Announcement

**JamesSchmeling** · 20 January 2001, 19:10

No direct experience, but our video people at the UI love them and recommend them highly. The key was to have the other hardware/software that takes advantage of it, and if you do, then they felt it was a better solution than the RT2000. BUT, for the price, we got a lot of software with the RT2000 that we would have had to buy with the Sony unit.

And they are between 300 and 400 dollars if you shop around a bit.

James

**hapz** · 20 January 2001, 20:49

Yup, the price is steep, and in addition one needs to buy a firewire card. I just wonder whether it works, and under what conditions (OS, software, hardware).

The RT2000 isn't a bargain either. The key for me was that Matrox doesn't support my motherboard, and Win2000 isn't supported (yet?) either.

------------------
Harald

**JamesSchmeling** · 21 January 2001, 08:54

As for what it works with - anything that will take a 1394 input. That's why they thought it was such a good way to go. It is essentially the ADC/DAC (do I have the name right?) unit out of the Sony camcorders. It works with the PC, Macs, and any version of windows, and any editing software.
They swap them around between all of their systems, from Win2k, Win 98, to MacOS. They use Final Cut Pro, Premierre, and other editing software with them.
That seems to be the advantage to this board. Unfortunately we didn't have any of the computers in our shop with 1394 ports, and had no video software yet either, so we didn't buy it.
James

**johnpr98** · 21 January 2001, 09:34

Also consider the Sony TRV120e Digital 8 which converts analogue to digital & digital to analogue, it's also a camcorder as well.

No tape required.

johnpr98

http://www.johnpr98.com

**jeff b** · 23 January 2001, 04:07

I've been using one for (gee! has it been a YEAR already???)... yup, well, I guess it has been about a year. It works with the Ulead VideoStudio or MediaStudio Pro software and IEEE-1394 port for both capture and playback. I've used it to capture VHS 8mm and Hi8 taped material, and always use it for making copies of edited DV projects in MSP6 onto VHS.

I do all of my projects using a Sony TRV-900, however, and the DVMC-DA2 is only a bauble I wanted to have for those occasions where I have some material on VHS or 8/Hi8 media, which is not that often. Since I have it, though, it's turned out to be easy for making copies onto other media from the MSP6 timeline, so I have ended up using it all the time for that.

I agree with John, consequently, that if you're going to only have ONE piece of DV gear, it would make more sense to spend more for a whole camcorder. I know I would go that route if I had to only have one piece of DV gear.

Jeff B

**wkulecz** · 23 January 2001, 06:17

Jeff B,

I remember about a year ago when you first mentioned the DVMC. There was a -DA1 and now the -DA2, the major problem I recall you mentioning was that the DVMC wasn't found as a capture/output device unless a Camcorder was powered on first.

Was this the "fix" between DA1 and DA2? or I'm I remembering the problem incorrectly?

hapz,
There is a new product called "Hollywood DV Bridge" from Dazzle/FAST for about $280 that would appear to be doing about the same things as the DVMC-DA2 for about $100 less. Might be worth looking into.

--wally.

**hapz** · 23 January 2001, 06:43

Thanks for all the comments Looks pretty positive so far. The reason why I am looking at the DA2, I already have expensive analog equipment (Hi8 camera plus Hi8 tape deck plus SVHS tape deck, all with LANC). It seems that the DA2 would fit right in there.

jeff b, what firewire card are you using? Any suggestions/traps to avoid?

------------------
Harald

**wkulecz** · 23 January 2001, 09:24

I'd recommend the ADS PyroDV. The model that comes with MSP6ve for ~$90.

If you go cheaper you get only lame editing packages.

If you plan on Premiere6 any OHCI firewire card should work, but I suggest you stick with ones based on the TI firewire chipset (Pyro, SIIG, Dlink). The NEC based ones need drivers from the vendor as the ones built into windows are no good. I've a NEC firewire chip on a Firewire/ethernet combo card from Orange Micro, it works fine with MSP6 once I installed the Orange Micro drivers. I'll find out about Premiere6 latter this week.

--wally.

**hapz** · 23 January 2001, 12:35

Maybe I am confusing some issues, but do I need to worry about the Adobe "approved" list for capture boards when considering a firewire card? E.g., Pyro is not on their list.

------------------
Harald

**johnpr98** · 23 January 2001, 15:59

Hi

The ADS Pyro will soon be bundled with Premiere 6 (PYRO Platinum DV), that sounds like approval to me.
http://www.adstech.com/news2_more.html

johnpr98

http://www.johnpr98.com

**wkulecz** · 23 January 2001, 20:15

I can verify that the basic capture and device control works with the Pyro. I like the Movie Capture tool -- order of magnitude better than MSP's video capture, and works better than the Vegas Video capture tool I've been using. Capture preview has sound and about a 10-15 fps 360x240 image. Playing clip in source window was very low frame rate. I probably need to change some defaults.

I barely could use 4.2, I never could get 5.1 to work with my Marvel, that's when I switched to Ulead, I didn't have alot of effort invested in learning Premiere, but so far so good on 6.0 with DV. Out of time tonight. I'm good enough with MSP6 now that I'm not motivated to switch to Premiere6 but I can see some things I like already.

--wally.

**jeff b** · 24 January 2001, 17:14

Wally,
I'm using a "vanilla" IEEE-1394 card with the TI hardware and three spigots (SIIG "DV Camcorder Kit") with the Win98SE drivers, and both the MS 1394 device and the TI 1394 device installed. Capturing is fine on MSP6 Capture using the TI device and no "automatic" stuff in the program, just an open-ended manually activated and ended capture. Playback is problematic using MSP6 timeline playback, only because the program wants to get a handshake from an actual camcorder. What I do to get around that is to have the camcorder in playback mode on one of the other IEEE-1394 spigots while the DVMC-DA2 is ready to convert the DV stream to analog. When I do timeline playback with things set up that way, it sees the camcorder and then sends everything out the one 1394 device which, oddly enough, ends up going out all three ports of the card at the same time.

SO...

It will be a matter of finding out whether you can operate with the DVMC-DA2 and whatever software might be willing to send a DV stream out the 1394 port without first getting a handshake from a camcorder.

Jeff B

**hapz** · 26 January 2001, 17:43

Considering that Sony's DVMC-DA2 box + Pyro's Digital Video 1394 DV card sets me back around $400, another player comes into the field of view: Dazzle's DV.Now AV.

I haven't found a bad review yet, so my question to this forum: what's your opinion/experience?

------------------
Harald

**wkulecz** · 26 January 2001, 18:32

Yes the Dazzle/FAST DV.now.AV looks very good on paper.

I'm worried that it doesn't seem to capture analog to normal avi files according to one review I read. Also, how tightly is it tied to its capture program and movie maker software. Movie Maker seems lame and bug ridden and they are trying to charge people to upgrade to the most recent version when I look for w2k drivers on their web site (for Dazzle II). If I can't capture analog with it using AVI_IO or Vegas Video capture I've little interest. I'm tired of propietary boards that are worthless when they give up on them without having ever released correctly working drivers -- can you say IOmeaga BUZZ?

Let me know what you find out. I'm interested, but the above issues are holding me back.

--wally.

Announcement

Sony DVMC-DA2 digital media converter

Sony DVMC-DA2 digital media converter

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment