Capture help

[Steven Lutz]

Ok, i just picked up a gl2 the last weekend and so far I love it. I have a question (kinda noobish.) What program do most of you use to capture your video on your computer (vegas? premier?) And what way do you capture it? With what kind of cable and what type of capture card on your computer? I just want to know how to get it on my computer with hardly any quality loss. thanks in advance......

[Robin Davies-Rollinson]

Steven,
You'll need a firewire card and cable to capture your video from the camera.
You also need a capture programme on the computer. If you're running Windows XP, then you've already got Windows Move Maker installed (look under "Accessories") If you've got the latest Microsoft Service Pack then you should have WMM 2 - if not and you're still running WMM 1, then you can download the free update since it's got a lot of better features.
With the application, you'll be able to capture, edit, add music and titles and then export your masterpiece back to the camera, or choose to save it on the PC - or even upload it to a Web Video Hosting service such as Neptune.com.
WMM won't let you burn a DVD at this time, but there are a number of inexpensive DVD authoring programmes available.

Robin

[Steve Sirinides]

Welcome Steven!

Robin is right - you'll need a computer with a firewire port and a DV-firewire cable (you can find this at any electronics store).

If you have a Mac then all you'll need is the cable. iMovie will let you capture anything you need, and is handy for basic editing. My advice is to mess around with your camera for a few weeks to get the hang of it, and import your footage into whatever program you like (Windows MovieMaker or iMovie) and get some basic editing skills. And keep checking out these boards...

Steve

[Steven Lutz]

thanks for the help guys, yea i have a couple video editing programs that I have experiance with--used them with my old sony handycam......any suggestions on specific capture cards that you use?

[David L. Holmes]

Hello Steven

When I purchased my GL2 I did not have a Firewire card for my computer. So after lightening my pocketbook with the camera purchase, I decided to get a cheap 4 port Firewire card from CompUSA. The card only lasted about 3 months before it would start locking up my system and not recognizing my camera. At first I was worried the problem was in my camera and not the "new" card I put in the computer. But I was able to test the camera on a friends computer and it was fine. So I purchased a name brand card and have been fine ever since. Just for my own curiosity I checked CompUSA's homepage about the card in question, and it was rated 1 out of 5 stars by other people who had purchased it. The biggest problem was the card would quit working only a few weeks after installation. Mabey I should have done a little more investigation before going "Cheap".

I'm all in for saving money, and I do have a couple of aftermarket batteries for the camera that I have been very pleased with. From now on I'll do a little research online before making even basic purchases.

Enjoy and good luck!

[Steven Lutz]

Originally Posted by David L. Holmes

Hello Steven

When I purchased my GL2 I did not have a Firewire card for my computer. So after lightening my pocketbook with the camera purchase, I decided to get a cheap 4 port Firewire card from CompUSA. The card only lasted about 3 months before it would start locking up my system and not recognizing my camera. At first I was worried the problem was in my camera and not the "new" card I put in the computer. But I was able to test the camera on a friends computer and it was fine. So I purchased a name brand card and have been fine ever since. Just for my own curiosity I checked CompUSA's homepage about the card in question, and it was rated 1 out of 5 stars by other people who had purchased it. The biggest problem was the card would quit working only a few weeks after installation. Mabey I should have done a little more investigation before going "Cheap".

I'm all in for saving money, and I do have a couple of aftermarket batteries for the camera that I have been very pleased with. From now on I'll do a little research online before making even basic purchases.

Enjoy and good luck!

thanks for the advise, so u know what brand and model ur card is?

[Rob Lohman]

Steven: it doesn't matter. Any OHCI (!) compliant firewire card will do. Just make sure you get the right cable (a camcorder uses the smaller 4-pin connector, while a computer may use that or the larger (more common) 6-pin connector).

Just go to an electronics store get a cheap OHCI firewire card and they should be able to get you the right cable.

You don't even need to install any drivers, just plug the card into your PC (or if you can't do that yourself have a computer company install it) and off you go. Make sure your camera is turned OFF when you connect or disconnect it to the computer!

[Steven Lutz]

ok, i got my videos uploading to my computer good now, just one more question, is there a special file type i should save as, or certain settings I can use on the camera so that I get the best picture quality out of it and not have any of these annoying lines on it?? i attached a video showing what I mean with the lines(look at the rider, how is body has a lot of small horizontal lines across it):

http://media.putfile.com/ttry

other link:

http://www.filelodge.com/files/hdd8/...406-183300.MPG

[Devin Anderton]

Steve,

I cannot get the links you posted to work, so I really don't know what you mean when you say 'horizontal lines'. However, what program did you use to capture the footage? Will the program let you adjust any settings?

-Devin

[Rob Lohman]

Steven: capture to DV AVI for the PC and DV QuickTime if you are on a Mac.

It sounds like the lines you are talking about is interlacing. Since you are in
the GL1/2 forum try shooting in frame mode. That should remove those lines.

A very short history: tv's are displaying the signal in interlaced, computer
monitors in progressive. If you watch interlaced footage on a computer screen
you will see lines. This will not happen on a TV (because it is interlaced). So
if your output is for TV there is nothing to worry about.

Usually interlaced is more associated with real-life looks / news etc. where as
progressive / frame mode is usually more associated with fictional work.

[Steven Lutz]

ok thanks a lot guys

[Prech Marton]

Dont shoot in frame mode, cos you loose resolution.
Instead try deinterlace in post with filter.

[Steven Lutz]

deinterlace?

[Prech Marton]

Yes, blend fields together.
Almost every video editing program has this filter/effect.

[Steven Lutz]

ok thanks----