I would like to know which of the 3 provides the best quality MPEG-1 video. I have a Darim M-filter which will make the video quality better as well. I want to Do the 2-pass approach (capture to AVI, then convert to MPEG-1) which I believe all three of these devices do (I know Broadway and MPEGator does this).

Thanx

-- MrVCD (mrvcd@juno.com), April 12, 2000

Answers

MrVCD,

How are you using the M-filter? What bitrate are you capturing the mpeg1 with in regard to VHS input? I've found that VHS is much better at 1300-1500kb/s depends on quality of the tape. M-filter settings : are you using the AGC feature? I am using the M-filter in conjunction with the RT-6 right now and so far i am ok with VHS. I've to use a higher bitrate then VCD as in the above. I am capturing the two hours movie straight to mpeg1 @ either 1300kb/s - 1500kb/s and then split them up with IfilmEdit and write to CD-R/CD-RW. Just wondering what you are using as settings for M-filter....for I agree that the M-filter is best for VHS input.

-- (wingstarzz@hotmail.com), April 12, 2000.

MrVCD:

I looked at the specs for the M-filter and have a few questions that they didn't cover on the site.

1: Since it is a PCI card, how much does it cut into your system resources and are you capturing on the same system that your running the M-filter in?

2: How is the audio handled? ie... does it go through the card also to keep everything synced? If the video is being processed through the filter and then sent to the capture card and the audio is going straight to the capture card could the audio become desynced?

3: How does the card compare to the stand alone video signal enhancers that used to be sold for VHS to VHS copying? (Hard to find now)

Thanks for any info. PS: Did you get yours for much less than the price they have on the site?

-- EG Marshall (4me@schoolmail.com), April 12, 2000.

The M-filter is not a encoder card; Therefore, it has no input for audio. It is strictly a video filter card. Mine is an ISA card not PCI. According to Darim, this device does not take up any system resources or at least very minimal. I did not see any system resource taken up by this card on my system. The only thing to do with this card is to activate it once you activate your computer. Signal processing for this card is good especially for VHS sources. Digital signal however, the reverse effect will take place. What this card is design to do is to take an analog signal and convert it to digital format. It will then applied the filter, gain, color correction etc to the digital part. Afterwhich the signal is then converted back to analog and feed directly to either another M-filter or an mpeg encoder card. You have a lot of knobs with this device to play with. You can see it live with the output connected to a monitor. I've setup mine so that the S-video output fed directly to my RT-6 encoder card, while the composite output is fed to my 27" TV. My RT-6 has preview mode so i can compare the output signal from the M-filter to the one my RT-6 is seeing on the preview mode. This help me make adjustment to the signal before encoding process is taking place.

-- (wingstarzz@hotmail.com), April 12, 2000.

WINGSTARZZ,

I use S-VIDEO connectors with my M-filter. I have an S-Video connector going into the M-Filter's input, and a S-video conector going from the output of the M-filter to the S-Video input of the Broadway. I capture at Broadway's highest settings which is 75mb per minute. I always capture to AVI, then encode to MPEG-1 using my broadway (conversion is 2:1 since I have a pentium 2). As far as M- filter settings, I have Field Averaging on, Median Filter On, 3X3 low pass filter on (level 2), AGC is on, line padding on at 10. What settings do you reccomend? So you are saying that you reccomend composite over S-video connections?

-- MrVCD (mrvcd@juno.com), April 12, 2000.

My fault on the PCI, thanks for reminding me. But what I was really wondering was with all the internal rerouting of the video signal, it seems to me that it wouldn't take much for the audio to get several hundred milliseconds out of sync. Especially since the audio is going straight to the encoder and would theoritically get their ahead of the video signal. I was just wondering if they did anything with the audio to keep it synced but apparently it's not a problem.

-- EG Marshall (4me@schoolmail.com), April 12, 2000.

I suggest you to buy VideoOne Recorder by Array Microsystems I also have one. This card is for only $700 but its results are like Optibase $2400 card in Real time capturing and encoding for VCD rest of the other cards (Brodway, RT6, Mpegator, Dazzal etc)are shit as compare to this card. Godluck

-- Bilal Ahmad (bilal7_99@yahoo.com), June 26, 2000.