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  1. Should I be losing picture quality when copying from my units HDD to a DVD?
    I'm using a Sony RDR HXD560 and dubbing to the disc at the same quality (HSP) that the programme was originally captured on.
    I thought a digital copy should be the same as the original. Or am I missing something obvious?
    Thanks.
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  2. Member hech54's Avatar
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    The manual says(on page 79) that if the file/program you are dubbing is larger than the target (disc) .....then the recorder will adjust (the bitrate...IE lower the quality) to make it fit.
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  3. Thanks hech54.
    But the file is not too big for the disc and is copying at the stated quality, so it can't be that.
    Am I right to expect the quality to remain the same?
    Thanks
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  4. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Are you seeing something to the contrary?
    What prompted this post?
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  5. I'm dubbing from the Sony's HDD to DVD.
    The original programme is recorded on HSP and that's the quality I'm dubbing onto the DVD. The length is within the DVD's capacity, so isn't being automatically reduced.
    And yet the subsequent DVD picture is worse than the original.
    Slightly softer and there is a sort of shimmer around objects.

    My question is, should I expect a near perfect copy on my DVD?

    Thanks
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  6. Member hech54's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by stanwas View Post
    I'm dubbing from the Sony's HDD to DVD.
    The original programme is recorded on HSP and that's the quality I'm dubbing onto the DVD. The length is within the DVD's capacity, so isn't being automatically reduced.
    And yet the subsequent DVD picture is worse than the original.
    Slightly softer and there is a sort of shimmer around objects.

    My question is, should I expect a near perfect copy on my DVD?

    Thanks
    1) Length of the program means nothing.
    2) According to the manual...this "HSP" you keep mentioning is not the highest quality setting this recorder has.
    That alone leads me to have some doubt about your visual observations of the dubbed disc.
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  7. 1. I mentioned the length of the programme simply to make it clear that it isn't too long for the DVD - and that the Sony wasn't defaulting to a lower quality to fit it onto the DVD.
    2. HSP isn't the highest quality, but why should that matter?
    No idea why you should be doubting what I can see.
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    Originally Posted by stanwas View Post
    Should I be losing picture quality when copying from my units HDD to a DVD?
    I'm using a Sony RDR HXD560 and dubbing to the disc at the same quality (HSP) that the programme was originally captured on.
    I thought a digital copy should be the same as the original.
    No. Depends on what you mean by "dubbing". Are you copying to the SONY, or are you recording? If I recall this SONY model,, I don't think you can copy directly from a computer to the SONY's HD. I assume from your other remarks that you're recording. If so, you are re-encoding from one lossy-compression source to another lossy-compression result. Re-encoding never maintains the same quality, even at very high bitrates. Higher bitrates might look "better", but not like the original.

    You omitted some important information. How was the program captured? What was the original source? What PC format did you capture to?

    Originally Posted by stanwas View Post
    The original programme is recorded on HSP and that's the quality I'm dubbing onto the DVD. The length is within the DVD's capacity, so isn't being automatically reduced.
    And yet the subsequent DVD picture is worse than the original.
    Slightly softer and there is a sort of shimmer around objects.
    Of course. The source is being re-encoded. Are you saying that you originally recorded this video on your SONY at HSP, burned it to a disc, then copied the video to your PC?

    Originally Posted by stanwas View Post
    My question is, should I expect a near perfect copy on my DVD?
    From what you've said, you're not copying. You're re-encoding.

    Originally Posted by stanwas View Post
    1. I mentioned the length of the programme simply to make it clear that it isn't too long for the DVD - and that the Sony wasn't defaulting to a lower quality to fit it onto the DVD.
    You mentioned it, but you didn't specify how long the video plays.

    Originally Posted by stanwas View Post
    2. HSP isn't the highest quality, but why should that matter?
    Same answer. You're re-encoding, not copying.

    If you want a direct-copy, same quality copy of a DVD source, burn the video to a disc on your PC, put the disc into your SONY, and copy it from there. Note: that"s copy, not re-encode. I think the SONY "HD" models have a feature that allows you to copy from disc to the SONY's HD, but the format on the disc has to be the same format and file organization that your SONY uses to create a video on its own drive. I don't think the SONY would be able to recognize something you've copied from your PC onto disc. In fact, I know it can't.

    Originally Posted by stanwas View Post
    No idea why you should be doubting what I can see.
    No one doubts what you see. But you're not doing this properly. Why would you want to re-encode this capture? Why don't you just author it to DVD in your computer without re-encoding it (assuming a playable DVD is what you want)?
    Last edited by sanlyn; 22nd Mar 2014 at 22:26.
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  9. Thanks Sanlyn.
    Your lengthy reply is much appreciated.
    I'm not using a computer in this process at all.
    I'm simply taking a programme recorded on the Sony RDR HXD56 hard drive and dubbing that onto a DVD. It all takes place within the unit.
    From what you're saying, I think, that the process is a lossy one which I didn't think was the case. I guess if I want best quality then I need to hook up the Sony recorder to my mac and copy that way.
    Thanks again.
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  10. You mentioned several time the length, in time, of the video in question. That has almost nothing whatsoever to do with whether or not it will fit on a disk. The SIZE of the file is the important piece of information which answers that question. You can have a 4-hour file that WILL fit, or a 20-minute file that will NOT fit. It all depends on the size of the file.
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    Originally Posted by stanwas View Post
    Thanks Sanlyn.
    Your lengthy reply is much appreciated.
    I'm not using a computer in this process at all.
    I'm simply taking a programme recorded on the Sony RDR HXD56 hard drive and dubbing that onto a DVD. It all takes place within the unit.
    From what you're saying, I think, that the process is a lossy one which I didn't think was the case. I guess if I want best quality then I need to hook up the Sony recorder to my mac and copy that way.
    Oh. Then my understanding of the way the SONY HDD model lets you save a recording to disc must be flawed. Hech54 has seen the manual and likely knows more about that particular model than I do. On other SONY HDD units I've seen, and HDD's from other makers, the unit's menus should allow you to burn a recording to disc (i.e, make a playable DVD without re-encoding) by setting up a standard DVD menu and formatting/finalizing a playable disc. Some of those menus are more complex than others and include additional cut/edit functions, but some are more basic.

    Hech54, where'd you find that manual? I looked everywhere. Doesn't that recorder let the user create a menu and create a standard DVD disc without re-rendering? The SONY "HXD"s I know about will let you do that.
    Last edited by sanlyn; 22nd Mar 2014 at 22:26.
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    Thanks. Gotta go fix a customer's PC now and pay the rent, but will have a look.
    Last edited by sanlyn; 22nd Mar 2014 at 22:27.
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    As others have said, what you want to do is a HS copy, not a real time copy from the HDD to DVD. A HS copy will generally take 1/4th or less the time as a RTD(real time dub). Again as others have said anytime you do a real time copy(even if not changing the speed or mode) you will reencode the video which results in quality loss as apposed to a HS copy which is lossless(target is basically identical to the source).

    If your copies are realtime(a 1hr program will take 1hr to copy) it will be lossy, if your copy takes less time than the actual program the copy will be lossless. The only time you'd want to make a realtime copy is if your source is larger than will fit on the target, you never gain anything using a realtime copy even if you record at a faster speed than your original was recorded in.
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    Go to page 76 of your user manual, right-hand side (About "Dub Mode"). You want to look at "High-Speed Dubbing". Unfortunately you've been using "Rec Mode Conversion Dubbing", which re-renders your entire selected video.

    On page 79 (right-hand side) you'll see an Item numbered with a big "6" ("Select Dub Mode"). Under it, item "7" shows a small table of dub mode "speeds". If you selected High Speed Dubbing, you'll see the word "Fast" listed as a choice. That's what you want for high-speed dubbing. This will give you an exact copy of your original recording, not a re-dub.

    Don't forget to finalize your burned disc.
    Last edited by sanlyn; 22nd Mar 2014 at 22:27.
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    Originally Posted by hech54 View Post
    Here....RTFM.... rapidshare.com
    Rapidshare sucks donkey balls.

    You can attach PDF directly to the forum.
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