Newbie research question

DBrooker · Post by **DBrooker** » Thu May 15, 2008 4:48 pm

I'm considering buying a camcorder that records to a DVD - Can I use Video Studio to edit the video I shoot by using my DVD drive to transfer the video to my hard drive and then proceed to edit and burn the edited DVD?

DLA · Post by **DLA** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:13 pm

I am sure there will be someone else that will post a reply to this saying you should not be doing this because MPEG-2 is a lossy format that is difficult to edit and so on and that you are better using DV...

I am doing exactly what you are considering. I have a DVD cam and I import them in VS through my DVD drive and I successfully edit them with VS. But I am not using the MPEG optimizer neither smart render. Smart render on MPEG-2 is not working properly as outlined by multiple threads, including this:

http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic. ... highlight=

But even with smart render off which I know the video are being re-encoded, the quality is very good and I am very happy with VS and all the functionality it gives.

BTW, I set my camera to shoot using the XTRA setting. It produces 8800kbps VBR MPEG2 video. I can only fit 20 mins on a mini-DVD but I found the FINE setting (30 mins) to degrade too much the quality.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Thu May 15, 2008 11:43 pm

...And no one in fact is going to recommend you use DV in your situation. Your camera does not have a firewire port. And the mini DVDs film using DVD compatible mpeg-2. So there is simply no point in even trying to capture somehow in DV format!

DBrooker · Post by **DBrooker** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:02 pm

OK - So I need a camera with a DV output via Firewire - Is that Correct? Basically I want to purcahse a camcorder in the $400.00 US range to shoot and edit my own wildlife video's - Nothing fancy just basic stuff to start with - ANY and ALL comments are greatl apprecaited - Thanks in advance - DB

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:20 pm

No, you don't need a DV camera. But DLA was correct in saying a DVD cam records in MPEG-2 format, which is lossy. He was also correct saying that many people do not have problems editing this file type, although some do. And the loss of quality during the editing/rendering phases may not even be noticeable, depending on the original quality and the number of renders.

What Ken was alluding to is that DV is the absolute best format to edit with, but there is no point in trying to get a DVD cam to capture in DV or even convert your MPEG-2 to DV for editing purposes.

What you have to consider is what is more important to you - the ease of capturing straight to DVD with a DVD cam, or the (relative) trouble-free editing of the DV-AVI format that you get from a mini DV cam.

DBrooker · Post by **DBrooker** » Fri May 16, 2008 1:45 pm

Thanks for all the replys -PLEASE excuse my ignorance - I would like to use VideoStudio for editing - So can any one advise me as to a good camcorder choice(s) in the $400.00 range that outputs the DV-AVI format by firewire? Which I can edit using VideoStudio - Thanks again - DB

Post by **Ken Berry** » Fri May 16, 2008 10:56 pm

Most mini DV cameras these days are in that price range. But asking for specific recommendations is inviting an avalanche of replies, each suggesting their favourites. I for instance like the Canon range, and bought a widescreen Canon mv930i for that sort of price -- which was less than a third what I paid for its 4:3 predecessor 6 years earlier! I have been more than happy with both, and as I am now with my (much more expensive) Canon high definition HV-20 which also happens to film to mini DV cassette which suits me fine. But I am sure others will recommend Sony, JVC, Panasonic etc.

Essentially, though, just go to a camera shop which is having a sale and look at what is on offer. DV is DV and will essentially always give the same level of quality. But beyond that, make sure you are getting genuine 16:9 (which just about all are these days); that it has a good lens (Zeiss?); and that it has decent *optical* zoom -- most offer at least 10x which is fine, but higher can be better. Beware of cameras stressing zoom of 200x or 300x as it is digitally enhanced by inventing pixels out of thin air and is essentially useless. And finally, it should have decent inbuilt stability control. Again, I have found the Canons to be good on this point.

You will also need to ensure you have a firewire card in your computer. Google for pictures of Firewire jack so you can recognise what it looks like. If you don't have one, buy one. They are cheap these days (around $20), easy to install in a spare PCI slot on your motherboard, and usually also come with a cable. The camera will not come with one. But make sure the cable is a 6 pin (computer end) to 4 pin (camera end) firewire cable.

DBrooker · Post by **DBrooker** » Fri May 16, 2008 11:20 pm

Ken - Sounds like good advice and it's much appreciated - I am going to buy the VS11.5 Plus and I realize I'll have a lot to learn and that no software is perfect - The last computer I built has IEEE1394 built in to the mother board so I'm going to order the software, buy a firewire cord and go looking for a camcorder as soon as I have time - Best regards - DB