Although it's a codec topic and it should be in another forum, I would like to know which codec you guys from wedding videography use for capture and export?

I'm totally newbie in this point because I used to use matrox, but now I'm alone with firewire...

thx

I was searching and cineform showed up for me... Is this the only thing I need to buy to capture, render, export and make a great quality DVD?

You can edit .mpeg or .m2t. then export to MPEG-2 for DVD authoring. You can skip intermediate codec.

You can also, if you are a matrox customer, login to see if you can download RT.X2 ver 2 VFW driver. They forgot to lock that version so you can use the MPEG2 I-FRame HD Codec as intermedia codec.

But, for editing mpeg or m2t I do need a codec. Don't I? Which one? Thx

Depends on which NLE you use. For example, Premiere and VEgas can both edit MPEG and M2t.

Have you considered getting the Matrox RT.X2 LE card?

hmm... the problem is: It's for a laptop :)
I'll have a desktop too, but I would like to use just my firewire...
I use Premiere cs3, and vegas (just for highlights clip)...

So I don't need any thirdparty codec? It's just a matter of project settings?

Thanks :)

a decent power laptop can edit .mpeg or .m2t. YOu don't need any codec.

The other way you can try is "proxy editing" or "bait and switch editing". You simply convert the HD file to a low quality AVI. Then edit with those AVIs in your laptop. before rendering output, reload the project in your desktop. Then Premiere will prompt you where are the source file. You then point it to the original HD files. Now you can render the HQ output.

Ive bought a great laptop. C2D 2.4Ghz - 4gb DDR2 - Geforce 8400 - Sony vaio fz4000

I didn't know premiere can capture direct to MPEG... Good to know :) It's better than avi, isn't it?

Yeah Premiere can capture to .mpeg. Or you can use a free tool called HDVSplit, it will capture to .m2t.

Premiere is much happier editing AVi file instead of MPEG. but you don't have HD codec, editing .mpeg or .m2t with premiere will be just fine.

Just beware when you import the .mpeg file to the project, it takes Premiere a while to index, conform and generate peak files.

You should also upgrade to 3.2. Prior to that version, there're video/audio unsync issue if there's any video drop out within mpeg video clip.

I tried but I have only two opitions: DV Capture and HDV Capture (And there is no setting or configuration button) Where should I go?

You start a HDV project 1080i30(60i) timeline preset. Then capture just like DV. You are not capturing DV, it's HDV.

Like I said, the other way is to use the tool HDVSplit

I'm not capturing hdv :) yet, I hope :) It's sd :(

At the presets screen I only have a few options like: DV - DV NTSC

If you are working on SD matierial, start your DV preset and capture.

I thought you were asking about HDV editing. If you are doing DV, you will be capturing DV-AVI files. There's already a DV codec built-in that you can use. No need to worry about paying for a third party codec.

And when I finish and it's time to export? Which settings for opening into encore?

you can either export to another DV-AVI and encode. Or you can just use Adobe Media Encoder to encode to MPEG-2 DVD. But I can tell you Adobe Media Encoder mpeg-2 engine sucks. The quality output is really bad.

Encode AVI in Adobe Encore? That's the way I do, but when I play it on my 37" lcd it's a kind of "pixelized"... What could be? Do you have a clue?

Encore won't encode AVI. It takes AVI or other format to encode to DVD MPEG-2 format or BluRay format. So obviously you aren't sure what you are doing :)

Ops... I wrote wrong... I import AVI into encore and so its encode to mpeg2-dvd... I think Encore encoder isn't good... Because I export one clip from vegas already in mp2 and the quality at TV was better...

You are correct! Adobe license MainConcept to encode MPEG and they suck! Only if you can encode in high bitrate that it looks acceptable. Otherwise, fading from black is just horrible. I stop using AME. Now I'm using Procoder to encode MPEG-2. The output is excellent.

Does Procoder encodes directly from the premiere timeline?

Cineform would be the same as procoder?