Anyone know the year on who was made the DATAVIDEO SE 500 ?

[Bartoloni]

I have just bought one of these unit to see if these are able to UN-skew old VHS (using some sort of integrated frame-sync technology) like TBC can do...
anyone know if this unit (standard one... not the HD) is older than the DATAVIDEO TBC-1000 or something more recent (looking at the anspect seems more recent)

very thank you to anyone can give me some informations about this unit.

[lingyi]

lordsmurf posted about this at digitalfaq.com

https://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/8545-datavideo-se-500-a.html

I know the TBC 1000 is the much preferred TBC for VCR capture. This is just an idea I had after I looked at the SE-500. It actually has a full frame 4:2:2 TBC built in with quad sync since it has 4 composite or SVHS inputs on it. Using it strictly as a pass through with one input, the quad sync really has no significance. Seems like this may be a good source for a TBC since it is built for S-Video. Never tried it, but would like to. Has anyone else tried using the SE-500 like this? It would also allow different VCR's for a max of 4 to be connected and be able to switch between them for capture easily.

Also, it looks like the SE-800 would also work. Basically the same switcher but has firewire inputs and outputs. Also, it allows you to adjust the sync between video and audio, and has a proc amp for the TBC.

Thanks,
M. Davis

No, it does not.

These units are based on the latter generation weaker "blue box" TBCs designed specifically for studio sources (mostly BetacamSP), in a mixed-source analog+digital workflow. B-roll broadcast tapes, live DV or DigiBeta camera mixing.

Not consumer videotape formats like VHS and Hi8.

Some tapes will surely work, mostly pristine SP master copies from S-VHS cameras and VCRs. But any standard dirty signal issues from average tapes will make it choke.

The SE-500/800 have nothing in common with TBC-1000/3000/etc.

Call out his name and he'll magically appear like Beetlejuice lordsmurf, lordsmurf, lordsmurf! <GRIN>

Or do it the old-fashioned way and PM him at digitalfaq.com, AKA his Smurfdom

[Bartoloni]

Very thank you for the infos , this make possible that a bad VHS signal can "choke" the unit (freezes? black frames? who knows) ... when i receive the unit i will test to understand if can be used ( maybe preventing blackmagic cards to place black frames when there are "bad" frames... )

[Bwaak]

If I were M. Davis, I would expect one of the following answers, ordered from most to least useful.

#1 "Yes, I have used the SE-500 as a TBC. Yes I have used TBC-1000 with the same tapes. After having ingested a dozen or so tapes, I concluded that the SE-500 is as good (or not as good, or significantly better) than the TBC-1000 as a TBC.

#2 "Yes, I have used the SE-500 as a TBC. I have nothing to compare with, but it handled all my tapes reasonably well (or was not as good as I expected, or exceeded my expectations).

#3 "I have never used the SE-500 as a TBC, but the user manual reads: "A built in TBC in each channel with YUV 4:2:2 frame synchronizer for Composite, and S (Y/C) inputs and outputs assures stable and high quality video from virtually any source."" Granted, this would be the least useful answer for anyone who can type "Datavideo SE-500 user manual" into the Google search bar.

LS went for #4, not confirming his personal experience with the device and instead responding with an irrelevant story about BetaSP, DV and DigiBeta, which sounds very convincing, considering composite and SVideo inputs in the device. There is a possibility to output analog component signal via a breakout cable, but there is no component input.

@Bartoloni, since you will have actual personal experience with the device, please share your impressions. Thanks!

[lollo]

And his acolyte reporting it, is option #5

[lingyi]

lordsmurf, lordsmurf, lordsmurf!

I've summoned his blueness and hopefully he'll answer the questions himself soon!

[lollo]

A “supernatural” call is option #6, but you have to repeat the name 4 times 😄😄😄

[lordsmurf]

I have just bought one of these unit to see if these are able to UN-skew old VHS (using some sort of integrated frame-sync technology) like TBC can do...

Iffy. There are actually multiple iterations of this unit, varying between "does nothing" and "does (a weak) something". It will start to correct, then break. It's not something you can rely on, not something to set and walk away.

anyone know if this unit (standard one... not the HD) is older than the DATAVIDEO TBC-1000 or something more recent (looking at the anspect seems more recent)

Newer by about decade, from the weaker EOL "blue" generation, before DataVideo exited SD and analog entirely. There are multiple versions of multiple models, from that weird analog+digital studio era. These were intended to slave to other blue units. Any TBC function is for itself, not for your external sources -- that matters.

lordsmurf posted about this at digitalfaq.com

Multiple times in the past decade.

this make possible that a bad VHS signal can "choke" the unit (freezes? black frames? who knows)

All of the above, and more.

... when i receive the unit i will test to understand if can be used ( maybe preventing blackmagic cards to place black frames when there are "bad" frames... )

Unlikely, especially with BMs cards. Note that quick tests can skew finding, longer runs determine issues. With BM cards, even the best TBCs sometimes can't put out a signal good enough for that picky princess of a device.

LS went for #4, not confirming his personal experience with the device

I've addressed your concerns in the attach image.

[Bartoloni]

The unit will come on my shop tomorrow
i also bought an GSE MPE-200SX for similar purposes... but without any cable... (i will need to identify the pin out for the Svideo signals on connectors.. but well.. i will do that next week)

[lordsmurf]

I just noticed Italy. The SE units are locked to PAL or NTSC, so be aware of that. If you import one from overseas, it'll likely be wrong.

The GSE MPE-200SX is an early/mid 90s unit, and I'm not aware of any TBC in there.

These "also has" units are somewhat dumpster diving in hopes of a weak TBC. That gear is from a different era, different intended uses, not digital conversion of videotapes. It may, or may not, usually not, help with conversions whatsoever.

[Bartoloni]

I just noticed Italy. The SE units are locked to PAL or NTSC, so be aware of that

very thank you, yes i know that and i bought a PAL unit.,.

BTW i want just to say to any blackmagic intensity (and maybe other thunderbolt and USB versions) users that the DATAVIDEO SE 500 can "stabilize" the signal in some way and there are NO MORE BLACK FRAMES, the output is not flickering , no idea if there is a visible quality loss... but i used a very poor VHS tape and i was able to digitize without issues using the intensity pro.

nextstep is to made BNC-->composite to see if the Samsung chaper COMBO VCR+DVD can show better quality on VHS made from mini-DV

now i'm using the VR1000 to remove SKEW on VHS-C tapes with bad alignment

i will update the topic next week.

for now thumbsup for the SE500

[EDIT]
Just made the 2 BNC-RCA cables to connect to the composite Samsung VCR combo... and the lateral skew of a very bad VHS tape (imprecise rotating drum) is also reduced a LOT ... not like the integrated TBC of the VR1000 (95% of skew removed) but a lot better than before .. 80/90% of skew reduced..
[/EDIT]

[Bartoloni]

this make possible that a bad VHS signal can "choke" the unit (freezes? black frames? who knows)

All of the above, and more.

ok... you are right .... here what happens using the cheaper VCR .. on top of the screen there is a band that have wrong colors...

[Bwaak]

Is the above screenshot with or without the SE500 ? If it is with, then how does the same clip look without it?

[Bartoloni]

the screesnhot is from the output of SE500... the original frame (on the previous post) are completely RED... (the top green band is not present..)
using the Philips VR1000 i have no issues... using 2 different Samsung ccombo VCR-DVD i have the top of video always with wrong colors...

here animage showing 2 VCR... the Philips VR1000 and the samsung connected to the SE500... the top greenish part sometimes is RED if the background is blue (on the sky for example) and size is changing randomly (this is the maximum that it can reach)

[Bwaak]

Nice! The image from the Philips is more straight and without defects. Can you remind me why did you get the SE500 if the Philips has built-in TBC? Were you getting vertical sync issues? I am curious, how does the same picture look from the Philips but without the SE500?

EDIT: Oh, I guess because the picture from teh Philips is less sharp than from your old Samsung, and you wanted to use the Samsung stabilized by the SE500? But looks like the Philips is the way to go.

[Bartoloni]

If i never seen the Samsung COMBO output quality (a lot better than the Philips VR1000.. with or without integrated TBC active) i would have been happy with SE500+VR1000.... but right now i think that my major issue is the Blackmagic Intensity PRO ... that generate a lot of black frames (a known problem for 10 years) during Composite/Svideo acquisition... (Selur the maker of Hybrid helped me creating a special "plugin" to remove black frames ... replacing them with interpolated sequences but i will found something to fix this... probably a new capture card)
the VR1000 is great to remove the "skew" of clips... but if the VHS quality is very HIGH ( from miniDV Svideo ... from SVHS) i need to use the Samsung to have the better quality possible... i will wait for the German GSE MPE-200SX mixer that is made for VHS, i'm a bit worried about how many horizontal lines can handle... but i need something to "stabilize" (not a TBC) the Samsung output to make Intensity PRO able to take every frame.

probably the DATAVIDEO 1000 can be only solution.. but right now is not possible to find a cheaper unit (in europe) .

[Bwaak]

Um... okay. I am still not sure how the Philips output looks like without the SE500 on the same scene as you showed above. Because it has built-in TBC, so I wonder how much the SE500 helps. Does the Philips straighen the frame, while the SE500 ensures there are no black flashes with the Blackmagic? It seems that the Blackmagic box is extremely sensitive to timing. Maybe replace it with something else?

[Bartoloni]

you are right... the real issue can be the Blackmagic Intensity PRO...