Q. re: Lower Field First vs. Upper Field First

[ppost]

The Sticky notes recommend using Lower Field First for digital input when capturing to an .AVI file, and Upper Field First when capturing an analog input. I'm recording from a VHS tape and running it through my digital Sony camcorder to convert the signal to digital. Should I be using Lower Field First or Upper Field First?

Peter

[Ken Berry]

If it is a mini DV Sony, then the answer is yes -- LFF. But the VS should default to this anyway if you are capturing to DV format. It may even do so if you capture to mpeg-2. Using that particular set-up I never capture direct to mpeg-2. You will get the best quality if you capture to DV, edit in DV format, and only then convert it to DVD-compatible mpeg-2.

[ppost]

Thanks Ken

I'm actually using a Digital 8 Sony camcorder, but my assumption is that LFF is still correct. LFF is the default.

Peter

[Ken Berry]

Apart from a Canon mini-DV vidcam, I also have a Sony Digital 8 DCR-TRV480. And yes, it does use LFF.

I get good results using it to convert VHS the way you are -- of course the end product will always depend on the quality of the original VHS. As they say, rubbish in, rubbish out... And the connection to the VCR using composite RCA (yellow/red/white) cables lowers the quality a bit -- better if you can use S-video plus the audio RCA connectors...)

But I get truly excellent results -- almost indistinguishable from my DV captures from my Canon -- when I use the Sony for the reason I actually bought it. And that is converting my large collection of analogue 8mm travel tapes from the bad old days of analogue cameras.

Don't know if yours will do the same, but you simply put in the 8mm (or even Hi8) analogue tape, connect via firewire to your computer, and capture as excellent quality DV. Edit as DV, then convert to DVD-compatible mpeg-2, then burn. Fabulous results. I couldn't be happier. It was an expensive option, but it works, and I also have a back-up digital video camera to boot!

[ppost]

Ken, I am glad to hear that you have had good experience doing what I am trying to do. Perhaps you can help with the bigger problem that I am trying to solve. Using VS9, over the past year and a half, I have been successfully making DVD copies from VHS tapes of TV programs to send to my daughter who is living in Prague. I estimate that I have made about 150 DVDs so far. I have followed that same routine - i.e., capture to .AVI, edit out the commercials, create video file using the default DVD 4:3 selection, and then burn to DVD (following the process outlined in the Sticky notes). Recently, however, I have encountered a problem with the audio getting out-of-synch with the video (the video is slightly behind the audio) The problem starts mid-way through the program and gets progressively worse. When I play the .AVI in Windows Media Player, everything is fine. When I play the .MPG file in Windows Media Player, the problem manifests itself. I did a search in the archives for Audio Out-of-Synch, but did not find anyone experiencing the problem when creating an MPG from an AVI. Before I post my problem as a new topic, I wanted to see if you had any idea what may be causing my problem. Thanks

Peter

[Ken Berry]

The only thing I can think of is that it is most likely caused by using SmartRender somewhere alone the way. But in the past that has been either from someone using SmartRender either on mpeg-2 which has some editing fault (e.g. a cut which breaks a Group of Pictures (GOP) at the wrong spot) or else when jumping from the timeline straight to the burning module. In other words, you get the conversion to mpeg-2 carried out in the burning module, rather than as a previous, separate step. And some computers may not be able to cope with the demand, while being expected also to carry out the other complex and demanding task of multiplexing the video and audio and actually burning the disc.

I too am not sure that I have heard of the out of sync problem manifesting itself in the seaparate step of conversion from DV to mpeg-2 (Share Create Video File > DVD). Have you loaded any new programs recently which may have affected codecs? Have you defragged your hard disk and stopped any background programs running while you are rendering the files?

[ppost]

Ken

I have not loaded any programs. I defragmented my hard disk, but that did not solve my problem. After doing some more detective work, I have determined that my problem started on Wednesday of last week. Everything I've done since then has the out-of-synch problem. Last Wednesday I did something (inadvertently) that I have not done before - I created an ISO image file in Share (without burning a DVD) with the AVI file on the timeline. Do you think that might have changed something in VS that is having this lasting effect?

Peter

[Ken Berry]

I would not have thought that not following the recommended procedures once would somehow 'imprint' itself on the program and screw up all future burns. But who really knows...?

You could always try doing a System Restore to before last Wednesday to see it you can get around the glitch. (I hope you have your computer set to automatically mark Restore points...)

[ppost]

Ken

Now I am truly puzzled. Since I am able to determine what day the out-of-synch problem began, I thought back about what else happened on that day. I switched to a different VCR because the one I had been using ate a tape. But since the AVI file that the new VCR generated did not exhibit the out-of-synch problem, I discounted the change in VCR as the cause. Grasping at straws, I reconnected the old VCR and recaptured one of the tapes. Low and behold, the problem is gone. So my conclusion is that there is something in the AVI file that only creates the out-of-synch problem when it is compreesed into an MPG file. I had previously assumed that the construction of the AVI file was determined by the camcorder that is performing the analog-to-digital conversion. Can you shed any light on what may be happening? Since the old VCR has exhibited a tendency to eat tapes, I would very much like to find a way to use the newer VCR. Thanks

Peter