[Art Doyle]

Time base corrector


I'm doing some conversions of old VHS tapes using a PC setup and was wondering if I could run the video through our DMR-E30 as a video "preprocessor". It's hard to determine if this would work without reference to the factory service manual (which I don't own).



Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Spoffo]

I have no idea if a simple video pass-thru has any correction applied, but there's a possible way to make it work: Put a RAM disc in the deck and start to record the tape output to it. Then feed the chasing play output to your monitor. Since the TBC is specifically indended to stabilize signals before recording, I can't see why it wouldn't work. You'd get 2 hours at a time before you have to erase the RAM disc and start over.

 

[Art Doyle]

Quote:

Originally posted by Spoffo I have no idea if a simple video pass-thru has any correction applied, but there's a possible way to make it work: Put a RAM disc in the deck and start to record the tape output to it. Then feed the chasing play output to your monitor. Since the TBC is specifically indended to stabilize signals before recording, I can't see why it wouldn't work. You'd get 2 hours at a time before you have to erase the RAM disc and start over.

Actually, I did try this over the weekend on a known problematic tape - and it worked Big difference in chroma recovery too - they put some powerful magic in those DMR boxes. Didn't need to fool around with the DVD-RAM time limitation either - I simply put the unit on pause.


Now if I can just get these thermal problems fixed with this ADS encoder - I'm all set to digitize piles of VCR tapes.



In summary: The Panasonic DMR units are probably the best TBC/video processors one can buy for an external encoder. I doubt you could do this well even with the best stand alone Time base Correctors available.

 

[Skylark]

Quote:

Originally posted by Spoffo I have no idea if a simple video pass-thru has any correction applied, but there's a possible way to make it work: Put a RAM disc in the deck and start to record the tape output to it. Then feed the chasing play output to your monitor. Since the TBC is specifically indended to stabilize signals before recording, I can't see why it wouldn't work. You'd get 2 hours at a time before you have to erase the RAM disc and start over.

Spoffo,

Though Art already figured your suggestion out by himself, just wanted to say that using the chasing play to insure TBC is applied is an extremely clever idea! Good thinking!

Skylark

 

[vferrari]



Now if I can just get these thermal problems fixed with this ADS encoder - I'm all set to digitize piles of VCR tapes.

And you're not just going directly to DVD-RAM disc using the Panny recorder because why?


I digitize to DVD-RAM using the Panny recorder then "sneaker net" the DVD-RAM to my PC where I edit and author the final DVD-R. If you are digitizing to mpeg2, then you might be better off not hassling with the ADS unit. If you are digitizing to avi (e.g., DV) for more sophisticated editing before authoring to disc (or don't have a DVD-RAM comptible DVD burner in your PC) then I can understand why you are trying to get the ADS box to work (personally I would opt for a DVD-RAM drive if your ADS box is just doing a real time compression to mpeg2, i.e., let the Panny do the compression work rather than futzing with a temperamental PC peripheral- but that's just me).

 

[compubit]

My 2 cents...


If I'm digitizing a program from tape/satellite and will be keeping it all as one title, I digitize to RAM on the Panasonic and burn on my PC.


If I need to do any editing, I use my Adaptec PC-based capture card.


The main reason is the audio - everything I have to edit with chokes on the AC-3 audio. Most of my edits are simple cuts and joins, but they still choke on the AC-3...


Jim

 

[Art Doyle]

Quote:

Originally posted by compubit My 2 cents... If I'm digitizing a program from tape/satellite and will be keeping it all as one title, I digitize to RAM on the Panasonic and burn on my PC. If I need to do any editing, I use my Adaptec PC-based capture card. The main reason is the audio - everything I have to edit with chokes on the AC-3 audio. Most of my edits are simple cuts and joins, but they still choke on the AC-3... Jim

The AC-3 problem is finally history with Womble's latest editor release.

 

[Art Doyle]



Originally posted by vferrari

Now if I can just get these thermal problems fixed with this ADS encoder - I'm all set to digitize piles of VCR tapes.

Quote:

And you're not just going directly to DVD-RAM disc using the Panny recorder because why? I digitize to DVD-RAM using the Panny recorder then "sneaker net" the DVD-RAM to my PC where I edit and author the final DVD-R. If you are digitizing to mpeg2, then you might be better off not hassling with the ADS unit. If you are digitizing to avi (e.g., DV) for more sophisticated editing before authoring to disc (or don't have a DVD-RAM comptible DVD burner in your PC) then I can understand why you are trying to get the ADS box to work (personally I would opt for a DVD-RAM drive if your ADS box is just doing a real time compression to mpeg2, i.e., let the Panny do the compression work rather than futzing with a temperamental PC peripheral- but that's just me).

You're right about the futzing. But until Panasonic sees fit to provide some fast and easy way to dump video into a network - I'm stuck. Hopefully this has been addressed with the DMR-500.


Sneakernet wouldn't be practical when digitizing 6hr videotapes. And even short videos are a chore to edit with a slow PC DVD-RAM reader (and I own one).


ADS had a great idea. Take the dedicated media processor guts from a DVD recorder - and graft it to a PC interface. That way you get lots of PC drive space and filehandling at low cost. They even included a built in decoder so that one can sample the actual video stream in realtime.


Unfortunately - their designers never passed thermal design 101 - so it's a real futz to keep it working Some folks butcher the case and add muffin fans. I just placed ours atop a 600CFM aircleaner (holding nose). This mess really works pretty well and I'm able to sample at a half D1 rate to save storage space. Can't do that with my DMR 30.