Dropped frames and runtimes

[kippard]

Do dropped frames mean the file is short time for those missing frames? I have two hour long camera angles and they don't stay in sync (if you sync the two at the beginning it's off at the end and visa versa). Thank you!

[daamon]

I presume, from the forum you posted in, that you're transferring from DV or HDV cams to PC via firewire?

[kippard]

Correct. Thanks.

[daamon]

What software are you using to do the transfer? WinDV? Premiere? etc.

[guns1inger]

You are assuming that both cameras are perfectly calibrated to each other and therefore recording at exactly the same speed. This is highly unlikely, and there is a good chance that the videos will drift over time.

However if you are dropping frames then you will definitely get sync issues.

[kippard]

I'm using Premiere Pro. It's interesting that the timing of two DV cameras can differ. Thanks again!

[guns1inger]

I would try WinDV for transferring. Less overheads on the system.

[daamon]

I'm using Premiere Pro. It's interesting that the timing of two DV cameras can differ. Thanks again!

I agree with guns1inger - WinDV is a better choice.

If you think about it, cameras - even the exact same models - are mechanically based and so can be slightly different. Assume that there's a 1% difference in the running speed due to slight mechanical gearing differences and the like. Over 1 hour (60 mins x 60 secs = 3,600 seconds) that's an error of 36 seconds. Even if it was 0.1% it'd still be 3.6 seconds.

[kippard]

Yup-yup. Thanks!

[danielheldman]

Kippard,

Can you tell us more about your gear.
When dropping frame occurs, usually, it is your hard drive can not catch up with the transfer rate requirement of your footage.

[kippard]

7200 rpm video only drive, 1.3Ghz and 512 DDR RAM - enough for DV. If I had used WinDV and done a defrag I probably would not have dropped frames (lost like 7 over an hour - thought that'd be OK and moved ahead w/ my edit). Thanks!