Is WinDV the best for transferring from camera to computer?

[garybeck]

Hi

A while ago I asked this question and people seemed to indicate that WinDV is the best program for transferring videos from my (Canon) MiniDV camera to my computer. People said it is a direct transfer with no change to the source.

However I've been looking at the video closely while it's transferring. I can see it in the preview window on the computer and on the camera viewer, at the same time.

there definitely are differences between the source what I see on the screen (and resulting AVI file and/or DVD I burn). Two main things:

1) the source is much brighter. I thought maybe it was just the brightness on my monitor I needed to adjust. however i have it on the highest setting and the video is still much darker than the original.

2) when an object in the video moves quickly, I can see these strange lines in the object. It's like the object turns into a bunch of horizontal lines, alternating transapant and opaque, as it moves. it happens very quickly, but I can see it.

3) the sharpneess appears better on the original. It could just be the decreased brightness that's making it look blurrier. not sure, but it looks sharper.


so is there another way to get better video transfers to my computer? As I understand, it's digital video on my camera, so I should be able to get the virtually the same thing transferred to my computer, right?

any advice is appreciated!!
thanks
gary in vermont

[jagabo]

1) Computer monitors are not TVs. They display video with darker colors.

2) The interlace comb artifacts are exactly what's on your DV tape. The display on your camcorder is hiding them from you.

3) The screen on the the camcorder is smaller so it looks sharper.

WinDV is getting exactly what's on the DV tape.

[stantheman1976]

1) The image always looks brigther on my viewfinder while transferring and I have a few different cameras. Images will usually look different between displays.

2) You're seeing interlacing lines. This is normal on a PC monitor. DV is interlaced, monitors are progressive. Those lines will not appear on your final video on a TV.

3) Never trust what you see on your monitor as the final result. Monitors have a much higher resolution than TV and will not look as sharp.

WinDV is not better or worse than any other software. It's just a single program that serves a specific purpose of transferring DV video from and/or to a camera. You are transferring 0's and 1's so the information is not changing at all. The image just looks different because you're going from one type of display to another. If you transferred with any other program it will be the same.

[garybeck]

You are transferring 0's and 1's so the information is not changing at all. The image just looks different because you're going from one type of display to another. If you transferred with any other program it will be the same.

So there isn't even any type of conversion or decoding going on?

[aedipuss]

none

[jagabo]

The raw DV stream is being captured by the computer and placed in an AVI container. The DV in the AVI container is the exact same data that is on the DV tape.

[edDV]

You are transferring 0's and 1's so the information is not changing at all. The image just looks different because you're going from one type of display to another. If you transferred with any other program it will be the same.

So there isn't even any type of conversion or decoding going on?

The conversion you see is the preview for your computer monitor. WinDV limits preview quality to ensure a proper data transfer. Your display card and settings determine what you see on the computer monitor. The true test is to encode the DV-AVI file to DVD MPeg2 and view on a TV.

[halsboss]

I have a Canon MV920 and use WinDV all the time. I capture to type-1 avi and then run scripts to denoise and convert the audio and the video into separate streams ready for DVD authoring with another program. I'm in PAL country, so the DV camera capture is PAL DV 720x576 25fps interlaced BFF (bottom field first). The programs I use are ffmpeg to convert the audio, avisynth (with various plugins downloaded) to denoise etc and feed into HC as the best free mpeg2 encoder in the world.

Unfortunately, the Canon MV920 doesn't have a built-in light source, so very cloudy or indoor shots tend to have moderate noise and indoor shots at night have a *lot* of noise.

In case it's of use to you, here's the scripts etc (reduced in viewing size so line-wrapping doesn't muck it up):

1. The batch file

echo on
REM Source G:\CAPTURE\
REM Dest G:\CAPTURE\
"C:\SOFTWARE\ffmpeg\ffmpeg.exe" -i "G:\CAPTURE\the-avi-file.avi" -ab 192k -ar 48000 -ac 2 -acodec mp2 -y "G:\CAPTURE\the-avi-file.mp2"
"C:\SOFTWARE\ffmpeg\ffmpeg.exe" -i "G:\CAPTURE\the-avi-file.avi" -ab 192k -ar 48000 -ac 2 -acodec ac3 -y "G:\CAPTURE\the-avi-file.ac3"
"C:\SOFTWARE\HC\HCenc_022.exe" -ini "G:\CAPTURE\the-avi-file.ini"

2. the .ini file with settings used by HC

*INFILE G:\CAPTURE\the-avi-file.avs 
*OUTFILE G:\CAPTURE\the-avi-file.mpv 
*INTERLACED 
*BFF 
*LOGFILE G:\CAPTURE\the-avi-file.log 
*PROFILE BEST 
*ASPECT 16:9 
*BIAS 30 
*BITRATE 9200 
*MAXBITRATE 9400 
*LASTIFRAME 
*AUTOGOP 15 
*PULLDOWN 
*CLOSEDGOPS 
*DC_PREC 9 
*CQ_MAXBITRATE 2 
*MATRIX MPEG

3. the avisynth .avs file to do denoising etc... I edit it to try different settings depending on the nature of the clip.

#SetMemoryMax(256)
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\AGC.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\Cnr2.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\fft3dfilter.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\degrainmedian.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\MVTOOLS.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\WarpSharp.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\aWarpSharp.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\MaskTools.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\mt_masktools.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\RemoveGrain.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\RemoveGrainSSE2.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\Repair.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\RepairSSE2.dll")
#LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\RemoveDirt.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins-dcw\RemoveDirtSSE2.dll")
Import("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\LimitedSharpenFaster.avsi")
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FRAMERATE=25
WIDTH=720
HEIGHT=576
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AviSource("G:\CAPTURE\the-avi-file.avi", audio=false)
AssumeFPS(25)
AssumeBFF()
original=LAST
W2=width()/2
h2=height()/2
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# CLIP STABILIZATION
# Nah, grab the code and insert it when i need it
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# start of denoising interlaced BFF choices
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# ------- THIS IS THE CANON MV920 COMBINATION FOR light NOISE -------
# # plane=4 = luma and chroma together
#FFT3DFilter(sigma=2.5, plane=4, sharpen=1.0, degrid=1.0, interlaced=TRUE)
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# ------- THIS IS THE CANON MV920 COMBINATION FOR moderate NOISE -------
FFT3DFilter(sigma=2.5, plane=0, sharpen=1.0, degrid=1.0, interlaced=TRUE) # luma first
# chroma next with more filtering
FFT3DFilter(sigma=6, plane=3, sharpen=1.0, degrid=1.0, interlaced=TRUE)
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# ------- THIS IS THE CANON MV920 LOW-LIGHT COMBINATION FOR SEVERE NOISE -------
#FFT3DFilter(sigma=4, plane=0, sharpen=1.0, degrid=1.0, interlaced=TRUE) # luma first
# chroma next with more filtering
#FFT3DFilter(sigma=8, plane=3, sharpen=1.0, degrid=1.0, interlaced=TRUE)
#DeGrainMedian(limitY=5,limitUV=7,mode=0,interlace d=TRUE)
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# ------- THIS IS THE ALTERNATE CANON MV920 LOW-LIGHT COMBINATION FOR SEVERE NOISE -------
# DeGrainMedian BIG grain removal
#DeGrainMedian(limitY=5,limitUV=7,mode=0, interlaced=TRUE)
# Lesser but strong grain removal, on top if it needs it
#DeGrainMedian(limitY=2,limitUV=3,mode=1, interlaced=TRUE)
#DeGrainMedian(limitY=2,limitUV=3,mode=1, interlaced=TRUE)
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# ------- ALTERNATIVELY, FOR THE CANON MV920 LOW-LIGHT COMBINATION FOR SEVERE NOISE -------
# ------- DEINTERLACE AND USE MVDEGRAIN3 ETC THEN REINTERLACE - GRAB THE CODE ELSEWHERE -------
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# LIGHTEN IT ALL UP (process interlaced fields separately as AGC needs it that way)
# if no lightening up, comment out the LAST.SeparateFields() and Weave() too
LAST.SeparateFields()
# --- start choices - only one of the following ... I generally use the last or 2ns last one ---
#HDRAGC(coef_gain=1.0, coef_sat=1.0)
#HDRAGC(coef_gain=0.1, coef_sat=1.0)
#HDRAGC(coef_gain=0.2, coef_sat=1.0, corrector=0.8, reducer=2.0)
#HDRAGC(coef_gain=0.2, min_gain=0.1, max_gain=1.0, coef_sat=1.0, corrector=0.8, reducer=2.0)
#HDRAGC(coef_gain=0.2, min_gain=0.1, max_gain=1.0, coef_sat=1.0, corrector=0.8, reducer=2.0, black_clip=0.5)
#HDRAGC(coef_gain=0.1, min_gain=0.2, max_gain=1.0, coef_sat=1.0, corrector=0.8, reducer=2.0, black_clip=1.0)
HDRAGC(coef_gain=0.1, min_gain=0.1, max_gain=0.3, coef_sat=1.0, corrector=0.8, reducer=2.0, black_clip=1.0)
# --- end choice ... I generally use the last or 2ns last one ---
Weave()
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#ScriptClip("""subtitle("Clip Frame " + string(current_frame),size=30)""")
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#ScriptClip("""subtitle("LAST " + string(current_frame),size=30)""")
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
L = LAST
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Now choose what to output - uncomment just one of the following
#--- start choices of what to output... just L means the processed clip only.
#dcwBox2(original,"original",L,"processed") ++ dcwBox2(L,"processed",original,"original")
#dcwBox4(original,"original",L,"processed") ++ dcwBox4(L,"processed",original,"original")
#dcwBox8(original,"original",L,"processed") ++ dcwBox8(L,"processed",original,"original")
L
#--- end choices of what to output... just L means the processed clip only.
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Converttoyv12() # to ensure colourspace is right for input to HC
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Function dcwBox2(Clip a, string asub, Clip b, string bsub) {
hClip = a.height()
wClip = a.width()
stackvertical(stackhorizontal(a.crop(0*wClip/2,0*hClip/2,-1*wClip/2,-1*hClip/2).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(1*wClip/2,0*hClip/2,-0*wClip/2,-1*hClip/2).subtitle(bSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(b.crop(0*wClip/2,1*hClip/2,-1*wClip/2,-0*hClip/2).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(1*wClip/2,1*hClip/2,-0*wClip/2,-0*hClip/2).subtitle(aSub,size=10)))
}
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Function dcwBox4(Clip a, string asub, Clip b, string bsub) {
hClip = a.height()
wClip = a.width()
stackvertical(stackhorizontal(a.crop(0*wClip/4,0*hClip/4,-3*wClip/4,-3*hClip/4).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(1*wClip/4,0*hClip/4,-2*wClip/4,-3*hClip/4).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(2*wClip/4,0*hClip/4,-1*wClip/4,-3*hClip/4).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(3*wClip/4,0*hClip/4,-0*wClip/4,-3*hClip/4).subtitle(bSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(b.crop(0*wClip/4,1*hClip/4,-3*wClip/4,-2*hClip/4).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(1*wClip/4,1*hClip/4,-2*wClip/4,-2*hClip/4).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(2*wClip/4,1*hClip/4,-1*wClip/4,-2*hClip/4).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(3*wClip/4,1*hClip/4,-0*wClip/4,-2*hClip/4).subtitle(aSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(a.crop(0*wClip/4,2*hClip/4,-3*wClip/4,-1*hClip/4).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(1*wClip/4,2*hClip/4,-2*wClip/4,-1*hClip/4).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(2*wClip/4,2*hClip/4,-1*wClip/4,-1*hClip/4).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(3*wClip/4,2*hClip/4,-0*wClip/4,-1*hClip/4).subtitle(bSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(b.crop(0*wClip/4,3*hClip/4,-3*wClip/4,-0*hClip/4).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(1*wClip/4,3*hClip/4,-2*wClip/4,-0*hClip/4).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(2*wClip/4,3*hClip/4,-1*wClip/4,-0*hClip/4).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(3*wClip/4,3*hClip/4,-0*wClip/4,-0*hClip/4).subtitle(aSub,size=10)))
}
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Function dcwBox8(Clip a, string asub, Clip b, string bsub) {
hClip = a.height()
wClip = a.width()
stackvertical(stackhorizontal(a.crop(0*wClip/8,0*hClip/8,-7*wClip/8,-7*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(1*wClip/8,0*hClip/8,-6*wClip/8,-7*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(2*wClip/8,0*hClip/8,-5*wClip/8,-7*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(3*wClip/8,0*hClip/8,-4*wClip/8,-7*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(4*wClip/8,0*hClip/8,-3*wClip/8,-7*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(5*wClip/8,0*hClip/8,-2*wClip/8,-7*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(6*wClip/8,0*hClip/8,-1*wClip/8,-7*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(7*wClip/8,0*hClip/8,-0*wClip/8,-7*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(b.crop(0*wClip/8,1*hClip/8,-7*wClip/8,-6*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(1*wClip/8,1*hClip/8,-6*wClip/8,-6*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(2*wClip/8,1*hClip/8,-5*wClip/8,-6*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(3*wClip/8,1*hClip/8,-4*wClip/8,-6*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(4*wClip/8,1*hClip/8,-3*wClip/8,-6*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(5*wClip/8,1*hClip/8,-2*wClip/8,-6*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(6*wClip/8,1*hClip/8,-1*wClip/8,-6*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(7*wClip/8,1*hClip/8,-0*wClip/8,-6*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(a.crop(0*wClip/8,2*hClip/8,-7*wClip/8,-5*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(1*wClip/8,2*hClip/8,-6*wClip/8,-5*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(2*wClip/8,2*hClip/8,-5*wClip/8,-5*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(3*wClip/8,2*hClip/8,-4*wClip/8,-5*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(4*wClip/8,2*hClip/8,-3*wClip/8,-5*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(5*wClip/8,2*hClip/8,-2*wClip/8,-5*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(6*wClip/8,2*hClip/8,-1*wClip/8,-5*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(7*wClip/8,2*hClip/8,-0*wClip/8,-5*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(b.crop(0*wClip/8,3*hClip/8,-7*wClip/8,-4*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(1*wClip/8,3*hClip/8,-6*wClip/8,-4*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(2*wClip/8,3*hClip/8,-5*wClip/8,-4*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(3*wClip/8,3*hClip/8,-4*wClip/8,-4*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(4*wClip/8,3*hClip/8,-3*wClip/8,-4*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(5*wClip/8,3*hClip/8,-2*wClip/8,-4*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(6*wClip/8,3*hClip/8,-1*wClip/8,-4*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(7*wClip/8,3*hClip/8,-0*wClip/8,-4*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(a.crop(0*wClip/8,4*hClip/8,-7*wClip/8,-3*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(1*wClip/8,4*hClip/8,-6*wClip/8,-3*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(2*wClip/8,4*hClip/8,-5*wClip/8,-3*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(3*wClip/8,4*hClip/8,-4*wClip/8,-3*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(4*wClip/8,4*hClip/8,-3*wClip/8,-3*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(5*wClip/8,4*hClip/8,-2*wClip/8,-3*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(6*wClip/8,4*hClip/8,-1*wClip/8,-3*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(7*wClip/8,4*hClip/8,-0*wClip/8,-3*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(b.crop(0*wClip/8,5*hClip/8,-7*wClip/8,-2*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(1*wClip/8,5*hClip/8,-6*wClip/8,-2*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(2*wClip/8,5*hClip/8,-5*wClip/8,-2*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(3*wClip/8,5*hClip/8,-4*wClip/8,-2*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(4*wClip/8,5*hClip/8,-3*wClip/8,-2*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(5*wClip/8,5*hClip/8,-2*wClip/8,-2*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(6*wClip/8,5*hClip/8,-1*wClip/8,-2*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(7*wClip/8,5*hClip/8,-0*wClip/8,-2*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(a.crop(0*wClip/8,6*hClip/8,-7*wClip/8,-1*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(1*wClip/8,6*hClip/8,-6*wClip/8,-1*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(2*wClip/8,6*hClip/8,-5*wClip/8,-1*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(3*wClip/8,6*hClip/8,-4*wClip/8,-1*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(4*wClip/8,6*hClip/8,-3*wClip/8,-1*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(5*wClip/8,6*hClip/8,-2*wClip/8,-1*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(6*wClip/8,6*hClip/8,-1*wClip/8,-1*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(7*wClip/8,6*hClip/8,-0*wClip/8,-1*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10)), \
stackhorizontal(b.crop(0*wClip/8,7*hClip/8,-7*wClip/8,-0*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(1*wClip/8,7*hClip/8,-6*wClip/8,-0*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(2*wClip/8,7*hClip/8,-5*wClip/8,-0*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(3*wClip/8,7*hClip/8,-4*wClip/8,-0*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(4*wClip/8,7*hClip/8,-3*wClip/8,-0*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(5*wClip/8,7*hClip/8,-2*wClip/8,-0*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10), \
b.crop(6*wClip/8,7*hClip/8,-1*wClip/8,-0*hClip/8).subtitle(bSub,size=10), \
a.crop(7*wClip/8,7*hClip/8,-0*wClip/8,-0*hClip/8).subtitle(aSub,size=10)))
}
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SetPlanarLegacyAlignment(True)
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good luck.

[J-O]

Hi,

I've downloaded today "WinDV" in order to transfer my old miniDV tapes to my PC.
I've carried out a test and I've noticed that sometimes I have some noise (a thin vertical strip on the left of the picture). This strip doesn't show on the camcorder screen while it appears on the AVI file.
Moreover, when displayed on TV from the camcorder this strip doesn't appear.

I've tried to transfer the tape content using another software (the native Import Video from Vista) as well as another format (.wmv) but face the same issue.

Attached you can see a screenshot of the movie (I've croped it to focus on the left).

Can it be due to the heads of my camcorder (I don't have a special tape to clean them)?
- Probably not as this "noise" is only present once in a while

Can it be due to the fact that the extract is slightly larger than what is displayed on a PAL screen?
- If so, can I crop the movie?

Can you please help me to solve that issue or advise me another freeware?

Thanks,

J-O

screenshot001.bmp

[jagabo]

That strip is probably part of the DV data recorded on the tape. You don't see it on TV or on the camcorder because those devices overscan. You don't see the outer few percent of the image on all four sides on those devices.

If you want to verify this, copy the DV AVI back to tape and watch it on the camcorder.

[aedipuss]

that screenshot doesn't look like noise to me. more like the cam head is mis-aligned and that "noise" should be part of the last frame or the cam is dying, especially if it starts happening more often.

[2Bdecided]

It's quite normal for (especially older) DV camcorders to put something strange right at the edge of the picture - no one was going to see this on a TV.

I think aedipuss is wrong. I'm very familiar with DV errors - they never look like that.

Cheers,
David.

[MOVIEGEEK]

I now use Enosoft DV Processor to transfer DV.

[JohnnyMalaria]

I now use Enosoft DV Processor to transfer DV.

Why, thank you

Anyhoo, looking at the sample image it is (as others have suggested) just part of the way DV is. There are nearly always 8 or so pixels of padding on the left of the image. It may appear as junk or a solid color or whatever the manufacturer ended up doing. It this specific case, it looks like the same pixel is repeated horizontally.

[J-O]

Hi,

Thanks for your answers.
If this strip is the outer few percents that usually are not seen on a TV, how can I crop this digitally without affecting the quality?

Thanks

[jagabo]

Most editors have cropping, masking, and/or fill tools. Re-encoding with a lossy codec will always result in some loss of quality though.

[J-O]

Hi guys,

I've tried to transfer the file back to the tape and indeed the strip doesn't show.
Therefore it's clearly additional information not shown when played on the camcorder or on TV.
However that shows when played on a computer, especially due to the fact that the source is 4/3 and my LCD is 16/9.

By the way I have some tapes recorded in DV 16/9 and they seem to be captured in 4/3 on WinDV. Is there any setting to correct this?

Thanks.

[Gavino]

I have some tapes recorded in DV 16/9 and they seem to be captured in 4/3 on WinDV. Is there any setting to correct this?

What do you mean by 'captured in 4:3'?
The frame size will always be the same (720x576 for PAL), but WinDV (based on info it gets from the camera) should set the DAR in the captured file to 16:9, so that it gets stretched horizontally on display by a compliant player.
Check this with GSpot or MediaInfo.

[JohnnyMalaria]

WinDV doesn't do anything to the DAR. It simply captures using Windows DirectShow (with 'simply' being its attraction, of course).

If captured as Type 2 DV-AVI then the AVI header contains an almost generic set of data that do not necessarily reflect the specifics of the DV stream. Type 1 DV-AVIs on the other hand do contain specific information regarding aspect ratio, audio format etc. DirectShow-based applications can get the aspect ratio from the header or from the DV stream contained in the AVI file (true for both types). AVI headers are unreliable for DV - the only way to get at the truth is to look at the DV data. Some software can, some can't. WMM is a good example of an app that can get the aspect ratio correctly even if the AVI header is at odds with it (though it works in cohoots with the MS DV Decoder).

[jagabo]

Both 4:3 and 16:9 DAR PAL DV use a 720x576 frame. If your editor gets the DAR wrong you should be able to override it in the editor.

[J-O]

Thanks.
What editor do you suggest to use to control and potentially override the aspect ratio?

[edDV]

Thanks.
What editor do you suggest to use to control and potentially override the aspect ratio?

All the usual suspects, Adobe, Sony, ULead, Virtualdub. You usually set a project format and aspect ratio. When a clip isn't flagged correctly, you can usually change it after capture/import in the clip properties menu.

[Emeye]

Any idea as to how I upload files from my canon Canovision E110 to pinnacle studio 14 ultimate collection would help get me using it for my early videos
Emeye

[edDV]

Any idea as to how I upload files from my canon Canovision E110 to pinnacle studio 14 ultimate collection would help get me using it for my early videos
Emeye

The Canovision E110 is an 8mm analog camcorder right?

You would need to capture the analog playback with a capture card.

[Emeye]

Thanks for your reply.

Yes it is anoloog 8 mm.

I am still using the pinnacle studio 10plus card that worked right up untill I added Pinnacle studio 14 ultimate Collection.

Do you think that the driver for the Pinnacle studio 10 + 10 card is obsolete?

Thanks,

Emeye

[edDV]

Thanks for your reply.

Yes it is anoloog 8 mm.

I am still using the pinnacle studio 10plus card that worked right up untill I added Pinnacle studio 14 ultimate Collection.

Do you think that the driver for the Pinnacle studio 10 + 10 card is obsolete?

Thanks,

Emeye

I don't know, I gave up on Pinnacle Studio back at v8 even though I have an uninstalled full v9.

[Emeye]

Thanks for trying
Emeye