Thanks, I looked up that specific card and it looks like I will probably go for it. Let me ask you though, do you have any sync problems when you export to analog?

Never had a sync problem. This seems to be the best converter out there. It also works well with Vegas

Hi,
Canopus now also has the ADVC-50, for a much lower price. It fits into a 5.25" bay in the computer. The ADVC-100 sits on the desk. I have the -100 and love it.
Cheers,
Tom

I have the Canopus ADVC-100 and I love it. If you are considering the cheaper ADVC-50, it has a serious drawback. While you can input Analog or Digital, you can only output digital. (I use the analog output on the ADVC-1000 to preview my video on a television set.)

TriState Camera (www.tristatecamera.com) has it for $249.

Only one: The Dazzle Hollywood-DV Bridge, about $300. The reviews give it excellent picture quality, converts in both directions and gives you a connection for a TV monitor.

Sr_C :

Not sure how limited your budget is, but for few more dollars
you can get D8 or DV camera with pass through that would also act as
your D/A convertor. I originally tried the Dazzle DVC II hardware
encoder and was less than satisfied with the quality of the encode
and the proprietary software (seemed buggy on my machine).

Stepped up to the Dazzle Hollywood and tried that.
Once again took that back. Same reasons as before.

Finally, bite the bullet and shelled out the extra for a D8.
Haven't regretted it for an instant, now I have a quality converter
and a decent camera too.

Just a thought, but if you shop around on the web, find the lowest price +
shipping, Sears does have a price match policy.
bd

Some cameras may do a good job converting DV-to-Analog, but not my NTSC Sony VX2000. Two problems: the analog port's black level is wrong for NTSC, and it creates vertical stripe artifacts in areas of solid color. Both problems exactly match the (discontinued) Sony DVMC-DA2 converter box (same chipset?). I bought a Canopus ADVC-100 and it works splendidly. I don't recommend the Dazzle.

Thanks everyone!

I am placing the order for the ADVC-100 tomorrow. Hope to recieve by weeks end. I really appreciate all of your help. Thanks again

Gammaburst:

I have a Sony DMVC-DA2 and haven't seen the artifacts you're refering to, could you elaborate and/or provide examples?

Of course, it's a moot point since it's discontinued, but I'm curious if mine has the same problems as yours, perhaps they rev'ed the chipset.

Thanks.

///d@

I got my DVMC-DA2 after it was discontinued. I don't see any artifacts either.

I can vouch for the Dazzle HB.....works fine for D to A....but from A to D I can't seem to significantly reduce the # of dropped frames (and yes, been there, done that with the defragging, tasks running, etc). But at this point I don't think the frames issue is HB's fault.

Pete

If you buy the unit from TriState, please let me know your experience with them. They have great prices, but I don't know much else about them.

Thanks.

The artifacts are most visible when outputting smooth solid colors from computer-generated sources such as animation and 3D rendering. I first noticed the artifacts in a chocolate-brown area of a non-textured 3D animation. I see vertical stripes of slightly alternating chroma level. Not dramatic, but distracting.

Each stripe is 16 pixels wide. The amplitude varies by about 1 IRE unit. It's sensitive to small changes in color. I figure it's caused by a poor chroma dithering algorithm. I rarely see these artifacts in DV camera footage, probably because the camera's natural noise scatters the artifacts.

At first, I though my DVMC-DA2 was simply broken, so I tried using my Sony VX2000 camera to do the DV-to-Analog conversion. Identical problem! I'll bet both Sony products contain the same chip. No problem with Canopus ADVC-100.

I gave away my DVMC-DA2 to a friend who's using it only for Analog-to-DV. It works fine in that direction, except for black level.

DV-to-Analog problems:

1. Black level is 0 IRE instead of 7.5 IRE. Wake up Sony, this is USA!
2. Chroma artifacts (vertical stripes) in rendered solid colors.
3. Large erratic sync timing violation near end of every field (using DV fed from computer).
4. Frame rate is 260 ppm low. Probably related to #3. I haven't yet found the root cause.
5. Video bandwidth rolls off -3dB at 5 MHz.
6. AC-coupled output bounces a lot even when unloaded.

Analog-to-DV problems:

1. Black level is 0 IRE instead of 7.5 IRE.

I've got a DA2 as well; always loved it. I hate hearing things like this because ignorance is bliss! :) I haven't noticed anything of this sort, but most of my work is not CG and often comes from a 1-chip camera; I'll try my damndest not to notice it now... ;)

-Doug