7 replies to this topic

[netmation]

Have a Sony TRV480 Camcorder and it has the ability to create a chain from a VCR to the Camcorder to a PC via a i.Link cable.  But the manual says the Sony software does not support this though it can be done with additional software.  Will my Roxio 8.0 handle this type of video and audio capture through the i.Link connection?

If not what are some software packages I should consider.  Or would purchasing a hardware solution to directly connect the VCR to the Computer provide a much higher quality result?

Thanks!

[grandpabruce]

netmation, on May 29 2006, 07:49 PM, said:

Have a Sony TRV480 Camcorder and it has the ability to create a chain from a VCR to the Camcorder to a PC via a i.Link cable.  But the manual says the Sony software does not support this though it can be done with additional software.  Will my Roxio 8.0 handle this type of video and audio capture through the i.Link connection?

If not what are some software packages I should consider.  Or would purchasing a hardware solution to directly connect the VCR to the Computer provide a much higher quality result?

Thanks!

If the i.Link cable is a firewire cable, and your Sony TRV480 supports passthrough, then it should work like a charm.

[myguggi]

netmation, on May 29 2006, 08:49 PM, said:

Have a Sony TRV480 Camcorder and it has the ability to create a chain from a VCR to the Camcorder to a PC via a i.Link cable.  But the manual says the Sony software does not support this though it can be done with additional software.  Will my Roxio 8.0 handle this type of video and audio capture through the i.Link connection?

If not what are some software packages I should consider.  Or would purchasing a hardware solution to directly connect the VCR to the Computer provide a much higher quality result?

Thanks!

EMC 8 should have no problem capturing the VCR video using the setup you described. It will also give you the best quality if you capture to avi format. This will create much larger files (about 14 GB for 1 hour of video). Many hardware solutions capture to mpeg which is a compressed format and thus already somewhat of reduced quality. Most people here find that it is also easier to edit avi video then mpeg. I would also recommend to capture only in 10-15 minute segments. They can easily be edited and and later combined seamlessly into your final video.

Edited by myguggi, 29 May 2006 - 07:05 PM.

[ggrussell]

It does work -- just not as one would expect.   This is no fault of Sony, but with Media Import which seems to want a tape in the camcorder to control.

Seems like you know the process, but I'll repeat a bit so you get the idea.

Put a tape in the TRV480 - can be blank
Hook up the camcorder via firewire to the computer
Hook up the VCR to the TRV480
Turn the the VCR, put the TRV480 in the VCR mode and WAIT for Windows to recognize the TRV480
Launch Media Import
Click on VIDEO TAB and select 'Sony DV Device' (or something like that)
Setup your capture like MPEG/AVI, folder, suffix, etc.  I highly recommend  capturing in DV AVI. You'll get the best quality and faster editing.

Here's the tricky part:
Click CAPTURE. Media Import will start the tape in the camcorder.
Physically press the STOP button on the TRV480.
Wait a sec and then press PLAY on the VCR.
You should then be capturing the video from the VCR

There will be a few seconds of trash at the beginning of the file, but you can easily edit that out later in Videowave.

Edited by ggrussell, 29 May 2006 - 08:32 PM.

[netmation]

Thanks for the good information.  Bit confused on what format I should save all my video files in.  Seems that AVI is the recommended format for editing.  Assuming I will be creating AVI files should I always keep these or just for initial editing?  I was going to save all my family video in WMF (Microsoft) and then possibly convert to Flash to let relatives view on the web.  Do I need to always keep an AVI copy as well?  Will conversion to WMF loose quality compared to the AVI files?

[ggrussell]

For editing, capture to DV AVI.  It's up to you whether or not to keep the AVI files. If you plan on opening the Videowave or MyDVD project in the future, you will need the files.  Project files DO NOT include the actual video.

I think you meant .wmv files which are video files. WMF are graphic files.   Yes, you will lose A LOT of quality when converting to .wmv that are small enough to be viewed on the web.  Not only are they more compressed, but the resolution is much smaller. Typically 320X240 or 160X120.

[netmation]

ggrussell, on May 29 2006, 10:01 PM, said:

Yes, you will lose A LOT of quality when converting to .wmv that are small enough to be viewed on the web.

Yes, I did mean WMV, thanks.  What I was thinking of is keeping WMV files that are larger though, not converted down to a web friendly resolution.  Can I just maintain them as WMV, and edit them in that mode or is it still better to keep your raw data in AVI for some reason?  Sounds like from your comments that there are many advantages to using AVI to store all your videos when using Roxio.

[ggrussell]

AVI is not compressed very much.  ANY format that uses higher compression is not a good format for editing.  If you are not going to edit the files in the future, then store them in any format you like that produces the quality you prefer.