How to convert to Digital DV?

[Luis Neves]

I am interest to backup to my Sony DV camcorder a few home videos that are in VHS tapes. I don´t have cables and adaptors to connect the videorecorder to the videocamera. However, I have a firewire connection between the computer and videocamera, and I have also a connection between the videorecorder and the computer through an analalog capture card. I wonder if I can use the system as it is, capturing from VHS to the computer and then recording back the files to the digital camera.

With Scenalyser, I can capture video from the camcorder and record back. However, this only works with digital avi files; if I try to open with Scenalyser an avi file from an analog capture the preview just stays black and if I try to record to the digital camera it just records a few seconds of black picture. I have already tryed converting the analog capture (avi) to a standard dvd resolution file (avi with 720x576, 48 Khz), but did not worked.

So, my question is: is there a way to convert an avi file of an analog capture to digital avi format? Hope so!

[HAGGARD]

You need an DV-AVI encoder!!!

AVI stands for Audio/Video Interleaved, which means that it could be any kind of format!!! So capturing with capturecard doesn't mean that AVI file is DV-AVI. DV-camera's ONLY support DV-AVI.
You could use the Mainconcept DV-codec but the free version places a watermark in your video...

http://www.mainconcept.com/fdl.php?downloads.mainconcept.com+DVCodecDemo2.1+dvdemocodecv2.1.exe

the registered version isn't expensive though ($49,-)

'HAG

[fingernailX]

with win xp and movie maker2 (free) save as an dv.avi

[HAGGARD]

fingernailX,

Yes, that is also an option, BUT... Microsoft DV-codec only use quality setting 75%!!! So you will lose 25% of quality...
In other words... Microsoft codec support only 4 generations of encoding, while mainconcept encoder supports more than 10!!! Thus much better quality!!!

'HAG

Read this post....
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=157949

[DJRumpy]

If I recall correctly, both the Canopus DV Codec, and the Panasonic DV codec are free (find them in the TOOLS section). I don't use DV, but I'm sure someone here could tell you if their any good.

[Luis Neves]

Thanks all for the suggestions. Going to chase some codecs (or to buy some cables if I fail)!