Capturing analogue video 8

[paul56]

Although I use iLink/Firewire to successfully capture digitally from my Sony Hi8, I have lots of precious footage from my old analogue Hitachi camera. Trying to capture this over iLink generates too many drop-outs presumably as it's a non-digital source. Using the USB/EZ Grabber method produces only fair results due to the lossy process but I wish it could be better. USB can't cope with capturing avi.

Is there something I'm missing here? Is it possible to capture analogue over iLink?

(PS: I'm off-line for a while so may not see any responses for a few days).

[Coral]

Get a good analogue capture card with at least 128 MB of DDR RAM on board.

[Ron P.]

Try using the free capture utility called WinDV. It works with Firewire only, and captures DV. Several of us use it over VS, DVD MF or MSP capture. It also boasts that it captures with no dropped frames..

If you're using VS 10+ with the Vista patch, VS11.5+ or VS Pro X2, then it simply does not allow capturing analog video using a Analog-Digital pass-through conversion, such as a Digital 8 camcorder. The reason for this is when Intervideo acquired Ulead, they dropped the previous capture plug-in, and substituted it with one of their own, IVI. We're told this was to make their products compatible with Vista. So for this reason, I and possibly others use WinDV, as it allows capturing DV via Firewire, irregardless of the original source being analog..

[Ken Berry]

I would endorse Ron's comments about WinDV. I in fact use it to capture all my Firewire output, whether it be from my standard definition Canon mini-DV camera, or my Sony DCR-TRV480E Digital 8 camera (a more recent version than your own DCR-TRV320E). In fact I bought the latter specifically because it could play my large analogue 8mm (or Hi8) tapes directly via Firewire. The quality has been excellent, and only upset by the new VS capture plug-in mentioned by Ron. But WinDV does an excellent job, works equally well under XP and Vista, and does not appear to drop frames... If it does, then I would be looking for some hardware fault e.g. in the Firewire card or cable...

[sjj1805]

Please view:
VHS/Hi-8 to DVD

[paul56]

Many thanks for the responses. In fact I had already taken your previous advice and used WINDV - my previous failed efforts were when using this excellent tool. However, your responses emboldened me to persevere and sure enough, on my return from holidays, I had success whilst suffering only the occasional dropped frame which I can live with. I can't explain why except that I ensured the PC wasn't doing anything else and I disabled the web cam.

I proceeded to assemble a project with far superior results. However, although I have studied the tutorials I needed to quickly burn to DVD and distribute a few copies and it wasn¡¦t until after that that I returned to the tutorials for a refresher and that raises a few questions:

1. The advice is to ensure that the project settings are the same as the captured file. My analogue files captured in WINDV are as follows.

Microsoft AVI files
24 bits, 720 x 576, 4:3, 25 fps
Lower Field First
DV Video Encoder -- type 1
PCM, 32.000 kHz, 16 Bit, Stereo

Why did WINDV capture with ¡¥lower¡¦ field for analogue? Should that have been ¡¥upper¡¦? Does it matter?

2. When it came to creating a video file, in my haste I have been using the DV¡K PAL DV (4:3) option. This appears to create another avi file whereas the tutorials suggest creating an MPEG at this stage using the custom option. So, what are the implications here - can I expect even better quality if I use the Custom option?

3. My project also consists of a slide-show. How does this affect what the video file settings should be set? Of course, I could have included digital footage too. Same question!
Thanks again.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Paul

1 / By setting the project properties the same as the video allows VS to run smoother, it allows Smart Render which speeds up conversions/renders. The preview screen shows the correct sizes.

Field Order (ignoring HD video)
Capturing from a DV source via firewire produces lower fields, the data being transferred/copied to the pc, there are no conversions, what you have is what you get DV-Avi.
If you are using Pass-through, (analogue cam to digital cam to pc) the digital cam acts as a converter (analogue to digital converter) the data being transferred to the pc as lower field.(not all camcorders have ¡¥pass-through¡¦ option)
How are you actually connecting the analogue cam to the pc?

Your capture settings look ok to me.


2 / To burn a DVD we need a Mpeg 2 compatible file.
Capturing to Dv-Avi is the best option, the file/project needs converting to Mpeg2, this is either done by Share Create Video File-Pal-DVD or Custom option. (I use this method)
Or allowing VS to render in the burn stage, Share Create Disc. (I do not use this method)
Either way a mpeg 2 file is created.

Start a new empty project:--If you add a compatible Mpeg 2 file to the burn module no further rendering should take place, except for the create menu stage.

3/ The slide show does not affect the video or project settings. The settings should match the video properties.

Hope this helps

[paul56]

Hi. Thanks for the response. Yes it's a great help.

1 / How are you actually connecting the analogue cam to the pc?

2 / ...converting to Mpeg2, this is either done by Share Create Video File-Pal-DVD or Custom option. (I use this method)

1. My Sony Hi8 is able to play the analogue tapes. I connect this via Firewire.

2. Presumably another reason to use Custom option is to raise the Quality setting to 100% from its default value.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi

Video Studio provides several default templates, you can see the list under Share Create Video file.
The properties used can be changed within limits, still creating a compatible file. Using the Custom option allows you to do this.
There is also a Make Movie Manager that allows you to create your own template. (from the Tools menu)
These will show in the list above the custom option.
Although we refer to Mpeg 2, choose the compressor as Pal DVD.

There are a few reasons to alter the default template,
1/ reducing the bit rate will allow more footage per DVD
2/ you may wish to select a different audio type ( Digital Dolby---maybe)
3/ the frame type may need to be upper field or frame based.
(You should keep the same frame type as the captured files, in your case lower field)
4/ I use constant bit rate, that¡¦s just a personal choice.

To create a DVD file you sould use the Pal-DVD compression option.

The quality setting alters the speed that the conversion takes. I am not convinced that I would see any difference in quality, but that¡¦s for you to trial, for the time being use the default setting, probably 70%

The default setting has always been suitable for me.

[Ken Berry]

I also use the Custom setting when producing DVDs from my analogue Video 8 tapes. This is because I can set the default bitrate to 6000 kbps. This allows about 90 minutes of video to be burned to a single layer DVD. Many people would in fact argue that given the analogue source of the video, you are never going to get more than decent VHS quality on a DVD, and for this a bitrate of 4000 kbps is all that is necessary (which would allow 2 hours to be burned to a single layer DVD). But I find that using my Digital 8 camera to play the analogue tapes, the capture quality is excellent, and warrants a higher quality/higher speed bitrate. Much above 6000 kbps, however, and I cannot detect any improvement in quality with the naked eye.

On the question of your photo slideshow, is it mixed in a single project with your original video? Or is it a separate slideshow simply burned to the same DVD as your video, but in effect a separate project? If the latter, then it could be left as Frame Based (which is what photos are). But if actually mixed in with video in a single project, make sure the whole project is Lower Field First as a slideshow can take on the Field Order of video it is mixed in with.

[paul56]

There are a few reasons to alter the default template,
1/ reducing the bit rate will allow more footage per DVD
2/ you may wish to select a different audio type ( Digital Dolby---maybe)
3/ the frame type may need to be upper field or frame based.
(You should keep the same frame type as the captured files, in your case lower field)
4/ I use constant bit rate, that¡¦s just a personal choice.

.

This all makes perfect sense, thanks.

I also use the Custom setting when producing DVDs from my analogue Video 8 tapes. This is because I can set the default bitrate to 6000 kbps. This allows about 90 minutes of video to be burned to a single layer DVD. ....a bitrate of 4000 kbps is all that is necessary (which would allow 2 hours to be burned to a single layer DVD). But I find that using my Digital 8 camera to play the analogue tapes, the capture quality is excellent, and warrants a higher quality/higher speed bitrate. Much above 6000 kbps, however, and I cannot detect any improvement in quality with the naked eye.

On the question of your photo slideshow, is it mixed in a single project with your original video? Or is it a separate slideshow ....

This too is useful info. My slideshow was within the same project. In fact, for added effect, I interleaved photos with short clips of previously shown video slowed down to 20-40%. This effect is truly amazing.

My conclusion is that I have in fact ended up with a DVD of as high quality that I could hope for.

To put all this in context, this project (my first serious attempt) was as a tribute to a young family friend who recently died as a result of an eating disorder. Her family have no moving images of her but I had some in my 'archives' from across the years. To pad it out I added some images from her Facebook albums with suitable music added. Together with the slo-mo clips this all makes for a very moving and high quality tribute. (Moral: never dispose of your old tapes/footage - you never know when it will be of use).

This software is what I dreamed of back in the old analogue days when you either bought expensive editing kit or ( as I did) tried to edit onto VHS with varying results. That's why I kept all my tapes - hours of the stuff - that will keep me going...for ever).

Thanks to all for your contributions.

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi

Glad to hear you are making progress.