Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge

(now known as the Pinnacle Dazzle Video Creator)

Digital video and analog video. Which to choose, which to edit? 

Many videographers are in a middle of a transition, evolving from analog formats like VHS and 8mm, to the digital video format. Many of us have drawers full of old 8mm and Hi8mm tapes, boxes full of old VHS and S-VHS cassettes, all packed full of wonderful moments and memories. It would be great to be able to save them to easily digitize and save them for prosperity, transferring that electronic data to digital videotape. Once on DV tape, you could then make copies without worrying about generation loss every again. With the proper computer equipment, you could edit and copy the best parts to CD-ROMs and DVDs. Maybe you have been shooting DV for some time and have a pile of DV tapes as well. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to edit this DV and analog footage together?

 to get yours

  Most computer based video editing systems do not allow you to do this. You usually need one hardware card for analog and one card for DV. However, there is now a solution and it is not expensive or hard to use.

  Dazzle's Hollywood DV-Bridge (now the Pinnacle Dazzle Video Creator)  is a small standalone device with a MSRP price tag of under $90, which enables you to easily convert from one format to another. You can convert either analog video (S or standard) to DV; you can convert DV to analog. Actually, any device with a video out connector can now be converted to DV. This includes videodisk players, DVD players, older ¾ inch video recorders, and players, Pay per View cable, satellite video, etc.

  If you have been in the video business for a while, you may have been familiar with the Sony MA2 Adapter that basically does the same thing as the Dazzle product but costs twice as much.  The Dazzle product, aside from being cheaper and a bit easier to use, also includes a few extra special features like bundled software, support for both PAL and NTSC video, and lack of support for copy protection.

 How do you use Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge?

  The DV Bridge is extremely simple to use and does not require an engineering degree. It just does one thing very well. Converts from DV to analog or from analog to DV.  That is it.

  Plug in the power; attach your video and audio cables as well as the DV cables. These are standard DV cables – sometimes labeled as Firewire, iLink or 1394, they are all the same. The only thing to worry about is the size of the connectors and whether your camcorder/computer uses four pin or six pin connectors. Most camcorders and cameras use the very small four pin connectors. Many computers and DV boards use the larger six pin connectors. DV Bridge comes with a six-pin to six-pin 1394 connector that enables you to connect your computer to the Hollywood Bridge. You will need to provide your own four pin to six pin connectors for use with your DV camcorder.

  If you want to convert analog video from a 8mm, Hi8mm, VHS or S-VHS source to digital video, connect the S-video or RCA cables for video and the stereo audio cables to the appropriate jacks on the DV-Bridge and then plug the DV cable from the DV Bridge to either a DV camcorder or your computer. Plug in the DV-Bridge power supply and connect it.  Press the DV Bridge’s mode control switch until it cycles through and illuminates up the “D to A” light. That is all it takes.

  You can also convert digital DV to analog mode.  This is useful for outputting your video after editing it on your computer and making VHS copies for distribution. Another use for the digital to analog transfer is for viewing your computer-edited masterpieces on an NTSC video monitor. Of course, if you have lost the video and audio output cable from your DV camcorder, you can use the DV cable connected to the DV Bridge. In these cases, you cycle the DV Bridge’s mode button to “A to D” (analog to digital). There is also a DV to DV pass through mode but I cannot figure out why you would ever need to use it.

  Minimum Computer Requirements:

  What do you need to use the Hollywood DV Bridge in addition to a DV camcorder and an analog video machine? You might want to do some video editing and then duplicate your finished edited segment back to either DV tape or VHS.

  Hollywood DV Bridge is relatively operating system agnostic – it really does not matter what kind of system you plug it into as long as it has a working 1394, Firewire or iLink connection. It works with Windows 98SE, Windows Me and Windows 2000 as well as Mac OS 9.0.4 or better.  Dazzle’s minimum specifications for Window’s machines are a 400 Mhz Pentium II or better, 64 MB of RAM, 800x600 pixel monitor, sound card and the 1394 interface. You will not find many 1394 machines with less than these specs. Mac specs are similar – 300 Mhz or faster, 64 MB and a Firewire/1394 interface.

  What if you do not have FireWire?

  Most new Macs and many new Windows machines include a 1394 connection. Almost all new Compaq, Gateway, Sony and Toshiba machines do. FYI  - just like in the early days of USB, the status of appropriate 1394 drivers for Windows computers is still influx. Check with your manufacturer if you have problems.

  If you do not have a 1394 connection on your existing machine, you do have a couple options. If you have a laptop or notebook computer, you can use a 1394 adapter PC Card. Simply slide the card into the notebook’s PC slot, install the software and connect your video source, and you are ready to go. Cards like this cost around $100 and are available from Dazzle, as well as from ADS Technologies, Belkin and SIIG. Be careful – sometimes these cards can be a bit problematic – I found that my older Compaq Presario would not work with the Dazzle card because, according to Dazzle, “Compaq was using their own proprietary BIOS, rather than a standard BIOS.”

  For a desktop machine, you will need to open it up and install a PCI based 1394 adapter board. After installation and re-booting, run the install software and you should be ready to go. You can get these kinds of 1394 adapters from AverMedia, Belkin, and many others.

  Most of the 1394 add-on solutions also include full-featured video editing software packages like MGI VideoWave or Ulead VideoStudio. These programs are not as professional or as powerful as premium editing packages like Adobe Premiere or Apple Final Cut Pro, but work great for shorter productions with basic titling and effects.

  Software:

  The Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge does provide its own software package that includes the pre-mentioned MGI VideoWave 4, as well as an easy to master program for beginning editors called Dazzle MainActor. These are both for Windows machines. If you have an Apple, you will need to use something like iMovie 2 for basic video editing or a pro package like Apple Final Cut Pro.

  The MainActor package includes several components. It includes modules for DV capture and DV Output, as well as a module for capturing AVI files from various sources. The MainActor VideoEditor enables you to import, combine and mix a wide range of video, animation, still image and audio media types including 8SVX, AIFF, AU, AVI, BMP, DL, FLI/FLC,   GIF, GIF-Anim, IFF,     IFF-ANIMX, JPEG, MacPICT, MPEG-I/II, MPEG-Audio, PCX, PNG, PPM/PGM/PBM, QuickTime, TGA and WAV.

  The main editing is completed using MainActor Sequencer. Using a standard, drag and drop timeline interface, Sequencer provides a choice of up to 99 separate audio and video tracks, numerous effects and transitions, and 2D/3D text tools.  In addition to the files types mentioned MainActor VideoEditor module listed above, Sequencer can also import and export Video for Windows, DirectShow, and RealVideo multimedia formats.

  MGI VideoWave 4SE is also supplied as well. VideoWave has been around for years and is one of the most popular video editing tools for non-professionals. This new, upgraded version introduces a new user interface that is designed to take advantage of powerful new features while remaining fast and intuitive. The Storyline editor lets users insert video clips in a sequential order for easy production. The Library enables users to view thumbnail representations of clips, files and effects. The Viewscreen contains handy control buttons for video preview. According to MGI, “every menu and button command is designed with one purpose in mind – to make it easy for you to produce great-looking video!”

  Which to choose? It is really a toss-up. If you have used VideoWave in the past, you should probably stay with it until you have time to figure out and master the Dazzle MainActor programs. However, if you are considering creating video productions that incorporate many different possible types of multimedia files and formats, then MainActor may be the program of choice.  However, as mentioned before, MGI VideoWave has been around for years and has legions of satisfied users.

  Of course, you do not HAVE to use either bundled program. Once the Hollywood DV Bridge is connected to your computer, any DV capture and editing program will enable you to capture, save, edit and output your DV video productions.

  No Copy Protection

  One of the more interesting aspects of the Dazzle Hollywood DV Bridge is that copy protection is not enabled. Unlike the more expensive and professional Sony MA2 as well as almost every VCR and Digital Video Camcorder, the DV Bridge enables you to make perfect DV copies of pre-recorded commercial videos. I tested it using a tape from my local video rental store and was able to copy it perfectly to my DV camcorder using the DV recording function. The camcorder did not get go into auto shut-off mode as it would when connected to the VCR via the analog video and audio input connectors. I got no signal rolling or color shifting. It looked and sounded great.

  I assume this would work just as well using a DVD player with video outputs. Actually, it should work better, as most DVD players have S-VHS video outputs for maximum quality.

  Is this really a big deal?  Do the math. Most DV tapes are only an hour long. Even running at an extended play speed, you would only get one and a half hours of recording time. This means you will still need two DV tapes per purloined two-hour video movie. At ten bucks a tape, this will cost you $20, almost what it would cost to buy the original video or DVD in the first place. Plus, you will lose the cool interactivity and menus you get with DVD,

  Summary:

  The Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge is a great little tool that does one job very well, converting analog audio and video into digital video.  I just wish it had showed up earlier, before many digital video camcorders started to include analog audio and video recording capabilities as a matter of rote. By the way, if you have a bunch of 8mm or Hi8mm analog tapes that need transferring to DV, your best solution maybe one of Sony’s inexpensive Digital8 camcorders that can play all your old tapes via the analog outputs or via the DV output.

  However, if you have an older DV camcorder without the ability to record analog signals, or would like to transfer video and audio from analog camcorders and VCRs into your 1394 equipped computer, this is the tool you need. Not only is it easy to use, but Dazzle threw in a choice of video editing programs as well.

  The Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge’s innate analog to digital conversion quality is very good. However, it is dependent on your video source. The better your analog VCR or camcorder video player, the better your final digital video will look.