Question: MiniDV mpeg4 capture?

[danmanx]

Can someone clear up some questions I have about MiniDV? First off, MiniDV is it's own format. It has PCM sound and it's own video codec and rate. This is my understanding of it.

Why are some MiniDV cameras MPEG-4? Do they simply record in MPEG-4 with PCM sound on a MiniDV tape or just a memory card?

Why can't I find any exact details on this?

[Cornucopia]

IIRC, all the "MPEG4" capabilities touted by the various digicam makers are really only when captured in very small clip segments and stored on the available smart card.

There are only 2 standard formats that actually record information onto the DV tape--DV (and sister formats of DVCam, DVCPro) and the new HDV. And since HDV records an MPEG2 Transport stream, there really isn't any MPEG4 signal that gets recorded onto a DV tape.

BTW, there are 2 sizes of the DV tape shell that are in use, depending on what camera & VCR you are using (and how much time you need to put on there):
1. Small shell, or "miniDV" (most common)
2. Standard (larger) shell (seen only on pro decks)
Either way, it's still the same signal.

Also, it IS possible to use a PC and special software to masquerade another file/format/signal as a DV-type video signal, and so transfer it to and from a camera (via 1394 cable), often for purposes of data backup. But there is no such thing as a recording function like this in a standalone camera.

Scott

[guns1inger]

Are you referring to solid state cameras that record to ram (slightly different to DV cameras that record to memory cards). Some less reputable ones have tried to usurp the DV name as generic Digital Video. If it doesn't record to miniDV tape, it isn't miniDV