G400 with RR-G or go digital?

[YIPPEE]

Just bought a G400/RRG to input Hi8, reg8 and DV video and edit on MSP5.2. Have I wasted my money? I can still make a return. I was thinking that I should get rid of the RRG and buy a DV Raptor instead since I understand that it captures analog?
However, will the Raptor capture analog at the same quality as the RRG? Or is there another solution you'd recommend altogether?
The RT2000 seems nice but the price is a bit high. Also, I like the dual monitor ability of the G400 and I know you have to give that up for the RT2000. As much input as I could get would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Dayspring]

Hi there,

I know some people have talked about this rather a bit, but you might consider trying to get a low cost DV card to go along with your RR-G. The lower cost ones have had some problems, so I'd look into it rather a bit before purchasing, but I wouldn't be surprised if you can find a sub-$100 card that will work just fine for the DV.

I should doubt that the analogue input would look any better through the Raptor than it would through the RR-G, since it's still coming from an analogue source and is limited in its quality by that.

As for the duel monitor support on the RT2000, as I understand it it's not hard at all to make it possible to use a duel monitor setup. You can unplug the BOB, and plug in a second monitor through that, or you could pick up a cheapy PCI video card and use that for your second monitor support.
I could be wrong about this though, but I think that's how it works...

Matt

[YIPPEE]

So you think that the RRG and Raptor can work well together without too much tinkering? Also, are you saying that with a Sony D8, the analogue capture looks as good as the RRG?

Is this combo a good alternative to the RT2000?

[Phil Pugh]

Leave the RRG and get a RAPTOR also! I know it's not cheap but it's the best DV card around for the price. It works mostly straight out of the box - which can't be said for some of the cheaper models, according to postings on various forums.

The RAPTOR can capture analogue - but it is intended for low-res web-cam type applications NOT for video capture / editing.
It's also NOT supported by CANOPUS , they give-away the software and it doesn't work on NT.

If you have a Sony D8 camcorder you can play back all your Hi-8 / 8mm through this into a DV capture card. You get noticeably better quality.

[Dayspring]

Hi there!

Well, certainly, there are advantages to the RT2000. For instance it's real time, vs. LOTS and LOTS of rendering time for the others. But you're saving a lot of money, and the only thing you're really not able to do with the combo is the whole realtime thing.

DV is going to look just as good with a Raptor, since it's the same data regardless of how it gets into your computer, and the analogue should look as good as the analogue input on the RT, I should think.

And all the cool effects can be done with either setup, just not in realtime.

So, I think you're going to be happy.
Matt

[YIPPEE]

Thanks for the advise. Is it worth saving even more money and getting the Pyro instead of the Raptor?

[Dayspring]

Along the lines of piping your analogue input through the DV camera and going DV into the computer, a friend of mine does a very similar thing using a DV VCR. I don't know prices on these things, but he's VERY happy with his, and he's forgone analogue capture altogether by using this VCR for DV, and piping anything analogue through it, as it of course has S-Video and Composite in.

All the analogue to DV conversion is handled by the VCR in realtime, and I've seen it, it looks just great. Plus you won't be combining DV and analogue in the same timeline. Everything can be DV instead.

Just a thought...
Matt

[Meek]

Just letting you know, I am a happy Pyro+RainbowRunner user. No need to give anybody more money for nothing.

M.

[YIPPEE]

If you can transfer analogue sources in and out of a DV cam or DV vcr, then the use of the RRG is really not necessary. Right?

Also, I can't figure out why the Raptor is so much more than the Pyro. Isn't it the same board? And what about the MotoDV? Has anyone had experience with this card and the Duel Head G400?

[Phil Pugh]

I would go with the RAPTOR - forget the cheaper cards. If you look at the various user forums you will find lots of contented RAPTOR users with several frustrated PYRO users.

To pick up on other notes in the thread...

Yes - the MARVEL G200 works alongside my RAPTOR. I don't actually do simultaneous captures though !!

The analogue capture quality of the RAPTOR is preety poor - no where near MARVEL G200.

What I meant by my previous comment about play back of analogue tapes through a D8 camcorder is that a D8 converts these to DV on the fly. So you get to capture them as DV files. Doing this gives you a video clip that appears to be crisper than an analogue capture through the MARVEL G200. Guess this is down to the A-D conversion on the camera vs the MARVEL.

[Phil Pugh]

I would go with the RAPTOR - forget the cheaper cards. If you look at the various user forums you will find lots of contented RAPTOR users with several frustrated PYRO users.

To pick up on other notes in the thread...

Yes - the MARVEL G200 works alongside my RAPTOR. I don't actually do simultaneous captures though !!

The analogue capture quality of the RAPTOR is pretty poor - no where near MARVEL G200.

What I meant by my previous comment about play back of analogue tapes through a D8 camcorder is that a D8 converts these to DV on the fly. So you get to capture them as DV files. Doing this gives you a video clip that appears to be crisper than an analogue capture through the MARVEL G200. Guess this is down to the A-D conversion on the camera vs the MARVEL.