If I use Adobe Premiere to capture a clip of my miniDV tape (and thus
save it on my hard drive as an AVI file), and then play the AVI file in
Premiere and record it via Firewire back onto a blank miniDV in my camcorder,
is the 2nd miniDV EXACTLY the same as the original (bit for bit) or is their
some degrading of the original due to re-compresson, etc.?????? For some
reason, when I import an AVI file already made in Premiere, I notice I have to
wait several minutes while Premiere "conforms" the AVI file....is Premiere
changing the Premiere-made AVI file in the process???? Shouldn't Premiere know
it is already "conforming" since it was made in Premiere to begin with? My
reason for these questions is that I'd like to make "identical" archives of my
family miniDV tapes. Thanks for any thoughts.

Your project settings have to be the _exact_ same as the original input
settings. I'm totally ignorant about DV input as I do analog capture but
when my project settings are the same as my capture settings, there is
no conforming.

"Xtx99" wrote ...
*IF* you are using the same hardware and have all the settings
correct, then it is a bit-for-bit exact copy and will NOT require
any 'rendering'.

This may not be as trivial as it looks. But I have done almost
100 hours (of finished editing) with my $85 ADS Firewire card
and Premiere 6.5 without ever diddling with any settings (i.e.
using all the defaults). The only thing that must be rendered is the
video that I change (titles, effects, etc.)

Your "AVI file already made in Premiere" was likely recorded
with different settings (and/or hardware) than you are currently
using. There are lots (dozens?) of little settings here and there.
Without knowing any more details (like what software versions,
OS, I/O hardware, etc. etc.) it is safe to say that if you use your
current configuration with the default settings, capture/store/output
should be bit-perfect and require no rendering. But if you are
using files previously captured with different hardware and/or
software, all bets are off.