DV Camcorder - R U using your's to capture?

[vhelp]

Hello All !! !! !


It's ben a while since my last post. Ben away for about a
month and had many ups and downs in between. Got a lot of
VCD and SVCD experiments done, via Satalete captures and
DVD source, etc. I'm now on to DV stuff. It's good to be
back here Anyways...

I managed to get my hands (by accident while browsing around
in a computer store) on a DV camcorder for $199 (opened box
on display) I've ben thinking about this DV stuff for a while
and when I came accross this "catch" - heck, I just coudn't
pass this up!! But, heck, it's origonal price was $4xx something
And, i needed to treat myself to a new toy since I had such
a rocky month, bla, bla, bla...

I am looking to hear some of you's that use your DV cams to
* capture with (via Analog line-in) mine has it -- yeah!
* bad experiences
* tips
I would like to give this a go.

To get started in this endever, I have the following thus far:
* Canon ZR-10 (dv camcorder) ($199)
* SIIG, inc. - 1394 FireWire card w/ card & w/ home DV editng kit ($39)
* 2, 60min. TDK miniDV cassettes
* Windows 98 (not 98SE)

Unfortunately, this and everything else (software) required
windows 98SE, which I don't have!! I don't know/thing it is wise
enough to go out and get it ($89) just for this, when there's also
ME, 2000 and now, XP out there on the shelves.
* Is there anyother's I can use without the 98SE, or a workaround
this 98SE min. requirement??

And, no, I haven't given up on my current capture card method. Just
want to keep up in the tech., etc.

Thank you all for your support, etc.
-vhelp
outthere????? or can I get by with what I have, even if in a
limited capacity?????

[Rich927]

I use my DV Camcorder to capture old VHS tapes. My Sony Camcorder has firewire, svideo in/out and analog in/out. I also have a JVC SVHS VCR deck which has analog in/out and svideo in/out. I use the svideo out on deck to the svideo in on the camcorder. I get less generation loss My computer has firewire so now I can edit to my computer, make cd's etc.... I used to use a Matrox RainbowRunner capture card that captured in MJPEG format which had to be converted to MPG if I wanted to play back on another computer. The DV/Svideo/Firewire combination works ok for me.

[vhelp]

Rich927,

Thanks for your reply.

I finally found Pinnacle's Studio DV.
This doesn't require windows 98SE, though the box did say, in
paranthseys, w98 (windows 98SE recommended), ME or 2000.

So, I'm gonna give this a try. I'll keep the SIIG card and stuff
for now, and return if all works well for me with Studio DV.

S-DV has the 150MB per 60min. tape capture. I know that it's gonna
be fair to crappy quality transfers, but it's only temporary. And,
it seems better than the 18min. or 10min of video transfers per
segment (or however that works for other FW transfers)

My Canon ZR10 didn't come with the cables, so I ended up getting
a set of Monster cables from circuit city.

I'm curious...
* how do I hook up my VCR or Satalete to this unit
* and then view it on my 2.5" view screen?? or it doesn't work
that way??

Thanks for any responses.
-vhelp

[SkinnyDog]

I actually have the same question and was about to start a new post when read this one. I have dozens of old analog home movies I want to capture to digital and eventually burn to dvd (someday the dvd format wars will be over or at lease dvd+r drives will be sold in addition to dvd+rw (I'm not interested in dvd-r))

I've copied a couple of old vhs tapes to my Cannon ZR-20 using the composite in jacks and playing them back on the minidv tape on my 27 inch tv they look good. I haven't yet used the firewire out from the camcorder to capture it to my computer as an AVI file however. Using a digital camcorder as a solution for analog capturing seems far easier than using a video or tv capture card, selecting the screen size the bit rate etc. and playing around with these settings all in an effort to get a decent quality capture. I've done a search on this site and come up with only a couple relevant posts. The most interesting is:

http://forum.vcdhelp.com/viewtopic.php?t=78687&highlight=camcorder

The post startes off with one person describing this method as the ultimate solution for analog capture and then a few posts later swithches topics.
I'm very interested in anyone else's experiences with using their camcorder to capture analog video and especially their comments on how the quality compares to other capture solutions $500 or less.[/url]

[vhelp]

SkinnyDog,

since we both have the same DV cam, and mine didn't come with manual
and cables, ...

when you connected your VCR to the DV, which "AV in/out" port on the
canon did you use, ie,

* Did you use the one in the bottom front (S-Video in/out, DV in/out)
or, did you use the one on the side (yellow circle??)
* and, did you see any video in the 2.5" view screen???
* or do you have to put a DV tape inside the unit for this to work??

Thanks!
-vhelp

[David4Real]

Hey..I captured once with my camera (30 version of the canon)...I had an outta print lp speed tape that I played on a 2-head deck cause when I tried to play the tape on my super vhs deck with hollywood dv bridge to capture...it was getting static...etc..and other crap...

Well...longer story short...I was happy with the results..for converting to digital..but not enough to burn to a dvd-r. I mean it really also depends on the quality of the tape(source) itself. a transfer is a tranfer..but to actually digitally enhance a print. I know takes a helluva lot of time frame by frame by....

David

[vhelp]

ok, I managed to get my canon ZR10 to show my satalete signal in the
s-video and/or RCA ports, and the quality looks really good! ... on
the 2.5" screen.

Now, HOW do I get it to record???
It always shows the PAUSE on the top right corner of the 2.5" screen.

Thanks!
-vhelp

[vhelp]

ok,

I finally got it to work. I'm in the middle of recording the movie
"Speed".

I haven't yet connected my firewire card, but I can't wait to do this.
Too late at night for this, tanx to tenant below me.

Anyways, I will let you's all know what the quality is like (encoded to vcd/svcd)
when I get the chance (and maybe post a sample clip)

quality is greate on this tiny little 2.5" screen. What a toy!!

-vhelp

[vhelp]

Update. . .

I managed to get the unit to:
-----------------------------
* record to tape
* capture (transfer) via firewire to hardrive

My thought so far:
------------------
* Quality #1
sucks! Ok, it depends on the source, and the source's film quality
else, quality is GREAT! ben fiddeling around with this issue for
a while no. I think i have a better idea of how to get better quality
out of this unit combo. (DV avi)
* Quality #2
could be due to driver issues. The whole solomy isn't totataly installed
correctly. No drivers came w/ firewire card, or DV cam. I had to search
and search for ever for a drive (didn't even know I needed a "DV cam"
driver till I read soooooooo many articles via search engines)
* Quality #3
the 2.5" view screen looks great on my Satalete recordings via a Monster
cable, and S-Video. It looks like a duplicate of the Satalete. Sort
of line a "mini TIVO", but w/out the harddrive.

ISSUES:
--------
* The only thing that concirns me now, is not being able to hear any
SOUND. There's no sound! The unit records the sound to tape, and
tape will play sound (stero) fine, but once it goes via firewire, and
I try and encode it in tmpg, NO SOUND!!! Even in Virtual dub, it warns
me w/ message that DV-type 1 (or something) seporates it's sound (or
something like that) and therefore, will only present the video.

So, I'll be mostly consentrating on figuring out how to get the sound
to work in:
* tmpg
* virtual dub

I thought about putting a sample DV clip on my storage site, but i'm
not sure people would be interested in a clip w/out SOUNNNNNNNNNNNDDDD!!

DV.CAM.MPG

-vhelp

[vhelp]

Update. . .
.
.
.

VCD sample -> get it here: <<vcd.dv.zr-10.0119.mpg>>
SVCD sample -> get it here: N/A at this time, but soon

Burn to CD and play on your TV. Looks great!
However, if you must play on your PC, use WinDVD 3.0 It shows the
BEST quality, anything else may show blocks! ...maybe.

SOME NOTES TO FOLLOW:
---------------------
All my DV Cam endevers (research, etc. ) have taken it's tole on me.
I've pretty much worn myself out on this DV stuff. A lot of the info
I gathered (in my head mostly) is just for that - in my head, and will
stay there. Since this is still NEW teritory here on this forum, I'll
keep as much of my DV talk to a minimum, so not to add to more confusion
here on this forum. its enough that people are still waddeling through
with ATI's real-time mpeg, and dazzle hardware mpeg, vcd's and svcd's
and so much more. And, now DV? I'll let someone else take the stand
on this one. I still have some more issues, but one main one is the
sound. I stil can't figure out why Virtualdub and tmpg will not include
my audio/sound. And, nobody here knows the answer. still, more confusion.
Not looking to be the king on DV here.

So far, the majority of my Satalete caps via my DV cam/firewire and final
encode to vcd has ben great. As for SVCD - wow! Pretty dam good on good
quality source films from my satalete. MTV/VH1/CMT/MUCHMUSIC all look
great! give or take a little, but I have to tune the quality a little.

I'm starting to like and see the benefit of actually taping to DV tape.
I can always go back real quick if i have to, or make a mistake. If I
were to do a direct pass-through capture, i'd loose any chance of redoing
from tape. So, DEFinately go with recording to DV tape when you start
your DV projects. I highly recommend this step!!

if I get a chance, tommorow (3/12/02) i'll give the VHS thing a go to see
what kind of quality I can get. though I think it will be the same as
an AVI capture vs. firewire

Well, I think that this will be it for me on DV for now. w/ the issues I still have (audio) but quality is nicked. Maybe i'll make a comment or too as I feel up to it, but that's about it. Well, who knows.

Ok, I'm very tired (its 3:51am)
Nity, night all

-vhelp

[energy80s]

This is all very interesting ....

I was just about to start experimenting with this myself, except I haven't got a clue about DV & firwaire capture!

I have tried straight VHS captures with my ATI card but the quality is dreadful so I was thinking of using the VHS-DV-Firewire-Hard Drive route as a more viable alternative. I have access to a mini Dv camacorder in work (a Sony PD150) and was about to buy a firewire card for my PC, but would like some info on just how to do the transfers. I don't see anything on this site (apart from this thread of course!).

So basically i need to know ...

Do I need any special software to access the camcorder though firewire?
Do I need any special software to convert the .dv file to an .avi file (or is this done automatically)?
Will Virtual Dub recognise the raw capture file?
Is there a plugin for VDub if it doesn't recognise the file initially?

I don't need to edit the DV files as such, just "top and tail" them, so I really don't want to go to the hassle of learning Adobe Premiere or Ulead Mediastudio when I won't be using it for anything else. Oh and does the Windows 2gig / 4 gig file limit cause any problems with firewire captures or is there a workaround for it? I'm using Win98se and WON'T be changing it!! The processor is an AMD 1600 XP and the hard drives are 5400rpm Western Digital 60 gigs. Any help would be appreciated.

Rodney.

[tinycorkscrew]

1. You will need "special software." I use Adobe Premiere sometimes, but there's a very basic freeware program called DVIO that performs best for me. It has an incredibly small footprint - I think the size of the executable is 64k or so - and uses much fewer system resources than Premiere.

The Windows Movie Maker that is part of Windows ME and XP will capture from a DV cam, but will only make WMV files. The quality of the WMV files is very good.

2. DV files are .avi files. No need to convert to avi. There are two types of DV avi files, though. One interleaves the audio with the video (Type 1), the other separates the audio and video into distinct streams (Type 2). Applications might work with Type 2 but not Type 1 (or vice versa?)

3. I never use Virtual Dub, but I seem to recall trying to open a DV .avi and being unable to do so. I don't believe Virtual Dub supports DV.

4. If you're going to stick with Win98, the file size limit will be a problem. DV = 3.6mb per second, so you won't be able to capture more than 18 minutes or so until you hit the 4gb limit.

5. I have a WD 60gb 5400 rpm hard drive. It is not fast enough to capture DV without dropping frames. DV capture is almost completely dependent on the hard drive. Processor speed is relatively unimportant when capturing DV; my brother-in-law has a 400mhz PII and does fine.

[SingSing]

I have a WD 60gb 5400 rpm hard drive. It is not fast enough to capture DV without dropping frames. DV capture is almost completely dependent on the hard drive. Processor speed is relatively unimportant when capturing DV

DV capture over firewire is digital communication like modem.
Why should quality have anything to do with harddisk speed or processor speed ? It should never drop frame, just take longer.

Have you actually notice dropping frame, how ?

[tinycorkscrew]

No, it's not like digital communication via modem.

Your hard drive has to be able to keep up with the 3.6mb/sec transmission to avoid dropping frames.

Yes, I have experienced dropped frames with 4200rpm and 5400rpm hard drives. Even a 15,000rpm SCSI drive can drop frames if not defragmented first.

The quality of a DV avi is the same no matter what the computer's specifications. However, if the computer's hard drive cannot keep up with the 3.6mb/sec requirement, there will be dropped frames.

How can I make that any clearer?

[vhelp]

Just here (home) for lunch.
Am feeling a little better, less drained. Lastnight, I was
pretty bushed, so sorry about sounding a bit dreary in my
late a.m. post!

Ok, as far as frame dropps...here are some thoughts that may
help to narrow down the quality (blocks) issues.
I think that this may be rather confusing but. . .
* Tape brand AND grade quality . . .I found this out!
* any movments on the cam . . .I had it in my hands bouncing
around and in my lap bouncing around while I was typing, etc.

Still got my wheels turning on the audio issue. Have some
ideas to try out later on.

Questions for ya's above ta answer:
* was the picture (above) clear enough, quality'wise ? ? ?
* have any of U's d/l'ed my sample clip and compared it to
your encodes from DV ? ? ?
* what did you think of the quality ? ? ?
* was it worse than yours, or better, or just plain crap!?!?

I'll be leaving for work in 10 minutes or so.
-vhelp

[tinycorkscrew]

To keep things are clear as possible:

1. Dropped frames have nothing to do with macroblocks. If the picture is blocky, it's not because of dropped frames.

2. I'm not sure about whether the Canon ZR-10 can do pass-through conversion or not, but you should try. Hook up your source (satellite in your case) to your camcorder, and then connect the camcorder to the computer via firewire. Turn your camcorder on (on my Sony, I turn the VTR/camera switch to VTR). Your DV capture program should be able to record the satellite signal now without putting it on tape first. That way you skip the step of recording to DV tape, and you don't have to worry about the quality of the DV tape.

3. As far as the audio issue, try capturing Type 2 .avi's instead of Type 1. If your software only captures as Type 1, use DVIO. You can get it here:

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Office/7844/dvcapchoice.htm

4. The sample MPG looks fine. Understand that your camera does the conversion from analog to DV itself. AFAIK, there are no settings to change or mess with. The quality of the MPG that you make from the DV avi will depend solely on the settings of your encoder and will have nothing to do with the DV capture process itself.

[vhelp]

Late night all.

New UPDATE...
-------------

I finally figure out how to get my audio part working!!
* I got tmpg to accept the DV video/audio file
* And, also got the DV video/audio to work in VirtualDub
* also found to play on pc. Quality is awsome! No loss!

We are back in business in frameserving! Yeah!!!

Told ya I don't give up so easily!
I'm extra happy because I figure it out on my own!
...not visiting websites and searchengnes, though I saw many!
and not having someone share their answer.
...those tight asses, he,he...

ALSO:
-----
I gotta say... when I played the DV tapes, quality is soo good.
..so good, at full resolution. It's so Satalete'ish looking.
Now, to continue in my DVcamToVCD/SVCD endeavors.

I'm going to DV tape Star Trek Voyager "Endgame" tonight.
Can't wait to check it out. oh baby!!

Looks like i'll have ta change my silent sample to now audio sample.

-vhelp

[energy80s]

Hi VHelp, could you tell me the settings needed for getting VDub/TMPG to recognise a DV file.

[Haps13]

My method so far seems to be to capture DV using Premiere. Once captured I can open in Vdub by using a .avs file with the directdrawsource(path) thing. I can then frameserve to TMPGenc.

However, when I do that I get no audio in Vdub. So it looks like I have to strip out the audio in Premiere and put it back in in TmpGenc(haven't tried it yet).

I have also had success using the CCE plugin for premiere to convert my captured DV video.

[tinycorkscrew]

Haps13 -

Why don't you just frameserve directly from Premiere to TMPGEnc? It works just fine for me.

[Haps13]

I tried frameserving from Premiere using the avisynth plugin and had no succcess.

The end result that I will end up using as my method is capture to Premiere and export using the CCE Plugin. Once I figured it out it's a nice easy two step process.

[Patric]

Guys

You can open a DV stream into VDub. No need to look for work-arounds.

All you have to do is to install the panasonic dv codec, that's it!

You can download the codec from here:

www.panasonic.co.jp/avc/video/DIGICAM/mdv/downl.htm
(at the bottom is a green download button).

Under Windows 98SE/ME: extract codec and install file pdvcodec.dll in directory windows\system. Then enter entry "vidc.dvsd=pdvcodec.dll" into the file system.ini under [drivers32].

Cheers

Pat

[vhelp]

Update: "my latest endeavers"
---------------------------------------------


Encoders:
----------
TMPG:
I've ben using TMPG, and Virtualdub. I've also noticed that so
far, feeding the DV avi file directly to TMPG will give you the
best quality output, but I'm still debating this w/ myself.
CCE:
I've ben able to get the DV avi file to work, go figure, but I
just can't seem to figure out why I can't get audio.
I've also tried vflavi plugin, but that doens't seem to do anything
either. STill, I get video playing but no audio. If I encode
w/ tmpg, I get video and audio.

Question for the guru's out there on "min/ave/max" settings
for tmpg and cce.

* in some of my latest encodes (which I'm continuing to use)
i've ben playing around with cqvbr and using a Q of 65.
however, when I open the final mpg file in bitrate viewer,
it tells give me these values,
Peak: 3039
Aver: 2692

I'm comfused about why it averaged at 2692, when I said 2120 for my
min, and it peaked at a high 3039, when my max was at 2520.
Maybe the Q of 65 has something to do with it, but I haven't really
seen any changes, but I have to continue trying to figure this one out.
Q is confusing. For a moment, I was begining to think that Q is "average"
but I guess I'm wrong on this.

I'm trying to stay withing the SVCD (xsvcd) limits w/out going
any higher than 100K or so of the svcd specs.

Is there any special way of utilizing these min/max/ave properly?

Thank you all for your support

-vhelp

[gehct]

hi
I'm trying to do the same thing using my zr20 - I was just wondering if it's possible to skip the save to tape step and just run through the dv camera and out the firewire port
thanks

[noob]

Hmmm i am surprised you got your firewire card to recognise your camera using win98 op sys.
I had loads of problems till i switched to win 98se now i have no problems at all and quality rox from various sources ... all i need now is a dvd writer as i am still not entirely happy with the svcd ..

[vhelp]

gehct,

No - not for the zr10 or zr20 (or less) though the zr25 and
over does.

I am now satisfied w/ using my ZR-10 with a firewire card
under Windows 98 (not SE) for my video xSVCD/CVD encodes
now that I've got a handle on the color washout issues that's
ben plaiging me in the past.

About the only advise I can give you all is...
* don't use the MS DV codec, cause quality, from what I've ben
reading here, is NOT satisfactory! Instead, D/L the Main Concepts
DV codec and install it and use it for you decoding part, ie, when
you load your DV avi file into an editor, such as vdub.
This is the codec I use in all my video encoding projects to
date - till something else better comes along

Oh, and as always, look for my sample clips I'm always posting here
or there or at my website.

-vhelp

[jbarr]

vhelp,

You mention a file (vcd.dv.zr-10.0119.rar) on your web site. Obviously, you have removed this file, but you also have another one (0512.dv.stan.vcd.rar) posted there.

I downloaded it, un-rar'd it, and burned it to a VCD using Nero. The resulting VCD quality was GREAT! I am truely impressed!

Concerning the clip, I do have some questions:

• What was your video source? (cable, satellite, etc.)
• What did you use to capture? (hardware, software)
• Did you record to MiniDV tape then transfer to PC or did you do a direct-to-PC capture?
• What did you use to convert to MPEG?
• The scene plays letterboxed, and the image itself is a but "squashed". Is this typical of this type of DV capture or is it a result of some conversion to MPEG filtering? Can you explain this?

I am this close <<holding fingers REALLY close together>> to purchasing a Canon ZR45MC MiniDV camcorder to do VHS to DV and 8mm film to DV captures. I am curious to know if my results will approach the quality of that clip.

Thanks!!!!!

-Jim

[vhelp]

evening/Lnight jbarr,

(this was from last night, 05.15.02, but my machine crashed, and I called
it a night)

>> What was your video source? (cable, satellite, etc.)
Satalite (DirecTV, they use MPEG-2)

>> What did you use to capture? (hardware, software)
my Canon ZR-10 DV cam. I recorded to miniDV tapes and later, I encode them.
* I TRANSfered them to my HD vie firewire.

>> Did you record to MiniDV tape then transfer to PC or did you do a
>> direct-to-PC capture?
Yes, I used miniDV tapes, and
Yes, I TRANSfered to hd via firewire

>> What did you use to convert to MPEG?
tmpg
in the example, sample clip you D/L'd, I used this method:
vdub -> avisynth -> vdub -> tmpg!!!
...why? cause when I am jugling around file to test encode (dozens of them)
I don't have the patiance to jump around all the time. This method above
works for me and I'm on the go, and have no patiance and want to try out
quick ideas w/ filtering via avisynth. It's a crude method/process, but really,
it works great, though a bit SLOWWW.
WHen I do an actual encoding project, the above method is NOT used.
Heck, the sample clip you saw w/ your own eyes came out good, and so the
above method doesn't really kill the quality of the encode, though some
would prob. argue here. It's just easier for me to juggle ideas around
using this method. The more your add frameserving, the slower encoding becomes.
This is just a little secret or technique I use, and I'm just sharing it with
you all here.

>> LETTERBOX
As I've stated elsewhere in a different thread. . .
My encodes are usually letterboxed because I've learned to like it, though
not too long ago I stated that I didn't like it. ...go figure. But, you do
get used to the letterbox look, and the scrunched look doesn't look so
scrunched after all. So far, I like it at this time. Trust me, you'll get
or can get used to it if you have an open mind. Before you know it, you don't
notice it anymore and it become common to you.
But, it is NOT tipicle of DV - - so don't worry about!!

* I see you are planning on doing some VHS and even 8mm projects. Have you seen
ANY sample clips based on VHS by any chance ? ? ? ? ?
Let me know.
* Have you tried doing any VHS encodes? ? ?
* and, what was your experience or quality ? ? ?

Other things to note, I've posted at another thread:
>> TEMPLATE
* no special template used here. just your tipicle VideoCD
>> BURNing
* I use Nero 5.5.3.5 - - no other burner.
* I use both [x]Compliance on and off, and both successful VCD
* I use both CDRW and CDR medias, and they both work fine, using an IOMagic
CDRW drive 16x10x32
* NO DVD BURNERS HERE. CAN'T AFFORD ONE.
* NO DVD burning option in my version of nero.
>> DVD player
* Apex AD-1500
>> TV size
* 13"

I will be posting another sample clip shortly. I post a NEW one every day.
(or almost)

-vhelp

[vhelp]

Hello all. (late night)

in addition to my prev. sample clip, here is another one I just
did. Feel free to D/L it and by all means, please comment on
your opinion of either one.

SAMPLE CLIPS - these are standard VideoCD format - :
----------------------------------------------------
1 - 0512
2 - 0516


Thank you.
.
.
Also, if anyone would like for me to do a VHS (movie) of any
title they have in mind, let me know, and I'll do a quick 10sec cap
and encode to either of your choice:
* VCD / xVCD
* SVCD / xSVCD
* CVD
...for you to test in YOUR dvd player.
Please use WinDVD 3.0 for smooth, blockless/artifact'less viewing!!

-vhelp

[jbarr]

vhelp: Thanks for the info!!! I'll check out your samples...

Well, it's been a busy couple days. I purchased a Canon ZR45MC MiniDV camcorder on Wednesday, and finally got around to playing with it last night (did I mention I have been busy!?!) I also purchased a Pinnacle Studio 7 DV board (included the capture/editing software.) Yes, I could have gotten a cheaper board, but locally, that was the only board that was specifically labelled as being compatible with Windows XP.

The FireWire board installed without any hitches, and the Pinnacle Software installed with no problems. I downloaded the latest drivers and software updates, and everything looks great. Next, I connected a VCR to the camcorder, and connected the camcorder to the PC via FireWire. This part was really cool. When I turned on the camcorder, Windows XP popped up a box saying that it found new hardware and "suggested" to use the Pinnacle software. Very nice! I clicked on the Pinnacle software, clicked on the "capture" tab, and there was the preview screen with live video (I had pressed "Play" prior to that on my VCR, so a live signal was already there.)

In under a half hour, I had captured a 5 minute video clip from VHS (no frame loss!), added a title with a fade transition, added a "The End" scene with a fading transition, did a "Make Movie" to render it in MPEG-1 VCD format, and than burned it to a VCD with Nero. Mind you, I have never used Studio 7 before, and I didn't read the manual. Very cool!

The only glitch that I had was that I got bored near the end of the render process, and opened a couple windows. This extra activity seems threw off the audio sync at that point. (I checked the .avi, and it was in sync.) So, first lesson learned: turn off the screen saver, shut down the web and FTP servers, and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING until the rendering is done! (Maybe, I could set up a "user" that would be devoted to video capture/editing that only has minimal services and background stuff running.) Also, my HDD is a Maxtor 5400 RPM 40GB drive. No doubt, adding a second, faster drive devoted to just capture data, would improve performance and reliability.

OK, obviously I was using all default settings for everything, and I admit that the final quality could definatly use some tweaking, but when I view the original .avi from the DV capture, it looks GREAT! Studio 7 will probably not be the final program I use, and in the future, I have no problem with trying out vDub or tmpg or anything else. I just wanted to quickly plow through Studio 7 to see how easy this could be.

Oh, so much playing to do and so little time!!!