True Newbie Here....be gentle. Mini dv questions.

[jsup]

Hey guys, a friend of mind reccomended this site as the best source of informatoin for digital video information. What I need is rather simple right now so thanks in advance.

I have three questions.

Remember, I'm a CONSUMER so keep that in mind, I don't do this professionally.

1. Is there such thing as a mini DV player that I can buy so I don't have to run my camera all the time to dump the video onto my PC. They all seem to be over $500, a lot of money for just transfers to disk. Even used they are expensive.

2. Can I buy a cheap/disposable Mini DV camera for $180 just to play my tapes onto the computer? Will that solution cause desegregation the picture from the Sony?

3. What CONSUMER software should I buy to edit down the tapes so I can dump them on DVD. Seems to be packages under $100 that work. Corel, Adobe, etc.... I just want to edit down to fit on a DVD.

I understand that going in FireWire maintains video quality better than USB. My current camera is firewire. Also, I am transferring to disk, not copying. At least so I am told. Can you tell me the difference? Thanks.

I suspect the cheapest way out is a cheap camera with Firewire out. Would there be any degradation if I did that from my TRV 900?

Thanks. I appreciate the help.

[guns1inger]

1. Yes there are mini-DV players, and yes, they tend to cost as much as a good camera.

2. You can buy cheap DV cameras. Because the process is a transfer of digital data there will be no degradation of image quality. However if you shoot in LP mode you may find you can only transfer successfully and consistently from the camera that shot the footage.

3. Video Studio (Corel), Premiere Elements (Adobe) and Vegas Movie Studio (Sony) are all capable. I use Vegas Pro, so my vote would be for the Sony product. All have trials, and the best option is to try before you buy to see what works for you. Of course, if your needs are for simple editing, Windows Movie Maker is free.

Yes, stick with firewire.

[gadgetguy]

1. You're better off with a cheap cam, but I don't understand your reluctance to just use your existing cam.
2. "desegregation the picture from the Sony" What does this mean?
3. I use freeware so I don't know what to recommend to buy.

The data on the tape is not contained in a file structure so cannot be copied. Firewire transfers the data on the tape into the computer as a data stream and the capsfer software puts it in an avi container. The data is exactly the same as what's on the tape so there is no degradation. The usb connection was designed for low resolution and high compression for uses such as direct streaming to the web.

[jsup]

1. You're better off with a cheap cam, but I don't understand your reluctance to just use your existing cam.
2. "desegregation the picture from the Sony" What does this mean?
3. I use freeware so I don't know what to recommend to buy.

The data on the tape is not contained in a file structure so cannot be copied. Firewire transfers the data on the tape into the computer as a data stream and the capsfer software puts it in an avi container. The data is exactly the same as what's on the tape so there is no degradation. The usb connection was designed for low resolution and high compression for uses such as direct streaming to the web.

I don't want to use my existing cam due to wear and tear. Am I going over board.

The Sony is a pretty good 3 chip camera. I paid $2200 when I purchased it, it still goes for $1000-1500 on ebay and other places. I don't want to put any additional wear on it.

The degradation (spell check error sorry I clicked replace and didn't read it) I refer to is I am concerned if I play it back on a cheaper camera, single chip, that it may not look as good as it would coming from the Sony.

[gadgetguy]

I don't want to use my existing cam due to wear and tear. Am I going over board.


The Sony is a pretty good 3 chip camera. I paid $2200 when I purchased it, it still goes for $1000-1500 on ebay and other places. I don't want to put any additional wear on it.

No you're not going overboard. I didn't realize the TRV900 was that expensive.

The degradation (spell check error sorry I clicked replace and didn't read it) I refer to is I am concerned if I play it back on a cheaper camera, single chip, that it may not look as good as it would coming from the Sony.

Firewire transfer from the cheap cam will be no different than from the TRV900. The chip(s) only come into play while "filming".

[jsup]

Thanks...

The playback is from the head directly to the firewire I assume.

I appreciate the input.

So basically, the CHEAPEST DV camera I can find with firewire out will do the trick.

I am understanding this right I hope.

Any suggestions on a camera for this purpose?

The cheaper the better.

[zoobie]

craig's list comes to mind...

[grumkin]

jsup, I am in the same situation, except my TRV900 died. let me know if you bought a cheaper mini-dv (lower CCD) camera and if it worked for you.