Video converter...

[VJ]

(subject 'video capture device' would be better)

Hello,

I keep having problems with a Canopus ADVC110 on my computer. It has been sent back to Canopus twice (once for testing, once for a replacement device), but the problem isn't solved. Changing firewire hosts on my PC doesn't provide the solution either. Consequently, I'm now trying to get the store to take it back...

What do you suggest as alternative (not for professional use)?
Pinnacle Studio MovieBox Deluxe
Plextor ConvertX PX-M402u
Creative Audigy 2 ZS Video Editor
Compro Videomate Live USB 2.0 TV tuner box

Any other suggestions?

I would prefer an external solution; USB or firewire; tuner not important; PAL/SECAM; preferably compatible with different softwares (no proprietary software required to capture); working on my X5DA8 (dual Xeon).

The creative also is a soundcard (which is interesting).


Jörg

[Brian Ellis]

The fact that you have not been able to get any joy out of your ADVC-110 should, IMHO, be a serious warning to you that your computer system is not working correctly. You may easily get similar results with another device.

I have used the 110's predecessor (ADVC-100) for years and never had the slightest trouble with it on two computers. It has always worked like a dream. I can vouch that it does everything that it is supposed to do, and well. I have not heard of others having the same problem as you.

As for a replacement, I would never consider a USB device. Something as critical as video needs all the transfer capabilities that you can get and only IEEE-1394 can do that. Put a mouse or keyboard on a USB port and your video can go haywire with a USB transfer.

I'm not voting in your poll because Canopus is, for me, the ONLY choice for analogue<>DV conversion and most of the specialised magazines and forums agree.

[VJ]

The fact that you have not been able to get any joy out of your ADVC-110 should, IMHO, be a serious warning to you that your computer system is not working correctly. You may easily get similar results with another device.

Well, I tried the ADVC110 on my Indigita firewire host, and on a Belkin Fu5u501 on the computer. Both yielded the same response: both LEDs (digital in + analog in) light up on the ADVC110 and in stops responding. This was the case both after capturing a portion and when pressing the source button.
Initially, Canopus thought the power supply was to blame, but the behaviour stayed even after having purchased the optional supply.
As the PC doesn't give any other issue, I attribute it to some incompatibility. I purchased it back in May, but now I have given up.

I have used the 110's predecessor (ADVC-100) for years and never had the slightest trouble with it on two computers. It has always worked like a dream. I can vouch that it does everything that it is supposed to do, and well. I have not heard of others having the same problem as you.

Well, on the Canopus forum there were some, but it always boiled down to power issues.

As for a replacement, I would never consider a USB device. Something as critical as video needs all the transfer capabilities that you can get and only IEEE-1394 can do that. Put a mouse or keyboard on a USB port and your video can go haywire with a USB transfer.

I'm not voting in your poll because Canopus is, for me, the ONLY choice for analogue<>DV conversion and most of the specialised magazines and forums agree.

No problem, thanks for you insights!


Jörg

[VJ]

Euhm, if you would go for a PCI based solution, what would you recommend?
(and am I likely to have less issues with it?)


Jörg

[LvR]

I am with Brian.

I also consider Canopus to be one of the finest there is, and if you have hassles with the ADVC110 you are bound to have hassles with other 1394 devices.

Personally in possession of a Canopus ADVC100, Datavideo DAC100, and a Pinnacle MovieBox DV.

Ito system stability I would take the ADVC100
Ito analogue picture quality I would take the DAC100
Ito pure frustration I would take the MovieBox DV


Is that dual Xeon not maybe the fly in the ointment?

Something else to try:

With the MovieBox DV Pinnacle "unofficially" blames Microsoft for some 1394 driver changes in XP SP2 when their DV devices don't work - some people have replaced the 1394 drivers (6 files?) with those from SP1 and would have us believe that it did help solve some issues.

For a PCI solution I guess Canopus ADVC50/55 would be the answer

[jeff b]

The possibility of your souce material being copy protected comes to my mind when I read that you have both the analog and digital LEDs light up and "it stops responding".

On my Sony DVMC-DA2, it has a separate copy protect light, so it's easy to figure out what's going on. But it appears that Canopus doesn' t have a separate LED just to indicate that what's going into the converter is copy protected. Perhaps there are other users out there who know how the Canopus ADVC110 behaves when copy protected source material hits the box?

Jeff B

[VJ]

LvR: It could be that the dual Xeon is to blame, but one would think it ought to be possible... I don't want/intend to replace the PC.

jeff b: The problem also occurs when recording from a VCR (playing back a tape I recorded) and from a TV as a source. So it is not copyright protected material (good suggestion though; I didn't know this). The problem even occurs when just pressing the source select button, with no sources connected (on the Canopus forum it was said this shouldn't yield both leds lighting up).


Jörg

[LvR]

LvR: It could be that the dual Xeon is to blame, but one would think it ought to be possible... I don't want/intend to replace the PC.

............


with no sources connected (on the Canopus forum it was said this shouldn't yield both leds lighting up).


Jörg

Have you got an external PSU for the ADVC110?

If so - does the strange switching happen also with no firewire cable from the PC connected to it, or is the unit behing under that condtion?

[VJ]

Have you got an external PSU for the ADVC110?

yes...

If so - does the strange switching happen also with no firewire cable from the PC connected to it, or is the unit behing under that condtion?

Nope, only when the PC is connected and booted up completely (during POST, switching is possible; once Windows is booted, switching yields the issue). I have tried 2 different firewire cards, both with the same result.


Oh, I can't use the SP1 drivers, or I'd loose my FW800 speed (there is a harddisk also - the card has 4 controllers)...



Jörg

[LvR]

Nope, only when the PC is connected and booted up completely (during POST, switching is possible; once Windows is booted, switching yields the issue). I have tried 2 different firewire cards, both with the same result.


Oh, I can't use the SP1 drivers, or I'd loose my FW800 speed (there is a harddisk also - the card has 4 controllers)...



Jörg

So that then points to the drivers/Windows being the culprit.

I would go and swap the 1394 drivers to the SP1 ones anyway as a test just to confirm the problem is associated with that - the process is really simple/painless and you can easily revert back to the SP2/FW800 (?) driver set by simply replacing the driver files.

If you cannot do that on the FW800 controller, then temp dump the thing just to enable you to get to a point where you can make an intelligent deduction, install one of the std 1394 controllers and give that a whirl.

In the absence of any conclusive proof that the ADVC110 is to blame (given the above I doubt it) I am convinced any DV external capture device you going to buy is gonna suffer from the same/worse issues.

Any reason why that external disk cannot run on a 1394 port?
What sorta speed you talking about/actually seeing? .............. sustained higher than 100M/s? per disk?
How many disk have you got connected?
SATA or IDE? - any single one of those cannot fill a std 1394 controller bandwidth.
Raid? - how many disks?

[VJ]

In the absence of any conclusive proof that the ADVC110 is to blame (given the above I doubt it) I am convinced any DV external capture device you going to buy is gonna suffer from the same/worse issues.

I agree with this: 2 ADVC110 that behave exactly the same already hint at something in the system.
Hence my quest for a non-firewire alternative.

I don't need it for professional use, I just want a video capture solution with decent image quality.

Any reason why that external disk cannot run on a 1394 port?
What sorta speed you talking about/actually seeing? .............. sustained higher than 100M/s? per disk?
How many disk have you got connected?
SATA or IDE? - any single one of those cannot fill a std 1394 controller bandwidth.
Raid? - how many disks?

It is this disk, basically 2 harddisk in hardware RAID 0:

http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=10491

I tested it, and it effectively manages a sustained 88 MB/s transfer rate.



Jörg

[LvR]

I agree with this: 2 ADVC110 that behave exactly the same already hint at something in the system.
Hence my quest for a non-firewire alternative.

I don't need it for professional use, I just want a video capture solution with decent image quality.



It is this disk, basically 2 harddisk in hardware RAID 0:

http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?pid=10491

I tested it, and it effectively manages a sustained 88 MB/s transfer rate.



Jörg

Dunno Jörg............

Have you got something that absolutely must work at 88M/s or is around 30M/s fast enough?

There really is very few applications/things around that can process and generate data at rates around 88M/s sustained nowadays - ie unless you are copying huge files the whole day long. A typical video edit app using DV will need around 4M/s for capture/output and perhaps not even that while converting to mpeg2 for DVD

I would run the Raid on a FW400 connection and also use the std 1394/SP1 drivers - the ADVC100 video quality wise and cost wise just makes sense to me - unless there is something you are not telling that MUST require the FW800.

[VJ]

Have you got something that absolutely must work at 88M/s or is around 30M/s fast enough?

There really is very few applications/things around that can process and generate data at rates around 88M/s sustained nowadays - ie unless you are copying huge files the whole day long. A typical video edit app using DV will need around 4M/s for capture/output and perhaps not even that while converting to mpeg2 for DVD

Batchprocessing a number of RAW files (digital photography) does seem to benefit from higher datarates. The factor that is causing this to slow down is the mostly processing time (so in that I agree that many software can't sustain it), but if an image doesn't require much processing, there is a difference (i.e. converting RAW (12 MB) to TIFF (36 MB), or TIFF to JPG, 2 actions I frequently do for a large number of photos).
Restoring partitions (ok, this doens't happen that often) also benefits from it, as I can restore 2 partitions at the same time.

I would run the Raid on a FW400 connection and also use the std 1394/SP1 drivers - the ADVC100 video quality wise and cost wise just makes sense to me - unless there is something you are not telling that MUST require the FW800.

Of course the FW800 isn't a MUST, but then again, capturing also isn't a MUST. The fact is that I am much more into photography then into video, so my system is tweaked towards performance in that area...


Jörg

[LvR]

Question then..........

Have you tried daisy chaining via the LaCie - the LaCie via FW800 to the PC while the ADVC110 runs off the FW400 connection on the LaCie?

[VJ]

Have you tried daisy chaining via the LaCie - the LaCie via FW800 to the PC while the ADVC110 runs off the FW400 connection on the LaCie?

Yep... Same problem.


Jorg