Sima GoDVD Video Duplicator

[MeekloBraca]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6296572&type=product&id=1074788270290

Whats the general consensus on this product?

[classfour]

I bought one about 3 months ago.

It works as advertised.

I didn't pay nearly $100 for one - about $60 or so at buy.com

They're going for about $50 on ebay - used.

[lordsmurf]

Might help remove some copy protection. Not foolproof, will still fail. Besides that, doesn't really do too much.

[handyguy]

If you are doing dvds, best to just get a macro free dvd player as source.

[offline]

Handyguy & Lordsmurf are correct. Depends what you want to use it for. For straight level 1 macrovision removal it works 99.9% of the time. For anything else, you may need a color corrector and or a full blown time base corrector. A DVD player with macrovision disabled will, however, always provide a sharper picture.

[MeekloBraca]

I have a Lite On 5005 and it has these jitter issues that I dont take too kindly too.

[classfour]

When I said the Sima does what it says it is supposed to do: I have tested it on VHS tape to DVD recorder - Panasonic AG7300 (huge, SVHS unit) to Panasonic DMR-E50 (DVD-RAM recorder) - without any MV or CGMS flags. I did not test it for DVD to DVD-R conversion, having switched to computer rips a long while back. For DVD to DVDR, I have (in reserve) an Apex AD1100 that is MV free.

After running into some older tapes that had problems, I have revamped my equipment: Panasonic AG7300 ---> Sony TBC ---> VideoCraft Detailer ----> VideoCraft ProcAmp ---> Panasonic DMR-E50; also have Panasonic Broadcast Monitor at end of line for checking feed - the 36" Sony was way too big (and too close for viewing) for making detail and color adjustments. The one nice thing about this setup is this: I recently transferred a tape that had before been unwatchable to DVD-RAM; the TBC corrected the jitter (it was throughout the tape), and the color was improved - not bad for some old amateur footage.

My main point was the price at BestBuy is waaayyyyyy toooo HIGH!!!

If you're going to buy a Sima, look a little harder, they can be had for much less.

I'll probably list the one I've got on ebay sometime in the future when I do my spring cleanup, if bestbuy and everyone else is selling them for $99 then, I should be able to turn a profit.

The main difference between the Sima and the"black box from ebay" that I've used was the color and clarity of the VHS transfer - it was noticeably better with the Sima. It was not as good as with a TBC, and certainly not as good as I'm getting with my current setup.

If I'd only had a couple dozen VHS tapes for transfer, I'd have stuck with it. Unfortunately, I found another box of VHS tapes in the basement last fall - most aren't available on DVD yet, and aren't getting any better.

[maek]

Can this product be used to CAPTURE video instead of sending it directly to a DVD recorder?

[maek]

bump

[offline]

Yes of course it can; in fact that is what I use it for - to "clean" up the signal to the capture card.

[choirislife923]

Can this product be used to CAPTURE video instead of sending it directly to a DVD recorder?

it can be used in conjunction with a video capture device in order to put the video onto your computer...its not an analog to digital converter by itself.

but if you're already putting the videos onto a computer, i'd say skip the SIMA and do the corrections on your PC (as long as its in DV or any interim codec designed for editing). Unless it's remove macrovision, you can do all of what the SIMA can do (brightening, darkening, grayscale) on your PC without coughing up $50-100..