Need your opinions on this capture method!

[wilse]

Hey y'all:

Recently, I started a thread asking about a number of capture cards that I am considering purchasing. Simply, I am considering researching a business that converts a customer's VHS family movie tapes to DVD. I got some mixed responses and generally some good info (thanks to all who helped!).

One suggestion caught my eye, and I decided to look into it. Many folks in my target market now have the new DV digital camcorders and may want those tapes to be transferred as well, so it would be in my best interest to be able to accomodate miniDV tapes as well, so I would need to purchase a miniDV camcorder as well.

Here's what was suggested to me, and what I want your opinions on.

The camera in question is the Sony DCR-TRV25:

http://www.sonystyle.com/home/item.jsp?hierc=9682x9129x9012&catid=&itemid=34157

This looks to be a great little digital video camera. The kicker is that this thing comes with an "Analog-to-Digital Conversion with Pass-Through," which, as I understand it would allow me to hook the camera up to my computer through FireWire, and hook my VCR up to the camera through RCA connections, and then effectively use the camera as a capture card and transfer the VHS footage to my hdd through firewire. Supposedly this works! Wow - sounds good to me.

Anyway, the footage would then have to be converted to MPEG2 in order to use with my DVD burner.

Opinions on this method? Is it feasible? Does it work? Hows the quality? From what I've heard, quality using this method is excellent and that is really important to me - the quality must be supreme!

Now, I'm just starting off with purchasing minimal equipment to "test the water" for this sort of thing. If there isn't enough interest for this to be profitable, with this method I'll at least have myself a nice little camera!

This camera retails for $899 - I can get it new for $650, so that is a little incentive as well.

Thoughts? Opinions? I'd really appreciate it - thanks for your time.[/url]

[TheInformer]

I have a Sony DVMC-DA1 media converter, and what it does is convert from analog <--> DV and vice versa.

The quality IMHO is great! If the camera allows you to do this, then go for it.

[offline]

wilse,

I assume you have done a fully cross checked business plan which
had been ticked by a qualified marketing consultant? While I
don't know your environment, a simple swot analysis would
suggest you are under serious threat from at least two fronts.

1) An overwhelming desire for consumers to do this themselves
2) technology (such as the pvr, digital capture set-top boxes)
which are increasingly able to meet that desire in a realistic
sense.

[wilse]

offline,

Thank you for sharing your concerns. Those are factors that I have taken into consideration with this plan. As a full time business, I'll cetainly agree that it would probably flounder due to just those things you pointed out. Doing something like this in the home is just going to get easier and less expensive.

However, I'm just a college student looking for a way to bring in some extra cash on the side. I've done some market testing in this area, and the outlook is good. Yet, if I really want an actual idea of how much business I could predict recieving, I actually have to take the plunge and purchase some equipment that would allow me to turn out product.

That is the reason why this capture setup appeals to me - I already have a competent computer system with a DVD burner and a decent quality home entertainment system. All I'm missing to be able to at least churn out some sample products are the "capture card" and a couple software titles. With this method, if the business side of things did not look bright, at least I have a nice new Digital Video Camera instead of a $500 capture card that I probably wouldn't use much.

If such a venture did look to be profitable, then I would have to look into upgrading to better equipment (most notably a dedicated computer) but I can't make those decisions without more info.

Thanks for your concern and input!