GEEKS! I just bought the Canopus ADVC-300 and I need your input and advice!

[_yo_wasup_]

My goal is to transfer my father's VHS home videos (probably recorded in LP mode) to Dual-Layer DVDs with the highest possible quality.

After doing about two days of hard research, I have purchased the Canopus ADVC-300 Digital Video Converter. It ran me $385, but from the reviews I've read on it so far, users say that it's worth every penny.

I tried a little dazzle pinnacle recorder, and I got horrible quality when quality was set to 100%. I then learned the hard way that there is no "shortcut" in getting good digital quality VHS transfers.

After doing some reading on this forum and other sources as well, I am also in the market for a higher end VCR to make sure I get the best quality possible. Being JVC was the founder and leading corporation with VHS and S-VHS technology, I have decided on getting one of these Super VHS VCRs. The link to the ones JVC made are here listed from oldest model to newest model:

http://support.jvc.com/consumer/product.jsp?pathId=49&archive=true

I was interested in two specific features of these players:
1) DigiPure Technology w/4MB Frame Memory specification
2) Dynamic Drum w/ TimeScan and Pro-Slow

Which then narrows it down to the last 5 models:
HR-S9500U
HR-S9600U
HR-S9800U
HR-S9900U
HR-S9911U

I bolded the ones above that are available for purchase to me in the next couple days. But here's the question. Is this a smart thing to be doing? Should I buy this VCR? I will be connecting this Super VCR to this Capture Card, and BOTH have a built in LTBC!

As I read from a review on this very site: ( https://www.videohelp.com/capturecards/canopus-advc-300/350 )

LTBC:
Rating: 5
To be honest I haven't noticed much from the built in TBC. My overall impression is that the TBC hasn't done much to the image quality on my tapes, but maybe it's more noticeable when using lower quality playback equipment? My impression is that the built in TBC on my JVC HR-S7600 is far better than the one inside the ADVC300. There's no adjustment settings for the TBC and it's not even possible to switch it on and off. In my oppinion that's a big minus as it may cause conflicts with other and better TBC's, like mine (JVC HR-S7600) that canopus suggests to turn off when using together with the ADVC300.

So my question is this:

Is it worth buying this high end of a VCR if my Capture Card already handles similar technologies? I ask that someone here can tell me what a good decision is, and if maybe they will work together with awesome quality that I am hoping to get. Tell me what VCR I should use with this capture card, and if I'm making a wise decision by doing this.

THANK YOU GEEKS,
(This is the kind of thread people find on Google to get them help, so please be informative if you can).

[_yo_wasup_]

Update:
A seller accepted my best offer on the HR-S9600U S-VHS player, so this piece of equipment is what I will be using with my capture card. Please tell me if there will be any problems!

[lordsmurf]

Your capture card DOES NOT have the same tech. The AVDC-300 is over-expensive and it's processing ranges from useless on some errors, to over-processed on others. I hate to tell you this, but it's not a very good capture device. Yes, it will work for you, but it's a rather lousy choice for restoring video.

The VCR will do well for you, however. 8)

[_yo_wasup_]

Your capture card DOES NOT have the same tech. The AVDC-300 is over-expensive and it's processing ranges from useless on some errors, to over-processed on others. I hate to tell you this, but it's not a very good capture device. Yes, it will work for you, but it's a rather lousy choice for restoring video.

The VCR will do well for you, however. 8)

If this is the case, then why is every single review online different? Of course some people that do reviews are full of shit, but could you explain more? I did some hard core research on the reviews all on different sites, and I only got positive comments. Have you used this device yourself to be able to base that assessment? Please explain, because you got me really wondering what you're talking about.

[victoriabears]

Regarding the ADVC 300 , I had one for a while and yes it does "create" a very stable image but it is fiddly to use and seems to be one of those love it or hate it items judging by the views on this forum. It also outputs a DV signal that takes up tons of space on a PC, but many seem to like this method of converting VHS, myself I use dvd recorders.

There is an awful lot of information on this site about these vcr's and searching will show you and give you many hours of reading.

Today I took the latest vhs off my shelf to transfer to DVD, using a JVC M100 dvd recorder I tried the following vcr's on a SLP tape:-

Panasonic 1980
JVC 9911 (The last in the tbc/dnr line from JVC)
Toshiba standard vcr
Panasonic standard VCR
Sharp standard vcr with super picture.

The Pansaonic standard VCR won !,, I was amazed but again and again I am finding that using the same vcr that the material was recorded on wins many times.

The JVC VCR by the way, as I have found many times with the jvc dvd recorder, made the picture jump !

[_yo_wasup_]

Congrats. lordsmurf take a look at these reviews, and these are ones that I trust more than other sites, being it's from the one and only egg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16814144209

[lordsmurf]

Online reviews are more often a reflection of a person's own limited knowledge, than on the device itself.

I've gone over this psychological issue many times, but consumers have this backwards idea that their home conversions will never be as good as studio work (or even close to it), so many never try. They expect errors, they live with errors. It's that crappy "good enough" syndrome.

Worse than that, a number of folks wouldn't know a quality video if they saw it. Think of all the idiots that consider Youtube or some warez cam of a movie to be "DVD quality".

I think the "this box is made for professionals" comment is hilarious. Professionals don't use this! I've NEVER seen anybody other than a consumer use this. A professional VHS>DVD conversion is done either uncompressed, or with a DV workflow NLE card. These converter boxes have no place in a professional environment.

It's easy to spot VHS>DVD work done on an ADVC. Just look for chroma noise, chroma noise compressed to 4:1:1 colorspace, red/green interlacing noise, muddy blacks (charcoal), and this odd processing noise. These are as easy to spot as Panasonic Half D1 encodes.

Newegg reviews are honestly only good for knowing if drivers work, how many items have been DOA, hardware flaws, etc. For quality, especially on anything to do with audio/video/photo quality, forget about it. You'll be entirely misled by people who know less than you do.

[2Bdecided]

You'll be entirely misled by people who know less than you do.

Oh I don't know - he called himself "_yo_wasup_", and both started and finished by shouting "GEEKS!" at everyone reading. Finding people who know less than he does could prove quite a challenge.

I'm amazed people bothered to respond. What was it - people shout "GEEK" at you so often that you don't even notice it happening any more?

Cheers,
David.

[filmboss80]

It's amazing how some will ask for advice and comments, then argue and debate. And who are you calling Geeks?

[victoriabears]

This such a fabulous forum, and mainly we do not see the typical slanging matches that occur on other , shall we say, hip, forums.

I had a person yanking my chain on another forum, I just ignored him and found silence was such a great weapon (May be George Bush should have tried it).

We live in a world where acceptable language sees such variations, my wife calls me a geek (amongst other things), she does not mean it offensively, I hope

[_yo_wasup_]

I probably do know more than a lot of you, so I have really nothing to worry about. I told you that reviews aren't worth taking serious, and you only had to elaborate your stuck up opinion about that (which is what I agree with). Yelling geeks is my new way of attracting them. It's like saying the word motor in front of a bunch of hicks, it turns heads. I used to believe it's about using the right keywords when you want the right kind of help, but now i'm beginning to believe otherwise. It's not about the subject that will become visible on google search results, it's the forum you post in. I can tell already that this one is full of amateurs that have a certain set of beliefs and don't care about learning. Those type of people aren't true to technology, and as technology will become newer with awesome new concepts our future brings, some of you won't grasp on to such principles because you're stuck up about what you believe is right, and therefore ignorant. There are professional views on this product, do a google search.

Next time someone asks you about a product you don't know shit about, **** off. (for the sake of them).

If you want to at least help a person out, you could do the little effort to at least review the product and explain why it is "so bad" instead of just saying your way is the right way and the only way. The way some of you type literally just makes you look like a downright newbs.

The principle comes down to I don't know you, in fact, some of you may in fact be a pro, and now you're probably thinking, "oh, that's me!" but as far as first impressions go, none are to be found in this forum. If you want to prove me wrong by explaining why this is a bad product, I would love to be enlightened.

[edDV]

I probably do know more than a lot of you, so ...

So demonstrate your knowledge.

The ADVC-300's TBC seems to be suspect, otherwise it is an option. There are no plug and play optimal solutions at the consumer price level. Each option has pro and con.

[zoobie]

Smurfy has hit upon an interesting psychological phenomena called "cognitive dissonance". It states that once we've invested time or money in something, we're more likely to give it a positive review or even recommendation. "More likely" are the keywords so Newegg's reviews are not to be entirely dismissed.

If you wanted the best you could do, I'd have followed Smurfy's methods on his site. However, I traded best for convenient and went the device way myself. It's just vhs quality anyway.

$385 sounds awfully high...Isn't there a knock-off for $49? ADS Pyro or something like that?

[_yo_wasup_]

I probably do know more than a lot of you, so ...

So demonstrate your knowledge.

The ADVC-300's TBC seems to be suspect, otherwise it is an option. There are no plug and play optimal solutions at the consumer price level. Each option has pro and con.

Suspected of what? Canopus has been around since the early 1980s and has made its name producing reliable video editing and processing solutions for the PC. It is one of only about a half-dozen companies that have enough intellectual muscle and resources to engineer both the hardware and the software of advanced A/V products — while keeping them affordable. Most average consumers would not spend this much on a product. Why do you think the market hasn't brought this capture card down in price? Perhaps it is getting the attention it needs at it's current value. Prosumer equipment is what this device seems to be recognized from multiple reliable sources.

Online reviews are more often a reflection of a person's own limited knowledge, than on the device itself.

I'd love to see some of your reviews. What is it about them that makes your reviews in particular stand out? Nothing. You read reviews, take what you wish from them and move on. After a certain point in time, one comes to realize what kind of results people have had after using the product. When there is a con section and there is no con posted for nearly every review i have read, it sure makes me wonder why every other review I read on a product seems to leave people negative things to say. So far, I'm more interested in whether or not you know anything than even figuring out this question. Your text thus far has not been impressive herein.

Smurfy has hit upon an interesting psychological phenomena called "cognitive dissonance". It states that once we've invested time or money in something, we're more likely to give it a positive review or even recommendation.

Yes that is true, and especially present with mac users.

$385 sounds awfully high...Isn't there a knock-off for $49? ADS Pyro or something like that?

The cheep route didn't work out with me the first time. If there was a cheap knock-off amazing capture card, it would probably have gained more recognition than it has by this day and age.

[edDV]

I probably do know more than a lot of you, so ...

So demonstrate your knowledge.

The ADVC-300's TBC seems to be suspect, otherwise it is an option. There are no plug and play optimal solutions at the consumer price level. Each option has pro and con.

Suspected of what? Canopus has been around since the early 1980s and has made its name producing reliable video editing and processing solutions for the PC. It is one of only about a half-dozen companies that have enough intellectual muscle and resources to engineer both the hardware and the software of advanced A/V products — while keeping them affordable. Most average consumers would not spend this much on a product. Why do you think the market hasn't brought this capture card down in price? Perhaps it is getting the attention it needs at it's current value. Prosumer equipment is what this device seems to be recognized from multiple reliable sources.

Never said anything bad about Canopus or the ADVC line. I've owned and used ADVC converters since 2004.

The issue is the single line TBC feature used in the ADVC-300 which is of limited use with highly unstable VHS source. There is nothing in the ADVC-300 documentation that defends the line TBC function for VHS application. A frame sync is common in more recent designs.

We recently had a geek level discussion of uncompromised VHS capture.
https://forum.videohelp.com/topic369609.html

[johns0]

Canopus has been around since the early 1980s and has made its name producing reliable video editing and processing solutions for the PC. It is one of only about a half-dozen companies that have enough intellectual muscle and resources to engineer both the hardware and the software of advanced A/V products — while keeping them affordable.
.

Quoting from 5 year old sources doesnt demonstrate any knowledge.
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/videoencodvd/revfeat/video_canopus_advc/

[zoobie]

ops...I was thinking of the advc 100...no wonder $385 sounded high
of course, you can do your project then simply resell it on ebay

[lordsmurf]

I probably do know more than a lot of you, so I have really nothing to worry about. I told you that reviews aren't worth taking serious, and you only had to elaborate your stuck up opinion about that (which is what I agree with). Yelling geeks is my new way of attracting them. It's like saying the word motor in front of a bunch of hicks, it turns heads. I used to believe it's about using the right keywords when you want the right kind of help, but now i'm beginning to believe otherwise. It's not about the subject that will become visible on google search results, it's the forum you post in. I can tell already that this one is full of amateurs that have a certain set of beliefs and don't care about learning. Those type of people aren't true to technology, and as technology will become newer with awesome new concepts our future brings, some of you won't grasp on to such principles because you're stuck up about what you believe is right, and therefore ignorant. There are professional views on this product, do a google search.
Next time someone asks you about a product you don't know shit about, **** off. (for the sake of them).
If you want to at least help a person out, you could do the little effort to at least review the product and explain why it is "so bad" instead of just saying your way is the right way and the only way. The way some of you type literally just makes you look like a downright newbs.
The principle comes down to I don't know you, in fact, some of you may in fact be a pro, and now you're probably thinking, "oh, that's me!" but as far as first impressions go, none are to be found in this forum. If you want to prove me wrong by explaining why this is a bad product, I would love to be enlightened.

If you don't like the answers, don't ask the question.
So your little rant here basically means you were trying to flame-bait the forum?

I actually ignored the "geeks" part of the title -- I just figured it was some newbie idiot trying to get attention. It appears I was correct in this assumption all along. What I saw was a person about to be duped into buying an overly expensive device, based on empty promises from Canopus, and some clueless reviews saying how it's the best device ever. I was correct again, it seems.

I have better things to do than argue with idiots. If you want to read my reviews of these devices (and many other items), search the forum, it's been discussed many times in the 6+ years I've been here. I have about 20,000 posts, have fun reading.

Given your attitude, I think maybe you should take your own advice, too:
And I quote... "Next time someone asks you about a product you don't know shit about, **** off. "

[_yo_wasup_]

The issue is the single line TBC feature used in the ADVC-300 which is of limited use with highly unstable VHS source. There is nothing in the ADVC-300 documentation that defends the line TBC function for VHS application. A frame sync is common in more recent designs.

I appreciate the information, however could you further what you find wrong with its LTBC?

Canopus has been around since the early 1980s and has made its name producing reliable video editing and processing solutions for the PC. It is one of only about a half-dozen companies that have enough intellectual muscle and resources to engineer both the hardware and the software of advanced A/V products — while keeping them affordable.
.

Quoting from 5 year old sources doesnt demonstrate any knowledge.
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/videoencodvd/revfeat/video_canopus_advc/

Idle #careface @ irc.youareacondom.malfunction

A 5 year old source is not going to limit the amount of technical information if the product has not changed. If you would like to argue anything in that unquoted piece, I'd love to see it.

If you don't like the answers, don't ask the question.
So your little rant here basically means you were trying to flame-bait the forum?

lol, you're obviously mistaken. The only slight helpful member thus far has been edDV, otherwise you could label every other post in this thread void.

I actually ignored the "geeks" part of the title -- I just figured it was some newbie idiot trying to get attention. It appears I was correct in this assumption all along.

And that doesn't surprise me that your first view on any new registered user to this forum is of such. You have this false high view of yourself like you are some sort of God or something. If you have something to say, learn how to present yourself professionally. This bullshit that I've read from you so far is nothing more than a waste of time.

If you want to read my reviews of these devices (and many other items), search the forum, it's been discussed many times in the 6+ years I've been here. I have about 20,000 posts, have fun reading.

Perhaps your post count is of more importance to you than your stature. As far as I'm concerned, you're insignificant when it comes to helping others. Maybe others on this forum will start to realize this about you if they hadn't already.

Given your attitude, I think maybe you should take your own advice, too:
And I quote... "Next time someone asks you about a product you don't know shit about, **** off. "

This doesn't make sense because no one is asking me about this product.

If you want to just get it over and ban yourself right now, I won't stop you, but if you decide to stay and keep posting on my threads, that's fine too because you make me smile sometimes.

p.s. you remind me exactly of one of the villagers from the movie Population 436. go watch it if you haven't yet!


--

edDV, being you have a history with these capture cards, could you further what you find wrong with its LTBC?

[johns0]

The issue is the single line TBC feature used in the ADVC-300 which is of limited use with highly unstable VHS source. There is nothing in the ADVC-300 documentation that defends the line TBC function for VHS application. A frame sync is common in more recent designs.

I appreciate the information, however could you further what you find wrong with its LTBC?

Canopus has been around since the early 1980s and has made its name producing reliable video editing and processing solutions for the PC. It is one of only about a half-dozen companies that have enough intellectual muscle and resources to engineer both the hardware and the software of advanced A/V products — while keeping them affordable.
.

Quoting from 5 year old sources doesnt demonstrate any knowledge.
http://digitalcontentproducer.com/videoencodvd/revfeat/video_canopus_advc/

Idle #careface @ irc.youareacondom.malfunction

A 5 year old source is not going to limit the amount of technical information if the product has not changed. If you would like to argue anything in that unquoted piece, I'd love to see it.

If you don't like the answers, don't ask the question.
So your little rant here basically means you were trying to flame-bait the forum?

lol, you're obviously mistaken. The only slight helpful member thus far has been edDV, otherwise you could label every other post in this thread void.

I actually ignored the "geeks" part of the title -- I just figured it was some newbie idiot trying to get attention. It appears I was correct in this assumption all along.

And that doesn't surprise me that your first view on any new registered user to this forum is of such. You have this false high view of yourself like you are some sort of God or something. If you have something to say, learn how to present yourself professionally. This bullshit that I've read from you so far is nothing more than a waste of time.

If you want to read my reviews of these devices (and many other items), search the forum, it's been discussed many times in the 6+ years I've been here. I have about 20,000 posts, have fun reading.

Perhaps your post count is of more importance to you than your stature. As far as I'm concerned, you're insignificant when it comes to helping others. Maybe others on this forum will start to realize this about you if they hadn't already.

Given your attitude, I think maybe you should take your own advice, too:
And I quote... "Next time someone asks you about a product you don't know shit about, **** off. "

This doesn't make sense because no one is asking me about this product.

If you want to just get it over and ban yourself right now, I won't stop you, but if you decide to stay and keep posting on my threads, that's fine too because you make me smile sometimes.

p.s. you remind me exactly of one of the villagers from the movie Population 436. go watch it if you haven't yet!


--

edDV, being you have a history with these capture cards, could you further what you find wrong with its LTBC?

Yawn

[2Bdecided]

I probably do know more than a lot of you...

...your stuck up opinion...

...this forum is full of amateurs...

...you don't know shit about, **** off...

It's hardly a subtle troll - why are you people still feeding it?

Cheers,
David.

[Nelson37]

Hey, this one has done lots of research, had issues with Fab and Shrink, loves "Magic DVD Copier", and paid extra for the 3000 model.

I think there has been tremendous entertainment value here, and serious potential for lots more. He may even surpass my previous favorite, the newb who was telling neuron2 that he didn't know anything about interlacing.

[_yo_wasup_]

I probably do know more than a lot of you...

...your stuck up opinion...

...this forum is full of amateurs...

...you don't know shit about, **** off...

It's hardly a subtle troll - why are you people still feeding it?

Cheers,
David.

"..." meaning a quote that you had to modify to get it to sound how you wanted?

If I cut out the sentences you type in half, they would look the same, so next time do a full sentence quote (unless of course) you want to get your imaginary message across.


Honestly, the only real reason I keep posting here is because of my own entertainment value. Do you think that after I learned what kind of administration this place has, that I would have kept asking for help? I learned this forum is indeed full of amateurs, but ones that talk shit, leave themselves open, and yet try so hard. That's my favorite kind, how can I pass that up? It's almost a game for me to see how long it takes for me to be banned and abide by rules for the most part.