What format/resolution to capture?

[maleitch]

Hey everyone. I'm sure this is an easy one and forgive me for my ignorance.

I have a Panasonic digital camcorder that I eventually want to burn the movies to DVD from my computer.

I have no problems actually capturing the video to the comptuer, but here is my question.

What format/resolution should I capture in so that the quality of the sound and image will look good on a very average T.V. I am not looking for any high end widescreen stuff. I just want it to look no worse than old VCR home movies do on my mom's $200 Wal-Mart T.V.

Thanks for everyone's time.

[Capmaster]

If you're in the US, Canada, Japan, S. America, use NTSC 720 x 480 or 704 x 480. If you're in a PAL country, substitute "576" for "480". This is full DVD resolution, but not widescreen, and it'll give you the best quality.

[daamon]

Hi maleitch,

I have no problems actually capturing the video to the comptuer

How are you capturing to your PC (e.g. firewire = 1394 = iLink)? And into what format (e.g. AVI or MPEG)?

I transfer using firewire (which should be at 720 x 480 / 576) to DV AVI and have no problems with audio sync, and am very happy with the end result. Of course, and here's where you realise you're only scratching the surface, getting the footage on to the PC is only the beginning... Getting to "the end result" is a whole load of learning and fun...

You can use GSpot (on AVIs only) or AVICodec (AVIs and MPEGs) to get info on the file captured into.

Hope that helps.

[maleitch]

Thanks to the two of you that replied. Yes I am capturing via firewire, and I am not sure which format to use(AVI/MPEG). The software I have will support either and I don't know the advantages/disadvantages to either.

I think what both of you have told me is enough to get me started though, and was exactly what I was looking for. I mainly just wanted to get them off of my camera and onto the computer for starters.

Thanks again for you help. I am sure I will have to come crawling back when I actually try to burn them to DVD.

[daamon]

...and I am not sure which format to use(AVI/MPEG). The software I have will support either and I don't know the advantages/disadvantages to either.

Transferring to DV AVI:

Advantages:

1. It is a straight transfer of data from DV cam (one type of media) to your hard drive (same data, but on a different type of media), so no quality loss - a bit like moving a file from a floppy disk to your hard drive.
2. AVI is easier and safer to edit.
3. You can encode to MPEG2 (the format that's required to go onto DVD) in your own time, thus allowing the encoder to do the best job possible.
4. If you wipe the DV cam tape, you have an exact copy on your hard drive. Whereas MPEG is compressed so quality is forever reduced.

Disadvantages:

1. At approx. 13.5Gb per hour, you need a fair amount of free disk space. And a decent spin speed on your hard drive wouldn't hurt (to help to avoid dropped frames).
2. Encoding to MPEG2 can be a bit daunting when faced with all the settings that can be made in the encoding tool. But rewarding as you learn more...
3. Encoding to MPEG2 can be a lenghty process, even for the quicker encoding tools.

Capturing to MPEG:

Advantages:

1. The file should be ready to go for authoring to DVD - no need to encode.
2. As it's a compressed format, it takes up less room than DV AVI.

Disadvantages:

1. Capturing to MPEG requires encoding on the fly (i.e. rushed, in effect), and so the resultant MPEG may not be as good as it could be because the encoding has to be done before the next frame arrives for encoding. Whereas a dedicated encoding tool, though it takes longer, is doing so coz it's taking it's time to do a better job.
2. Editing MPEGs is commonly fraught with dangers, most commonly losing audio sync. Though Womble MPEG2-VCR is supposed to be good.

My personal preference is to capture to DV AVI as I enjoy learning new stuff around video editing, and I also believe that I'm ending up with better quality.

But, it's for you to decide which you go for...

Hope that helps.