Hello, I'm looking for a Firewire or USB2 analog-->digital video converter for my Mac (MDD). Preferably something that has hardware mpeg-1 & mpeg-2 compression, because I'd rather compress on-the-fly than do it later in software (unless there's a good reason to first convert to DV and then compress later in software?). I've done some research and am hoping to get some real-world feedback, because I'm really not sure which way to go. My main use for the converter will be to digitize Hi-8 tapes, and some old VHS I have lying around.
Is there a benefit for Firewire over USB2? I have a USB2 PCI card installed, which I think is now supported natively in Mac OS X (no third party drivers necessary).
Here's what I've been looking at:
1 - Plextor ConvertX (USB2, does hardware mpeg1 -2 -4, also has TV tuner)
2 - Canopus ADVC50 (PCI, only imports to DV)
3 - Canopus ADVC55 (Firewire, only imports to DV, no locked audio/video)
4 - Canopus ADVC110 (Firewire, only imports to DV)
5 - Miglia EvolutionTV (USB2, does hardware mpeg2 -4 and DivX, also has TV tuner)
6 - Miglia Director's Cut 2 (Firewire, only imports to DV)
7 - Miglia AlchemyTV DVR (PCI, imports using any Quicktime-supported codec, also has TV tuner)
8 - Formac Studio TVR (Firewire, only imports to DV, also has TV tuner)
Are there any others worth looking at? Thanks for any and all feedback.
- Unit Converter For Mac
- Analog To Digital Video Converter For Mac
- Audio Converter For Mac
- Analog To Digital Video Converter For Mac
- Analog Converter For Mac
- Analog To Digital Video Converter For Mac
There is nothing inside your Mac that can accept analog video and convert it to digital. Depending on the number of hours of video you need to convert, you may be better served by finding a company that will perform this service for you for a fee, rather that purchasing the equipment and learning to use it yourself. Download32 is source for analog to digital converter shareware, freeware download - AD-Converter, Digital DVD to iPhone Converter, Digital DVD to iPod Converter, Digital DVD to PSP Converter, Digital DVD to Zune Converter, etc. An unapproached TOP WMV to iPhone Converter for Mac helps you convert WMV files to the videos including DivX. Setting up and using Easy VHS to DVD for Mac is a piece of cake. Just drag the software to your Applications folder, plug the hardware into an available USB port, connect your analog source to the converter, and launch the application.
Description: This Digital to Analog Audio Converter is designed for either home or professional audio switching. Itconverts Coaxial or Toslink digital audio signals to analog L/R audioand available for connection to an.
'Upgradeitis' is a term bandied about the audioworld to describe the desire to buy new gear that you technically don't need.Sure, an extra HDMI input or a slightly better room correction system would benice, but they are rarely necessary. When a person is frugal enough to denythemselves major replacement purchases for incremental upgrades, they oftenstart looking at other gear that is less known. An external DAC is a popularchoice.
Soda pdf converter for mac. A Digital to Analog Converter, or DAC, takes your digitalcontent and transforms it into analog so that your system can amplify it andplay it through your speakers. If you think you already have DACs in yoursystem, you would be correct. Anything that can accept a digital signal andoutput sound must include a DAC. This includes your phone, MP3 player,receiver, AV processor, computer, laptop, CD/DVD/Blu-ray player with analogoutputs, wireless speakers, clock radios, and more.
But Do You Need a DAC?
If all of these devices already have DACs, why would youneed an external one? More to the point, could you actually use it and would itmake a difference? Here are the two main conditions that would necessitate theaddition of an external DAC to your system:
1) Noise floor problems (i.e. background hiss) Windows 7 product key _ serial number generator.
Unit Converter For Mac
Free pages to pdf converter for mac. 2) Sound quality issues related to the digital to analogconversion
The first is pretty easy to detect. If you can hear a hissduring the quiet sections of your music, or if your playback is disrupted bynoise, you need an external DAC. We've had noise problems that originate fromeverything from fan noise to hard drives spinning to changes on our computerscreen. A poorly designed layout on the sound card (or problematic placement inregards to its proximity to other parts of your computer or device) can add allsorts of noise into your playback. If you are hearing noise there is verylittle you can do to eliminate it. But that doesn't mean there isn't anything.Here are a few suggestions:
1) For phones, put them in 'Airplane Mode' orsimilar to turn off the cell antenna. If you need WiFi, you can turn that backon after you switch to Airplane Mode.
Gary becker economic theory text book pdf download torrent. 2) For computers, shut down any unnecessary programs. Don'tforget to check the Task Manager for any programs you might have missed thatare running in the background.
3) If you have more than one output or input, try switchingto different ones.
4) Check the quality of your cables and connections - noisecan come from damaged wires as well.
5) Try a different song. It could be that the recording you areusing has a high noise floor.
6) Check your settings for different processing modes. Ea sports for mac download. Ifyou have the option of different playback programs, try downloading a differentone in case your program is adding distortion or noise.
Sound quality issues are much harder to diagnose. If you arehearing warbling (where it sounds like the music is being played on a slightlywarped vinyl record) you may be having clock issues (we'll get into whatexactly these are in a moment). If you've downloaded some high quality filesand your computer won't play them back, you may need an external DAC (thoughyou'll want to check your settings to make sure you have everything configuredproperly).
Some DACs are portable like the Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS
What You Need to Take Advantage of an External DAC
Can you just plug any device into any DAC and experiencesonic bliss? Of course not. These are the things you need:
1) High quality (CD or better) digital content
2) Player or source with digital outputs
3) External amplification
If all of your digital content is stored in 128kbps MP3s,then your problem isn't your DAC. It is the file size compression you used tostore you music. MP3 and other file size compression solutions reduce the sizeof your music files by removing content that the MP3 algorithm determines youcannot hear. If the original file was already of low quality (or alreadycompressed), the MP3 conversion process can add all sorts of audibledistortions to your music. To take advantage of an external DAC, you'll wantcontent that is at least CD quality. Currently, there are a number of losslessfile size compression codecs including FLAC, WMA Lossless (Windows), and AppleLossless (Mac) that will somewhat shrink your music files while keeping all thecontent intact.
If you really want high quality music, you can use anynumber of download sites (HDTracks is our favorite) to get music that is betterthan CD quality. Remember, CD quality is 44.1kHz, 16-bit. The highest qualityyou can buy currently (outside of very specialized places) is 192kHz, 24-bit.These high quality files are the equivalent of studio masters and should be thevery best quality music you can own. Of course, their file sizes are very largeso you'll want to be wary of how much space you have left on your hard drivebefore you start downloading a large number of these.
If your player only has analog outputs (RCA red and white orsimply a headphone jack), you can't add an external DAC. Well, sometimes youcan but the external DAC is simply taking the analog signal from your player,re-converting it to digital and then back to analog, before sending it through.If the DAC in your player is the problem, this re-conversion process isn'tgoing to help.
Those working with phones or portable players with USBoutputs should also be wary before adding an external DAC. Some phones doconversion even over the USB connection so you won't hear a difference byadding a DAC. Generate a new key pair pgp. You'll want to make sure that the DAC is connecting digitally toyour device (they should say this in the specifications of the DAC).
Lastly, you'll need some sort of amplification. If the DAChas a headphone output (and you will be using only headphones), then theamplification is built right in. But if you are connecting a set of speakers,you'll need either self-powered speakers (like many studio monitors) or anexternal amplifier to power passive speakers.
Analog To Digital Video Converter For Mac
But Seriously, Do I Need an External DAC?
In our opinion, you rarely 'need' a DAC. DACs area fairly mature technology and most mid-level receivers and other sources haveperfectly adequate DACs. If you are having sound quality issues, make sure youeliminate every other possible source of distortion (including yourspeakers/headphones) before you decide that the DAC is to blame. The mostcommon 'real' reason to need a DAC (outside of a high noise floor) isbecause of clocks being out of sync.
In your source (your CD/Blu-ray player, portable device,etc.) there is what’s known as a digital “clock.” This tells your DAC (in thesame device or in another, like a receiver) the timing of the content. Now, thereis also a clock in your DAC. Your content is encoded with a specific frequency(you might remember from above when we talked about 44.1kHz up to 192kHz). Ifthe clocks in your source and DAC don't exactly line up, your music might sounda bit off - like the warped record we talked about earlier. We call this'jitter.'
Audio Converter For Mac
DACs sometimes have two modes of operation: Synchronous or asynchronous.The easiest way to think of the difference is that, with synchronous, the DACuses the clock in the source. Asynchronous, on the other hand, uses the clockin the DAC. Most DAC aficionados say that asynchronous is better at eliminatingjitter than synchronous.
A last point about jitter: Jitter doesn't always happenbetween your source and your speakers. Jitter can enter a system between themicrophone and the ADC (Analog to Digital Converter). So if you areexperiencing jitter with only one or perhaps a handful of recordings, it may bethe recording and not your system. In that case, an external DAC will do you nogood.
One situation where we often find DACs recommended is withheadphones. When you are connecting to a computer, often with a stocksoundcard, noise and jitter can be real problems. Adding an external DAC can bea good solution but not always the cheapest. If the soundcard is the problem,check into upgrading that before you add a DAC. You may find that you can getnot only better audio performance, but more options (like surround sound) forabout the same money, or less, as a DAC. Winxd video converter for mac. If you are using a laptop however, youmay find that a USB DAC is your only real option.
Analog To Digital Video Converter For Mac
For headphones in particular, loudness can be an issue. Ifyou have expensive and hard to power headphones, you might find that the outputof your computer or device just isn't loud enough, even at full volume. In thatcase, what you need is a headphone amplifier. Many USB DACs have headphone ampsbuilt in so you can experience the best of both worlds.
Analog Converter For Mac
Conclusion
Analog To Digital Video Converter For Mac
There are lots of reasons people buy external DACs, but themost common is because they are pretty cool. You are unlikely to find many ofyour friends that have a DAC. Nothing screams, 'I know more about audiothan you,' than having a device that has your friends scratching theirheads. While there are a number of reasons to buy a DAC, the best two are toeliminate noise from your source and to combat systemic jitter. If these areyour issues, an external DAC is the solution.