How to Capture DV on Lossless?

[Undead Sega]

How to Capture DV on Lossless?

i have Adobe Premiere Pro and i capture using FireWire with that program, and it works like a charm, but iw as wondering if it is possible to capture a DV tape directly to a lossless AVI file and not a DV-AVI?

[edDV]

How to Capture DV on Lossless?

i have Adobe Premiere Pro and i capture using FireWire with that program, and it works like a charm, but iw as wondering if it is possible to capture a DV tape directly to a lossless AVI file and not a DV-AVI?

If you convert to anything you introduce loss. A DV transfer is a digital copy (identical) to the data on tape. If you cut only in Premiere (assuming DV project settings), all Premiere does is copy input frames so an export to DV is all first generation (i.e identical to frame data on tape). How much more lossless can you get?

If you use transitions, composites or filters in Premiere, those frames are converted to base RGB* for calculation, then transcoded back to DV for export.


* If you are using SDI or other haradware I/O Premiere Pro can process in YCbCr with YCbCr project settings.

[Undead Sega]

sigh...okay then.

however, the footage is at 50i, so i would be introduced with interlacing artifacts.

[edDV]

sigh...okay then.

however, the footage is at 50i, so i would be introduced with interlacing artifacts.

Explain. Interlace has no artifacts. Deinterlace introduces artifacts.

[Undead Sega]

sorry my bad, wrong use of words, wat i meant was "the footage is at 50i, so i would be introduced with some interlacing "

better?

[edDV]

Try VLC with video-deinterlace set to mean.

[Undead Sega]

i actually intend to use MCBob in deinterlace the footage. Probably at 50p

[edDV]

I'd keep the file 576i and use a deinterlacing player like vlc.

[Undead Sega]

well, i captured the DV tapes nicely, but because the audio format cahnged, i had to make a new recording, thus giving me a new file. ending up having 2 just 3/4 throughout the tape.

now what ive done, is just simply took the 2 files and merged it in Premiere and exported it to a lossless AVI, giving me a massive file (i dont mind unless it doesnt help). to which, its quite important that i keep the original captures as it was more or less edited on their lines.

but even with the DV AVI files, both together takes up 11GB, which is way more than wat i could fit on a standard DVD disc. and quality is important in itself, because for various reasons.

can someone suggest to me on what to do here?

[pijetro]

but because the audio format cahnged, i had to make a new recording

???
What does that mean?
Regardless of audio format, Premiere will conform the audio for proper playback and export.

took the 2 files and merged it in Premiere and exported it to a lossless AVI,

If the original material was DV, then keep it in a DV Project setting (via the nice presets already created), and export in DV..
Going to Lossless will actually do more harm than good..

Sort of like thawing meat, and refrezing it again for further use...It's a no-no.
As far as filesize goes, expect around 13gig/hr on a DV project.

which is way more than wat i could fit on a standard DVD disc.

Now you've got archiving issues correct??

That's a separate story..
One of the best archives for your DV tapes are..............................................T he DV tapes themselves.
If you're looking for backup solutions, it's probably cheaper to buy and external H.D.D.

[Undead Sega]

well its to do with the EDL (Edit Decision List) so if i were to recapture frmo the tape, it might not be exact (off by a few frames or fields) due to the tape mechanism.

[JohnnyMalaria]

For DV-based capture/EDLs/editing, there's no reason why the recaptured clips should be off by a few frames. It is perfectly possible to ensure frame-accurate capture. It depends on the software.

[Undead Sega]

It is perfectly possible to ensure frame-accurate capture. It depends on the software.

well, are you saying, if i captured the tape right from the begining and edited on that DV-AVI file, and then, if i were to recapture the tape from the begining again (although due to the tape mechanism and wont always be exact) to make a new DV-AVI file to edit on, would iot be exactly the same?

[JohnnyMalaria]

Yes (as long as the software you are using has been written well).

Most capture software uses DirectShow. The DV capture driver only delivers something for writing to file when a DV frame arrives. Nothing is sent from the camcorder in VTR mode until the tape starts playing or is paused. Nothing will get written to file until the first frame arrives.

It's easy to test. Rewind the tape to the beginning. While stopped, begin capturing then play the tape. Stop after a short while. Repeat the process but capture to a new file. Now compare them - both files should start at the same frame.

If you want to capture specific portions based on timecode, that can be done with frame accuracy, too. Again, as long as the software has been written well.

[Undead Sega]

okay then, will do some tests just incase.

also, i have been looking around, but i cannot find anywhere on how to extract an EDL on my Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5

[edDV]

File > Export > Export To EDL

Which editor will be doing the online?

http://livedocs.adobe.com/en_US/PremierePro/3.0/help.html?content=WS1c9bc5c2e465a58a91...aef7-7c76.html

[Undead Sega]

i did look at the Export, and there was no EDL! i dont know why

[edDV]

Why all the worry about loss when your goal is an EDL?
Which online editor is going to do the real cuts?

[Undead Sega]

well i am using Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5, and i just edited on a DV-AVI project. the EDL is there to regain the loss of where the cuts and stuff will be.

[edDV]

well i am using Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5, and i just edited on a DV-AVI project. the EDL is there to regain the loss of where the cuts and stuff will be.

An EDL is intended as a cuts/transitions/key list to a higher end editor that will perform the actual edit on original material. This goes back to the offline/online model of editing where offline is done in a low quality proxy format and online is automated to save high end equipment rental time. EDLs are usually exported in CMX, Grass Valley or Sony BVE formats. They aren't very readable but there are tools to make them easier to organize tapes/files for submission to online.

http://www.edlmax.com/maxguide.html

A CMX EDL will look someting like this.
The columns are Source TCin, Source TCout, Record Tape/File TCin, Record Tape/File TCout.

[Undead Sega]

Okay, i got the EDLs workingm as in i manage to export an EDL, now i need help on Re-Capturing a DV tape as i made a project from college using Adobe Premiere CS3 and bringing that project onto a my computer at home, which opens perfectly, but it needs the files.

i thought this was to be an easy job, as all i need to do is re-capture the tape (which i used Scene Detect to seperate each shot needed) as exactly what ive done in college, and yet it shouldnt be a problem if one does go wrong, as it relies on the time code exactly.

so when i open my project, i get all my files on the timeline as i made it out to be, and of course they dont work because there is no actual video captured, so i highlighted the files in my project window and ordered to do a Batch Capture, but when i do this, it says that there is no tape given, which is very weird, dont worry, all the connections and stuff works, i can even capture still, but for re-capturing those files, it doesnt seem to work.

i really need help here and i would really appreciate it if someone can help me as well. i also got the EDL's of each video track, but they wont be too much use as i would have to relink them, and i wouldnt remember them exactly.

i look forward hearing back from u lot

[edDV]

Adobe Premiere will output a CMX EDL but to my knowledge, it won't import to one.

Unless there is a utility somewhere that will do this, you need to manually copy the in/out timecodes to the capture batch list.

[Videditor]

did you give reel names or numbers to your tapes when you first captured them? edls work perfectly if the tapes are labeled properly. there are two things that edls refer to when batch capturing, timecode and reel names. you should have them both. if not. then your edl is some what useless. you could salvage the edl by providing reel names on you edl, but you'd have to do them manually on a text editor, line by line.

check this link out

http://www.edlmax.com/maxguide.html

[Undead Sega]

is there any method on how to recapture the shots that was from the project file? is there a way round this, whenth e tapes are not labeled exactly?

[edDV]

You were the one that knew what you were doing.

The rest of us were watching the train wreck.

[Undead Sega]

i see what you mean there, i only just ask for this help and thats it mainly, cause i would definately know what to do afterwards, unless someone else says otherwise.

please anyone?

[Undead Sega]

anyone at all?

i am still struggling to make the tape batch capture on the project while i have.

[edDV]

The way I'd do it is the classic log timecodes and enter them manually into the Premiere batch program. You may be able to do this by cut and paste from the exported EDL.

[Undead Sega]

Isnt it possible to take the EDL into the timeline, and have a batch capture done? this way, i will have the clips i need, have them saved, and then open the project file where it should recognize them afterwards?

[edDV]

Isnt it possible to take the EDL into the timeline, and have a batch capture done? this way, i will have the clips i need, have them saved, and then open the project file where it should recognize them afterwards?

As said above, EDL export is used to move your project to a post house online system (e.g. CMX, Grass Valley, Sony BVE).

The way I make edit projects mobile is to place all source media, temp files (i.e. "scratch disk" files in Adobe speak) and project files on a single hard disk, then move that disk to another computer running the same editing program. Then I open the project there. The full timeline opens. This is how I archive projects that I may need to revisit later as a work in progress.

If you are editing direct from tape source, you will need to point Premiere to the proper tape names and source devices.