Capturing MiniDv tape real recording time and date

[tequilaboby]

My line of duty is investigations. Whenever we film evidence to show to court, it must have date and time stamped on it. We have been doing it by making copies of the tapes but want to migrate to DVD. I have tried to capture the date and time of the takes using Roxio EMC 6, WinDVD and Microsoft filmmaker without results: no data. So, I called Roxio and one of the customer people told me that with EMC8 it was a piece o cake. I bought the software but before intalling it, I made a new phone call to Roxio and somebody else let me know NO WAY, JOSE.

 

This afternoon talked to a tech support and was told that when you take a video, the option date and time is an attachment, so you can not capture that attachment-file, less burn it.

 

Any help on how to do it or what software to use?

 

Thanks a lot and pardon my lack of knowledge on the computer area.

 

Thanks again

[d_deweywright]

Looks like there would be a market for video camcorders that date/time stamp. Surely, there is something out there that still does this.

You're saying that none of the digital equipment let you visually put the date/time on the tape anymore? Heck, my old, 19 year old full-sized VHS camera does that. (Only way to do it in analogue format.) I would have thought that option would have been carried forward. Who want's to try and find date/time stamps on files when you can just display it on the screen?

[jimbo206]

Consider analog, these systems are currently the choice for LE due to 1. cheap to use and maintain

2. reliable

3. difficult to alter the evidence

 

Courts are slowly going to digital but its opening up alot of questions as to the validity of evidence. If the original is altered in any way its not evidence without the first hand testimony of the person who altered it, and if their character can be questioned then so can the evidence.

 

A tape comes out of a police car or surveillance van and gets placed into evidence as an original recording of what happened. The PI/officer testifies he took the video and thats all there is. If you need to, use a converter and then input the tape to the HD then DVD. The gurus here can surely describe how digital photos and video can be manipulated and post processed.

 

Even the small town police near here (6 officers) recently had the analog systems installed. They are not cheap.

[ggrussell]

I don't consider it a deficiency.

And there are plenty of people that have complained in this forum that this feature is no longer there. Personally, I would like to have the OPTION. It boils down to choice. I no longer have that choice. It's like a piece of software where they have removed a feature that you didn't use much. The very time when you need it -- it ain't there.

[bimicher]

So, it's not putting the date/time in as part of the video image, which the analogue recorders did. Still seems a deficiency to me.

I don't consider it a deficiency. I actually like the idea of being able to make the date/time visible/invisible, fade in/out, change the format, font,etc. I just wish it could be done from within Videowave instead of having to use a 3rd party program

[james_hardin]

Another consideration for DV, is how you capture.

 

If Firewire you are at the mercy of the codecs.

 

I use an external device (DAC-100) and it translates whatever is passed to it before sending it to the firewire. The result is that any RF video input, including screen messages are passed along.

 

When using a VCR for my source I have the annoying Play, Pause, etc. to get rid of.

[d_deweywright]

I have a Sony digital camcorder and can record the date/time on the video as well as display it during playback. The date/time are also captured to an avi file, unfortunately none of the video editors are able to display it and I have to use 3rd party software to make it "visible"

So, it's not putting the date/time in as part of the video image, which the analogue recorders did. Still seems a deficiency to me.

[bimicher]

That is correct. I haven't found a single digital camcorder that will record the time/date on the video. My last camcorder was a Sony 8mm analog and it had the option to record the date/time. I would usually turn it on for about 10sec to document the event date/time and then turn it off.

I have a Sony digital camcorder and can record the date/time on the video as well as display it during playback. The date/time are also captured to an avi file, unfortunately none of the video editors are able to display it and I have to use 3rd party software to make it "visible"

[ggrussell]

DV AVI takes about 13gig per hour. Big hard drives are relatively cheap these days. Most new computers now come with 200+gig drives.

[tequilaboby]

Can you do any other text functions on these camcorders to "manually" timestamp the video? I seem to recall some having the ability to add scrolling credits, but that was awhile back, and may have been in the analogue days.

 

Russell is right!...Police patrol cars videos are still analog. Even the data (on cars and people) is sent via RF.

 

There are a couple of PD that have gone Digital, but I do not know results on the taping and stamping of date/time.

 

Sure the software industry must watch this issue and como out with a solution. A bunch of cruiser out there and VHS and analog are passing out.

 

Anyway to ask Roxio development staff about it?

 

By the way: I captured 5 minutes of a tape on AVI with date/time stamped. It took 1.4 Gigas of my HD but burning failed (to stamp)...so, still working on it. Too much of a heavy file (on AVI) to work on a 60 minutes tape

 

Thanks to all you people

[d_deweywright]

That is correct. I haven't found a single digital camcorder that will record the time/date on the video. My last camcorder was a Sony 8mm analog and it had the option to record the date/time. I would usually turn it on for about 10sec to document the event date/time and then turn it off.

Can you do any other text functions on these camcorders to "manually" timestamp the video? I seem to recall some having the ability to add scrolling credits, but that was awhile back, and may have been in the analogue days.

[ggrussell]

That is correct. I haven't found a single digital camcorder that will record the time/date on the video. My last camcorder was a Sony 8mm analog and it had the option to record the date/time. I would usually turn it on for about 10sec to document the event date/time and then turn it off.

[ggrussell]

Yeah, that's analog. We were talking about digital camcorders. I have no idea WHY the industry deemed that WE no longer wanted the time/date on OUR video. Same thing for still photos. My Fuji doesn't even have an option to put the date on the image. There are times when I wish I did have that option.

[jimbo206]

There are products out there. The cameras used in police cars record time, date, braking, emergency lights/siren, radar info, ect..., all onto a vhs in the trunk. I cannot think of the name off hand.

[bimicher]

Looks like there would be a market for video camcorders that date/time stamp. Surely, there is something out there that still does this.

I think all DV camcorders record the date and time and the date/time stamp gets captured to avi files, its just that no video editing software (that I know of) makes use of this information. One has to use 3rd party software to make the date/time "visible."

[ggrussell]

Looks like there would be a market for video camcorders that date/time stamp. Surely, there is something out there that still does this.

[tequilaboby]

I can't see any court accepting a video that has been "modified" by any method. So using the vDTS program would not be acceptable. Since anything digital can be "easily" modified today, I don't see how any digital image (video or photo) will ever be useful evidence.

 

Myguggi:

 

You are so right. However, there is still forensics to determine any "modification" of a video or photo.

 

Yes, digital products are being accepted in court. There is no way to stop technology and in a few year everything would we digital (or who knows what). You sure know about it better than me. So, they are adapting.

 

By the way: I used the capturing on AVI and I got the date-time stamped. I am gonna try to burn it noe. Let you know.

 

Thanks a lot,

 

Robert

[bimicher]

Thanks a zillion for your help. I already visited the given link and working my way into it to go back to you (for more help)

 

Robert

Rusell:

 

Thank you so much, great explanation.

 

We are not allowed to stamp date and time manually. That would be "tampering".

 

Would you give me some info about the other shareware apps you know?...We will keep Roxio as upgrade for the 6.0 we had been using for other things.

 

Waiting for your help and thanks again

I can't see any court accepting a video that has been "modified" by any method. So using the vDTS program would not be acceptable. Since anything digital can be "easily" modified today, I don't see how any digital image (video or photo) will ever be useful evidence.

[tequilaboby]

Adding to what Gary has posted... I use a small utility called vDTS to add the date/time stamp to my video. It only works with video captured to the DV avi format from digital tape camcorders.

 

Here is the link

http://dts8888.com

 

Thanks a zillion for your help. I already visited the given link and working my way into it to go back to you (for more help)

 

Robert

 

well, technically, they're both correct. When using a newer digital camcorder, they no longer put the date/time on the video, but it IS recorded on the tape. When you capture to DV AVI, the time/date is preserved in the file. MPEG DOES NOT.

 

The bad news: I don't know of any commercial video editor that will automatically add the time/date. You can 'add' the time/date manually in Videowave by using the ADD TEXT option.

 

The good news: there are a few shareware apps that will add the time/date automatically, but then that means buying another piece of software. In your case, that may be the easiest.

 

 

Rusell:

 

Thank you so much, great explanation.

 

We are not allowed to stamp date and time manually. That would be "tampering".

 

Would you give me some info about the other shareware apps you know?...We will keep Roxio as upgrade for the 6.0 we had been using for other things.

 

Waiting for your help and thanks again

[bimicher]

My line of duty is investigations. Whenever we film evidence to show to court, it must have date and time stamped on it. We have been doing it by making copies of the tapes but want to migrate to DVD. I have tried to capture the date and time of the takes using Roxio EMC 6, WinDVD and Microsoft filmmaker without results: no data. So, I called Roxio and one of the customer people told me that with EMC8 it was a piece o cake. I bought the software but before intalling it, I made a new phone call to Roxio and somebody else let me know NO WAY, JOSE.

 

This afternoon talked to a tech support and was told that when you take a video, the option date and time is an attachment, so you can not capture that attachment-file, less burn it.

 

Any help on how to do it or what software to use?

 

Thanks a lot and pardon my lack of knowledge on the computer area.

 

Thanks again

 

Adding to what Gary has posted... I use a small utility called vDTS to add the date/time stamp to my video. It only works with video captured to the DV avi format from digital tape camcorders.

 

Here is the link

http://dts8888.com

[ggrussell]

well, technically, they're both correct. When using a newer digital camcorder, they no longer put the date/time on the video, but it IS recorded on the tape. When you capture to DV AVI, the time/date is preserved in the file. MPEG DOES NOT.

 

The bad news: I don't know of any commercial video editor that will automatically add the time/date. You can 'add' the time/date manually in Videowave by using the ADD TEXT option.

 

The good news: there are a few shareware apps that will add the time/date automatically, but then that means buying another piece of software. In your case, that may be the easiest.