Dazzel Creation Station 200-Is it any good and worth It?

[Super Warrior]

http://www.dazzle.com/products/dcs200.html

This thing I think is the latest of dazzles capture devices and It looks pretty good.I'm just about ready to fork over $230 and go for it.But I want to knowoes anyone else have It yet,is It really worth It and how well does It work?


I plan on useing It to record video from any videotape through the A/V in-outs into MPEG-2 quality video.Then once I've captured them I'll use TMPGEnc to make little encodeing ajustments to SVCD and then use Nero 5.5 to burn SVCD.As well as use It to transfer other video and stuff useing the A/V outputs to videotape.

[Anonymous65]

If you're going to buy a hardware mpeg-2 encoder, you should get one that will encode directly to the format you want, like SVCD. Reencoding in Tmpgenc takes forever, and you would be better of simply getting a cheap AVI capture card and then encode in Tmgenc. But anyway, I would assume the Dazzle can capture directly to SVCD, if not, I would go with something else...

[jshelley]

I, too, am interested in seeing or hearing from anyone who has bought this and tried it.

Do you know if Best Buy sells it? (or some other place that will take it back if it fails to perform as advertised?)

[sashka]

Hello
I already test it and it goes back to Fry's. I was trying it for dvd creation, but files, that it produses are not dvd comlyint. You have to reincode it and it takes a long time. I didn't try it for svcd. Hollywood DV-bridge works better for me.
Regards.
Alex.

[jshelley]

Thank you for the info! I will now go check out the Hollywood device.

However, I am curious...

...on their site they say

Dazzle DVD Complete software allows you to take your edited videos and add interactive menus, burn directly to a DVD

Is that just an out right lie? Seems like the type of thing that is easy enough to verify once you buy it, so I'm curious why they would market it as such if it doesn't perform accordingly.

[Super Warrior]

If you're going to buy a hardware mpeg-2 encoder, you should get one that will encode directly to the format you want, like SVCD. Reencoding in Tmpgenc takes forever, and you would be better of simply getting a cheap AVI capture card and then encode in Tmgenc. But anyway, I would assume the Dazzle can capture directly to SVCD, if not, I would go with something else...

Well If you looked on the link I posted,I belive it says that It encodes video to mpeg2 in real time.That way you don't have to spend hours encodeing with something else.Ofcoarse I'd still use TMPGEnc to encode afterwards.As I'm looking to create SVCD's that hold more video that SVCDs normally do.

[Super Warrior]

Hello
I already test it and it goes back to Fry's. I was trying it for dvd creation, but files, that it produses are not dvd comlyint. You have to reincode it and it takes a long time. I didn't try it for svcd. Hollywood DV-bridge works better for me.
Regards.
Alex.

Well I want It so I can create svcds.And the unit only costs $230 at the website or $179 at some other places.Where as the Hollywood Dv-bridge costs around $299.So I think i'll try out the DVD creation device.

[jshelley]

Star Warrior: Please keep us posted as to the results of your quest! There are quite a few of us who want to do the same thing you are trying to do!

- Jim

[DCS 200]

I have had the DCS 200 for about two weeks now. Circuit City was doing a deal through Saturday where you paid $230.00 and got a $30.00 giftcard... anyways, I am new to all of this and sounds like I wanted to be able to do the same as most of you. So far I have tried to take a couple of VHS movies and capture them to MPEG2 and burn to DVD.

The Moviestar v5 software that comes with it seems to capture pretty well. (I have another thread asking about another program that will work better) Moviestar will automatically cut the capture file off at around 3.6GB and start another. That only gets me about 1hr30min into the movie (This gets to be a pain in the a**) Anyways... it will allow you to capture in just about any format - again a newbie here... but it will do them all.

However, the problem is like someone said you can't take that file and put it into DVD Complete (This is another program that comes with it - a NICE all-in-one program - there are bugs right now though) and author and burn a DVD. It has to be re-encoded first. ( I believe - unless I'm doing something wrong ) It has only been taking about 2 1/2 hours.

So far so good, and I like the card bays. It will take every type of removable media. It makes a removable drive in your My Computer.

My only other option was the Hollywood. It can be had at www.provantage.com for a pretty good price. However, I would need a firewire card. Also it only captures in DV. You would then need to re-encode to MPEG2 (I believe)

If anyone else has one of these cards. Let me know, I would love to share experiences.

DVC 200

[jshelley]

DCS 200
Thank you for the info! I'm still curious - can you capture directly into SVCD or VCD format?


Skittleson (moderator)
I notice on your homepage that you are using the Hauppauge WinTV PVR-250 mpeg-1/2 hardware encoder

Can you make direct captures to mpeg1/2 with that? If so, how long does it take?

btw - you have some very reasonable rates on your page for doing capturing! I may decide to just forego buying a card and send you my tapes.

[EricB]

If you check the Dazzle website and download the user's manual, they say specifically that you have to re-encode the audio from the captured file. Their own authoring software does the conversion for you, but of course it takes some time. Bottom line, it does not directly create compliant files.

[DCS 200]

Yes you can capture directly to SVCD and VCD - you choose. But Eric is right the audio has to be re-encoded, takes very little time though.

DCS 200

[jshelley]

What's an example of 'very little time?'

[SodGawd]

@jshelley

Do you know if Best Buy sells it? (or some other place that will take it back if it fails to perform as advertised?)

and

can you capture directly into SVCD or VCD format?

The Answer is Yes! Best Buy does sell it, but it depends on where you live as to how much it costs. I have seen it here in Texas for $250 and $230. Heck, I wanna try the darn thang too.

And Yes again, you can capture directly into the VCD or SVCD format, but don't know of the quality. I know that the DVC2 had problems capturing VCD quality. Looked terrible. The SVCD was adequate, at least what I have seen.

I emailed Dazzle with a couple of questions regarding the audio and resolutions specs of the device. I distinctly remember that the DVC1 had the same problem. All you had to do was demultiplex it, re-encode the audio (took only a few minutes, like 30 tops) and then remultiplex it back to make it VCD compliant. I am sure that this will fix this. Those that have this device, do ya'll (<---Southern word, :P ) have USB 2.0 or 1.1? If 1.1, how high a bit rate are you getting?

I personally dont have the cash to get the Hollywood bridge, nor the HD space for such a recording!! I am eager to try this device out. I plan on getting it soon, and hey if it is crap.. I'll return it before the 30 days is up and get my money back.

[OptimusPrime22]

From what I have read the Dazzle Hollywood would be the better purchase in the long run. Just convert one file into the format and burn. Time consuming but not as many steps. But that's just my opinion on this one.

[SHS]

jshelley the WinTV-PVR 250 can direct captures to MPEG1 VCD but not MPEG2 SVCD that need to be re-mux which dosen't take long to do anywhere 30sec to a few mins at most.

[jshelley]

SHS
You know...your site was one of the one's I've stumbled across in my research on this topic; and the WinTV-PVR 250 is one of the cards I'm really thinking about getting.

Like your site btw!

I noticed on your site (on the News page) that you posted some mpeg examples that Skittlesen made using a DVD. Was this a standard issued DVD or one of the rare Apex's that has the hack for disabling Macrovision?

[SHS]

There one off that IP address Skittlesen post to http://64.213.114.237/ that like go off line a lot which take me three day get them.
For I know the WinTV-PVR and PVR 250/350 and PVR USB dosen't come with macrovision crap.
I don't what he use other then Stand alone DVD player and from look of it look like the video was cap from The Fast ans the Furious DVD.