TRV19 - Im a n00b please help

[Cheyne Shadduck]

Ok, here we go. I am a complete n00b to DV. I bought the TRV19 today and have been messing with it. I dont have a firewire cord so Ive been using USB. Three things I would like to ask about. Oh and Im using the software that comes with is (ImageMixer).

First off the resolution isnt as big as I thought it would be. On the Sony site it says "up to 530 lines of horizontal resolution, on select models for sharper picture detail. " Mine doesnt seem to do that unless Im missing something here?

Second. I have captured the video using ImageMixer. I can only save as MPEG which comes out like crap, assuming because of the program's compressoin. And AVI which comes out good. I am getting Adobe Premier, will I then be able to capture it in DV format?

Third. It isnt capturing sound. How can I capture the video and sound together?

Last question. I am seeing a lot of questions and whatnot on the 22 and 33. Shoudl I have gone with one of those or is the 19 ok? In other words should I upgrade to a 22?


Thanks all, I really appreciate any help you guys can provide. Hate being a n00b

[Frank Granovski]

You believed Sony's claim of 530 lines? If you want the best 1-CCD cam, wait for the new Optura Xi.

Third. It isnt capturing sound. How can I capture the video and sound together?

What isn't? Your TRV19?

[Vladimir Koifman]

Not having trv19, 22 or 33, I'd venture to answer that you can't capture video via USB, unless it's recorded onto Memory Stick with 320x240 resolution. Most probably this is the resolution you see in your mpeg file.

Hope this explains your frustation with quality. I don't think trv22 or 33 would be any better in this mode.

[Cheyne Shadduck]

<<<-- Originally posted by Vladimir Koifman : Not having trv19, 22 or 33, I'd venture to answer that you can't capture video via USB, unless it's recorded onto Memory Stick with 320x240 resolution. Most probably this is the resolution you see in your mpeg file.
-->>>

Yeah, thats the resolution it is capturing at. After reading other posts and whatnot it looks like with USB it wont get better than 320x240. With firewire I can do something like 720x480.

I still dont know why I dont get sound when I capture though cause when I play it back it has sound. It even has sound when Im playing it, as it is capturing. Just doesnt when I play the video back after capturing.

[Cheyne Shadduck]

<<<-- Originally posted by Frank Granovski : You believed Sony's claim of 530 lines? If you want the best 1-CCD cam, wait for the new Optura Xi.

What isn't? Your TRV19? -->>>

Dude, seriously, what makes you think I could afford the Optura? I just bought a $500 camera plus Im a n00b. Sure it would be great to have but I need a n00b camera. This one is better to start out with.

The camera is doing sound fine. It is just when I capture it off the camera as explained in the previouse post that it doesnt work right.

[Glenn Chan]

Sony claims 500 lines of resolution for the TRV19. Sony might have been doing what Panasonic does, but I doubt it. Panasonic claims that their cameras give "broadcast quality" video with over 500 lines of resolution- in VCR mode. Basically, all cameras do that in VCR mode as they are in the DV format (540 lines of resolution maximum). In my own tests of the TRV22 (more features than the TRV19), the TRV22 gets about 350 lines. This varies depending on how you measure, but it's way off from 500 lines. This is why you shouldn't look at specs.

As for your software not playing back sound, I don't use the Sony software so I don't know what your problem is. It could be that the program you are using is pumping out sound through firewire to your camera, thus you can't hear it on your computer speakers. Try playing captured clips back in windows media player to see if sound was captured.

2- Adobe Premiere will be able to capture in DV format. Some people like that program and find it easy to use and powerful.

3- TRV19 versus TRV22. The TRV22 has many extra features, most of which are useless to me (like digital stills). The one feature *I* find really useful is analog to digital passthrough. This means your camera can convert from DV to analog in real time time. This is very useful when you are capturing from an analog source, printing off to DV tape, or viewing your material on a NTSC monitor or a TV during editing (which you should do if you're new to video).

4- Use firewire capture, don't bother with USB.

[Frank Granovski]

In my own tests of the TRV22 (more features than the TRV19), the TRV22 gets about 350 lines.

What were these tests? Wave-form monitor?

[Cheyne Shadduck]

Glenn, thank you so much, that was real helpful.

The sound problem must have been from the software cause when I used Movie Maker 2 it worked fine. I will be using Premiere when I get it, just having problems getting my hands on it.

For the resolution, does that mean ALL cameras do 350 lines? That doesnt seem like much. If you want more then you have to stretch it, thats not cool. When I used Movie Maker to test it I had it capture to 640 and that looked pretty good but still. I want 1024! :)

It looks like I made the right decision with the TRV19. Dont need to spend the extra money for stills and the analog to digital passthrough. I doubt I will be wanting to use that any time soon.

[Glenn Chan]

Frank, I filmed the EIAJ resolution test chart (I think I got it from http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/cats/cats.html and printed it on a laser printer). It was a rough test and I didn't frame it perfectly. I looked for the point where you can pick out 4 lines with clear definition between the lines. The Kell factor plays a role in the measurement (I didn't move the test chart around to compensate for it) and I think you have to divide the number I got (350) by the aspect ratio (4/3). These 2 things sort of balance out (emphasis on sort of). The test chart was very fuzzy (had trouble reading the "400" on first glance).

The camera shows a lot of false colors when I did the test indoors. see http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/cats/cats.html, it's very similar (much more vivid though and a rainbow effect appears).

----

Cheyene,
All cameras do not do 350 lines. The theoretical maximum for DV (720X480) is 540 lines but because of the Kell factor you get about four hundred something lines in normal shooting conditions (with the best cameras). With the TRV22 you get about 350, give or take about 100 lines. see http://jkor.com/peter/tvlines.html

If you want more resolution then you will need a high definition camera like the JVC one. However your target format will need to support all that resolution.

[Frank Granovski]

Thanks. But playback from a wave-form is the only way to go.

[Cheyne Shadduck]

What exactly do you mean by target format? Are high definition cameras really expensive? thanks for the link, will have to check it out.

[Alex Knappenberger]

Uh, the reason the quality is terrible captured on your computer is because your doing it via USB. Get a firewire card and you'll be set. Also, DV doesn't look nearly as good full screen on computer screens as it does on a TV.

[Cheyne Shadduck]

Yeah, I figured USB was the reason is didnt look at that good. I bought a firewire card today and bought a cord online so I shoudl be using firewire soon. I wont be full screening anything I do so thats no biggie. I just stretch it as much as I can before it looks bad.

[Glenn Chan]

<<<-- Originally posted by Cheyne Shadduck : What exactly do you mean by target format? Are high definition cameras really expensive? thanks for the link, will have to check it out. -->>>

By target format I mean the format you are outputting to. HDTV, HD Windows Media Player, and film are formats which would benefit from shooting in HD. All high definition cameras are really expensive (five or six figures) except for the JVC ones. There's a forum here for the JVC HD camera.

[Kenn Jolemore]

Going into the tele directly from you cam will give you the actual quality of your output. Firewire is a must and a decent editing program is a big help also for computer work.
KennJ