ADS DVD Xpress

[ChaunceyK]

I've been using the Dazzle DVC-80 for awhile (which rips from VHS to a huge DV file, despite a max resolution equal to VCD), then using TMPGEnc Plus to do all my trimming & converting to a standard VCD mpeg, then using TMPGEnc DVD Author to put it all together.

Then I saw ADS DVD Xpress for $59 (after rebate) from CompUSA, so I got it. I figured if it could rip at resolutions up to DVD quality, then it'd be worth it. Quite a positive difference in quality, but I have a couple unexpected hinderances. Can anyone familiar with ADS DVD Xpress give me some suggestions to these problems?

1> I can no longer use Studio Quickstart to rip to, it seems I have to use the bundled CapWiz v3.1 instead. Not that big a deal, I was just used to Studio Quickstart.

So, is CapWiz the only program that works with this device?

2> Capturing at full DVD quality produces an mpeg that is NOT compatible with TMPGenc Plus. Granted, it comes with Ulead VideoStudio 7 SE DVD & I could learn to use it, but TMPGenc seems so much easier for me.

Is there any way around this so I can still use TMPGenc Plus?

3> Even at full DVD quality, I still noticed a bit of a shimmer in the playback. I don't know how else to describe it, but I'm ripping cartoons from VHS right now, and if I watch a stationary background the color seems to shimmer a bit...not alot, but enough to notice. I expect this may be fixable with the Spatial and/or Temporal settings, but I wouldn't know where to begin trying the different settings...that, and I don't like the idea of having to run 5 or 6 "test rips" to find adequate settings.

Can someone suggest some good settings?

4> The end result I'm looking for is to save about about 5 hours of cartoon video per DVD, and about 3 hours of sports video per DVD (both with TMPGenc DVD Author).

Can someone suggest appropriate capture formats/resolutions/settings for these purposes?

Thank you very much in advance.

[jwaxman]

I have this device as well.

Its true that the only software you can capture with is CapWiz and the ULead programs it comes with.

I haven't used TMPGEnc but I had a similar experience with NeroVision Express. It turns out that the video is compatible but alot of programs don't consider MPEG2 audio to be DVD compliant.

NeroVision therefore transcodes the audio but not the video when you try to make a DVD or DVD compliant file. It takes less time than a full video recode would take. Is it possible that this is the situation with TMPGEnc as well?

I haven't noticed the shimmer thing.

[ChaunceyK]

I've also noticed the audio to be a bit muffled, compared to other people's rips. Any tips on that?

[jwaxman]

I have noticed that the volume is low sometimes.
I don't see any way to control this. You'd think there'd be a slider somewhere to control input volume.

If its real bad I'll strip out the audio and run it through Nero's sound editor, normalize it and remux it with virtual dub. It's annoying to have to do it but it doesn't ake that long.