I’ve been going over all the capture card options I can find for a Powerbook (I have a G3 400 and a G4 1.67).

My primary purpose is to capture PAL VHS and convert to DVD. I like the sound of DV converters rather than hardware encoders as I prefer flexibility in encoding stuff, even if it takes longer (unless someone talks me into a hardware encoder being much better!).

While I liked the sound of the DAC-100 or ADVC-100 on Ebay ranging from $150-$250, I found a Formac Studio TVR for US$130 second hand which sounds like it will do the same job. I guess the TV tuner is a bit of a gimmick in the sense that you could just plug your VCR tuner into the DAC-100 AV ports and get the same result.

Anyway, I’ve read a lot of hatemail* about the Formac Studio, so I had a few questions for those in the know

- are the Studio’s DV importing results similar to the DAC-100 or ADVC-100

- is the criticism of the Formac related to the TV capture software rather than DV conversion hardware performance?

- did the Studio ever come with firmware 1.05 – I heard that caused audio noise issues and had to be updated at the factory

- does a Powerbook Pismo or Powerbook 1.67 firewire bus provide enough power without the separate power pack – Formac says some Powerbooks don’t, but not which ones.

- how long does it take to encode an hour of DV to MPEG-2 on a Powerbook G4 1.67?

I’d really appreciate suggestions.

Regards,
Bruce