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  1. Member
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    I have no idea if this topic is in right place but I hope so

    Now to my questions.

    I have a digital video camera (I dont know what kind because I'm home and the camera is not).
    The camera have a miniDV tape for a hour but I like to recording at least 8 hour non-stop and I guess I have to
    use a firewire cable and connect the camera to a laptop.

    Question 1
    Is that possible, can all digital camera do that, and how (I know that is not easy when I dont know what kind of camera I
    have but is that something "default").

    Question 2
    What program can I use, what I have found I can use windows movie maker but I like to have a program that can save as
    good quality as possible in AVI or even maybe MPEG. so is that any free program I can use or is windows movie maker
    good for me?
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  2. Member edDV's Avatar
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    If the camera is MiniDV you will need an IEEE-1394 (aka Firewire or ILink) for best quality. If your laptop doesn't have this port you can add one with a PC card.

    While MovieMaker can capture DV and export DV, the correct menu settings can get confusing. I recommend WinDV for capture which is simple.

    DV format at 13GB/hr will require a large hard drive for storage (8hr = ~104GB).

    Real time encoding can be done if your laptop is powerful enough. There will be a compromise in quality vs direct recording. Possible real time encoders

    WMV - forced deinterlace.
    MPeg2 - CPU intensive
    MPeg4 - in most cases forced deinterlace and CPU intensive.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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  3. Windows Movie Maker will capture with exactly the same quality as comes from the camcorder. When you plug in your camcorder via the FireWire connection you should see a window pop-up with an option to import the video.

    There are other programs that will work, too, giving identical quality - the most common and recommended is WinDV. But Windows Movie Maker will do the job if you want it to.
    John Miller
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  4. Member
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    Thanks for the fast replay
    Yes I have a fast laptop but maybe not so big disk so I maybe have to add a USB disk to it but I think that is ok anyway.
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  5. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by JohnnyMalaria
    ... But Windows Movie Maker will do the job if you want it to.
    You just need to remember to export from Movie Maker in DV-AVI format, not default WMV.

    An external USB2 drive should work well with a modern fast laptop.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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