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Community Newsletter: Q&A: Easiest way to transfer MiniDV footage to PC and edit it
- 9/18/08 9:21 AM
now we're going too extreme the other way...
by cdcguard - 9/21/08 11:13 AM In reply to: 250 not true at all. by DADSGETNDOWNNone of us are 250 years old so none of us can truly speak of the validity of "accelerated aging tests". I can say that I have music cds that I've burned that have lived in my car since 2000 that still play. I wouldn't call a vehicle that is parked outside in northern california as a "optimal environment"
As to using CD-R as a viable archive media for video; Either mikesey_97 stores video in a very low quality format or he meant DVD-R. The 700Mb capacity of a compact disk just won't store much video in full quality.
On videos how about the sound transfer?
by gary3980 - 9/16/08 1:57 AM In reply to: Converting you Mini-DV to DVDs by WatzmanI had a friend do it, an seems to be fairly easy, however, at the time I did not see how it is done and still do not know how to get the sound tecorded along with the video with the time in sync. Like how does the sound get recorded and knowing the proper cables and hook up points. Any clear advice appreciated, and maybe a link that may explain this all.
Gary
DV footage transfer to Computer
by shantanumitra2003 - 9/5/08 10:26 PM In reply to: Easiest way to transfer MiniDV footage to PC and edit it by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Save the DV file from the camera to the laptop.
Start a DVD movie compilation programme,like NERO smart essentials or Pinnacle studio.
Capture Video files-select the DV file saved from the camera.
Edit the captured movie,add titles, using the edit facility of the programe.
Finally burn the movie to a DVD or just save it in the computer.
Cut and dry.....yes but.....
by TMT904 - 9/6/08 2:35 AM In reply to: DV footage transfer to Computer by shantanumitra2003Essentially those are the steps but there are many different ways to accomplish the task. He is also asking whether the laptop is better than the desktop. Much depends on the speed of the laptop HD vs the desktop HD. Most current mid to high level laptops have 7200rpm HDs but many still have 5400rpm. The faster the better for preventing dropped frames. As said in other posts, firewire is the preferred transfer method. My 2 yr old laptop processor is faster than my 7 yr old desktop but I get much fewer dropped frames with my desktop running a 500gb 7200 rpm master HD. Editing is trial and error. You have to find the program that fits you best. I prefer Premiere as I use Photoshop and the entire suite so it works for me, but not for many others. I used to use Pinnacle prior to Premiere and it is good too.
-J
Transferring from MiniDV
by aitpl - 9/5/08 10:30 PM In reply to: Easiest way to transfer MiniDV footage to PC and edit it by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Alex,
What you need is to be able to first connect your camera to your PC. I presume that the only video processing software you have running on your PC is Windows Moviemaker. The connection could be either thru a Mini DV port (through Firewire) or a USB port. Run the software. You will then have movie maker capture your footage. This is easily done. The next step is editing the footage. You can do it again in Moviemaker. Generate the final video file and burn it on the DVD using a package like Nero. This is the basic sequence.
In case you have a better video editing package (eg Vegas, Velocity, Video Studio etc), you get better editing capabilities.
They all hate each other.
by pvrsridhar - 9/5/08 10:51 PM In reply to: Easiest way to transfer MiniDV footage to PC and edit it by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
First you have to understand that the people who make video camcorders, video capture formats, video editing software, and computers all hate each other.
I am editing video from mini disks from a Sony Camcorder for my folk dance group. I am using an older single core 2ghz chip portable computer and I am using Sony's Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition editing software and Sony's DVD Architect Studio for making full size DVD's from the edited video.
All this does work. That is the good news.
The bad news is that an older single core chip computer is SLOW at heavy tasks like this, Sony Vegas Movie Studio is NOT easy to master, and for some reason Sony forces us to use a second software package (DVD Architect Studio) to make the final full size DVDs and again this software package is also NOT easy to master.
The reasons for the difficulties are: 1. there are many video formats and it is difficult for any editing software package to be able to translate them and move them around. 2. like most video editing software packages the developers build in a great many features which they can brag about but which make our lives difficult because we have to wade through a lot of junk to make a simple instructional DVD. If we actually used the fades, shadows, fancy backgrounds, awful music, etc. etc. that come with video editing software anyone viewing our final product would run screaming from the room.
I also tried some editing with an older Mac and iMovie and I never could figure out how to make that combination work. But probably the days of frustration of working with the Mac and iMovie taught me enough to be able to figure out Sony's software.
I love this answer.
by aalake - 9/12/08 10:25 PM In reply to: They all hate each other. by pvrsridhar"They all hate each other" is the exact phrase I have been using to describe to my family and friends the miseries of coping with the incompatibilities of editing software. I've been using Roxio and ended up having to buy a multiple core computer which I can't afford because of all the crashing. In the end I've ended up just making DVD copies of very primitive footage and apologizing for my ineptitude. I just copy the little DVD which has been finalized in the camcorder and convert the format (one of the MPEGs) to one acceptable to Roxio. Then use their burner software. I agree that all their canned enhancements are disgusting. When editing old videotapes of my parents I use firewire with an ancient file-transfer thing (forgot the name because I stashed it somewhere in the process of fleeing hurricane Gustav}. Somthing like Director's Cut made by Miglia. It works fine with Moviemaker but not with Roxio so I have to do a 2-part process to capture the video and then import it and convert it in Roxio. My camcorder is a Canon and I guess I shouldn't complain because everyone seems content with anything that produces movies of our beautiful grandchildren but I went thru a period of thinking I was going to have a heart attack from sheer frustration with the process. I will read these answers carefully to see it there is anything to make this process easier if it is not too expensive.
Transferring MiniDV and Edit.
by wouldhe2 - 9/5/08 10:54 PM In reply to: Easiest way to transfer MiniDV footage to PC and edit it by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Buy Pinnacle System Video Editing Software. I have been using it for years and have been very happy making DVD's with it.Typically you would hook your camera up to the computer with an interface cable. It usually comes with the camera. Crank Pinnacle up and it should pick up the camera and away you go. The editor is pretty simple to use as well and renders in several different formats.
Some thought about transferring MiniDV
by rwerner - 9/13/08 10:06 AM In reply to: Transferring MiniDV and Edit. by wouldhe2MY PC has Windows XP and I use Pinnacle Studio to transfer MiniDv input so I can edit prior to burning a DVD. I could not determine how to transfer the data using USB so I installed a Firewire card and used the appropriate cable to do the input. I also found that if your input is long and you want to save the inputed file to another HD that is formatted as FAT32 you will be limited to a 4GB file size. I ended up reformatting my external HD to NTFS so I could save my 7GB file as a backup.
MiniDV Edit and transfer to DVD
by crazura - 9/5/08 11:15 PM In reply to: Easiest way to transfer MiniDV footage to PC and edit it by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There are many issues you need to address in order to do what you want, so it may be better to explain how this is typically done, so you can weight the limitations of your systems. First, you transfer the MiniDV material to a Hard drive; You do this via a Firewire cable connected from the camera to the computer. Unless you have a special capture card, your footage will be transfered to DV AVI format. Ideally, you use a separate HD (internal or external), since you need this drive to deliver a sustain rate of at least 4.5 MB. per second to store the AVI file. HD also most likely need to be a 7200 RPM disk, so it doesn't drop any frames. A separate 200 GB. HD can store up to 15 hours of DV AVI material (Note: Typically, laptop HDs are slower than Desktop HDs). Once stored, you edit the video using an editing software. All the editing is made using the AVI files. Once you have your edited video, you might make a DVD for people to see it on a Stand alone DVD player. Video DVDs do not use AVI files, so the software you use in order to make the Viedo DVD, will transcode (convert) the AVI files into MPEG2 files. MPEG2 is a compressed format, and a typical 4.7 GB DVD can hold up to 2 hours of video (you can store only about 20 minutes of AVI video in a DVD). Some programs allow you to make Menus and Backgrounds, so your DVD looks professional. If you want to make changes, you need to make them within the editing software and the original AVI files, NOT from the Edited DVD, since it's more complicated, you'll lost a lot of time and a LOT of video quality if you re-edit from the DVD. You can make a backup of your Project (you must include the editing software's project file, AVIs, photos, and any material you used) into Data DVDs, in case you want to change the video later, but need to delete it from the computer. Also consider that a laptop DVD is WAY slower than a Desktop DVD when burning any info. Bottom line: 1) Get an external 7200 RPM HD. 2) I can't really tell which computer is the best choice, since you don't mention their specs. 3) Burning DVDs from the laptop is going to take a lot of time, you can get a new desktop DVD burner for $25. 4) I'm not sure why you want to transfer all the MiniDV tapes into DVDs. DV has a much better quality, and in order to transfer them to DVD, you need to a)convert the DV files into MPEG2, in order to make video DVDs (this will take you forever, unless you get a MPEG2 encode card); or b) store the AVI files in data DVDs, at a rate of one DVD for every 20 minutes of footage. In both cases, you need to capture the video in the HD first, and then burn the DVD (as mentioned, this will take forever! or worst, if you use the laptop). I have MiniDVs that I used in 1997, and image looks perfect, so longevity is not still a problem. There are a some additional considerations (video and DVD software, compressing methods, video cards, memory, etc) that would take too long to explain here, but I hope this helps; excuse my english, since It's not my native language. Good luck!
it's not that bad, just time consuming
by flamingoland - 9/6/08 12:36 AM In reply to: Easiest way to transfer MiniDV footage to PC and edit it by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi
I've been doing digital media for a LONG time now.....while in school, they had macs, which have iMovie, which is easier, but I wasn't fond of the macs overall and worked off my laptop (running windows XP).
The first thing I would suggest is you go out and purchase a separate external hard drive. The prices have come down considerably and digital film takes up a LOT of space. As far as software for editing, there is a lot out there and I've been using adobe premiere for over 5 years now. I don't think it's the easiest thing to use, but it does everything I need it to do as far as editing so I like that. I've also tried Roxio and Sonic, but have always drifted back to premiere. There are pros and cons to all the software out there, premiere is VERY expensive (I got it through the college I was at) and is indeed aimed at professionals, but Roxio and Sonic are relatively inexpensive and sometimes there are free trials that do almost everything except let you burn.
Editing is tedious at best. I do full length movies (90 minutes) and what I do to make it easier is to keep a sheet (in excel) on exactly what I have on the tape. You can do this as you go along, or if it's just your kids/family stuff and not a full fledged movie, you can just note it after you've shot from memory. You can also preview your film through your camera and make notes for when you do 'log the film' such as minutes used, subject, time stamp, etc. That makes it much easier for editing later.
Next is transferring, this takes as long as your film is (for the most part) and usually uses a Firewire/IEEE port. You can choose to log the entire tape, or you can sit there and kind of rough edit as you go, or you can have (some of) the program set markers either when it thinks a scene has changed or by time. I usually sit with it and do a rough edit of the scene and then name it something meaningful. Doing the advance prep saves you time later on.
Then you just edit each part you've logged in, drop it into a timeline in the program and decide if you are going to use effects (such as credits at the end/beginning, transitions between scenes, set up the DVD menus and chapters).
Then you burn it onto a DVD (I don't use an RW, just regular ones), which takes forever, I usually set it up overnight because it takes hours to render the images (once again, my stuff is well over an hour long) then burn it. Then you can create the DVD covers, etc.
There is certainly a LOT more to say on the subject, like music and copyrighting, etc. but this is the basic stuff. Good luck, it's fun once you get the hang of it, and it's all in the details as to how easy it is once you get to this point.
Video Transfer
by davedufour - 9/6/08 8:52 AM In reply to: it's not that bad, just time consuming by flamingolandI keep thinking everyone is overcomplicating this. Your Sony camera has a firewire port. Sony has its own name for this, but it's really the same thing, and your camera probably came with the right cable. Now all you need is a computer with a firewire port, and I'm guessing your laptop is the most likely.
Get a big-ass external drive for transferring the video. If you want all the raw footage on DVDs for some reason you can do it later, but DVD is NOT what you want to use to edit to/from.
Transferr all your footage to the hard drive and once there, you can edit away. Your editing program will NOT remove original footage. It just uses what you specify in the new final movie. Nothing is really "cut" forever. This is the magic of digital editing.
If you're relatively new to video editing, Premiere is not for you. I think the best all around editing program is Pinnacle Studio. It's simple, very versatile, and you can get very professional looking results. The learning curve is going to be quicker than with Premiere, too. Windows Movie Maker is okey-dokey, but only that. If you want to just put scenes together and drop in a title, it's fine, but beyond that, you will be kind of limited. Pinnacle will take you a little learning time, but you can be up and running pretty quickly. Plus, the capture process is pretty simple -- You can be doing that first while you're reading the manual!
Dave Dufour
External drive
by aalake - 9/13/08 9:37 AM In reply to: it's not that bad, just time consuming by flamingolandI have a WD 500 G external drive with firewire ports and I have no idea how fast it is because I can't find the original specs. It is called MyBook. Do you know if this is adequate for direct video capture from a Canon mini DVD? I have been using it for storage and backup only but would love it if I could dedicate it to all video work. Seems to me there were some kind of complaints about this model several months ago. I don't keep it connected all the time because the firewire connection is noisy. If this is not a good choice, please recommend an external firewire connector hardrive for me. Thanx a lot. Abby
responding for the slow in computer shutdown and startup sol
by bisher alloush - 9/6/08 3:08 AM In reply to: Easiest way to transfer MiniDV footage to PC and edit it by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
u can clealy notice that ur pc is slow in shutting down precces this is becouse of a differnt matirials.
the most important one is that either ur pc is having aloot of programes to be saved n ten shut down or ur computer pressecor is low.
try this command to help ur pc in fast start up in opening
>>go to the run>>type..msconfig..<<
it will appear to u a small windows u can c n monitor the serverses and startup programes that it is un neccesary for u..simply un check the programe or the service that u dont want it to start when u power up ur pc. n then restart ur computer n u can c the change.
sry for the spelling mistakes....bisher =]
transfering Video to DVD
by DavidkWilkinson - 9/6/08 3:10 AM In reply to: Easiest way to transfer MiniDV footage to PC and edit it by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I regularly transfer video to DVD and have a similar set up. An older desktop on XP and a newer laptop using Vista. On the older machine with commercial software this is easy but the winner is the laptop with it’s built in Windows movie maker and DVD maker. Transfer is simple from camera to Movie maker and this will split the footage automatically into scenes. Once you have inserted the scenes into the time line effects and transitions can be added and then select make DVD which saves the project and after selecting the menu you like the looks of burns a DVD with the scenes as menu points. Simple!
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