Mini DV to PC without quality loss

[Ben17]

I want to archive my Mini DV's onto my computer. What id like to archive is to get them onto my PC without any loss to the quality. I am aware that the size can be quite large so I will be keeping the archives on a external hard drive in their entirety, from there I will edit and put onto DVD as needed. So what is the best software to do this either free or purchased, I am not to fussed if I had to buy the software if their was to be a noticeable difference. The Mini DV would be transferred from the Camcorder via firewire to the PC.

Cheers

[hech54]

MiniDV to PC via Firewire is more like a "data transfer" than capture. There should be no difference between programs.

[edDV]

Free WinDV is all you need for a bit identical transfer from tape to file on the PC. Firewire transfer is a data stream to file process, not a file copy so it is possible to have frame loss. For this reason it is best to transfer to a drive that is not subject to OS interrupts (e.g. a second internal PATA/SATA drive). If you are using a single drive laptop, turn off anti-virus and other OS background tasks.