I'm wondering what is your process for mastering a video, mainly I need to master to beta through a advc 500
and I want to get the best quality to tape...
Use a brand new tape, use good quality shielded cables, use component video (R,G,B) Render at the highest quality possible. Don't run cables close to other electronic devices like monitors, tv's, radios etc... they can cause interference in the video signal.
I don't own a advc 500 and I have never used one before, but I believe it has a component ouput on it, if it does, use that to go back to the Beta deck (R,G,B) if it doesn't have a component, then S-video would be next in line and then a single composite line would be at the bottom of the list.