Best Capture from a firewire .

[ZaYoOoD]

Hey guys , I wanna know which's the best way to capture a video from a SONY tape camera using a firewire .
I could record from Windows movie maker , the resolution is OK but I think it's not the best . By the way , I had a problem with recording using Ulead VideoStudio 8 & TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 with DivX Authoring
these are the messages :
TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 with DivX Authoring's

&
Ulead VideoStudio 8's
when trying to preview

and when trying to capture

if anyone know how to solve this problem I'll be glad

but the most important is
my first question
which's the best way to capture a video from a SONY tape camera using a firewire
I mean , which program , other instructions

thanks alot,
see ya

[aedipuss]

the only thing you need to transfer miniDV to the comp over firewire is winDV. it's free and easy to use. you end up with the same quality as on the tape.

[gadgetguy]

Which Sony tape camera? Model number? There may be settings to enable the firewire in the camera. WinDV works great for miniDV, and D8, and cameras capable of transferring HI8 over firewire.

[JohnnyMalaria]

Your errors are almost likely to occur with any capture tool (even WinDV). They are symptomatic of some other program already having staked claim to the camcorder. Only one application can access the DV signal at any one time.

Culprits are usually Pinnacle and Nero "utilities" that get installed. Have a look in your system tray for anything like that.

Another "culprit" is Windows Explorer - if you have the folder open that shows the live video from the camera, it will also prevent other apps from taking control of the camcorder.

[The errors indicate that the camcorder is connected correctly - otherwise the apps wouldn't "see" it for you to select - and you may find that it can be controlled (play, rewind etc) perfectly OK. Many applications can control the camcorder at the same time, unlike getting the DV signal.]

The fact it works with WMM is a little odd (i.e., may completely debunk what I said above!). It's not open when you are using the other apps, is it? Also, after you have captured with WMM, what do you do with it? Do you save it as a new file? If so, the default for WMM is WMV format, not DV.

[festmaster]

Your errors are almost likely to occur with any capture tool (even WinDV). They are symptomatic of some other program already having staked claim to the camcorder. Only one application can access the DV signal at any one time.

Culprits are usually Pinnacle and Nero "utilities" that get installed. Have a look in your system tray for anything like that.

Also included in that list is Sony's own capture utility which by default loads on start up. If you loaded the Sony software that came with your camcorder, you have already loaded a video capture utility. It's not bad, but I still prefer WinDV.

[ZaYoOoD]

Hi , thanks for the answers . The problem has gone , but it still remain with ULEAD program , maybe there's something wrong with it .
Anyway , the most important thing is the best capturing quality . I'm using SONY handycam ( Digital 8 ) - DCR TRV460E . I tried WinDV , but I found that it export the video with the same quality as WMM . It is a good quality , I'm only asking , is it the best , because I'm going to transfer alot of tapes to DVDs , and I don't want to find out after I finish that this wasn't the best quality .

Thanks alot ,
See ya .

[festmaster]

Capturing video off of a digital camera is really just a file transfer as there is no encoding taking place. Therefore, it is more precise to describe the performance of the capture software as to how error-free it is rather than the quality of its capture. If the audio is in sync and there are no artifacts on your captured video, you essentially have an error-free capture, which is by definition the best you can get. Looks like WMM and WinDV both work for you, so take your pick.

If you like Ulead for its editing and authoring functions, you can always use it with the files you capture with WMM or WinDV.