ADVC 300 Compatible with Vista

[mtztx]

Does anyone know if the ADVC 300 converter is compatible with Vista operating system??

[GrassValley_KH]

Hardware-wise, there shouldn't be a problem.

The Picture Controller utility however, is still listed as incompatible - this means that while it may work, there have been identifiable issues during testing.

I have no information concerning whether the controller utility will ever be updated to support Vista. The functions can all be operated from the actual ADVC300 unit itself, so you won't be missing out on anything.

[mtztx]

I prematurely posted as I have gone back and read other posts. I have a unique situation. I edit videos for sales and put them on viewing stations. I get videos for all over so they come to me in different formats (I get Hi8, 8mm, VHS, mini DV, etc) some people are not video savvy and I get a handful each year that are just bad quality, a lot of times its due to people re-recording on the same tape...Will the converter help to restore the resolution in situations like that?? The other reason I am thinking about purchasing this unit is my VHS tapes loose resolution in the capture (I am sure it will solve the problem for those few)....I am wondering in this situation if the 300 is the best solution for me and if it will do what I need it to do...There is A LOT of movement in my videos, is this converter good with movement??

Also my understanding (I am using Premier Pro 1.5 and thinking about upgrading to the CS3) is that Premier sees this as a camera so I don’t have to have worry about what version of Premier I am running or the software to use the 300 converter...Correct?? I am not too concerned about the vista (I am sure in the future this will work with Vista which is where computers are heading) and I have 2 editing machines at my office that run XP but when I am on location I use my Laptop with Vista. If I am using the converter w/o software do I still get some clean-up...and I don’t need the software to run this with premier?? Is the software difficult to use or pretty staight forward??

My last question is, I have 2 VHS players, one gets incredibly better resolution than the other, so is a newer VHS play required to get the best resolution when capturing or should it clean up the resolution from my older VHS player??

[GrassValley_BH]

Since you have such a varied source of input, I would lean toward a standalone TBC with more signal-cleanup features, but that's just me.

Unfortunately a "best practice" step in getting good analog playback is to use the deck that recorded the tape for playback, as the head alignment and sensitivity would be the same.

Since this option isn't available to you, it's going to be more challenging to get good results from non-pristine recordings.

VHS resolution is bad enough to begin with.

If one of your decks is providing better playback, it either has better tracking, head sensitivity, or signal path. Make sure you're using good cabling and you have the VCR(s) away from sources of interference like TVs, power supplies (aka "wall warts" or "power bricks") and computers.

What kind of movement are you referring to? Vertical "jitter," horizontal "sliding" or "waving," or just general movement like people walking?

Honestly, I prefer the older VHS decks with manual tracking adjustment to the modern auto-adjusting ones. Just more control that way. The older decks also don't "pre-cue" the head to the beginning of the tape, which means you can really erase from the beginning of the tape. Modern players always pre-cue, so the flying erase head never gets to erase the first couple of seconds of tape - yet another good reason to put a few seconds of "leader" on recordings.

As for what software you use, yes, the ADVC appears to be a DV camera/deck, so it shouldn't matter what you use.

[mtztx]

Brandon,

I am very novice about converters so thanks for all of the information, but can you tell me what the difference is between the TBC and the Canopus converter 300? I am not familiar with TBC, I have looked online I know what it stands for and what it does but I am not sure how it compares. I am not looking for excellent quality but if I could obtain good quality from the ones I deem bad, I would be thrilled. I had some last year that were TERRIBLE that is why I am looking at options, of the hundreds I get there are only a handful that I would deem unacceptable and all of those are VHS...I have practically begged people not to send me VHS!! But seeing as how that is not going to happen I am looking at alternatives.

The movement I am referring to is general movement. We deal with animals so there is a lot of fast pace general movement, and I need to make sure everything is clear in the videos.
If you use the ADVC 300 without the program will it still clean VHS tapes??

[GrassValley_BH]

There are different types of time-base correctors, the ADVC300 employs a line time-base corrector (LTBC). More expensive TBCs can use the entire frame.

While it's technically separate, most higher-end TBCs include some kind of noise reduction and/or gain adjustment. The ADVC300 also includes noise reduction function too.

As for motion, the ADVC uses the Consumer DV format, which handles motion quite well. It's not like MPEG-2 which you're used to on DVDs. Of course if the motion is blurry from the camerawork, there's not much that can be done to make it better.

As the saying goes, Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO)

[kbosward]

In my experience the ADVC300 works well with most source material. We do a lot of transfers from tapes including those dreaded VHS "copy-of-copy" tapes (PAL) and there has been only one occasion where the tape was so degraded in one section that we just couldn't get a stable signal. A full-frame TBC may have helped us there.

The ADVC300 cleaning functions can be controlled by the buttons on the unit itself. Mostly however we just use the default settings and get good results. Some of the cleaning functions are always on, you cannot turn them off completely, so yes they will work even if you don't use the Picture Controller (or the buttons on the unit).

Don't expect however that you will get a dramatic improvement from bad source material. But it will be a noticeable improvement, and features such as auto gain help to make the captured video more consistent which enhances the viewing experience.

While we technical people are worried about quality, in most cases your customers are more excited about the convenience and "wow factor" of having their old videos on DVD. And if it looks as good as or even a little better than the original tape, they will be even more pleased.

Ken.