Is the Canopus ADVC-50 card still an OK capture card?

[Mickey Juice]

Hi kids,

I've decided to get back into digital VHS conversions, so am starting from scratch (all my old hardware is in Australia, I now live in Canada).

Last time I researched the hardware was about 10 years ago, and bought a Canopus ADVC-50 card (I brought it back with me last trip).

I found it worked fine on my old XP machine, even tho it was limited to DV AVI format.

Is it worth upgrading?

eg www.amazon.ca/Blackmagic-Design-Intensity-Pro-Editing

or just stick with the Canopus card?

I'm guessing it would be fine, and my money would be best spent on a quality VCR / PC hardware?

Thanks

[pippas]

I still use my ADVC50 for VHS capture, and find the DV files ideal for editing, ready for final conversion to mp4. But I am in PAL land, and the Canopus converters are reckoned to give better results with PAL conversions than they do with NTSC.
It's also useful on occasion to know that the ADVC50 can deal with Macrovision tapes. (The later Canopus converters - ADVC110 and ADVC55 - do not retain that option).
If you google reviews and forum comments on that Black Magic device, it doesn't tend to get very good reviews with analogue VHS sources.
It's OK with HD sources apparently..

I'd say stick with your ADVC50..............

[Mickey Juice]

Thanks for the reply.
Interesting about the PAL/NTSC quality. I'll be converting PAL tapes at the moment, so that's good news (gotta find a PAL compatible VCR tho! Find that part tough).
Although I'll be moving to NTSC tapes later on.

[Geert111]

Hey, I also have a ADVC50 and use it over more then 10 years, but only the DV-input for DV-videos. Now that I am almost retired and will have lots of free time I want to digitalize my old VHS and Betamax videos. Unfortenately I cannot manage to capture my VHS via the analoge inputs of the ADVC. Can sombody help me on this plse? I should have experienced this long time ago when the ADVC was fresh in the memory of so many users!

[pippas]

Not quite sure what you mean by 'DV input'?.... The ADVC50 only has analogue inputs - either RCA composite or S-video connectors for the analogue video signal, and two RCA connectors for the line level stereo audio.

The device itself doesn't need any drivers, although you will need to have a relevant IEEE1394 driver for your Firewire input.
You may need to look for legacy drivers if you're using Windows 7 or later. See here: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/65cb7a25-2a84-4875-aa27-b084...7itprohardware

Your computer should see the ADVC50 as an 'AVC complaint DV tape recorder /player'.

To capture, use a program like WinDV or Scenalyzer. Both are free.

[Geert111]

Hi Pippas,
I don' know if you have the same system in the UK but here are 2 photos of my ADVC's frontpanel
then you'll have a better idea of what I ment with DV-input. I have an old desktop running on Windows XP and my editingprogram is Canopus Edius 3 Pro.
All DV videos, I load up via the DV-input, are okay, but I cannot load up any analoge! In my Canaopus editor I only have DVX-E1-DV, generic OHCI-input An generic HDV-input.D (whatever these last 2 mean??). What do you think?
On a Dutch forum someone wrote to try the composite input instead of the S-video. I will try later after i have changed the wiring.

[pippas]

Yes, that's the same as my ADVC50, and as I mentioned, shows the S-video and composite input connectors, and the Firewire DV output connector.
There is no DV input to this card.

For transferring your DV - or HDV - camera tapes you would plug the DV connector from the camera into the Firewire input on your computer.

(BTW, you should always do that with both the camera and the computer switched OFF. It's quite easy to destroy the Firewire port of a camcorder, if you 'hot plug' the connectors with either device switched on).

When you wish to capture the DV output from your ADVC50, you would plug the DV output connector from the front of that card into the Firewire input port on your computer.

There is also an option of connecting the ADVC50 to the computer Firewire input via the alternative second 6 way DV connector on the card itself (It's the connector mounted at an angle). You can use either connector.

Again, to be safe, you should make these connections with the computer switched OFF.

[Geert111]

the DV-cable you see on the photo, comes from my Sony VCR DHR1000 DV. On the DV-input is not mentionned in or out so I just checked and loaded a DVmovie to my ADVC via the DV-input, you see on the photo and the scene came on the Ediius editor. To be sure that the movie did not come via another wire (I have so many on the back : scart, S-video, rca) I pulled out de DV and the scene was gone on the Edius. So this is a real DV-input and I even think to remember, it's a 'pass-through'. Then I tried to capture some scenes via de DV-input on the ADVC to my Sony but that didn't work. Strange! I think that the ADVC is indeed internaly connected to my computer Firewire via the second way DV connector by the supplied DV-cable. Meaby I should trie the analoge-inputs on the rear of my computer?

[pippas]

I think that the ADVC is indeed internaly connected to my computer Firewire via the second way DV connector by the supplied DV-cable.

I stand corrected when using this mode. If you have both DV (Firewire) connectors in use, the unit can indeed work in a pass through mode - although only when used with a Canopus capture card - EZDV or DV Raptor.

I don't have one of those, and have therefore never used that mode. I've only just noticed it when re-reading the manual. My mistake. Sorry about that.

As it would seem you are using an older type Canopus capture card, rather than a generic Firewire input, I shall have to leave it to one of our experts here on the forum to advise on how best to use that configuration.

If you are using a DVRaptor or EZDV card, then there are utilities to check that your system configuration is suitable. You can find them here: http://www.grassvalley.com/support/downloads/products?product=general ( you'll need to register for a free Grass Valley account before you can download the utilities)

You might also get some ideas from page 7 onwards of the manual, which you can find here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/88897909/ADVC-50-User-Manual#scribd