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General discussion

Video capture - USB vs Firewire

Dec 11, 2004 11:23PM PST

I recently purchased a Sony mini-DV camcorder and I've been trying to get some of the video onto my PC. I've been able to do so with some trial versions of Ulead and other software but the resulting video on my PC has been low-res compared to what I've been seeing on my camera and TV when I view the video.

I've been using the USB interface for the capture and was wondering if that was the reason.
Is USB limited in the resolution it can capture because of bandwidth? Should I try to use Firewire instead?
With limited usage of Sony products, is iLink the same as Firewire?
Could it be the trial software versions I've been using? Although they list the capture res at 640x480.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Discussion is locked

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Re: Video capture - USB vs Firewire
Dec 11, 2004 11:48PM PST

Adding firewire (it's ilink...) was 20 bucks on my desktop machine and would answer this.

Then you can try Movie Maker on Windows or Virtual Dub to see.

Some expect a series of DIGITAL CAMERA quality images, but for those it's a lesson about how ratty video really is.

Bob

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can you add detail?
Dec 22, 2004 10:59AM PST

I was hoping for more answers here because I have the same questions!! Bob, I saw your answer and apologize if I just didn't understand it enough to get the answers out of it.

1) Is USB lower quality than the iLink?

2) Do some software versions capture at lower quality than others even if they list the res at 640x480?

3) Is there any way to come close to capture the quality we see when we view the camcorder plugged into the TV?

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

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More dialogue.
Dec 22, 2004 11:39AM PST

1) Is USB lower quality than the iLink?

No. It's digital. If there is a difference then the PC/Mac/Other APPLICATION did something different. Remember that not all cameras do both interfaces.

2) Do some software versions capture at lower quality than others even if they list the res at 640x480?

Yes. This is a very hard to pinpoint area and can aggravate some that I can't tell you exactly where the issue is. Sometimes its the software settings (actually always, but your software may not show them!) and sometimes its the user trying to capture directly to MPEG4 thinking they want high compression...

3) Is there any way to come close to capture the quality we see when we view the camcorder plugged into the TV?

Here's it's very close, but I take the defaults on the capture and let Ulead DVD Moviefactory make the DVD. I use the software that came with my JVC for the capture step and left it on the defaults.

I'm unsure if this helps you, but I think I know why you are asking...

Bob

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Digitial video
Dec 29, 2004 1:28AM PST

FYI. The format that is recorded on digitial tape DV or 8mm DV is 640x480. Firewire,IEEE1394,iLink,etc is the best way to import it into a PC. Most software will capture it at a format that you choose, the defailt tends to be AVI uncompressed. This has the best quality but creates very large files about 1gb per minute. If you want to edit the video leave it in the AVI format, do your editing then save it in a mpg2 or mpg4 to save disk space. Also you can use you DV camera to convert vhs tapes to digitial, vhs vcr to the analog inputs on the camera the 1394 port to the pc, check your owners book you may hve to change a setting in the camera to do this. John

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P.S.
Jan 12, 2005 2:26AM PST
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If the usb is not 2...
Jan 11, 2005 2:24AM PST

then you should definitely go for firewire adapter. I have seen them for sale at about $10.

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DV video quality with Ulead
Jan 10, 2005 11:11PM PST

I'm not sure how you are viewing the video when you say it is low-res, but here are a few things to check.
1. Ulead VideoStudio version 7 requires that you select the capture settings every single time you capture video. Mine always opens with the default "VCD" selected which is worse than VHS! I always have to select DV or AVI and 720x480. They should have a permanent setting under preferences, but they don't. Check project settings and preferences to make sure they are correct.
2. If the poor quality is only on the editing screen within Videostudio, then don't worry this is just a 'quick and dirty' preview. It will look better when it is rendered to the final product.
3. If your video was filmed in low light, most cameras capture low light by amplifying the signal and the result is very grainy. Same goes for digital still camera and for 35mm film if you use 800 or 1600 ISO.

Now if only I could get VideoStudio to stop crashing during capture!