MiniDV to computer

[Vifa]

Hi,

I have a lot of MiniDV tapes I would like to store as an exact copy on my PC without any loss in quality.

I have a firewire cable to connect my camcorder to the PC, but which software would you recommend using ?

I have tried Scenalyser Live 4.0 - but the results seems quite pixilated on my PC - can it be due to my computer's spec or is this irrelevant ?


Thank you for your help.

Best Regards
Vifa

[_Al_]

Scenalyzer Live is the best there is. Something else is going on.

[Vifa]

The video I already have transferred seems quite pixilated on the PC compared to when I connect the camcorder to the TV and playback videos.
I cant find any options on capturing videos through Scenalyzer that would improve the quality - or could it be that I am blind ?

[transporterfan]

Before anyone goes too in depth on fixes, have you tried playing a sample on TV? Computer monitors have a far superior display (that's to say PITA for accentuating faults in video).

[Vifa]

Before anyone goes too in depth on fixes, have you tried playing a sample on TV? Computer monitors have a far superior display (that's to say PITA for accentuating faults in video).

Not yet, I will test that right away and get back again


I have to ask how WinDV compares to Scenalyzer ?
It seems quite more simple to use ..

[aedipuss]

whether you use winDV or scenalyzer to CAPTURE the DV off the tape make no difference. they both transfer exactly what is on the tape to your computer.

[KarMa]

whether you use winDV or scenalyzer to CAPTURE the DV off the tape make no difference. they both transfer exactly what is on the tape to your computer.

Assuming there is nothing wrong with the tape itself or machine playing back the tape, like a clogged head.

[aedipuss]

whether you use winDV or scenalyzer to CAPTURE the DV off the tape make no difference. they both transfer exactly what is on the tape to your computer.

Assuming there is nothing wrong with the tape itself or machine playing back the tape, like a clogged head.

LOL they both capture that as well. as dropouts

[JVRaines]

Does the picture look like the one in this post?
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/381151-Pixelation-on-mini-dv-LP-mode

[_Al_]

The video I already have transferred seems quite pixilated on the PC compared to when I connect the camcorder to the TV and playback videos.
I cant find any options on capturing videos through Scenalyzer that would improve the quality - or could it be that I am blind ?

sorry for confusion, I did not think of it that it could be misunderstood, capture is just capture, same result, Scenalyzer has just better different GUI, more visual pleasing, controlling captured clips, dragging cursor thru clips, looking for scenes in long captures etc, ..., but quality of the capture is the same, winDV or Scenalyzer etc....

[johnmeyer]

Scenalyzer is the best capture utility, by a wide margin. As already mentioned, all DV captures are a perfect copy of the bits on the DV tape. There should be zero degradation, and the video should look exactly as it does on the videotape.

I've captured thousands of hours of video using Scenalyzer and, many years ago, corresponded frequently with Andi, the programmer who wrote it. Thus, I know a lot about its various options. It turns out that there are settings that can cause you to get really pixelated video. In particular, Scenalyzer has modes which permit it to capture an entire tape in just a few minutes. It does this by fast-forwarding the tape and capturing thumbnail quality video from that high-speed capture. The idea behind this feature was to let you get a rough idea what was on the tape and then let you choose to only capture those portions you wanted. If you only want to copy, for example, 20% of everything on the tape, and you have a dozen tapes for which this is true, you can dramatically reduce the overall time it takes to capture the video.

Once the final capture (at normal resolution) has been done, most people then just delete the low-res proxies.

Go to the Scenalyzer options menu, select the "All Settings" tab so you can see every setting in one dialog (keeps you from overlooking a setting) and make sure the following setting is as follows:

File Type: Type 2 DV AVI

Do NOT use the Create Index feature, because this is what creates the low-res proxies. Instead, click on the Capture button when you are ready to capture.

Finally, I am making the assumption that you are really trying to capture DV tapes from a DV camcorder connected via 1394/Firewire and do not have some sort of other capture setup.

[Vifa]

Hi johnmeyer,

That is true, I use a Sony DV camcorder connected to my old PC via a Firewire cable.
I like Scenalyzer, it is a good program. It offers the oppurtunity to create an index to capture from as you also mentioned.

[johnmeyer]

Hi johnmeyer,

That is true, I use a Sony DV camcorder connected to my old PC via a Firewire cable.
I like Scenalyzer, it is a good program. It offers the oppurtunity to create an index to capture from as you also mentioned.

Your reply is confusing: you say it is a good program. So, is it capturing the video, or are you getting bad video when using it??

Can you post 5-10 seconds of the video you have captured. Do not alter it in any way before uploading.