Difference between Canopus ADVC-100 and DataVideo DAC-100?

[mikeveli]

I was just wondering what the difference is between these two cards besides $100?

[mikeveli]

hello? ....

[hakuba]

They are not cards, they are stand alone units.I have the DAC100 and it works with out a problem, zero dropped frames. I have read posts that state they look identicle so far as to be made from the same company.
They both work great.

[mikeveli]

Thanks for replying...I know that they aren't cards but I still refer to them as capture cards as they perform the same function. I'm glad to have heard from someone that has the DAC100 because I haven't been able to find much user feedback about it.

I know that the DAC-100 can disable Macrovision just like the ADVC-100 as well as being able to convert Digital back to Analog. I guess my main question to you would be regarding AV sync.

I know that the ADVC-100 has locked audio and that the DAC-100 does not, but are there any sync problems that you have noticed? I will be using my capture device to capture video off of VHS tapes that are around 3 hours in length so AV sync would be my main concern.

If there are no sync problems then I will be more than happy to pay $100 less for the DAC-100!

Mike

[dilligaf]

I saw this same question asked over at the Canopus forum, the answer from the canopus bod was, The advc 100 has locked audio & the Canopus codec (I assume hardware) which gives better picture quality. (?????)
I have the advc 100 & it's great to use etc, from the user comments here at dvdrhelp the DAC 100 unit is fine also. Maybe try the DAC first, then negotiate a return policy with the vendor if it does'nt perform.

[xxiangg]

I do not own DAC100 or ADVC100. I own an Dazzle DVCII and
an Pinnacle Studio8 AV. I am dispointed with both. So I do
not have first hand experience with DAC100 and ADVC100. I
did a search "DataVideo DAC100" on google and found two
interesting articles.

The first article is
http://www.datavideo-tek.com/content/product_info/dvformatconverters/dac100/Rusty_DAC_...Experience.htm

The second article is
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:dLY2MTg2hysC:www.datavideo.com.tw/news/DAC-100-Ne...hl=en&ie=UTF-8

The second article is a catched page in Chinese. The original
page is gone. It metioned something about color vector graph
to show the captured color accuracy. It claims that DAC100 has
a very accurate captured results. But the graph is not catched.
So I have no idea how big the difference is. The article mentioned
that DAC100's result is within 2% color inaccuracy. Is there
any expert who can explain what this % really means? Is it really
matter if the inaccuracy is within 2% or within 10%?

Thanks.

[shito]

Hi!
I´m using a ADVC-50 (which uses the same converters and codec as the 100) and never had a sync-problem. Longest movie i did was 2 h. No dropped frames, either. I totally trust this device, it gave me no reason not to, yet.

Greets
Konrad

[frogster]

The only thing preventing me from getting the advc 50 is lack of macrovision override

The DAC-100 price makes it very attractive and the reviews, so far, seem superb.

[pluche]

I had a Datavideo DAC-1 analog-DV convertor and used to to put al my old sVHS camera tapes on DVD; excellent quality, never any problems on sync or whatsoever;
after putting those tapes on DVD, I have been playing around a bit with the DAC-1
I worked fine to eliminate Macrovison from DVD sources; the results with Macrovison video tapes were not so good;
Another problem that may occur when using it to backup commercial DVD's is : if there is a "problem" on the original DVD, such as severe scratches or even some difficult layer change, it shows on the copied DVD-R , either as a visible artifact or even stopping the dvd-r
I've now sold it because had no futher need for it

[BadAstronaut]

I too am on the verge of purchasing a DAC-100.

Hakuba, I was wondering what software you use with your unit, and if there are any special concerns that an average Joe looking to capture from VHS & Hi8 sources would need to know about beforehand?

[hakuba]

[quote]Hakuba, I was wondering what software you use with your unit, and if there are any special concerns that an average Joe looking to capture from VHS & Hi8 sources would need to know about beforehand?
[quote]

I have captured 2 hi8 tapes that were 2 hours with no sync issues what so ever. Most of my captures are 10-30 minutes. Both vhs and hi8 look great.
Never had 1 dropped frame so far. DC30 was good but I always had 1 or 2 dropped frames with it.

As far as software, I use premire 6.5 and have tried both vegas 3 and 4.
They both work ok with the DAC 100. Pretty much any software that recognizes 1394 DV should work.

I used a DC30pro before for captures. One thing I like about the DAC is that I can also preview on a tv monitor from the time line in premire or Vegas. I have a program that reports the DV codec being used as Sony.

When I bought the DAC 100 it was $249, at $199 it's a bargin. No regrets, I'm sure the Canopus is just as good except the price. You can't go wrong with either unit.

Neat thing is you can grab these units and cart them over to someones house to capture video with zero problems.