Digital 8 camcorders- TBC on the analogue inputs?

[Asellus]

HI all
I've been doing video conversions on an off for years with good results. However I'm starting to get more requests to do this type of work and want to fine tune my workflow. I have a Sony Digital camcorder that can do analogue capture and firewire output to a laptop. Does anyone know if the Sony Digital camera (i have both Digital 8 and DVCAM) does a TBC correction on the input? I also have a VHS player with a TBC on the output, and a standalone analogue TBC but I thought it easier just to use the VHS- Camera method if the camera does TBC correction on the analogue inputs?

Secondly I have been using Handbrake to compress the file to an MP4 file which looks good, but I have read that an MP2 file has better video quality.
Is there a better (free) software system that can output the compressed file to MP2 (Avidemux might be a good place to start?)
Is there much difference in quality between an mp4 file and an mpeg 2 file?
Thanks!

[Alwyn]

Regarding MPEG2s and MPEG4s, my understanding is they will result in basically the same quality, but MP4 will result in smaller files sizes. MP4 is more "efficient" or conversely, for the same file size, MP4 will be better quality.

Do a test: compare an MPEG 2 file at 10,000kbps verses an MP4 at 5,000kbps. Handbrake will do MPEG 2 too.

BTW, "MP2" is generally used as an abbreviation for MP2 audio files. You use "MPEG2" for the video file abbreviation (which, in Windows, has a file extension of ".MPG").

[dellsam34]

As far as I know consumer camcorders and VCR's apply TBC to the RF signal recorded on tape not the video input. So you would need the device that plays the tape itself to have line TBC. The external TBC does a completely different job, it fixes frame timing.

[Alwyn]

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[dellsam34]

That's just a personal opinion, If that's true do you think Lordsmurf would not know about? Only some DVD recorders proven to do a passthrough TBC.

[Alwyn]

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[dellsam34]

I said that based on his post from the same link you provided.

[Alwyn]

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[dellsam34]

Because I assumed that you have read what you linked.

[orsetto]

Does anyone know if the Sony Digital camera (i have both Digital 8 and DVCAM) does a TBC correction on the input?

As far as I know consumer camcorders and VCR's apply TBC to the RF signal recorded on tape not the video input. So you would need the device that plays the tape itself to have line TBC. The external TBC does a completely different job, it fixes frame timing.

Asellus, while dellsam34's reply is correct, your question is phrased in such a way as to possibly cause confusion re what you're actually asking and how dellsam34's reply should be understood.

Many Digital-8/DVCAM cameras with external analog input connections and DV digital outputs do have some TBC functionality embedded in the circuit path between the analog input and the DV output. But its usually more of a "frame sync TBC", as dellsam34 noted. Depending on the overall signal quality of a particular tape, this may be sufficient to replace your standalone analog TBC when you want to capture direct from analog VCR input to DV format in your PC. However the camcorder "TBC" does not replace the video cleaning functions of your premium VCR with built-in "line" TBC and DNR features (grain and noise reduction, geometric distortion correction, color stabilizing).

So again, depending on the tape you may need/want to use both the premium VCR and the Digital-8/DVCAM "TBC" when making DV captures. IOW, unlike certain passthru DVD recorders like Panasonic ES-10, most camcorder passthrus do not simulate the line TBC functionality included in high-end JVC VCRs. Connecting an ordinary plain VCR to a digital camcorder should stabilize the frame sync, but you would probably lose the most of the cleanup performance of your premium VCR. This might be an acceptable tradeoff with very clean clear tapes, or tapes that don't track well in your JVC and need a different brand VCR for decent playback.

Your standalone analog frame-sync TBC would come into play if you were using the more traditional VCR>TBC>USB Capture Device>PC workflow. In that case the line TBC in your premium VCR alone may not be enough to avoid technical glitches, so you'd add the standalone to the signal chain. This would also be the case if you needed to capture Macrovision protected tapes: the embedded TBC of a Digital-8 camcorder may or may not fully repair the MV glitches. If not, you would need to switch over from DV capture to traditional capture with the standalone TBC and a PC capture device.