I have a Sony DCR-HC1000 and the optional ECM-CQP1 four channel microphone.
When all four audio channels are connected, the rear channels are somehow
captured to the tape. Then, using a proprietary Sony application (Click To
DVD) that is only available preinstalled on VAIO computers, you can then
cerate a 5.1 DVD based on the four channels of sound. I am wondering how
this information might be encoded onto the DV tape and how it might be
extracted for use as 5.1 with an application other than Click To DVD. Would
an application such as Adobe Premier Elements allow you to capture rear
channels and apply them to the rear channels of a 5.1 sound track? Would any
info on this topic.

Thanks

On 7/5/2005, SC Miata managed to type:
The miniDv spec allows for two 16-bit audio channels (left and right,
of course) or four 12-bit audio channels, where two of these are used
for left and right audio during taping, and the other two are not
recorded. They are expected to be recorded to in editing, in camera or
on the computer.

Lots of miniDV camcorders come configured to record 12-bit from the
factory, which lots of people don't like because the quality is
inferior to the 16-bit recording.

<SPECULATION>
Finally to the point: perhaps the HC1000 uses the four 12-bit channels
to record the four microphone channels.
</SPECULATION>

Gino

--
Gene E. Bloch (Gino)
letters617blochg3251
(replace the numbers by "at" and "dotcom")

If the tape as you have recorded it is still a mini DV tape following
this standarrd, that said can be played in other DV equipement, then
its clear that Sony simply records the four channels as 12 bit audio.

The room per frame (number of bytes per frame which is available for
audio) is clearly defined. If they would do "in camera audio
compression" or use a "bigger" frame the tape would no longer be
playable in other equipement.

There is no reason why other than Sony software in theory therefore
could create 5.1 out of this information. I was thinking myself about
such a feature back when I implemented DV video support in AVI_IO
which mostly boiled down to writing code extracting audio out of the
frame in order to create Type 2 DV avi files.

Markus

"SC Miata" wrote ...
Appears to use the DV-standard 4-track, 12-bit method of recording
audio. This was never very popular because of the low-resolution (i.e.
distorted) nature of the 12-bit audio. There are likely some capture
software that will properly interperet the 4-track, 12-bit audio. But
likely not very available as most of us stick to 2-track, 16-bit audio.

Thank you for the replies everyone. It is indeed 12 bit audio when recording
all four channels.

"SC Miata" <Dinan330i@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:MO3ze.4633$8f7.4329@newsread1.news.pas.earthl ink.net...
A company does sell surround sound microphone.
I would have to look it up if you are interested.

"GeekBoy" <GeeksRUs@geek.com> wrote in message
news:un5ze.40116$J12.19028@newssvr14.news.prodigy. com...
Sure, that would be interesting to know. Thanks. I already have the Sony
ECM-CQP1 four channel microphone, though. Is the one you are wanting to sell
any better than the Sony?