Extra Frames?

[cbkilner]

I've been transferring VHS to DVD using a JVC S-VHS VCR, either a Dazzle Hollywood DV or a MiniDV camcorder for A->D, iMovie, and iDVD.

In the past, I had time base issues with older tapes causing dropped frames, but the video calibration on the JVC seemed to have solved that issue (despite it not being a high-end model with TBC).

Now I have what I think is a new issue (or perhaps a different time base issue?). Now I'm getting extra frames in a very strange pattern.

In a ten frame sequence, I'll get 1-2-3-4-5-4-6-7-8-9-10 with that extra frame 4. The 4 to 6 jump causes a noticable jitter in the video. I might get one or two in a few minute span, and then 70-80 in a 10-15 second sequence.

As background, I first tried to convert this tape with the Dazzle, but for the first time ever, I got kernal panics at about the same spot about 21-22 minutes in. I then used my Canon ZR60 to capture without any KPs... but now I have hundreds of extra frames in iMovie. My workflow is to capture the DV to a 60GB partition on an internal 80GB 7200rpm drive in an iMac DV (400MHz) with iMovie 4.0.1, and then transfer the files to an external 80GB 7200rpm Firewire drive that I mount to an eMac to burn in iDVD4.

I've used the Canon ZR60 in the past to convert to DV with no problems using this same setup. The extra frames may have also been in files captured with the Dazzle, but I trashed them before looking at them.

Any ideas? I also posted this on the Mac board.

[Capmaster]

Maybe there's a TBC in your future

[cbkilner]

If it was a time base issue, wouldn't I get 1-2-3-4-4-5-6... ? Why do I get a backward running frame? It seems software-related to me, but possibly in response to bad data due to the time base errors.

Someone on the Mac forum brought up disk maint. - I didn't check or fix anything after the kernal panic - so it may have been a disk issue.

[cbkilner]

Well, a combo of disk utilities (MacJanitor, Disk First Aid, Disk Warrior) and Monster cables seem to have fixed the issue - although I now get a couple dropped frames at the very start of some sequences, it is acceptable (I'll edit them out), I no longer have the reversing-frame problem.