Questions about DivX AVI and MiniDV

[adiasangel]

Hi,
I am rather new to video capturing and could use some help (please let me know if this isn't in the right topic). I have 3 hours of video on MiniDV tapes, and from what I have read I think I want them in DivX AVI format. But the more I read the more confused I get. Here is what I want to do, maybe someone can tell me if AVI is the correct format.

- I will have to capture the video from the tapes on a Mac through Imovie but I will be moving them to a PC to edit them.

- I havn't decided on software but I am condering adobe on a Windows platform (but I may try and find video editing software for Linux).

- After the video is edited, I would like to burn it for both LCD projection and television. This video is going out around the world to Jr Robotics teams to show at press conferences and recruitment meetings, so I am concerned about quality.

(Please forgive all these questions below, the more I read the more questions I come up with)

Is AVI DivX the format I am looking for?
Is it high enough quality to edit and then encode to mpeg2 so it can be played on a DVD player and still look nice?
Also I read that quality is dependant on bitrate, what bitrate should I be using?
I belive I read that IMovie can encode DivX, is that true?
How do I figure out what size the AVI file is going to be before I convert it, is there a formula?

Answers to any of these questions would be a great help. Thank you so much!!! Carla

Coach
Blue Cheesy Flamingos
FIRST LEGO League Team

[bugster]

Is AVI DivX the format I am looking for?

No. Whne you 'capture' (more accuratley transfer via firewire), you will get DV AVI format. This is approx 13Gb per hour so make sure you have enough disk space. You should keep it in this format whilst you edit.

Is it high enough quality to edit and then encode to mpeg2 so it can be played on a DVD player and still look nice?

If you edit DV, then convert that to mpeg-2 for DVD, quality should be pretty close to the original.

Also I read that quality is dependant on bitrate, what bitrate should I be using?

Well, the higher the better, but DVD maxes out at 9.8Mbps for the video. It also depends on how much playing time you want to get on one DVDr and the type of material. Lots of movement requires higher bitrates. Low movement needs less. Longer playing time means you must use lower bitrates to get it to fit one the disk.

I belive I read that IMovie can encode DivX, is that true?

Don't have a Mac, can't answer that.

How do I figure out what size the AVI file is going to be before I convert it, is there a formula?

As I said above, DV is ~13Gb per hour.


Hope this helps.

[ZippyP.]

After the video is edited, I would like to burn it for both LCD projection and television.

Is AVI DivX the format I am looking for?

Is it high enough quality to edit and then encode to mpeg2 so it can be played on a DVD player and still look nice?

If this is intended for TV via a DVD player then mpeg2 burned as a DVD video is the best choice for compatibility. Most newer DVD players will play a recorded disk and it can be played on any PC (or Mac) that has a DVD drive and DVD playing software for output to a projector.

For wider PC compatibility then mpeg1 on a CD would be the format to choose. Any windows PC can play it using Windows Media Player.

Divx playback requires installation of a Divx codec or a having Divx capable DVD player, neither of which is commonly found.