Tape Conversion - Camera to Deck

[Sharon Pieczenik]

Hi Everyone,

So, still dealing with my 24p HDV capture issue. I see that the firewire being loose might have broken it into even more subclips then just at timecode breaks. Either way, capturing it in HDV is annoying. Then when I checked out some of the HDV footage to edit...it had stuttering problems with dissolves, etc.

So...I am trying to convert my HDV tapes to SD. I have my JVC GY-HD110U hooked up to my BR-HD50 using three wires (R, B, Y component). I have RCA to BNC adaptors on one side of the wire so they go into the camera. Then the BNC sides go into the deck. I have the audio from the camera going into the deck, both have RCA ends.

I can't seem to figure out how to set up my video output on the menu screen so that it plays out correctly so that I can capture it on the deck in SD. Do I set the settings as to what I want the tape to be in the end on the deck (i.e. NTSC 30fps DV)? Or do I have to set the camera video menu to what the tape really is (i.e. HDV 24fps 720p)?

Thank you all for your words of wisdom. I have a feeling that HDV is good for distribution but not so great for aquisition.

Cheers,
Sharon

[Eric Darling]

I have a feeling that HDV is good for distribution but not so great for aquisition.

Actually, I believe the opposite to be true, much like DV, HDV is best used as an acquisition format. Eventual distribution in HD will hopefully materialize on the low end of the HD market. Until then, there really isn't a good way to do distribution of HDV content.

In any case, why are you running a dub to the deck? If you own the deck, it does real-time downconversion to SD in either 480i or p. Check it out in the menu. Just play the original tape from the BR-HD50 and skip the dub.

[Steve Oakley]

you can't send a output to a output. doesn't work. camera and deck both do not take video in. only way to feed video in is via FW, and with the JVC that will be a 1:1 copy, no down conversion. sony stuff can do HD->SD via FW.

that said, you really need to figure out your FCP problems. could be as simple as trashing FCP prefs, changing the FW cable, using another FW port on the CPU. re-install FCP and QT. look for the simple fixes first.

you also did not state what CPU you have. if the machine is underpowered you will see stutters in dissolves, but when you master to tape, FCP will render them and there will not be a problem. You could also be having
1. HD thru put problem
2. other apps running the the BG eating too many CPU cycles
3. FW bus contention - is you camera and external FW drives on the same bus - all motherboard FW connections use the same FW channel on G5's including the FW800 bus. get a $15 PCI FW card from newegg and put the camera/deck on that.
4. you can only have either the deck or camera on the FW bus and powered at any given time.
5. you could have dirty heads - run a cleaning tape for 10 secs on both, then try again.
6. you could have contamiated tape - you ran a clean tape in a dirty machine and crud is running around. only fix is to play the tape a few times to clean the junk off the tape
7. you may need to reinstall OS X. this ins't too bad as an archive and install will keep all 3rd party stuff like fonts and prefs. take under an hr + the updates.

also note, HDV has a data rate of 2.5mb/sec, DV is 3/5mb/sec so HDV has lower drive requirements. DV may be worse. you need to be much more specific as to what the problems are.it would help to know what hardware you are running, storage, software versions

Steve Oakley

[Sharon Pieczenik]

I am running 5.1.2. I have a PowerBook G4 with OS X 10.4.8. Not ideal. I don't really have the money to upgrade right now.

I have tried the trashing of prefs, and other such easy answers. I haven't tried buying a new firewire, which might be needed.

Um, the guy above said that the deck doesn't have video in...on the back it says it does. I'm confused. Also, I have tried to read the deck manual and it is quite a bit confusing. I guess I need to hook it up to a monitor to change some setting that will play it out in a different format? Is that what you are suggesting?

I am just trying to get around this HDV capture subclipping problem. I don't think it is a tape problem, and the heads are clean.

I am spending so much time fighting with technology and not knowing truly how to fix it, that filmmaking is not fun.

[Sharon Pieczenik]

Oh, I store on an outside hard drive.

[Steve Oakley]

Originally Posted by Sharon Pieczenik

I am running 5.1.2. I have a PowerBook G4 with OS X 10.4.8. Not ideal. I don't really have the money to upgrade right now.

how fast a g4 ? my PB G4 1.5Ghz works ok, but if you have a sub 1Ghz machine, stuttering during RT dissolves is normal. FCP is dropping the frames & res to playback in RT. its a lot to ask of a processor once you are at HD res.

Originally Posted by Sharon Pieczenik

I have tried the trashing of prefs, and other such easy answers. I haven't tried buying a new firewire, which might be needed.

I doubt the drive is a problem unless it is dying. what might be a problem is if you have a slower machine, that :
1. the FW drive is highly fragmented / very full
2. since the deck/camera and drive are on the same FW bus, its a FW IO problem, solution is a FW card for the PCMIA slot. move either the HD or camera/deck to the other bus and the dropped frame problem may go away.
3. when trashing prefs that includes FCP pref file, plist, POA cache, OBJ cache.
4. you have a flaky FW case, but the drive is ok - some older cases run poorly

not knowing the speed of the CPU, nor the amount of ram, the external drive model / info, its hard to say. you need to be much more detailed in your machine specs. for example, if you have 512mb of ram, thats just not enough, you need 1G in the machine, ect.

Originally Posted by Sharon Pieczenik

Um, the guy above said that the deck doesn't have video in...on the back it says it does. I'm confused. Also, I have tried to read the deck manual and it is quite a bit confusing. I guess I need to hook it up to a monitor to change some setting that will play it out in a different format? Is that what you are suggesting?
.

I took a look at the machine specs. it has composite and y/c in. both of these ins are DV / SD. if you connect 3 wires from the camera to deck, that component, and that won't work. you can connect 1 wire from the camera's top RCA to the deck's composite in, and run a dub, but composite will look like garbage compared to the HD picture. You will also NOT have matching timecode. if you try to reload your project into HD, the timecode will be off, and it will be a total mess.


I am just trying to get around this HDV capture subclipping problem. I don't think it is a tape problem, and the heads are clean.

unfortunetly, not all dirty heads manifest themselves as blocky artifacts in the picture because error correction in the camera/deck fixes small errors. however, problems in the TC or metadata areas are another problem. you can't summarily dismiss this just because the picture visually looks ok.
as for tape, only use pro grade tapes, if you are using consumer grade tapes you very well could have a problem. I've had some Sony consumer tapes shed like crazy. you also have not said if you have tried another FW cable. sometimes a cable can cause problems too, or even just reinserting the cables can make some problems go away due to cruddy connections.
HDV is proving to be picky with FCP. if everything has been elimiated as a source of problems, it could be a FCP problem though, which means only apple can fix it.

steve oakley

[Sharon Pieczenik]

Steve,

Thank you for your constant help. I am going to try a couple of the firewire ideas you had. I will get back to you and tell you how it goes.

As per my machine specs, I actually don't know. I need to go home and check that out (as I am at work right now). I know that no matter what, a faster computer would be nice.

Since I am super sick...all of these problems are just double annoying. Oh well. I need to just suck it up and push on, eh?

Cheers,
Sharon