Sony Multi-Function DVD rec VRD-MC5

TomG wrote on 2/3/2009, 8:05 PM
Does anyone have any experience with this product?

I have a bunch of VHS tapes that I have to extract clips from to include in an upcoming wedding video for my son. I just need something inexpensive. I have read all the many posts and seen many references to Canopus. Really don't need something that expensive and I don't do this type of work for a living. The VRD-MC5 only costs around $160 and I plan to just let it play and fill DVDs and then use Vegas 7 to produce.

I assume I will have the wonderful experience of working with VOBs again in Vegas....

Thanks,

TomG

Comments

farss wrote on 2/4/2009, 1:13 AM
We have one and I've used it a bit. Works as advertised and is pretty goof proof. I don't much like that the finalise function is well hidden in the menus and it is not obvious how to get it to playback an already authored DVD. You put a store bought DVD into the thing and it comes up with an error message on the LCD.
Note also it has no video outputs, it really is just a recorder.
You can record straight from a memory stick to a regular DVD in HD and it does playback just fine in a BD player so that's a very useful feature.

I would think though for that money you could buy some form of dedicated Analogue to Digital converter. You might not get one with a timebase corrector but you will be able to capture to an AVI file which means less loss and less grief editing mpeg-2. I see the ADVC 110 for around $200 in the USA, that would be more flexible and useful with Vegas.

Bob.
TomG wrote on 2/4/2009, 5:57 AM
Thanks, Bob

If I can find something in the ADVC price range around $200 that would probably be the way to go just to be able to suck it into Vegas as MPEG and not have to mess with VOB.

Anyone else have any experiences?

TomG
rs170a wrote on 2/4/2009, 6:05 AM
Tom, if you have (or can borrow) a miniDV camcorder that has the pass-through feature, you can plug your VCR's outputs into it and then into your computer's firewire port.
This brings the VHS material in as DV-AVI which, IMO, is much easier to deal with than MPEG.

Mike
TomG wrote on 2/4/2009, 9:37 AM
Thanks, Mike

So, since I don't have a camera with a pass-through, does the AVDC 110 allow you to connect a VCR and PC to it and convert the VHS tape to an MGEG file. I assume it does this through a firewire?

TomG
rs170a wrote on 2/4/2009, 9:43 AM
Tom, the ADVC-110 is a bidirectional analog/firewire device.
This means analog video or firewire in and analog video or firewire out.
The ADVC-55 is cheaper but is uni-directional only.
I've got two of them (ADVC-110) at work and they're great devices, especially for hooking up VHS or 8mm. decks/camcorders.
Be advised that the firewire output means that your captured files are in DV-AVI format.
Also, make sure to disable "Enable DV device control" in the Prefs for VidCap or it won't work properly.


Mike
farss wrote on 2/4/2009, 12:39 PM
Why do you want to capture as mpeg?
If you edit that it goes through another stage of lossy compression which is not a good thing. A VOB file and mpeg-2 file are much the same thing.

Bob.
TomG wrote on 2/4/2009, 1:45 PM
Bob,

I really don't want to deal with an MPEG-2 file either but I've had much better luck with them than the VOB in Vegas.

Since the AVDC puts out a DV-AVI, that't probably the best way to go.

Thanks,

TomG