Can I capture video on DV tapes and computer hard disk simultaneously ?

[AAC]

My typical video shooting pattern is deploying the DVX100B with tripod at the back row of a lecture theatre, taping the lecturer's presentation and 90% of the shooting don't need to move the camcorder around.
Since I need to transfer 10+ DV tapes to computer for editing after each event, can I use the firewire or RCA plug to output the video to my notebook computer simultaneously (saved as WMV or AVI) while recorfding to DV tapes as backup, to save the tapes transferring time after the event ?
I mean to save the video recording to DV tapes and notebook computer (or stand alone DVD recorder) at the same time, is it possible ? The video quality recorded to computer remain the same as on tapes (I'm using 3CCD prosumer camcorder) ?

Thanks.

[dun4cheap]

I have done this before, some camcorders will pass through video through the firewire while recording.

I used Pinnacle Studio 9 to capture from my laptop at a live event while also recording to tape on my camcorder.

[dun4cheap]

I have shot cheer competitions for regionals which can go 8-9 hours as well. I usually use 3 cameras. 1 unmanned on the floor hooked up to a hidden pc with a large hard drive. The other two cameras I man from center of the field. One camera is fixed and shoots the main field while the other is used for close ups on the main entrance and during the performance. I also have a laptop with me so I can remotely control the hidden PC and monitor the capturing on the floor. I also like to break the files up hourly or so, so I don't end up with 1 large 100 gig file. Just some ideas for you. With having multiple camcorders I am able to capture my footage from the other 2 cameras in a couple of hours.

[JohnnyMalaria]

No problem with doing this. There is one obscure thing to be aware of regarding timecode (at least with all the Sony camcorders I've tried):

The timecode written to tape isn't the same that is sent via FireWire live. Hard to believe but true. There is about a 3 or 4 frame difference.

If you aren't using timecode during your editing, no problem. If you are and you mix and match the live captured recording and the tape, you may have issues synchronizing.

@dun4cheap - you can capture simultaneously from both your "field" cams with our software (see signature) which will save you an hour each time.

[dun4cheap]

I utilize a flash so I can create a mark in and do my multi cam edit, so timecode is not a big concern. I am using Canon HV20's and actually shooting HD on my field cams.

I have also used HDVsplit for my unmanned cam when I shoot in HD mode. The nice thing about this is it also gives you a center audio channel allowing you to capture a close up audio (Center channel sort of speak.)

As for capturing I capture from both simultaneously from my other computer and use a removeable drive. I like to keep my footage from multi cams on separate drives to gain better editing perfromance during a multi cam edit.

System - Drive 0 - Static
Cam1 - Drive 1 - Removeable
Cam2- Drive 2 - Removeable
Cam3 - Drive 3 - Removeable
Render - Drive 4 - Removeable
Project Drive 5 - Static
Cam4 - Drive 6 - Esata Drive

I run a mixture of drives, 4 Sata2 and 3 eide all in total.

[AAC]

The video quality after transferred to Hard Disk can maintain the same standard as recored on tapes, or lower ? What's the most user friendly and file format to capture the video and saved it in high resolution/quality ? I have windows movie maker and Magix movie editor pro 12 installed on my notebook computer.

[dun4cheap]

It would be the same.

[JohnnyMalaria]

The quality is the same - both are DV format which is definitely the best format to capture.

As far as saving goes, if you have the space then DV especially if you want to edit the video later. If you want a high resolution format just for watching, Windows Movie Maker can save as Windows Media Video (WMV) format which is a great format that saves a lot of space. MPEG2 is another option but you will need additional software for that.