Confused beginner needs help.

[Trimegisto]

I just bought a Sony DCR-TRV33E and now I want to make the most of it. I’ve read the FAQ and some of the threads here but I still have some questions,

1-Capturing via the USB link, in terms of quality, is exactly the same as doing it via a firewire card? Digital data is the same, it’s just a question of speed, right?

2-I think that CCE is the best MPEG-2 encoder so I want to use it to encode my home movies and to create my DVDs. How should I do it?
a) capture a DV file in native form? How? Mainconcept 1.4 has this option but is this the best way? What about Virtual dub?
b) Can I feed the DV (.avi) file directly to CCE? Must I use Avysinth scripts?

I’ve read a lot about DV decoders but do I really need to use them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Richard_G]

1-Capturing via the USB link, in terms of quality, is exactly the same as doing it via a firewire card? Digital data is the same, it’s just a question of speed, right?

No, The USB port on the camcorder is only USB 1.1 which is too slow for video. It only allows the transfer of low resolution, webcam type video and stills. To transfer full frame, decent quality video, you need to use Firewire (about £20 for a pci card).

I’ve read a lot about DV decoders but do I really need to use them?

You do if you want to be able to view your transferred video. The camcorder converts the video stream into DV format, you then transfer that DV format file to your hard disk. If you haven't got a DV codec installed, you won't be able to decode it to watch it. Most people reckon the Panasonic one is one of the best.

Virtualdub doesn't work with DV. To convert and author to DVD format, your easiest option is to use something that does everything. Try downloading the trial of Ulead DVD Factory or DVD workshop. These do the whole job from capturing to burning rather than getting yourself very confused by using lots of different tools to do each stage of the process. Some people prefer to have greater control over each stage of the process, but I would recommend you start with the simplest option.

[whomacuddy]

In refererence to the USB , you will find that the video has to be compressed by the device to fit through the link , USB can only transfer about 1.5 Megabytes per second unless it's USB 2 and that results in lower quality video when compared to the 14 Megabyte per second achievable by Firewire .