i got my digital video... now what?

[w6]

ok. im a aspiring film maker and i have just finished my first short... i filmed all of my vid on my 2 analog cams. transfered. dubed. all thet great stuff. now what i want to do is transfer my digital video to a whs tape. can anyone help me out? much thanks...

[Hardcoreruss]

So is your film now on a disc ?

[w6]

well. it is an mpeg and i guess i could turn it into a vcd and then just connect my vcr to my dvd player, but thats only if i had one =[ yea i know... its 2003 and dvd players are cheap, but i am rarely at home since i go to a boarding school. anyways. could someone help me out here? i am hoping to enter in some film festivals over the summer and most require your shorts to be on standard vhs. much thanks...

[housepig]

you need a video card with a video-out hookup on it.

Pinnacle DC-10+ has one, and since it's an older card, you might be able to find one cheap. Some of the ATI All In Wonder cards have video out as well.

Check in the Capture Card section, I bet you can search for a video-out as a feature.

- housepig

[Karate Media]

A little more information would be useful, but let's see...

You shot it analog, and got it onto your computer for editing and encoding to mpeg. I would infer that you have some sort of capture card (that ATI card listed in your specs, I presume), or external capture device, and an editing program. Is this correct?

If so, the editing program may have an export feature that will send the movie out through your capture card/device. For example, I edit with Premiere 6.5, and export via Firewire to my Dazzle DV Bridge, which sends the signal to my VCR for recording.

You may have similar options -- such as the ATI card you have -- but I would think that if you had the tools to get the analog into the computer and edit it, then you would have the tools to do the reverse (so to speak). A little more information about your setup may help.

BTW, I would think that putting it on VCD just to put it on VHS would not be a very good idea, quality-wise. You'll get better qualty if you can get the mpeg (the original file would be even better) straight from your computer to VHS.

[jsnkc]

Ok, first of all if you're planning on being a filmmaker, get yourself at least a MiniDV camera, analog will get you nowhere! Second, don't use VHS, get yourself a DVD burner as well.

[Karate Media]

Ok, first of all if you're planning on being a filmmaker, get yourself at least a MiniDV camera, analog will get you nowhere! Second, don't use VHS, get yourself a DVD burner as well.

First of all -- w6 specifically said that some of the festivals required that entries be submitted on VHS tape, ergo the purpose of this thread.

Second of all -- you gotta start somewhere, even if with analog tape. Besides, he could have access to some very high quality analog cameras for all we know. In fact, many people will tell you that unless you're willing to spend in excess (sometimes way in excess) of $1000, you aren't going to get that great of quality from mini DV (as oppossed to good analog).

Yes, w6, if you remain serious about filmmaking, then you may want to invest in some higher-end equipment. But maybe -- just maybe -- you've got a great looking short that someone will love and THEY'LL produce your first full-length indie film and pay for everything and you'll shoot on filmstock and have a full-time editor on hand and never have to worry about DIY digital filmmaking again...

But you may want to start saving pennies, just in case

[Karate Media]

By the way, you also may want to check out the forums at www.dv.com. The members there are typically very helpful and knowledgable about making movies, editing them, and getting them onto your media of choice. There are also job postings and (I think) festival info/posts.

Not that the good people here at dvdrhelp can't help you, but dv.com may also suit your specific needs.

[jsnkc]

I just bought a MiniDV camera for $200 it gives me great quality, far superior to that of VHS, 8mm, and Digital8. Also high quality, and analog don't really mix, unless your talking the Betacam format, that's pretty much the best analog signal you will get right now.

[Karate Media]

jsnkc

What brand of camcorder? I've never seen one below $400 or so that was even worth considering -- at least not for anything but home movies. (Although I'd be more than happy to buy one for $200 if it was good!)

I agree that a VHS camera isn't very good, but my point was that there's many, many people who would say the same thing about your new $200 camera that you said to w6 (that is, if $200 is the retail price) -- eg, "What are you thinking?! Get a real camera!" It's easy to say, "If you're serious you have to spend even MORE money than you already have."

I'm reluctant to buy a new camcorder b/c I know that it means buying much more, too (lights, accessories, etc.) if I'm goinig to be serious about it. But I have worked with and known people who have shot on something analog like Hi8 and gotten wonderful results b/c of their proper use of lighting, post-pro work in After Effects, etc. Is it good enough for the multi-plex? Nope, but at this stage in the game, it doesn't really matter. I just don't think that knocking his wares does any good for our budding lo-fi filmmaker here.

[Karate Media]

By the way -- I'm not knocking you; I've glanced at your website, and I can tell that you're not just talking BS and that you have multimedia experience. I just don't think knocking the kid's equipment helps this discussion (not that my off-topic posts are helping either!)

And I do want to know what brand of camera you got and where!

Thanks

KM

[jsnkc]

I actually got kinda lucky on the camcorder, I got it from a girl on E-bay, it's a Panasonic PV-DV401 She had just started out selling stuff, but she only had 1 negative feedback so nobody was bidding on her stuff. The camera was brand new in the box, I offered her $200 since she wasn't selling it, and she said OK. I'm not really trying to knock the guys equipment, I'm just simply making a suggestion that if he is serious about going into filmmaking, he should invest some money on better equipment. I recently just started my own business, the one you saw on my website, and I had to invest thousands of dollars so I could do things the right way and get good quality. I could have "gotten by" with cheaper equipmet, but I always say, it takes money to make money. If he is happy shooting on vhs and 8mm, then he can continue to do it.

[w6]

wow guys. thanks for all the help. ok. my camera is a jvc gr-sxm340... anyhow, i have just recently started thinking about film as a job and not justa hobby. i know i need beter equipment, but its hard to hold down a job and go to boarding school. i hope to get a 16mm camera as well as a minidv. so basiclly all i need is a card with tv-out? much thanks... also, is it a good time to invest in a dvd-rw, or should i wait for prices to fall? thanks agian...

[ZippyP.]

also, is it a good time to invest in a dvd-rw, or should i wait for prices to fall?

Personally, I'm waiting. Prices will fall, how long it takes..who knows? Personal choice.

[jsnkc]

YEah, the prices will fall on the 2X and 4X drives, and right around that time the 8X burners will be out. Basically if you have a need for one, buy one, if you don't then don't buy one. Prices will always drop, and something better will always be right behind it.