advc-100 -> compressed DV .avi / uncompressed .avi

[takshaka]

hey all

i'd just like to ask for some advice.

i have several VHS tapes that i need to capture and edit. (most of the editing will simply be re-arranging clips and seperating scenes, but i also need to do some post on several minuets of footage).

i need to get a home capture rig setup, not a commercial rig but still as good quality as possable.

so my question is;
i have an ati 9700 pro and with this i am able to capture in a variety of formats and codecs including an uncompressed .avi.
the main flaw with this is that it is reliant on the rest of my system and whilst good for general capture i want something that is dedicated to the job and i know will do all the good capture stuff (like not dropping any frames, keeping the audio in sync and most importantly sukking up all the video information its fed and building a good digital signal from it)

i am thinking about purchasing a canopus dvc-100, though this product will only capture to the DV codec (i understand).
Now, the capturing i'm hoping will be much better using the dvc-100 in terms of dropped frames and sukking up all the signal the vcr feeds it, however is it not possable to simply save this raw data (before the DV codec compresses it), or set the DV codec to an uncompressed state.

like i say i need to edit and do some post on the video and was hoping to capture uncompressed video, if this is not possable with the advc-100 then i'd assume that the DV codec must be usable for post work and further compression to mpeg (otherwise the product would seem massively flawed to me).

if anyone can offer any advice on the advc-100 and uncompressed capture or the quality (in terms of compression) of the captured dv footage and its suitability for post work and further compression to mpeg i'd be very grateful..

thanks for reading this fairly longwinded question...

best regards

tak.

[rcb]

Please update your profile info to include details on your computer.

Much easier to then respond. CPU speed/ hard drive capacity/etc. have a large bearing on ideas/suggestions.

[takshaka]

profile updated

[Will Hay]

Your system spec is hardly inportant when working with the ADVC-100, but you should always have it updated
The ADVC-100 is, for me anyway, the natural progression for home capture use.
It's nopt capture at all, as you probably already klnow it simply converts the anaolgue footage to digital using the in-built Canopus codec and transfers it via firewire to your PC.
I spent 18 months with an ATI capture card and whilst was very happy the results the ADVC-100 has been worth every penny.
Being an .avi file the format is completely editable, although you have the facility to capture directly to mpeg2 and simply trim and cut if you wish (you'd need the MainConcept 1.4 Encoder and TMPGenc Author for this, I've done some playing around and have been very impressed).
There's is absolutley nothing like 'capture' via firewire, it's flawless and I don't remember the last time I had a dropped frame I wasn't responsible for (changing channels during a capture, for instance).
Plus, there's also the huge benefit of no audio/video sync which was a major factor for me in my purchase.
I don't care what anyone says, if your source is poor you will have problems in some form.
Basically the ADVC-100 was perfect for me in my archiving of anaolgue footage.
If it helps, this is my proceedure.
Some may say it's the long route but it's my chosen method.

1) Pinnacle Studio 8.10 to 'capture' via fireware (and edit/transitions etc. if required; save as avi)

2) Encode with TMPGEnc Plus (never tried the encoder in Studio, I love this one too much)

3) Author with Ulead Movie Factory 2.0

4) Burn with RecordNowMax (you can burn with your authoring softare I guess. Again, I just prefer RNM).
Hope that helps a little.
Oh, and in case you didn't know DV runs at circa. 13gb/hr, so with your spare HDD (assuming it's dedicated to capture) you'll fit circa. 160mins on it (but with no room to save as an avi remember).
Will Hay

[takshaka]

thanks for your advice will

what i really want to find out is how much the DV codec (that the digital signal is converted into) artifacts.
Obviously this is dependant on many things, but ideally to do post you really want uncompressed video, is the DV codec capture (which is compressed) an acceptable substitute for full uncompressed video.

form your reply you seem to have no problem.....i am just worried that
1. post working on the compressed DV footage wont lead to any amplified compression artifacts.

2. i can still get a good looking mpeg out of 2 levels of compression (first the digi signal -> DV codec, second DV codec (edited) -> mpeg)

sorry if this sounds a bit hectic i just wanna make sure this is the right solution for me.

thanks 1 an all......................