Canopus ADVC 110 dissapointed

[SerbianBoss]

Yesterday i bought Canopus ADVC 110.

Device work good, no audio video sync problems, no drop frames, but PICTURE is NOISY.

I am using VHS tapes without macromedia protection.

Picture is noisy and it irritated. I have good VHS cassete with good quality and the picture is noisy.


I think to back Canopus 110 and maybe buy Canopus 300.

Does Canopus 300 have a better quality picture than Canopus 110.

It is very important for me, does Canopus 300 worth?

thanks

best regard

[edDV]

Yesterday i bought Canopus ADVC 110.

Device work good, no audio video sync problems, no drop frames, but PICTURE is NOISY.

I am using VHS tapes without macromedia protection.

Picture is noisy and it irritated. I have good VHS cassete with good quality and the picture is noisy.


I think to back Canopus 110 and maybe buy Canopus 300.

Does Canopus 300 have a better quality picture than Canopus 110.

It is very important for me, does Canopus 300 worth?

thanks

best regard

Did you try the ADVC-110 with a clean source like a cable box? That would test the rest of your system.

The ADVC-300 has a few more features but they fall into the fine tuning range (e.g. a line TBC, DNR, Proc Amp). The fundamental conversion will be the same.

Can you post a sample frame so we can see the problem?

[FulciLives]

Assuming you intend to convert this to DVD MPEG-2 spec you can at that point use various "video noise filters" to help clean up the video.

Convolution3D and RemoveGrain are both very good and work with AviSynth. There are also filters for VirtualDub and TMPGEnc Plus also has a good filter built-in.

My understanding is that the Canopus ADVC-110 captures are very close to the source meaning you get a more-or-less "exact" copy ... noise and all. This can be a good thing.

Try some filters ... you might be surprised just how well they clean up the video.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[vhelp]

Evening everyone.

SerbianBoss, the Holy Grail does not exhibit any such "noise" in the final
captured .AVI file. There must be something else going on, if you are
seeing any noise.. could be the VCR; or Cables; or VHS Tape;

These ADVC devices do not promote any "noise". They are also able to keep
the audio in SYNC.. etc.

I use mine all the time.. on VCR tapes; Analog Cable; and Laserdisc; and
now, testing on my external HDTV receiver -- so far, so good.

In fact, I just did a few captures from my Laserdisc, "Blade Runner" and
processed it for 2:35 AR (though this movie has an odd AR and Lf/Rt are areas
are shorter than normal)

I assure you, there is no "noise" in this capture. And, if you would like to
see a demo of this laserdisc capture, and processed to MPEG-2, do let me know,
and I'll UPLOAD a good size sample clip for you to verify and/or compare with
to your 110 model. Mine is the ADVC-100 model.. the Holy Grail, as I refer
to it now, these days

-vhelp 3823

[dwisniski]

I have had the ADVC-50 and I now own the ADVC-300, and one thing I discovered is that there is an inherent type of graininess with these capture cards. I also have a Hauppauge WinTV FM PCI card installed on my computer, and I notice if I capture the same source material using that card, the capture is smoother than going the DV route. The captures with the ADVC-300 are exceptionally clean, and I like being able to enhance the brightness on the 300 because the canopus cards seem to be a little dark on default setting, but I can't deny that there is always that fine amount of grain in the captures. The 300 does wonders for VHS captures though!

[SerbianBoss]

This is some pictures about quality of picture.

Ever when i work, i capture in DV than render to mpeg2.

This picture is from good VHS cassete. It is capture to DV than render to mpeg2


This picture is the same way, DV-mpeg2


FulciLives
Does you have a tutorial for noise filters (Convolution3D and RemoveGrain) and aviSynth.

Beacause i want to capture in DV, and than i want to make DVDs.

best regard

[FulciLives]

Here is a link for using AviSynth and a video noise filter:

https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=225951

Good Luck

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[thecoalman]

@SerbianBoss .... Be sure to burn a test clip to disc and compare it on a TV to the orginal, don't judge it on your monitor.

I also have a Hauppauge WinTV FM PCI card installed on my computer, and I notice if I capture the same source material using that card, the capture is smoother than going the DV route.

I wonder if that is at the expense of detail though? Have any screencaps to compare as I would be interested in seeing them.

because the canopus cards seem to be a little dark on default setting,!

Try setting the ire level to 0. I hadn't really noticed this myself until I tried a capture on really dark video. It was from a band and the one guy would move to very poorly lit part of the stage and the crowd was very poorly lit too, but you could still see them. You could not once authored.... Setting the ire to 0 fixed it.

[SerbianBoss]

One more question,

does is Canopus 300 worth? I mean, will be capture be better(less noise).

Because i think to return ADVC 100 and buy ADVC 300.

And does ADVC have dip switches like Canopus 110?

best regard

[edDV]

This is some pictures about quality of picture.

Ever when i work, i capture in DV than render to mpeg2.

This picture is from good VHS cassete. It is capture to DV than render to mpeg2
...

This picture is the same way, DV-mpeg2
...

FulciLives
Does you have a tutorial for noise filters (Convolution3D and RemoveGrain) and aviSynth.

Beacause i want to capture in DV, and than i want to make DVDs.

best regard

Looking at your pictures, it appears both have ok black levels but the whites are clipped at level 255 causing the harsh highlights. White level should be at level 235 (100IRE) with the area between 235 and 255 reserved for transient overshoots.

This could be due the tape being recorded that way or the VCR is outputting at too high a video level or it could be happening after capture.

If you post a DV format frame (just after capture). We could see where this is happening.



Once the levels are fixed, we can look at noise before and after encoding.

[Wile_E]

I have had an ADVC-100 and now have the ADVC-300. There is no difference in DV capture, from what I could tell. I just wanted the audio and video controls that comes with ADVC-300. The whole line of ADVC devices has a line-TBC. Why do people keep saying the ADVC-110 doesn't? The older 100 and the 300 does, so I would think that the 110 would too.

The DNR in the 300 is basically worthless. If you set it on "high", you get ghost trails on fast moving objects. Even on "low", I sometimes see them. The "picture controller" software that comes with the 300 sucks. It is very basic. I use it only for audio adjustments and AGC/Black/White adjustments. Canopus dropped the bomb big time, giving us such cheesy basic software for such an expensive device.

I would stick with the 100/110. My 300 looks grainy like in your pictures too on captured VHS tapes. My tapes are all recorded broadcasts or from a VHS Camcorder. I have to use Convolution3D to smooth everything out. I think this is an apparent problem with Analog to Digital transfer. These digital devices are too sensitive to noise. The only captures that are less grainy, are some retail tapes or playing a DVD player into the Canopus ADVC. Then it looks less grainy, but I still have to use Convolution3D to smooth it a bit.

[SerbianBoss]

This is two new pictures in DV format






@eDV

How are your experience with Canopus 100 or 110.

When i always capture, in every capture later i must to add noise reduction filter because i always have noise.

Whwn i have Leadtek Finfast PVR2000 with hardware mpeg2 my picture was excellent, than i dont have any noise, because Leadtek has good filters when captures.

best regard

[edDV]

@eDV

How are your experience with Canopus 100 or 110.

When i always capture, in every capture later i must to add noise reduction filter because i always have noise.

Whwn i have Leadtek Finfast PVR2000 with hardware mpeg2 my picture was excellent, than i dont have any noise, because Leadtek has good filters when captures.

best regard

I mostly use the ADVC-100 with higher quality sources (Hi8, analog Betacam, cable TV) and it works fine with those and provides excellent quality.

VHS and 8mm capture is a different category. These signals have high noise, unlocked subcarrier, timebase errors and chroma to luminance crosstalk issues. All of these conspire to make A/D capture and MPeg encoding very difficult.

Each of these flaws require either correction before digital capture (e.g. proc amp and TBC) or correction filters after capture. Correction before capture gets better results.

I haven't spent much time on VHS yet . I'm hoping for a VHS optiomized DVD recorder so I can semi automate the task. Others here have been looking at all the ways to capture and process VHS.

[edDV]

The ADVC-100 doesn't have gain adjustments. It looks like your VCR is outputting at too high a white level (video gain), causing the ADVC to saturate at digital level 255 (108%). Blacks are a bit low. If you are using PAL, the IRE switch should be in the " 0 IRE" position.

Otherwise this picture looks good to me for VHS. Others have more experience with VHS and the ADVC. It will look much better played to a tv. We are looking here at a progressive representation of an interlaced stream.

[SerbianBoss]

@eDV

I try two videos. First is new Samsund and second is old Anitech.
In both cases situation is the same. There is always noise. Sometimes i have less noise and sometimes i have lot noise.

But the conclusion is that i must always to add noise reduction filter with ADVC 110 (this is only for VHS source).

When i have Leadtek WinFast PVR2000 all my capture was Excellent. Because it has internal noise filter and the picture was very clear.

With ADVC i have a noisy picture and i must always do noise reduction.

[thecoalman]

When i have Leadtek WinFast PVR2000 all my capture was Excellent. Because it has internal noise filter and the picture was very clear.

As i asked the other poster above.... is this at the expense of detail?

If you really want to compare capture some footage with both at the same settings and burn both files to disk and test them out on TV, while your at do the same with footage from the VHS.