Which size to export from Digital 8

[Tdijettasport]

Hello,

Just got a new MacbookPro and I have imported some family videos from 1999 using my Digital 8 camcorder.

I'm ready to export and want to maintain max quality.

Do I export to HD 1080p, 720p, large, or medium?


I plan to save the videos on my portable hard drives.

Mac users, would you use export or export using QuickTime? I don't get the difference.

Thanks for any help.

Daryl

[Cornucopia]

??

Digital8 is an SD (Standard Def) signal based on DV. Exporting it to any HIGHER format is a wasteful futility. There is no more "resolution" that what is already on the original image, so if you take a 720x480 Digital8 image and stretch it out to a 1920x1080 screen, you don't gain any more REAL new pixels (just in-between guesses).

To keep it as original & high-quality as possible, you should be saving/exporting as DV.

Scott

[lordsmurf]

Digital 8 is DV data on an 8mm tape. It's a short-lived Sony proprietary format.
DV is 720x480, and should be transferred off the camera as such, using a DV transfer (or "capture") utility.

Then all projects would be exported as 720x480 (SD, aka max DVD resolution) to maintain 100% maximum quality.

[Tdijettasport]

Thanks.
The macbook pro doesnt have a dvd burner and i dont want it stored on a tape anymore. So I found where I can save to "DV stream", is that how 8 should save it?

I have options for AVI, DV STREAM, MPEG 4, quick time. What would people suggest?

Thanks again

[Tdijettasport]

I just found a settings section which will allow me to use H.264, DV-PAL, DV/DV PRO NTSC, DVCPRO50.
Should I be using one of these?

Thanks again

Daryl

[Cornucopia]

Yes, either raw "DV stream", or quicktime using "DV/NTSC" settings (you could also do AVI using DV/NTSC settings, but that won't help you much on a Mac).

Scott

[lordsmurf]

Windows = AVI container
Mac = Quicktime container

Both contain DV data. Not an issue, really, unless you try to cross platforms.

[Cornucopia]

Well, since the OP is on a mac, it doesn't make much sense for internal archive purposes (as stated) to use avi. That slows down file reading & writing on a mac and doesn't ensure compatibility with all mac media apps, whereas quicktime should.
But yes, they are basically the same.

Scott

[lordsmurf]

...

Agreed.
Use Quicktime as DV wrapper when on Mac, and it'll stay on Mac.

I didn't make that obvious in my last post. Oops.

[johns0]

Thread moved to the mac forum.