Firewire transfer -- is there a difference?

[BrianP]

I have some VHS and SVHS that I would like to convert to DV. My Sony D8 camcorder is an earlier model that does not have analog-to-DV pass-through (is that pretty standard now?). My options for converting are:<ol>
<li>Copy the material to D8, then transfer</li><li>Borrow a camcorder that does have pass-through, and transfer directly</li><li>Buy an analog/DV converter, and transfer directly.</li></ol>
My question is:
<i>Is there a quality difference between the option 1 and options 2 and 3?</i>
In other words, does the D8 format compress significantly enough that it would be better to tranfer directly (particularly for the SVHS material)? What <i>is</i> the difference?

[jeff b]

The only difference that I can even imagine between all three would be the possibility of having #1 add a tape dropout either during record or playback, which would just mean that you'd have to do it over. Otherwise, the encoding to DV is going to be the same across all three options.

Jeff B

[Patrick]

The biggest quality difference by far will be determined by what your playback device is. If you want the best possible quality, use a SVHS deck which has a TBC (Time Base Corrector) built in. Second choice would be a SVHS deck which doesn't have a TBC, but run the signal through a stand alone TBC. Use a SVHS deck to play both the SVHS and the VHS tapes. Use S-video connections, do not use composite.

Recording the signal onto digital tape (either miniDV or D8) will give you Device Control when you are capturing to your hard drive. Makes the whole process a lot easier. There will be no perceptible difference in quality compared to using "pass through" recording. Some people swear it actually improves the quality. I know, I know, that doesn't make sense, but...