ADVC-1394 capturing question

[hrlslcbr]

Will the Canopus ADVC-1394 always convert captured video to DV format or it will also capture without any hardware encoding to DV? Can it be used to capture raw avi and choose a codec like huffyuv in the capping program, or it will ALWAYS convert to DV first? (Yep, a bit worried about the 4:1:1 format of DV).

[redwudz]

You are a victim of their advertising. It is a analog to DV converter. It only outputs DV. The software included does the conversion to MPG. The good news is that it does this very well. I use a ACVC- 100 which is similar, but is a standalone box. DV is easy to edit and to encode you can use any encoder or the software that is apparently included. This is not a capture card, only a DV encoder card.

[hrlslcbr]

Thanks for your quick reply and for clearing this up to me. And... I'm not a victim of their advertising, because I don't have one 8) .
Also, as you say, it is an analogue to DV converter but the capture cards section here doesn't have it classified as that.
Thank you.

[redwudz]

Didn't mean to rant. I like Canopus, but their advertising would lead many people to conclude that this card does direct MPG capture. It does DV 'capture' and software conversion to MPG or other formats. It's a nice card, but I prefer the ADVC-100 for versatility and options. DV is great to edit, but the cards for conversion are a little pricey. It is excellent if you want a no problem conversion of vhs tapes to DVD. The audio stays in sync and DV edits easily. You might try lordsmurf.com for capture card info, he's the local expert.

[hrlslcbr]

Yeah, I know lordsmurf. I've read nearly all of his guides, and many of his posts (I've been reading things at the forum and the site for a loooong time, but just recently got registered).
BTW, thanks for the info... really helped me