First tests regarding ACE Advanced Convertor Enhancer

[SatStorm]

Here are my first impressions regarding this product.
http://www.gthelectronics.com/controlc.htm

Costed me about 450 euros, delivered from UK to Hellas in excactly one week.

It comes with various cables, and an Amplifier with UK plugs (I had to buy a UK - Euro plug adapter, an adition 3 euro price - Yeap, Greece is an Expensive country...).
ACE looks very retro-like, but as anyone says in this case, it is the inside that counts.
That product can convert PAL to NTSC or SECAM and vice versa in realtime. Also, can handle PAL60. You can convert PAL60 to true NTSC or true PAL. Overall, the NTSC to PAL / SECAM is excellent and I didn't notice any issues with normal video. With Anime & cartoons, things are more tuff, so if you wish perfection, then don't convert on the fly... Capture NTSC, IVTC, Speed up, Resize. You know, that "wonderfull" method that takes ages even if you have an Athlon 64@4G
If you ask me, ACE converts better NTSC to PAL than all my DVD standalone players do. So, you probably get the picture on this. It does an excellent job for sure.
PAL to SECAM and vice versa is simply perfect.
You can adjust RGB seperatelly & manualy, which is a great plus when you convert NTSC to PAL. Most of the time you need to rise the blue colour, so to make the NTSC tapes looks more natural (that's a lie: They look more pleasant to our eyes, that was exactly what MTV Europe use to do at late 80s, when they had to broadcast NTSC music videos to Europe).
Britness & Contrast also are adjustable, so situration. Especially with SECAM sources, you gonna need those!
ACE has some cool effects also, like invert colours, invert video, sephia effect and fade in / out (both video & audio, automatic or manual). You might find a use for those (not me: I use software for such things like effects)
The real deal is the "sharpeness" it has. Well, it is not the magic button, but sure sharpens the VHS picture. It reminds me the results of those old Sharp VCRs of mid 90s. To tell you the truth, I expected a picture distortion with this "filter", but even at the highest value it doesn't distort the picture at all. Also, you can blur the picture if you like (just turn the button to the other direction). So, you can choose: Let the VCR sharp and blur the result or let the VCR playback with normal picture and sharp it with ACE. My fist tests showed me that ACE does a better job than my VCRs and manage to make some tapes from the early 80s look pretty well if you ask me. For some really blurred old tapes, I used both full sharpness on VCR and ACE and I later "filter" a bit the picture with virtualdub. Not bad: To succeed the same results with software, I need a huge filter chain, and plenty of time (the only thing in the universe you can't buy...)
Colour Bleeding is not an issue with ACE: You can horizontaly shift it and that is good, because for us, the PAL users, there is no good software solution for colour bleed (NTSC users can experiment a bit with FlaxenVHS and other filters...). When I combine the Colour bleed with the "Exorcist" filter of Virtualdub, the results were amazing! I manage to "enchance" VHS recordings, taped back in the 80s from SECAM channels full of reception problems. I'm very pleased with the results.
You can also do vertical colour bleed correction, a not so rare situation regarding VHS. Thank god, I have only few such tapes myself and now I can "correct" them
ACE has a TBC, but I don't believe it is a Full frame one. I have tapes ACE can't "stablize" the picture, while other TBC units I tested can. I have to test further on this, because I may do something wrong.
I certainly do something wrong with the "Zoom" fuction, because I simply can't make it work! I follow the manual instructrions and I'm not able to make it fuction. ACE suppose to convert 4:3 to 16:9 and vice versa, using anamorhic or letterbox. I don't need this, but since it is there, I wish to learn how to use it - in theory at least...
ACE accept composite & S-Video signals, but not DV. We can't have it all, can't we?

I also notice a bug: On older VHS tapes (mid / late 80s), I use to tape music videos from MTV Europe and leave a blanc between them. Well, when I roll the tape sometimes ACE detect the videos as SECAM (while they are PAL...). A faulse pulse in the signal at the beggining of the video and you may end up capture a fucked up picture. This is mostly a problem with S-Video and not composite (and when you use old VHS tapes on SVHS decks with S-Video outputs).


I tested a bit ACE with digital video broadcasts, to see what it can do. Well, it helps on 2 things: Colour bleed (some channels broadcast stuff with colour bleed, it is not a DVB fault) and Sharpness. I don't know any other way to sharpen a DVB channel, except off course software or capture card's drivers. Well, this is a far better way to do it and it really helps when you capture and convert realtime to mpeg 2 using mainconcept 1.4.2. You see, mainconcept 1.4.2 has a bug, that makes any output less than 720 x 576/480 "stater" at the bottom of the screen. You can eliminate most of this, by de-activate some settings, and I noticed that if you set the driver to sharp the picture (like you can do with the btwincap drivers on any bt8xxx card), that bug on mainconcept shows a lot. By
using the sharpness of ACE you succeed better results and less (if not at all) statering with mainconcept. Now, I finally can set a 12 hour recording of any Sky Digital music channel (Okey, Okey, I know: I can card share sky digital with sky star 2 / dreambox so to capture the dvb stream direct, but that's not the point).

So, the question is: Does ACE helps in our hobby? Does worth it?
The short answer is yes.
The long answer is that it does what we can do with software, but much faster and easier, especially when you deal with VHS / SVHS tapes.
Also converts from NTSC to PAL very good, and that's something we do need here in Europe. Don't mention the colour bleed correction...

On the downside, I'm not excited with the TBC it has and you won't really need this unit for your - the analogue way - DVB/s/t/c captures (the future of our hobby that is...). I mean, you gonna find a use with your analogue DVB captures, but not something that costs 450 euro.

I'll do further tests this sunday and I shall report if I feel that there is something neccessary.

[gshelley61]

It sounds like a great unit!

[aiw9800proman]

Thanks for the review.

I too am in the market for a new standalone unit and this one does seem good. Shame about the tbc not been 100% but maybe you will test some more and post the results here

[aiw9800proman]

British made by a one man band outfit. On that basis I absolutely have to give him a call !

8mb frame buffer

[SatStorm]

O.K., here are more:

As I already stated, the sharpness button does an excellent job and with no distortion, which is a great suprise if you ask me. I turn it on full value and some of my blured VHS tapes, actually do look "nice" for the very first time in years!
IMO, the best combination is to set the VCR to distinct (normal) picture mode and "sharpen" it with ACE. It makes a remarkable difference!
I suggest to de-activate any VCR noise filters for better results if you gonna further filter your projects (virtualdub / avisynth / etc), but if your VCR has any built-in Linear TBC, better use it. That is something that it is also pointed to the manual of ACE.

ACE's TBC acts different Datavideo's TBC. There are certain tapes I have, Datavideo do better. But what is good with ACE, is the fact that the TBC it has, never make the source worst: It may do it better or leave it "as is". As you probably know, there are rare situations Datavideo's TBC may make a tape "worst". I never had to deal with this issue using ACE's TBC.

Macrovision is a joke for ACE, so you can use it with your ATI card. Of course, if you have a bt8xxx based card for "those" tapes, you wouldn't have that "problem" the fist place, but this is not the point here...

A nice plus of ACE is that it "cleans" any kind of electric interfierance before it leads the proccessed signal to PC. So if you still have issues, then ground your PC. ACE take care all the interfierance from the previous units! This is a typical fuction for those "enchance" video units, but noone mention this on tests and reviews. I can state that ACE does this "typical" job excellent!

The colour Bleed fuction looks cool but is tuff to handle it and set it up right. You may spent lots of time to set up the correct horrizontal colour shift, but the results are amazing when you finally make it! Corrected colours makes any picture look more sharp and pleasent to our eyes. Colour bleed correction is a new experience for me, because currently for the PAL/ SECAM users, there is no realable filter solution for this. I combine it with the Exorcist filter (when is needed) and sometimes a filter called "Noise Colour reduction". This works like Dynamic Noise Reductin / Static Noise Reduction combo, but without the blurring. Excellent for cartoons / anime, may look wierd with normal video (like how a VHS looks on a plasma screen....)
Further sharpness can be succeeded using the msu_sharpen filter ("small overall" setting). But when you apply this, prepare to use other filters as well..

The vertical colour bleed, corrects the bleed heading down, not the bleed heading up. Maybe there is a way for this too, I don't know yet. I'm still learning this unit

There is a "digitize" effect with ACE, reminds me the "posterize" effect used a lot on pop music videos at the late 80s. Beyond being a cool feature, I don't see any use of it.

The RGB correction is something that may end up very usefull, especially with NTSC (Never The Same Colour) and SECAM (System Even Crapier AMerican's) sources. For example I can finally correct Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" video, which for more than 15 years, broadcast on European music channels from a terrible NTSC to PAL print, with all the actor faces being Green! Like shoot the damn video on Mars or something... I'm not a Madonna fan, but make her look like Kermit, is an insult for Mappet Show...

Situration / brightness / contrast do what you can do manually with your card's drivers. The good thing here, is that you can leave your capture card to the default settings and correct the picture using ACE. From a practical point of view, this is better (and definatelly faster!)

I tested the unit with NTSC too. The use of RGB and Situration/Brighness/Constract is more essential in this case, and you can correct realtime most of the broadcast flows NTSC presents. The PAL to NTSC convertion is not top nocht, without being bad too. Experienced users may not like it, but the average and advance user may love it. It is comparable to how Cyberhome DVD standalones convert PAL to NTSC (for those who know...)

Interlace NTSC to PAL is excellent and here I want to say something personal: It is a shocking experience to see this convertion realtime! It does that trick far better any multisystem VCR I ever had and even if it is not perfect, is near perfect! Like those 192kb/s MP3s you have from your CDs riped useing lame and advance technics!
PAL60 to NTSC is also perfect and that gonna help lot's of European users!
I wasn't able to test PAL M/N, the manual says that it can handle those broadcast formats and I believe it. After all, PAL 60 is close to PAL M and Ace convert PAL60 to NTSC perfect!

I'll post more stuff soon or later!

[aiw9800proman]

Sat storm,

Are you still having trouble with zoom ?

Its one of the 'start up' options - For horizontal make sure both 'pal' and 'ntsc' buttons are out, then hold in the 'output type' button while switching the unit on and you will have horizontal zoom with the digitise button. To switch to vertical zoom just hold the 'output type' button in again whilst playing and you will have vertical zoom with the digitise button.

Dont know about you but im am very happy with this unit

[SatStorm]

No, I figure it out last Wesday... I use to hold that button with the unit on! Yeah I'm stupid...

Overall, I'm very happy with this unit. The more I test it the more I like it! Even that "TBC" it has helps on most cases!

At this time I also test a PVR250 from Hauppauge (I don't like it so far.... When I use S-Video in it is soooooo blury compared even the most cheap bt8xx card I have with the btwincap drivers. And yes, I applied all the hacks etc and still don't like the results...)

[SatStorm]

Ok, after 30 tapes and about 100 hours of (total) use, my ACE Advanced Convertor Enhancer is dead.
Simply like that: I switch it off the one night, and don't turn on the next day....

So, I send an email on the tech support, and they auto-reply that they 're on vacations until September 26th. And I'm on middle of something that can't wait that long .... ARRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seems like I won't test only the product, but the support they offer as a company after all

I report when I gonna have news

[gshelley61]

Perhaps an internal fuse... ?

[SatStorm]

Who knows..
I shall learn, when company (a one man stand that is!) returns from Vacations

You can imagine, that I'm very frustated about it: I'm in a middle of somthing (as always), it is the first device that brokes after many years and it is the most expensive I ever bought for a specific reason....

Anyway, let's hope there is a solution in my case

[FulciLives]

Anyway, let's hope there is a solution in my case

Good Luck with it!

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[gsh]

Any update on this? I have been impressed with the contact I have had with ACE and am still considering buying a unit. Would be nice to know what their after sales service is like.

[SatStorm]

Yes there is an update! I just recieved ACE repaired (26/11)!
The fault was a short circuit on the main internal 5V power supply due to a solder whisker! Regarding the ACE team, this was the very first time they have had such a fault on any unit after it has been tested...

So I can say that the after sale service is excellent and the help from the team great.

I recommend this product twice now: First for what it is and second because of the great after sale service!

[mattso]

I recommend this product twice now: First for what it is and second because of the great after sale service!

Ditto that, I love my ACE. The extensive colour balance & colour shift controls have worked wonders on some of my old tapes. I highly recommend it. I ordered direct from the U.K. (much cheaper that way!), and received it in 6 days!

[gsh]

Thanks for the update - now for a little note to Santa...

[StuR]

SatStorm,
After a couple of years use are you still as positive about the ACE's abilities?
I'm sure it's now fully tested! Mainly interested in the colour correction RGB (selective)
and the sharpness/soften filter.
This is all performed digitally after A>D convertion then D>A for output. Do you think that causes any digitalization in the image caused by the ACE (ruling out the capture device of course)
How about locking on to a vertical rolling section, I don't think there is any possible adjustment to the sync, how's it coped with this problem.
Cheers if you can return to this topic.

[SatStorm]

Yes, I'm still as positive!

From what I know, you won't be able to buy ACE right now direct from gthelectronics. Some E.U. laws force them to stop producing them (unfortunatelly). You can find it on ebay of course.

Regarding the "vertical rolling section", do you mean the vertical colour bleed? Well, for the bleeding heading up, there is no solution. Neither I know a software filter for this.

To my suprise, I use a lot the 4:3 to 16:9 latelly... And be able to adjust the zoom is very handy. Yeap, I crop a part of the picture, but the results are far better that way than capping with virtualdub then cropping 144 vertical lines and then resize to 720x576 for anamorphic 16:9.

I also prefer the results of my ACE, than let my TV do this job (zoom the picture so to fit it on the 16:9, by loosing 144 of the up and down lines)
The results look like UK's Flaunt/Scuzz/Bliss channels.

Over the years I found plenty ways to use my ACE. For example, I use my ACE in an alternative way, when I want to do this: https://forum.videohelp.com/topic316902.html
That gives a new life to my ACE, for many years to come!

I would love a better TBC sometimes, but for those things even a pro vcr wouldn't help me (you know, those costing some thousent of euros to get them...)

[StuR]

Good to hear it's served you well,
I'm just considering it in comparison to the Videotech VMX410 that I have. It's similar to the ACE in that is a UK model from a small company which seem to have spent some time developing it. It's a video mixer so has feature's I don't really need like croma key, wipes. But it does have the full TBC/synch I needed.

I understand that the ACE's TBC is not full which seems odd if it has 8mb memory.
By vertical roll I mean rolling caused by drop outs due to worn tape sections. The VMX seems to help with this if you use one of the 3 extra sync lock settings, no idea what that does, it just does!
It can adjust colour/contrast/brightness, but not individual RBG colours.
The 4:3 <> 16:9 conversion sound useful but it's not something I'd probably need.

I think if the maybe a better option would be to use another colour correcting box which has individual R,G,B settings. The problem with that is it could degrade the picture more.

[charly]

I'm just considering it in comparison to the Videotech VMX410 that I have.

…i am aware that this thread is 15 years old and that my contribution is off-topic: i am sorry for that…

…the reason for my message is the hope that the user StuR might still be in possession of the manual for the VMX410 - as i have the machine, but no manual and i cannot find the manual anywhere (online)…

…so if someone would have a copy of the Video Tech Designs VMX410 for me i‘d really be grateful…