ACE Converter

GTH Note: Unfortunately the rules have changed and we have not been able to obtain permission to display the full review. We are however able to quote the key conclusions as below and of course much of the rest was repeating information on facilities described elsewhere on this site.

Format conversion
We passed a PAL signal into the ACE unit via S-video, and had it convert this to NTSC..... it became clear that the converter had done a very nice job. The picture was sharp, there was very little colour bleed, and - most importantly - motion appeared extremely smooth..... In general, we feel that the ACE converter does just as good a job as Samsung's £470 world standard VCR, the SV5000W (review, July 2001, p52), and Canopus's £235 software converter for Windows (review, July 2001, p50). The ACE has one significant advantage over each of these products - it has S-video channels that the Samsung lacks; and, unlike Canopus's software, it works in real-time.

Image manipulation
A particular bonus provided by the ACE is its spread of video processing tools. Colour correction and image enhancement typically require a lot of rendering when applied to footage in an editing system. The ACE box processes video in real-time, allowing users to correct colour casts and apply effects when outputting the final cut to VHS for viewing.

Conclusion
Despite its modest appearance, the ACE is a tremendous piece of kit. Our tests were carried out with some difficult interview footage shot in bad lighting conditions, and by the end of our tests, the image on-screen looked crisp, clear and natural. Granted, many of these image correction features can be found in popular desktop editing programs, but the need to render (particularly when several such effects are used in combination) can often inhibit the experimentation required to get good results.
    For many, the image correction tools alone will be worth the price, but it must be added that for the price the ACE does an exceptional job at standard conversion, too...... the ACE provides incredible value for money, and is strongly recommended to anyone keen to make a good impression with VHS tapes.

Peter Wells

Computer Video "EDITOR'S CHOICE", Overall Rating 95% Computer Video, June 2002

Email to: sales@gthelectronics.com

Telephone: 01692 402501

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