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Video camera: Mini-DV or DVD?

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I have Zoom Player Pro & ffdshow which I use to view dvd's & video files.
Maybe I have to check & make sure it isn't resizing when playing Media Files.

Ulead looks like it has some nifty effects & all, but I am mainly interested in having a very good copy of my media stored away as a backup in case somehting happens to the tape.
 
Originally posted by: Wiz
I am mainly interested in having a very good copy of my media stored away as a backup in case somehting happens to the tape.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea, but at 13gb per hour, it will eat up hard drive space quickly, for just archiving. Just keep your tapes somewhere safe. I have all my tapes in a plastic box.... I need to get a safe or fireproof lockbox. There is a pic above in an earlier post.
 
Does anyone archive to DVD, just copy the raw avi files to dvd's?
Looks like you can get good quality dvd media for about 6 cents / GB or less.
Is there any reason why this is not a good idea?
 
Originally posted by: Wiz
Does anyone archive to DVD, just copy the raw avi files to dvd's?
Looks like you can get good quality dvd media for about 6 cents / GB or less.
Is there any reason why this is not a good idea?
Click to expand...
Hard to do. UDF format gets over the 1-2GB issue, but 4+GB means you need to cut the AVI into chunks of around 15+ minutes (13GB/hr divided by 4.5GB). My editor allows backup to disc, but I have not tried it (wondered how it would handle it and not enough time to sort it out.)

 
Originally posted by: Wiz
Does anyone archive to DVD, just copy the raw avi files to dvd's?
Looks like you can get good quality dvd media for about 6 cents / GB or less.
Is there any reason why this is not a good idea?
Click to expand...


Here's what I do. I video dance competitions and sell DVDs to our parents at the studio. I usually use 2 or 3 tapes throughout the day, because I shoot the dances plus extra fun stuff during the day. When I get home I capture all the tapes for the day onto my computer, then begin the fun part of editing it all together.

First I cut the dances, since those are easy. Then I put together bonus materials. It's fun, but it can be a little work. But the parents love to see their kids' candid behavior!

When it's all finsihed, I design menus and author the DVD. I then print jackets and print the DVDs using my Epson R200 printer. I have hundreds of DVD cases and blank DVDs in bulk as well.

I guess the moral of the story is... I have the tapes for the day, then I have my final edited product on DVD. I can always burn another copy of the finished DVD... and I still have the tapes, if I ever need them again. I'd never need an additional copy of the raw video, either on tapes or AVI files on a DVD.

Your tapes are fine, just take care of them.
 
Adding to Mscrip's...

The same for the most part. I make a copy of the DVD and store it and a data DVD with the eml (EZ-Label files), dal (DVD-Lab menu sources) and dat files for the on disc printing. Last project, I had 15 discs, plus saved copies of M2V and AC3 files of that were never made to DVD (no orders). I still have this project saved on HDD, but only until I am sure I have no production returns for errors (the county school system has my tapes at the moment - I co-shot with them for public access of the in county marching bands.)
 
Unless your final video is intended to be viewed on a computer don't judge video quality on your monitor. You need to view it on a TV or NTSC monitor. For one thing, your PC's monitor is progressive and DV is, by default, interlaced. Don't de-interlace unless you're going to watch only on a progressive display (TV or PC monitor). Deinterlaced footage looks awful on a non-progressive TV set.
 
I haven't read any of the replies yet, but don't get the camera that goes right to DVD. Take it from a guy that edits alot of video.
 
Originally posted by: gsellis

...I still have this project saved on HDD, but only until I am sure I have no production returns for errors...
Click to expand...

So true... I keep my projects on the hard drive until I'm sure there will be no more revisions!

I have plenty of space... so I keep the Premiere and Encore projects for a while...
 
Originally posted by: MScrip
Originally posted by: gsellis

...I still have this project saved on HDD, but only until I am sure I have no production returns for errors...
Click to expand...

So true... I keep my projects on the hard drive until I'm sure there will be no more revisions!

I have plenty of space... so I keep the Premiere and Encore projects for a while...
Click to expand...
1.2TB of full drives.... 😉

 
I just got a Canon 2R200 (using miniDV) for Christmas, and i'm just now getting around to trying to get the video uploaded to my PC. But, while the camcorder has a USB output, it seems to only be for uploading stills from the memory card, not video from the tape.

It has a digital video output of some kind, but my graphics card on my PC only has an S-video input, which i know is analog. I also don't have Firewire on my Windows PC, even if the camcorder had a firewire output, which it apparentl y does not.

What the best low-cost solution for getting set up to upload video to my PC then edit it? I've got a two-year old copy of Pinnacle around i never installed (i think it's version 9) ... Am i going to have to buy capture cards for both my of our pc's (my wife and i both want to be able to upload and edit)? If the camcorder could output on USB i'd be set (except for slow transfer times).

 
Originally posted by: navboy
I just got a Canon 2R200 (using miniDV) for Christmas, and i'm just now getting around to trying to get the video uploaded to my PC. But, while the camcorder has a USB output, it seems to only be for uploading stills from the memory card, not video from the tape.

It has a digital video output of some kind, but my graphics card on my PC only has an S-video input, which i know is analog. I also don't have Firewire on my Windows PC, even if the camcorder had a firewire output, which it apparentl y does not.

What the best low-cost solution for getting set up to upload video to my PC then edit it? I've got a two-year old copy of Pinnacle around i never installed (i think it's version 9) ... Am i going to have to buy capture cards for both my of our pc's (my wife and i both want to be able to upload and edit)? If the camcorder could output on USB i'd be set (except for slow transfer times).
Click to expand...
Check your manual as your camera does have a firewire port. It may be labelled iLink, which is why you missed. It looks similar to a mini USB connector.

You can get Firewire cards for under $30 and if you have a Creative Labs Soundblaster Audigy and possibly even a Live!, you may have a firewire port on there. You can look in the Device Manager and see if a IEEE1394 is listed without crawling under a desk or such. A firewire card is the best solution as you capture in full digital video quality.

Studio (Pinnacle) loves firewire and will almost always ignore USB. Once installed, use the update feature to get the latest version online.

Oh, and you will probably need a 6pin to 4pin Firewire cable.

 
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