Internsity pro or grassvalley ADVC 55 at DVinfo.net

Rob Willemse · July 25th, 2008, 04:49 AM

Hi I need to convert a lot of analog videomaterial (hi8 VHS etc etc).
Now i'm planning to buy the internsity pro card of the grassvalley ADVC55.

Does anyone have some experience using the one ore the other?
How about the quality, offcourse it depends on the source material,
but which one of the two products does deliver the best overal quality from
analog sources?

I know the ADVC55 has an audio sinq build in. Does the intensity also have this abbilty?
The problem from analog sources is mostly that the audio is out of its place.

Anyone can share his experience?

Jack Zhang · July 25th, 2008, 06:17 AM

Like I said in the other thread, for better chroma sampling, get the Intensity Pro. But it looks like you need lipsyncing capability. The Intensity Pro doesn't look like it has it. You have to do it in post/editing to sync the audio. It looks like the ADVC55 is cheaper than the Intensity Pro too.

I don't really think you need the Intensity Pro since all you need is to retain VHS and Hi8 quality. Since the chroma of consumer video is quite low, upgrading to 4:2:2 won't make much of a difference. Go for the ADVC55.

Ervin Farkas · July 25th, 2008, 10:21 AM

A far better solution is to get an old digital 8 Sony camcorder. Since some of the tapes you have to digitize are in the analog 8 or Hi8 format, the digi8 camcorder will play them at the same exact quality (if not better) than an analog 8mm camcorder. Sony camcorders can also be used to digitize external video, just connect your VHS or other player to the camcorder. Analog audio/video in > digital (firewire) out.

You will NEVER have any audio sync issues. I'm not sure how many of these old Hi8 cameras might still be around in Europe, but over here in the States you can pick one up for $100-200, pretty much the price of a good quality capture card.

Robert M Wright · July 26th, 2008, 02:14 PM

I'm with Ervin. I use a Digi8 camera to convert analog video. It's easy and the quality is certainly good enough (essentially it's overkill for converting VHS and the like).

Jack Zhang · July 26th, 2008, 05:13 PM

Yes, this could work with VHS too since you can set it to AV-DV to make the video out into a video in.

July 25th, 2008, 04:49 AM	#1
Rob Willemse Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: netherlands Posts: 52	Internsity pro or grassvalley ADVC 55 Hi I need to convert a lot of analog videomaterial (hi8 VHS etc etc). Now i'm planning to buy the internsity pro card of the grassvalley ADVC55. Does anyone have some experience using the one ore the other? How about the quality, offcourse it depends on the source material, but which one of the two products does deliver the best overal quality from analog sources? I know the ADVC55 has an audio sinq build in. Does the intensity also have this abbilty? The problem from analog sources is mostly that the audio is out of its place. Anyone can share his experience?

July 25th, 2008, 10:21 AM	#3
Ervin Farkas Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Atlanta/USA Posts: 2,515	A far better solution is to get an old digital 8 Sony camcorder. Since some of the tapes you have to digitize are in the analog 8 or Hi8 format, the digi8 camcorder will play them at the same exact quality (if not better) than an analog 8mm camcorder. Sony camcorders can also be used to digitize external video, just connect your VHS or other player to the camcorder. Analog audio/video in > digital (firewire) out. You will NEVER have any audio sync issues. I'm not sure how many of these old Hi8 cameras might still be around in Europe, but over here in the States you can pick one up for $100-200, pretty much the price of a good quality capture card. __________________ Ervin Farkas www.AtlantaLegalVideo.com

July 25th, 2008, 06:17 AM	#2
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Like I said in the other thread, for better chroma sampling, get the Intensity Pro. But it looks like you need lipsyncing capability. The Intensity Pro doesn't look like it has it. You have to do it in post/editing to sync the audio. It looks like the ADVC55 is cheaper than the Intensity Pro too. I don't really think you need the Intensity Pro since all you need is to retain VHS and Hi8 quality. Since the chroma of consumer video is quite low, upgrading to 4:2:2 won't make much of a difference. Go for the ADVC55.

July 26th, 2008, 02:14 PM	#4
Robert M Wright Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota (USA) Posts: 2,171	I'm with Ervin. I use a Digi8 camera to convert analog video. It's easy and the quality is certainly good enough (essentially it's overkill for converting VHS and the like).

July 26th, 2008, 05:13 PM	#5
Jack Zhang Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada Posts: 3,053	Yes, this could work with VHS too since you can set it to AV-DV to make the video out into a video in.