Scheduling a capture with Canopus ADVC-110

[video_n00b]

As you can tell I'm new to the video field.
I have been using ATI Theater 550 Pro chip capture card to watch TV and capture shows in my computer, but I'm not satisfied with the quality of the captured videos.

I was thinking Canopus ADVC-110 would do a better job. I read quite a few good things in this board about this product. I can't fin the answer to one question though.

Can you schedule ADVC-110 to do a capture at a given time? For example my show starts at 2:00 pm, but I'm at work at that time. Is there a way to tell ADVC-110 start recording at this time? I understand the input signal needs to be right.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Truly a n00b

[budz]

You can use the software called Scenalyzer to schedule captures when using ADVC-110.

[video_n00b]

You can use the software called Scenalyzer to schedule captures when using ADVC-110.

Thanks for the quick response.

Does anyone have any experience comparing the quality of capture:

Cable >> ADVC-110 >>Hard drive
Cable >> Theater 550 Pro chip Capture card >> Hard Drive

Should I expect noticeable improvement?

Thanks

[guns1inger]

I don't know what the Theatre 550 is like, or what your particular problem with it is. However the ADVC-110 will only give you DV avi at 13gb/hr. Does the Theatre 550 give you options for encoding, or is it mpeg2 only ?

[SerbianBoss]

If you are using canopus 110 for capture you must to clean source evan if you capture from cable tv.

[edDV]

Much better with the ADVC but be prepared for 13.5GB/hr file sizes.

I do this a lot for material I want to later encode for DVD. The results from the S-Video out of the cable HD cable box are particularly good.

A sample
HD-->S-Video analog-->ADVC


SD-->S-Video analog-->ADVC


SD movie channel

[thecoalman]

If you are using canopus 110 for capture you must to clean source evan if you capture from cable tv.

I would disagree with that, I've been capturing some pretty ratty material with it and the final result is as good or better (with a some light filtering) than the source. I've seen you post some pretty bad caps from a home video but that as mentioned could be from your source but no one has anyway to know that.

[video_n00b]

You can use the software called Scenalyzer to schedule captures when using ADVC-110.

I looked at the ScenalyzerLive and it seems that I need to implement a number of macros to enable recording at a given time.
Is there a more elegant solution?

I use GB-PVR with my ATI Theater 550 Pro capture card. This has a hardware encoder but the quality of capture is not very good. I wonder if I use another capture program instead of GB-PVR, would I get better results?

Otherwise it seems ADVC-110 might be better. (Although I just saw a deal for the Plextor capture device for $30)

Thanks

[The_Doman]

I looked at the ScenalyzerLive and it seems that I need to implement a number of macros to enable recording at a given time.
Is there a more elegant solution?

Why the trouble, it has a build-in scheduler.....




You can also schedule a recording with the free Win-DV apllication when you use it with the task schedulder.

[theadlee]

[quote="edDV"]Much better with the ADVC but be prepared for 13.5GB/hr file sizes.

I do this a lot for material I want to later encode for DVD. The results from the S-Video out of the cable HD cable box are particularly good.

A sample
HD-->S-Video analog-->ADVC



edDV

I am curious how you are going from HD to analog. Those pictures look terrific. I have an ADVC-110 and am using Scenanlyzer Live to capture HD content from a DirecTV HR20-700 satellite reciever via the S-Video port. Your captures look like they are 16:9. How are you doing this? Please share.

[bobkart]

I suspect his STB can output the HD signal downconverted to 480i over S-Video. That's what my STB does.

Note that the captures are letterboxed 16:9, typical of what an STB will send out S-Video for downconverted HD material.

[hrlslcbr]

I have a theatre 550 pro card and I get pretty good quality with GB-PVR. Try increasing the bitrate and it should be better (it defaults to ~5 mbps that's too low in my opinion).

[edDV]

Much better with the ADVC but be prepared for 13.5GB/hr file sizes.

I do this a lot for material I want to later encode for DVD. The results from the S-Video out of the cable HD cable box are particularly good.

A sample
HD-->S-Video analog-->ADVC

edDV

I am curious how you are going from HD to analog. Those pictures look terrific. I have an ADVC-110 and am using Scenanlyzer Live to capture HD content from a DirecTV HR20-700 satellite reciever via the S-Video port. Your captures look like they are 16:9. How are you doing this? Please share.

Yes what Bob says. This it a Comcast Motorola HD box DCT-6xxx (6200 this one) downconverted to 480i S-Video out then captured by the ADVC.

Ideally the cable box would output the full height 480i that would be in true wide 16:9 mode, but it doesn't. Only letterbox is available.

It should offer a widescreen mode like this that could be authored as true widecreen 16:9.

[theadlee]

Thanks all for the replies. I got it working. Looks pretty good. I am pretty new at this stuff and as I said in my original post I am using advc-110 with Scenalyzer Live. Is this the prefered method for pulling HD of a STB? What other software would fit the bill here? Is this what most people use? Thanks again.

Regards,
Todd

[bobkart]

I don't think you can get much better than:

- HD from STB downconverted to 480i over Component Video (unletterboxed)
- converted from 480i to DV and captured on PC via FireWire

Unless of course you actually go for an HD capture via MPEG2 Transport Stream over FireWire straight from the STB (assuming it is so equipped).