I have my Panasonic AG-1980...now what

[kissvid]

HI all,

1st I would like to send out a great thank you to all that support this forum and the amount of endless information that's in it.

With that being said...I just acquired the panasonic ag-1980 and will also be getting a JVC s9600u. That should be in a week or so. When doing my VHS conversions I will be using my PC and this is where I get confused. i have a Canopus ADVC - 300, is it reccomended to use this as the bridge to my PC from the panny and jvc???? or will the circitry within the ADVC - 300 effect the result outputted by the panny and jvc? I don't know if there is anything else that's being used by others to get the info to the pc. Thank you in advance to all that contribute to this answer.

Marc

[lordsmurf]

http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/introduction-record-capture.htm
http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/capture-dv.htm
http://www.digitalfaq.com/guides/video/capture-understand-sources.htm
http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/dvd-project-help-9.html

Read, read, read .... answers are all in there.

[moxiecat]

Lordsmurf, those links are wonderful and I will have to read through them all. So much good info!

Ironically, I have been meaning to post on this exact same topic for a week or so, so I'll just add to this one. I am interested in the same information as the original poster: specific model recommendations for capture devices from the regular denizens of this board.

I have almost always gotten my video to DVD via a DVD recorder. In the rare instances I've had to put it on the computer for editing, I've used my Sony Mini DV camcorder as a bridge. However, now I have a large project to edit and I'd like to purchase a "better" analog-to-digital capture solution than my little camcorder.

The original poster's question focuses on using a Canopus ADVC-300 with a good Panny or JVC (or in my case, with an external TBC or proc amp too). Is it overkill in this situation? Or are there benefits gained from the ADVC-300, even with a good VCR? Or is the 110 model recommended when you are working with good VCRs and external video processing hardware?

Alternately, I have read LS's opinion that Canopus isn't all it's cracked up to be. He recommends the ATI cards. I have looked into them, but I'd prefer an external box, because I may use the device with both a PC and Mac in the future. But I'm open to another recommended solution besides Canopus.

Or, finally: Is my Mini DV camcorder is perfectly fine for the digital conversion after all?

I'd love to hear what you guys use--maybe there's a specific capture device that's well-liked by many here?

[lordsmurf]

There is nothing to gain from the Canopus box, not really. DV25 is too compressed, and it honestly sucks as a VHS input method. It's fine for shooting, crap for middleman conversion.

Get something that allows for uncompressed capture, or codec low compression like HuffYUV.

Higher end DV if good, in Matrox products.

Something that works on both Mac and Windows/Linux is a dream. Buy the hardware for the platform.

Yes, a decent DV camera isn't much different from a Canopus box. I'd rather use my Canon, if forced.

I'm currently analyzing, reviewing and testing a lot of hardware again, including external devices from Hauppauge, Roxio, Elgato, and others. Articles will be slow to come, but are coming before Christmas shopping season.

The info on the above links is going to seem like a summary compared to some of the expanded content I'm submitting in the future. If you liked that, you're in for a surprise.