8mm Capture Audio quality

[Randycapture]

Hi,

I am capturing some analogue video 8 tapes through my Digital8 Sony GV-d200 via FireWire to DV. I’ve tried out a few different capture softwares. I noticed, when I capture through Pinnacle Studio, the audio section of the file is at 48khz (1536kbps). Whereas Sony Vegas, WinDV, and Scenelyzer all capture audio at 32khz (1024kbps). I’ve tested it on all those listed. Are there any other software options besides Pinnacle studio that also capture analogue 8mm at the higher quality 48khz? I have yet to try Adobe Premiere Elements.

Thanks,
Randy

[oln]

If you are capturing from DV output you will need to change the audio format on the Digital8 vcr or camcorder to get 48khz audio from analog playback. As the vcr is outputting a digital signal, it's up to the vcr, not the capture application (pinnacle probably just converts it). It's often set to 12-bit (which uses 32khz sample rate) by default, should be able to change it in the menu to 16-bit (which uses 48khz sample rate). I haven't used the gv-d200, but remember it worked like that on the camcorders at least, and according to the manual there is a similar setting on it.

[Cornucopia]

And to clarify, DV can use 12bit @ 32kHz (where it can have either 2ch or 4ch), or 16bit @ 44.1kHz OR 48kHz (where it will have 2ch). And Scenalyzer, WinDV, Vegas all ought to be able to work with those options, but as mentioned, those are supposed to be read from the output of the tape (or in this case of pass-through, what the settings are on the passed-through cam).

Note: if you ever have 12bit/32k/4ch, almost NO app can capture all 4 channels simultaneously, so you would have to do 2 captures, one for ch1,ch2 and another for ch3,ch4, and then remarry them in an NLE. Since it is DV, it should line up by identical video very nicely.

Scott

[Randycapture]

Thanks for the info!! I found the setting on the player. So it would be beneficial quality wise to capture the 8mm tapes at 48khz vs 32khz correct?

[dellsam34]

If the source is analog tape, yes always capture at 16bit/48Khz (the audio standard for video), If tape is digital capture at the source quality whatever that happen to be.

[Cornucopia]

I agree, 16/48 should always be the preferred setting, whether pass-through (if you have the option to change it in pass-through), or in recording. That is the industry standard. And it is the best quality and most compatible of all the available options.

Scott

[Randycapture]

Thanks for the replies! So if I had already captured some digital 8 tapes through pinnacle and the player was set to 12bit. If the camera records at 12bit 32khz, then there would be no additional quality to recapture at 16bit. Is that correct? Or would it be worth recapturing regardless if the camera was a 12bit or 16bit.

[Cornucopia]

Not only would there be no better quality, but one should not be able to capture at a different sample rate at all, or if you did you would get garbage. The rate it is recorded at is the quality you would get.

But you said in the OP that you had analog videos Tapes. If you cap those via passthrough at the wrong settings, recapturing at the right, higher quality settings, should improve the quality.

Scott

[Randycapture]

I see. Yeah my GV-d200 was set at 12bit when I captured both digital and analog tapes via FireWire to DV. I now switched it to 16bit and am recapturing the analog tapes. You’re saying the player can’t cap the digital 8 tapes even if I had the player on 12bit playback setting and recapturing with the audio setting now switched to 16bit playback wouldn’t change anything for the digital tapes’ quality?

[Cornucopia]

No, it would not. When capping a digital signal, all it is doing is receiving the existing digital stream on-tape, and storing it as a file (adding headers if necessary, for AVI etc). There is never any conversion with dv transfer.

With analog capture with dv pass-through, you set the settings in the cam, as if it were going to record, and those are the settings the capping app uses.

Btw, conversion is always a lossy (usually) or an equal-quality method, never a BETTER method.


Scott