x10 - physically splitting captured vide

[jjackson]

I am using VideoStudio X10 to capture video from a VHS player. I have a 64bit Windows 10 machine with a firewire card, and I have a Canon ZR50 DV camera I am using as an analog to digial converter. VCR plugs into camera, camera plugs in to Firewire. VideoStudio X10 has no problem capturing the video.

I have about 50 tapes to convert, each one has a random assortment of video clips - kids birthday, some event, family gathering, etc. etc. In most cases I do not know what all is on any particular tape.

Although it comes through a DV Camera, there is no real time stamps of the Video between scenes so VideoStudio cannot break the video based on that.

I know I can split the scenes while editing, but that does not physically split the video.

Is there some way after capturing that I can trim videos and split them into clips and store them so one file contains one clip? I was hoping to capture all the video from VHS, break them up into clips, then figure out what compilations I want to make. Perhaps this requires a program external to Video Studio? A good example is trimming the end of a video. I have no idea how long any of these tapes are, so I start the capture and do other things. When i come back Video Studio is still recording a blank screen. I would like to scrub to the end of the VHS content then trim the end of the tape - sometimes I grab 40 minutes of dead air.

Is there a reason why doing this is a bad idea?

Thanks

John Jakcoson

[lata]

Hi John

Welcome to the forums.

Are you capturing to DV or Mpeg, I would choose DV, although larger file sizes.

I know transferring video from a DV tape allows Split By Scene during capture, that option does split the actual files, creating a separate file for each scene.
Using your camera as an Analogue / Digital Converter, not sure if you have the option for Split by Scene, but would have thought yes?

As you have found, Split by Scene after capture does not split the actual file, only creates virtual clips.

If you have to cut the video to create separate clips, the only way to create a new file is to render that clip to a new video, File – Save Trimmed Video is probably the best option as that will use the properties of the original clip. ( a lot of work)
The new file being saved to your working folder, allocate a suitable folder, a thumbnail of the file being placed in the library, create a new library page for those.

[jjackson]

I will have to check but I believe it is saving as DV.

The auto split on capture uses the digital date and time to detect scene change. For example it the time jumps 5 minutes between frames it knows there has been a scene change. When capturing from analog it is transmitted as one long clip with continuous timestamps.

Let' say I capture the video to an external hard drive. Then I take each video, put it on the time line, virtually split it into various smaller virtual clips. Will those virtual clips exist in the medial library on their own or only inside the project? If they do, I could then start a new project, open the library and see the 500+ assorted virtual clips, and make a video compilation.

What I am trying to avoid is having to load 150 hours of video onto the time line just so I can find which clips I want to use for my project.

Thanks

[aljimenez]

Is there a reason why doing this is a bad idea?
John Jakcoson

Not a bad idea, I also did this several years ago. However, I paid to have it done for some of my stash, and did some myself painfully slow and with lots of computer time. I don't know of anyway to automate it other than to pay someone to do it.

[jjackson]

I have a second computer to do the transfers with. Good news is that I can start it and walk away, bad news is I get lots of ' dead air' at the end of clips if I am not there to stop it.

[lata]

Hi John

It’s a pity Split By Scene does not work for capture.

When you split by scene on the timeline the actual file on the hard drive remains in tact.
Any editing / cuttings on the timeline does not affect the original file.

1 / You can Split by Scene for clips in the library, I believe the original clip remains as the first clip.

2 / If you Split by Scene on the timeline, you could drag those to a new library page as a copy.

Now you have individual clips that you can drag to the timeline to compile your project.

Unfortunately, there is no way using Video Studio to get rid of the ' dead air' video without rendering the video file, other than virtual trimming.

You can cut the black away from the end, render the rest, if using DV.AVI is lossless, so “same as first clip” should create a new file same quality.
Then use that new file in library to Split by Scene.

Delete the original file that contains the ' dead air' footage, I guess the black section could be a lot of Gb

Otherwise sit and watch the capture process.

[jjackson]

Thanks for that - will do some experimenting.