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Not sure what to buy - Analog/Digital Converter

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Not sure what to buy - Analog/Digital Converter

Postby Rachsimone » Mon Aug 11, 2008 6:41 am

I am currently using Adoble Premiere Elements 4 to do my editing and want to be able to capture media from old VHS tapes to add and edit. I have a couple of questions and would really appreciate any input as I am really unsure which way to go...

1. I have been reading other forum posts and also from Adobe website and see that the suggested "bridges" to convert analog to digital are Canopus and Pyro AV Link which are compatiable with Elements. Have looked at both products and wondered if the Canopus ADVC 300 is also compatible with Elements and if so, would I be better off spending the extra money and buying the 300 as opposed to the 110 or is that unnecessary.

2. If we do decide to go with one of the above, is it necessary for my VCR/DVD player to have S-Video output or will the converter override that anyway? (sorry, still learning...)

3. Another consideration is that we are due for a new camcorder as our old one has died and I wondered whether we are better off putting the money that we would spend on either of the above products towards a decent camcorder. If so, am I able to use the camcorder as a way of reading or converting those old VHS tapes and transforming them into DV-AVI files?

If this is possible, what specific features do I need to look for on the camcorder to ensure that it will do this effectively.

As this is something that I may be doing quite a bit of, I want to make sure that I am able to get the best quality available (within reasonable pricing) using a device or devices that are fairly user friendly. I just didn't want to rush out and buy the Pyro or Canopus only to find that we are buying a camcorder in a couple of months and it could have produced the same results.

Thanks in anticipation.
Regards, Rachel
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Re: Not sure what to buy - Analog/Digital Converter

Postby Chuck Engels » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:29 am

Rachsimone wrote:1. I have been reading other forum posts and also from Adobe website and see that the suggested "bridges" to convert analog to digital are Canopus and Pyro AV Link which are compatiable with Elements. Have looked at both products and wondered if the Canopus ADVC 300 is also compatible with Elements and if so, would I be better off spending the extra money and buying the 300 as opposed to the 110 or is that unnecessary.


The 300 is definitely worth the money, if you can afford the 300 then I recommend that you get it over the 110 or the Pyro Link.

Rachsimone wrote:2. If we do decide to go with one of the above, is it necessary for my VCR/DVD player to have S-Video output or will the converter override that anyway? (sorry, still learning...)


S-Video will give you a little better quality, but is not necessary. The VCR is also very important in this, just as important as the Digital Converter.
If the VCR cannot play the tapes well, or with good quality, you will not get the results you are hoping for. A good JVC VCR with DigiPure Technology is a very good option. There are others and most of them are not cheap.

Rachsimone wrote:3. Another consideration is that we are due for a new camcorder as our old one has died and I wondered whether we are better off putting the money that we would spend on either of the above products towards a decent camcorder. If so, am I able to use the camcorder as a way of reading or converting those old VHS tapes and transforming them into DV-AVI files?


You can purchase a camcorder that will allow you to connect your VCR to it and you can use the camcorder as a Digital Converter.
Spending the extra money on a good camcorder might be the best idea since you need one anyway.

Rachsimone wrote:If this is possible, what specific features do I need to look for on the camcorder to ensure that it will do this effectively.


The camcorder needs to support 'Pass Through'.

Rachsimone wrote:As this is something that I may be doing quite a bit of, I want to make sure that I am able to get the best quality available (within reasonable pricing) using a device or devices that are fairly user friendly. I just didn't want to rush out and buy the Pyro or Canopus only to find that we are buying a camcorder in a couple of months and it could have produced the same results.


I don't think any camcorder with Pass Through will give you as good of quality as a good Digital Converter will, especially the Canopus 300.
The 300 has some additional technology to help capture old and poor quality tapes, a definite plus.

Overall I would recommend the best JVC VCR you can afford and find, and the Canopus 300. The combination will give you the best possible quality on your captured VHS tapes with the least amount of headaches :)
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Re: Not sure what to buy - Analog/Digital Converter

Postby Chuck Engels » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:33 am

Also, there are quite a few topics here on Digital Converters.
You can search for Digital Converter, Pyro Link or Canopus and get lots of information.
Like this thread
viewtopic.php?p=14022#p14022
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Re: Not sure what to buy - Analog/Digital Converter

Postby Rachsimone » Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:49 pm

Thank you so much for your detailed response. I think we will go with the 300 and will have to do some research on the VCR side of things.

Thanks again for your input!

Regards, Rachel
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Re: Not sure what to buy - Analog/Digital Converter

Postby Chuck Engels » Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:06 pm

Welcome to Muvipix Rachel, always glad to help :)
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