Capturing Straight to disk source questions

[LocalAustinBoy]

Both DVDMF and VSX3's DV-to-DVD Wizard say they can also capture from a VCR and TV. For the VCR, I assume it can also capture from a DVD player or DVR?

I assume that if outputting via S-video or RCA, that I would need an analog to digital converter? Is there any significant loss of quality in the conversion?

What about using HDMI to HDMI? Or will that only go from the computer to the output device and not the other way around?

Does it really make sense to try and capture from a TV? Most TVs only have audio out anyway. Isn't quality better from the DVR instead?

Thanks!

[LocalAustinBoy]

One more question. Do capture cards also control the output device playback? Will it control the DVR/DVD player etc.

Thanks again!

[Ken Berry]

Think about the name of the wizard: DV-to-DVD. That means there must be DV somewhere in the equation for that wizard to work. There has to be DV/AVI format video which is ultimately converted to DVD-compatible mpeg-2.

Therefore, while you are correct that there has to be some sort of analogue to digital converter, it has to be one which captures in DV/AVI format, and that in turn implies it has to be connected via Firewire and not USB.

There are, of course, specialised analogue-to-DV converters, though they tend to be at the expensive end of the scale, costing up to several hundred dollars. More commonly, people use either a mini-DV camcorder which is rated to have pass-through capabilities i.e. they connect to the analogue device via RCA or S-Video connectors at one end into the camcorders AV-In jack; and the camcorder is connected, in PLAY mode, via its mini-Firwire port to your computer. The analogue source plays and its signal passes through the camcorder and the signal converted to DV and captured in your computer. The quality of the capture is essentially extremely good -- as good as capture from an analogue source can ever be. But of course the ultimate quality will always depend on how good the source material was in the first place.

Apart from having one of these cameras, I also have a Sony Digital 8 camera, which is rated to play back both analogue 8 and Hi8 tapes, and it connects via firewire to my computer. Capture quality is extremely good. It can also be used as a pass-through device as described above.

Frankly, I don't know if you could use the above devices with the DV-to-DVD wizard. I guess it might be possible, but I would wonder why you would bother. If the source is a DVD playing in a DVD player, why not simply put the DVD itself in your computer DVD drive and capture direct from it. A DVR might be a different matter but there you already also (like the DVD player) have a digital (as opposed to analogue) source. I suspect you would be better off having a USB capture device and capture direct to mpeg-2 -- which of course would not involve the DV-to-DVD wizard.

[LocalAustinBoy]

Thanks Ken, this is very helpful. Not sure why I asked about DVD players, that was silly.

When referring to a DV camcorder as in the DV-DVD wizard, does it only mean a tape-based camcorder or hard drive based and mini-disc based ones also? I have a disc camcorder and I simply insert the disc into the tray use the import digital media. Not having a hard drive one, is it imported via external device or can it also be done with this wizard?

Thanks again.

[sjj1805]

The only devices that you can control playback, fast forward, rewind etc. are DV camcorders connected by firewire.
Anything else - as far as I am aware - would require you to manually control the playback device concerend, e.g. VHS player, DVD Player etc.

If you have a DVD disc - provided it is not copy protected you simply place the disk into your DVD drive and then
Import the video as shown in this link:
Importing DVD files

[LocalAustinBoy]

By DV Camcorders, do you mean any Digital Video Camcorder or specifically, tape-based ones?

[LocalAustinBoy]

I know DV is a general term, that implies it should include any DV device. And the Wizard also implies the same.

The reason I ask, is I have an HD mini-disc camcorder (in addition to a mini-tape one) that has everything but IEEE out. I only have cables that connect it via USB and VS doesn't recognize it, but Win DVD will and plays the disc just fine. To capture in VS, I usually just put the disc in the tray, of course.

I need to know (for a book) if the wizard is only for tape.

Thanks.

[Ken Berry]

I'm sorry, but the point I was trying to make is that DV is NOT a general term as you seem to think. It refers *only* to camcorders (i.e. tape based) and other devices that use Firewire and capture in the DV/AVI format. DV was originally developed by Sony and Panasonic, along with Firewire, as a very specific -- not general -- format. And the DV-to-DVD wizard only works with DV devices which use Firewire, not USB.

[LocalAustinBoy]

Thank you. I think that clears everything up for me...today