the latest hardware box. I thought he was just trying to get me to buy Retail. So, he might have been right. I'm thinking my complaint wasn't really valid. Nevertheless, I didn't like the quality anyway so I returned it. No re-stocking fee at Circuit City, thank god.

You're right about the TBC. The standalone ones are expensive and don't make sense to buy just for a short term project, i.e., transferring old home movies. What I've learned since my initial post is that it seems to be a fairly common built-in feature on the newer standalone consumer DVD Recorders. I know the Phillips (75 & 80 models) have them and maybe the Panasonics. Units with the TBC are mostly under $500 now with a couple under $400. So. I'm trying to decide if I should buy a standalone DVD Recorder to take advantage of the TBC and finally take the plunge into digital recording (bye-bye VCR). It's tough because I KNOW these DVD recorders will be $200 or less in a year or so. Look how fast burners have dropped.

If I did get a standalone Recorder, this setup would give me 2 options. First, I could plug a VCR/camera into the DVD Recorder and have an S-Video out to the ADS converter box, then into the Mac. This would give me more control (bitrate, editing & such) and correct any drop-off frames because of the TBC in the Recorder.

Or, I could just record the VCR tapes onto the DVD Recorder discs and extract the video on the Mac. That means less conversion control and the recorders are +R's, not -R's, which I have installed in my G4. I'm trying to figure out if -R drives will even READ +R discs. I think they do under Panther. Am I confusing you yet?

Other than the ADS Pyro, the only other DV capture I've done is straight from a Digital Video through Firewire to Final Cut Pro. That is, obviously, the way to go. The results are flawless. The ADS MPEG-2 box is pretty darn close though. During my research I found a theory on why a MPEG-2 capture could be better than other Analog-to-DV converter systems. If you're interested it's at DVDRHelp Forum, about halfway down the thread by Sulik "Contrary to belief...".

So, at the moment I'm financially even because I found another ADS MPEG-2 box for so much less(on eBay, about $45 less) than I originally was willing to pay. My next step is to see whether the other tapes I get from my brother-in-law are bad enough that they need a TBC or not. If so, it looks like I might get the Phillips DVD recorder and I'll have a nifty toy when this project is done. Then I'll just be paying a premium, sort of, for being an early adopter into DVD recorders. That's assuming, of course, that the whole thing works. :: fingers crossed ::

[wvx]

Let me guess... you are on a G3 box?

[vmpaul]

Originally posted by wvx:
Let me guess... you are on a G3 box?

Dual 1.25 G4, 1.25gb RAM, 180gb HD (4 combined)

[wvx]

Oh, there goes my theory.