Windows Software to import Video with a Canopus ADVC110

Jeff-Reed wrote on 12/3/2021, 9:50 PM

I'm looking for a Windows 10 software solution that will help me import older VHS and camcorder videos and subsequently edit them. I have the Canopus ADVC110 device, which connects via IEEE1394 (firewire). I know some folks who work with Vegas Pro that speak highly of Vegas Pro for video import. I have the following related questions:

1) What video software application works best with the Canopus ADVC110 for video import?

2) Are there any specific IEEE1394 PCI cards that recognize the Canopus device in Vegas Pro or other recommended software that users can confirm are compatible?

Here is my system info:

Dell XPS 8930, Intel Core i7-9700, 3.0 GHz, 3000 MHz, 8 core, 16 GB memory, Windows 10.0.19042

I also use Magix Sequoia 15 for audio, and am looking for hardware/software solutions that won't conflict with that application.

If the Canopus ADVC110 is longer recognized by current software, I would greatly appreciate any current stable hardware/software recommendations for the purpose of importing video.

Thanks,

Jeff

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Jeff-Reed wrote on 12/11/2021, 12:58 PM

AAprods, excellent info there. Good to know that the newer USB sticks are more pure/lossless. The video samples you provided show the very clear benefits of the ES15 and S video outs.

1) When using the Panasonic ES15, are you using the Es15 as a throughput device only (post VCR output), or are you actually recording a DVD, and subsequently exporting that DVD recording to your computer?

2) Are your ES15 and and EZ48 processes used separately. Or, do you daisy chain them together (i.e. EZ48 S video out to S video in of ES15 to computer?

3) If you do daisy chain the EZ48 and Es15, are you using the S video out of the ES15 into a GV-USB2? It looks like the USB-capture device has an S video connector, was hard to tell from pictures I saw online.

4) I notice Magix also now owns Vegas Pro. Do you think I'll be fine with Movie Edit Premium for the purpose of capturing VHS video, mini DV, and some minor editing?

I have a Panasonic PV-8450 VCR that stopped outputting audio/video. My only working VCR is a Sony combo unit (SLV-D350P). The Sony has an S video output, but it is for the DVD side only. My Panasonic seemed to have better TBC than my Sony when it was working. It appears that your EZ48 has an S video out for the VHS side as well, which looks worthwhile. Any ideas on a reliable source for these Panasonic devices would be appreciated. If not, I suppose I will have to do the online gamble. I would say I don't want to spend $2,000 on a VCR, but I would spend several hundred. If I'm going to take the time to import/edit video, I would like it to be at least decent.

Thanks for the tried and true advice!

Thanks,

Jeff

AAProds wrote on 12/11/2021, 11:33 PM

@Jeff-Reed

When using the Panasonic ES15, are you using the Es15 as a throughput device only (post VCR output), or are you actually recording a DVD, and subsequently exporting that DVD recording to your computer?

Only as throughput/passthrough. The circuitry tidies up the signal (I assume for DVD burning) but then passes it out through the S-video port as well.

Are your ES15 and and EZ48 processes used separately. Or, do you daisy chain them together (i.e. EZ48 S video out to S video in of ES15 to computer?

From what I can see, the EZ48 has the same correcting ability as the ES-15, so I use the ES-15 only with a "normal" VCR that doesn't have any correcting features. So I use the EZ-48 by itself, with S-video cabling direct to the capture stick. The other Panny DVD recorder I have, the ES-35, has similar correcting ability, so I don't use the ES-15 with that either.

All capture sticks have S-Video in.

I notice Magix also now owns Vegas Pro. Do you think I'll be fine with Movie Edit Premium for the purpose of capturing VHS video, mini DV, and some minor editing?

Yes, no problems with MEP capturing VHS, although you are restricted to MXV (Magix's proprietary video format) and MPEG 2 (not ideal as MPEG is a lossy format). There are third party programs (I use the free Virtual Dub) that can capture into a lossless codec and I edit that in MEP, although if your tapes are good though, high bitrate MPEG will be OK. Certainly, MEP would be great for minor editing. It has a lot of great features for the enthusiast. Have a close look at the specs required though. For quick exports and really smooth editing, it is recommended you have a newish Intel processor with built-in iPGU (ie in the CPU itself) and a standalone GPU. That said, I can quite comfortably edit VHS/SD on my 10 year old machine with MEP 2021 which has neither of those.

Yes, you can usually tell by looking at the back panel whether the S-Video Out works on the VHS side as well. The EZ-48 (and ES35) outputs S-Video on the VHS side. My other VHS/DVD combos that out S-video from the VHS are the LG RC-299 and the Samsung VR-255.

Any ideas on a reliable source for these Panasonic devices would be appreciated. If not, I suppose I will have to do the online gamble.

Arr, yes, the great conundrum! Ebay is a veritable minefield as far as VCRs go. "tested and working great" can mean "yeh, I turned it on an it made a noise and lit up". An apparently reliable source is VCRshop:

https://vcrshop.com/

I have seen quite a few S-VHS VCRS in the UK for reasonable prices. I wouldn't be paying $2000 for a VCR. There is a great (if expansive) VCR buying guide at DigitalFAQ (it's an old post, but nothing has changed since then: no new VCRs have been made):

http://www.digitalfaq.com/forum/video-capture/2669-vcr-buying-guide.html

I'd recommend an S-VHS machine (not a DVD-VHS combo) from VCRShop (or a local source that you can test).

Jeff-Reed wrote on 12/19/2021, 8:30 AM

Great information AAprods, a lot to digest and consider here. I understand your workflow better now, so thank you. I didn't know those USB capture sticks were that cheap. Maybe I should have just gone that route from the beginning, although the mini DV input on my AVDC may be useful for other cameras/devices.

I appreciate the resources on used VCRs. I had checked out TGgrantphoto.com, and it looks like they may have a refurbished jVC deck that I can consider. It's good to hear that you can use the EZ48 direct to the capture stick. After playing with importing from my Sony VCR, I would definitely like more stability in the picture for capturing. The Sony works, but the image is not stable, and the tapes I'm looking to import are at least 20 years old. The S video circuitry cleanup appeals to me if I'm going to do the capture work.

My PC is a Dell i7 9700 (8-Core, 12MB Cache, up to 4.7GHz with Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology). I originally had 16 MB of RAM, but recently upgraded it to 64GB of RAM, so I hope that will be enough for video editing. I was experiencing some slow response times with this machine, and found a video on tuning a lot of hidden settings for the Intel UHD Graphics 640 card I have helped a bit. Once I did that, I saw some improved performance with my audio application, Magix Sequoia.

When you talk about the frame rate dropping when using Neat Denoise, does this mean after applying the plugin you have to walk away to allow the edit to process before doing more viewing/editing?

Lastly, you mentioned MXV, Magix' proprietary format. Is that lossless like the MPEG-2 format you mentioned? I do prefer a lossless import, and the flexibility to export to other formats.

How did you insert all those neat video clips into this thread?!

AAProds wrote on 12/19/2021, 9:38 AM

@Jeff-Reed Jeff, glad to be of help. Analogue video capturing and editing is a bit of black art! Life is oh so simple these days with cameras capturing digital video, just transfer the file and edit away.

so I hope that will be enough for video editing.

That will fly through SD (720x576) video with no issues at all. Others on the forum are experts on setting up MEP to run the graphics cards optimally.

When you talk about the frame rate dropping when using Neat Denoise, does this mean after applying the plugin you have to walk away to allow the edit to process before doing more viewing/editing?

No, I was referring to the final render/encode/export being very slow. Bear in mind I have a very very "slow" machine. If you set up your graphics cards up properly, it should do much quicker exports.

As far as editing goes, Neat video slows down my responsiveness, while editing, a lot. If it annoys me, I simply untick the Neat Video effect while I'm editing and then put it back on when I'm finished editing. With your computer, I suspect you will not have any problems editing with NV on all the time.

you mentioned MXV, Magix' proprietary format. Is that lossless like the MPEG-2 format you mentioned? I do prefer a lossless import, and the flexibility to export to other formats.

That's a good question. The file sizes aren't quite Lossless size (as you would get with HUFFYUV or Lagarith) but they are substantially more than MPEG 2 and way more than MPEG 4. So I'd have a stab and say MXV is 3/4 lossless. Being a type of AVI, it is very easy to edit though, as responsive as DV. Unfortunately, it is proprietary, and I haven't come across any other program that will open it. This stops you using Virtual Dub, for example, which has some nifty effects which MEP doesn't.

How did you insert all those neat video clips into this thread?!

I made them up with MEP using Size and Position and just used the upload button:

There's probably a video size limit but I haven't hit it yet.