On Mar 12, 12:24 pm, kebuc...@yahoo.com wrote:
Always "capture" with DV-AVI. This is an exact copy of your miniDV
tape, so there is obviously no loss of quality at all. Then edit in
this until the very end. Choose any editing program you want, but
make sure you stay with avi. Be careful of a program that changes the
capture, which really is a render to another format, and always with
loss. Windows Movie Maker sometimes does this depending on your
settings.
After editing, think about what you want to do with the final
version. For best quality, stick with avi and Firewire back to a
blank tape in the camcorder, then connect camcorder to TV for
watching. This is usually not practical, so it's almost never done,
but it is an option with no loss. Most people burn to a DVD for
watching on TV and sending to others. In that case, probably best to
render out to avi in the editing program, then let the DVD authoring
program do the conversion (to mpg). Check all settings and
preferences carefully. You may not always want the defaults. If you
want to send to youTube or email or such, then you'll need another
type of render. If multiple outputs, always go back to the avi file
and render for best quality. Do not take the mpg file then render to
mp4.
Most likely the 2002 and 2003 advice is still applicable.
Remember, your avi capture will be about 13 gigs/hour of hard drive
space. So plan accordingly. With 3-4 tapes, you might need as much
as 52 gigs to capture, then maybe an additional 27 gigs if you cut it
down to 2 hours final program, which is a lot. And a small amount of
room for your editing program files. Video editors are always looking
for good, cheap drives. I have 1,400 gigs in multiple drives, with
extra drives sitting on the shelf. Welcome to our world!!
Jim McGauhey
Washington State
