Any VV users using ADVC-100 - Quality of Capture?

Former user wrote on 2/24/2003, 10:59 AM
All,

I am very new to the video side of Vegas. Like a lot of you in here, I decided to take the plunge and purchased a Canopus ADVC-100 and an ADS Pyro firewire card to transfer some Hi8 camcorder footage taken over the last ten years or so. I am using Vegas 4 as my NLE.

While everything appears to be coming into VV4 just fine, the quality of these captures is making me wonder what I got into. When I preview any of these videotapes on the camcorder itself (Canon ES980)in it's viewfinder, the quality is clear, crisp and just as it should look when I recorded it. When I attach the camcorder to a VCR and then preview to a standard TV - the look is excellent. However - when I bring the feed straight from the camera in through the Canopus and capture in VV4 (as DV) - the result looks faded, washed out and just plain lacking definition.

Now I am aware that DV does about a 5-1 compression on the way in but am I doing something wrong? Is there a setting on the Canopus I am missing? I have read about the IRE dipswitch settings on the ADVC-100 and I think mine could be off - it's factory set to 0 IRE and I haven't changed it yet (I live in Canada) Should I snap it over to 7.5? Is there anything on VV4 that I am missing?

How about cable quality or just a good head cleaning on the camcorder? Or am I just expecting too much?

I have read so much good press on VV4 and the Canopus that I figured my transfers would look exactly like what's on the tape. I would love to hear from anyone else who has similar gear or can set me straight on getting a decent capture. Or maybe this is as good as it's going to get.

Cheers,

Cuzin B


Comments

TheHappyFriar wrote on 2/24/2003, 1:39 PM
I use a HI8 camera an a $30 analog capture card and my captures look good. I belive you're heading in the right direction with the IRE. Try changing it to the 7.5. I did read somewhere that Analog->DV can creat washed out images if you don't set up your equipment correctly. I belive the IRE is the black settings (analog uses 7.5 for black and DV uses 0??). I'm sure someone here knows more tech info on that then I do, so if they could explain it woud be great. :)

I should note that I would use DV but can't afford a DV deck or Camera, but my $30 card works OK for family videos. I can't capture in vegas though. I had to download iuVCR from iuLAB.com.
prairiedogpics wrote on 2/24/2003, 3:17 PM
I use the ADVC-100 with my Sony Hi-8 camcorder. My captured DV AVI files are excellent...far better than the ones I got with my old Pinnacle Studio DC10+ MJPEG capture card.

I do recall resetting the dip switch on the Canopus when I got it about six months ago. When the Canopus is shipped, I think by default the IRE is set to what is correct for Japan (therefore incorrect for North America). I remember reading the instruction to figure this out, but I can't remember which number it's set to. I'm at work now, but I'll check it when I get home and re-post here. That was the ONLY thing I changed and the video has been pristine from the get-go. More later tonight....

Dan
JackHughs wrote on 2/24/2003, 3:35 PM
I just had a look at the ADVC set up manual. DIP switch 2 (NTSC Setup) should be set to 0 (the OFF position) for NTSC and 7.5 (the ON position) for PAL. The unit is supposed to ship with all DIP switches in the OFF position.

JackHughs
vonhosen wrote on 2/24/2003, 4:06 PM
I think it's
O IRE for Japan
7.5 IRE for USA
rwsjr wrote on 2/24/2003, 4:21 PM
I've owned mine for about a year now. Candidly, I have a very hard time seeing a difference between the original footage and the captured footage (perfect captures). Even captures that exceed one hour maintain sync between audio and video. I've captured both Hi-8 and VHS.

I have never worked with DV footage shot with a DV camcorder and sometimes wonder what I'm missing. However, my captured Hi-8 video is good enough that I don't dwell on what I might be missing.
Former user wrote on 2/24/2003, 4:31 PM
Just wanna thank all of you for the great tips.

I know I am missing something now (gotta be that dipswitch) cause my stuff looks like crap. Also found out that Windows Media Player only shows DV video at half resolution...That hopefully will make for a better capture as well.

Thanks again! I will update after some new caps tonight.

Cheers,

Cuzin B
prairiedogpics wrote on 2/24/2003, 7:44 PM
vonhosen is correct

Dip switch No. 1 is OFF, for NTSC (USA)
Dip switch No. 2 is ON, 7.5 IRE.

Dan
Former user wrote on 2/24/2003, 8:13 PM
Correct you are. This made a huuuuuggggggge difference. Now - I cannot tell the difference between the camera and the capture. The quality is truly amazing.

Thanks all!

Cuzin B
d1editor wrote on 2/24/2003, 8:28 PM
I use the ADVC 100 to capture Beta Sp. Looks fine converting it to the DV format in Vegas. My partner uses it to capture to Premiere 6.5 and that too looks fine.
musicvid10 wrote on 2/24/2003, 9:02 PM
"...far better than the ones I got with my old Pinnacle Studio DC10+ MJPEG capture card."

danieljoelle,
Can you expand on this a bit? I'm still using a DC10+ for analog captures and I have my eye on the ADVC-100. If you could send me a set of 10 sec. comparisons I would be thrilled. musicvid[at]********
prairiedogpics wrote on 2/25/2003, 7:42 AM
Musicvid,

Sorry, but I don't have any MJPEG captured files anymore. Actually, the story is that I started capturing footage for a huge project I was working on , when I realized the video might look better if I converted it to digital AVI rather that use the MJPEG capture. I had heard about ADVC-100 and thought, oh well, I know I'll be doing this for long time, so I plunked down the $289. I basically threw away a week's worth of capturing effort and started the project over! The image quality improvement was worth doing all that work over again! While I don't have any old capture files to send you, I can tell that that first time I hooked it up my eyes almost popped out because there was a VERY noticable improvement in the image quality.

Another huge advantage of having the ADVC with Vegas is using it to hook up an external monitor (TV). (Firewire to the ADVC-100, Component out from the ADVC to my TV.) I use it for that everyday, and is worth the price for that capability alone. (another story with that: where I work they had been using medical grade Sony NTSC Monitors, and when they decided to upgrade the computers, the Sony monitors weren't compatible with the new computers. My boss GAVE me two of these Sony monitors and I use one with S-Video input. The other is sitting in my closet as a backup! Both are worth about $300 on EBAY. If I didn't have the ADVC-100, I wouldn't have had a use for them. So the $289 I paid for the ADVC is now worth about $1000 in total equipment!)

Dan
JackHughs wrote on 2/25/2003, 10:23 AM
I goofed. I read the Canopus ADVC 100 manual and still gave the wrong information.

Now the Cautionary tale:

The English-language Canopus manual first tells the buyer that the unit is ready to go - open the box, unpack the unit, plug it in, and capture. Further on, the manual states that all DIP switches are off by default. A little further on (in a small note), the manual states that the default (OFF) position for DIP switch 2 is 0 IRE (Japan NTSC).

So, it appears that the unit ships pre-configured for Japan NTSC but the first pages of the manual leads the purchaser to believe that it's ready to go right out of the box - an almost certain formula for disaster.

I've been considering the purchase of an ADVC 100 and this thread has saved me a lot of potential grief.

JackHughs
Former user wrote on 2/25/2003, 12:19 PM
Yep - That's exactly what I ran into in my studio (and what started this thread). Unpacked my shiny new ADVC...flipped to the first page in the manual and just plugged her in and started capping. After my intial shock over the crap I was I getting...I appealed for some help and last night I flipped switch 2 over to ON (7.5 IRE) and I am happenin! Amazing turnaround. Great piece of gear.

And output to TV also made a huge difference. I never made the connection between computer screen and TV screen. I was so used to seeing clean video on a TV screen that I expected the same in the Vegas preview....another lesson learned.

Cheers,

Cuzin B
VIDEOGRAM wrote on 2/25/2003, 1:25 PM
What do you mean by '' ...I was so used to seeing clean video on a TV screen that I expected the same in the Vegas preview....?''
Isn't the image on your composite monitor clean?
Former user wrote on 2/25/2003, 2:18 PM
Composite monitor? Do you mean computer monitor? As in the Vegas Preview window? The image output to my external TV is perfect. Like like being plugged into the camera.

But the image I see in my Vegas preview viewer is definitely not the same. I understand the interlacing and display between a computer monitor and TV are completely different. Am I out to lunch? Can someone set me straight.

Cuzin B

teknal wrote on 2/25/2003, 7:31 PM
CuzinB,

Check out the quality setting button above the Vegas preview window.

Also, if you want to play full size dv avi's in media player try dragging the corner of your media play outwards. I kept wondering why they were playing at half or quarter their original size until I tried that. I also remember coming across a registry download from somewhere to alter the media player settings. I'm using 7.01.

-Troy
Former user wrote on 2/26/2003, 11:03 AM
I have done all I can with the setting above the preview window. But I think my eyes are so used to seeing the "look" of videotape on a TV screen that the different display characteristics of a computer monitor are making me think it's not clear.

The Vegas window is fine....just looks different than what's possible with an external TV screen...it's the interlacing and resolution that's throwing me off.

Cuzin B
bstaley wrote on 2/26/2003, 12:28 PM
I too had the Pinnacle DC10+, and after fighting constantly with driver issues and crashing, I got the Canopus ADVC-100 and I totally agree that it is a much better quality capture than the DC10+. Combine that with the fact that it captures audio too, lets me view my project on my TV, and lets me print to VHS tape if I need to, there is no way I'd ever go back to the Pinnacle. Get the ADVC-100 and you'll never look back.