transfer dv to computer

[Thomas Walsh]

Hello, anyone know if you need any software to transfer dv tapes from canon xl-2 to a computer? Have the fire wire cords don't want to capture to editing system just want to take clips off tapes and store on external drive Thanks

[Harm Millaard]

It makes no sense to stick all your tapes on top of an external disk and they won't fit inside the casing of the external disk. So your ONLY solution is capturing them and you need software to do that. A simple software program to do that is Scenalyzer for DV and HDVSplit for HDV.

[Chris Soucy]

Harm,

You're in serious danger of getting as jaded with this stuff as I am (and that's pretty seriously jaded).

Keep well.


CS

[Thomas Walsh]

thanks reason for transfer is because the xl2 went back to canon 3xs and the camera was never dropped and has bad banding was so posed to be fixed and when camera came back the heads were so posed to be replaced and within 1 hour if even the banding was back went to the data video dn 60 tapes are over with. thanks

[Les Wilson]

If you are on a mac you. Can use the builtin capture of iMovie or of QuickTime pro.

[Thomas Walsh]

using adobe premiere with a pc thanks

[Mike Meyerson]

just digitize them into premier and encode as mov files (or other format of your choice).

BTW Thomas, I'm only 20 mins away from you....I can take care of it for you if needed, or if you need an hand w/ anything else, just let me know.

[Harm Millaard]

Mike,

Capturing is a simple transfer of digital data. On a PC that will give you MS DV AVI, type 2.

Encoding to any other format will always result in a generation loss (unless you encode to Lagarith, UT or uncompressed) and about the worst thing to do on a PC is to encode to a QuiRcktime format like .MOV. QuiRcktime has earned that name for a reason. It completely destroys the 64 bit nature of PR and forces PR to use only the QuiRcktime server, which is by Apple design only 32 bit and second, it gives you the quiRcky chroma aberrations that seem to plague this program.

[Mike Meyerson]

Harm...I'm not totally familiar with the workings of Premier (and I try to avoid .avi at all costs)....but can't you encode/export using QT's DV25 codec? Maybe I'm just used to how avid handles video (which is QT based not avi, even on PC) and I've had great luck w/ that.

QT Pro would let you capture and encode to DV25 which could also be an option, although I've never used it to capture so not sure how well that works.

[Harm Millaard]

Mike,

It is not only Premiere Pro, but also Edius and Vegas that use the standard Microsoft AVI format, even third party capture tools like Scenalyzer all use MS DV AVI. I have never heard of any application on a PC that captures anything but MS DV AVI, since it is the Windows standard. Matrox and similar card suppliers also use MS DV AVI exclusively AFAIK. The same applies to Premiere Elements, Windows Movie Maker, Pinnacle, Magix, etc.

If it is only a question of rewrapping the AVI to MOV there is no generation loss, but you still have the distinct disadvantage that Premiere Pro can no longer run as a 64 bit application because QT is a 32 bit application, and the absurd gamma shift of QT.

Why do you avoid the AVI format?

[Mike Meyerson]

Harm,

I'm on Avid MC on PC...and it is QT based, so no reason to use avi ever. The 2g limit is annoying and I've had codec compatibility issues with avi files that clients have sent me. I don't have the same issues with mov files unless they are Apple Prores...and even then I can transcode them in Soreneson Squeeze (not optimal, but it works if needed).

All exporting I do is via QT reference files out of avid to Sorenson Squeeze for the actual encoding.

[Harm Millaard]

There is no 2 GB limit on AVI type 2 files. Did not know that AVID was QT based on a PC.

[Mike Meyerson]

:) I didn't know there was an avi type 2. Whenever I deal w/ avi files, it's just whatever a client sends over.

[R Geoff Baker]

Far as I know, the file size limit for Type 2 avi files is 4 GB ...

I've always used Quicktime dv.mov files on my PC -- the earliest card I had captured to that format (DPS Spark) and Quicktime always suited me must fine. I don't know of anything quirky about dv.mov files -- you can use them with any software that is QT friendly, and convert them without re-encoding to dv.avi for any software that isn't. A few years ago I switched to Macs primarily, and can't recall the last time someone asked me for an output that wasn't something QT worked just fine with.

In the Mac world, transfers via Firewire for DV formats can be done with programs and utilities that are part of the basic install.

Cheers,
GB

[Harm Millaard]

Geoff,

As part of our benchmark test, we export to MS DV AVI type 2, a 13 GB file in the current version. In the new version that may be even bigger, around 20 GB. So no 4 GB limit either.