Need help importing mini DV to PC in high def

[njsteve]

Hello. This is my first post in this forum.

I am trying to upload 17 mini dv tapes from my Canon HV20 camcorder. The goal is to create a separate .mp4 file for each tape and put them on a hard drive with all our other converted VHS video so we have all family movies in one easy to access and view location.

I was able to upload a tape using Firewire card and HDVSplit for software to capture the tape. I tried not doing scene splitting but the resulting file did not produce a working mp4 file and there were many warnings about packets being lost.

So I tried again this time with "Scene Splitting" selected and it produced a bunch of .m2t files that I was able to merge into one mp4 using Moavi Video Converter. This worked great.

The problem is that HDV split sometimes stops during the blue screen pause when the scene was changed. Then I have to hit record again. So I have to sit and nurse the tape along which is a pain given that the tapes are mostly 1 hours long.

Is there a way to get HDV Split to keep going? Or is there a better piece of software I could purchase that would do it all - Capture, Merge, and convert to mp4?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Alwyn]

For info only, I suspect that the blue screens are caused by a break in the timecode. This could occur if you stopped recording, reviewed what you'd recorded, stopped the tape and started new recording. If the new recording was on a new, blank section of tape, you'd have a gap in the timecode which is probably throwing HDVSplit. At the time, I read a suggestion to "stripe" the tape from start to finish to lay down a timecode, then start your recording activities. It then didn't matter if you stopped, started, rewound, FFed, you'd always have a timecode on the tape. Not that will help you now.

I was able to upload a tape using Firewire card and HDVSplit for software to capture the tape. I tried not doing scene splitting but the resulting file did not produce a working mp4 file and there were many warnings about packets being lost.

If you don't set up scene splitting, you'll still get an M2T. Are you recoding in real time to get an MP4? That may cause frame drops/lost packets.

Is there a way to get HDV Split to keep going? Or is there a better piece of software I could purchase that would do it all - Capture, Merge, and convert to mp4?

I'm not aware of any alternative to HDVSplit. An alternative approach would be to do an analogue capture, similar to your VHS workflow, but the HV20 is problematic because it doesn't have S-Video Out, only Component or HDMI. I've tried the HDMI method and it works quite well; the only gotcha is you need a decent HDMI digitiser. I'm using a (pricey) Startech USB3HDCAP.

Let's see what others come up with.

[Bwaak]

is there a better piece of software I could purchase that would do it all - Capture, Merge, and convert to mp4?

Any half-decent NLE has a capture module, which should be able to capture HDV.

[Cornucopia]

Pre-Striping a tape really only works for pro units that allow for Insert Editing, otherwise the flying erase head will still be operating and erase ahead of the new signal, leaving a gap. This occurs also if one hits [PAUSE] while recording. However, a glitchy small gap might be surmountable, but an actual stopping & restarting of the tape - especially if the tape is removed & reinserted - will result in the tape not being lined up where it last left off, leaving a major gap which is NOT surmountable, and most apps would (and some would say SHOULD) stop a transfer. You are correct, @Alwyn, it is a moot point here.

Scott

[njsteve]

I'm not aware of any alternative to HDVSplit. An alternative approach would be to do an analogue capture, similar to your VHS workflow, but the HV20 is problematic because it doesn't have S-Video Out, only Component or HDMI. I've tried the HDMI method and it works quite well; the only gotcha is you need a decent HDMI digitiser. I'm using a (pricey) Startech USB3HDCAP.

I looked up the Startech USB3HDCAP and the price isn't too bad. Still cheaper than 17 * $20 which is what someone locally quoted me. What size file does that produce for a 1 hour tape? Does it create mp4 or some other format?

Trying to get it to advance to the next clip takes several iterations of hitting record and then waiting 10 seconds until it either gets going or tells me there was no data to record. It's painful but there are only 17 tapes and the resulting video quality is so much better than the Elgato capture.

[Bwaak]

I looked up the Startech USB3HDCAP and the price isn't too bad.

Don't even think about analog garbage. You have only 17 cassettes, and you have your digital capture working via Firewire.

Use a capture module from your favorite NLE. Turn off remote camcorder control, so basically capture like analog: start capture, start playing on the camcorder, and it should continue capturing until you stop it explicitly.

[njsteve]

I looked up the Startech USB3HDCAP and the price isn't too bad.

Don't even think about analog garbage. You have only 17 cassettes, and you have your digital capture working via Firewire.

Use a capture module from your favorite NLE. Turn off remote camcorder control, so basically capture like analog: start capture, start playing on the camcorder, and it should continue capturing until you stop it explicitly.

Which NLE would you recommend to do this type of capturing?

[Barrythecrab]

Deleted.

[Alwyn]

Don't even think about analog garbage.

Show us your comparison to prove this claim.

[Bwaak]

Don't even think about analog garbage.

Show us your comparison to prove this claim.

To prove what claim? That HD video sent over composite will look like garbage compared to real 1440x1080i ?

I chose a wrong line to quote though I suppose, it should look ok captured from HDMI, then again I don't see any benefit increasing 29 Mbit/s to whatever it is for HD uncompressed, 1.5 Gbit/s ? But you cannot send this much data over USB 3, so the box recompresses the video? Pointless, really.

The last time I tried capturing HDV using Vegas Capture module, it worked fine. But I cannot confirm whether my tapes had any blank parts between scenes. Usually I don't let this happen.

[Alwyn]

To prove what claim?

Your claim that the HDMI method is "analogue garbage".

Pointless, really.

Not if it is the only option.

[Alwyn]

I looked up the Startech USB3HDCAP and the price isn't too bad. Still cheaper than 17 * $20 which is what someone locally quoted me. What size file does that produce for a 1 hour tape?

Capturing at 1920x1080 25fps gives a size of around 2GB per minute (360mb/sec capture rate). At 1440x1080 25fps the capture rate is about 145mb/sec.

Does it create mp4 or some other format?

You are basically using an analogue capture workflow: I use AmarecTV and the MagicYUV AVI codec (for lower CPU useage) but you can use LAGS, HUFF or UT video. You end up with an interlaced AVI, same as your VHS captures.

I've attached a sample of an indoors capture (this was live thru HDMI, as my HV20 won't play tapes any more). Analogue garbage indeed.

Just out of interest for troubleshooting, when you play your tapes, does the timecode show interruptions when the blue screens occur or when HDVSplit stops?

[dellsam34]

I suppose, it should look ok captured from HDMI, then again I don't see any benefit increasing 29 Mbit/s to whatever it is for HD uncompressed, 1.5 Gbit/s ? But you cannot send this much data over USB 3, so the box recompresses the video? Pointless, really.

The last time I tried capturing HDV using Vegas Capture module, it worked fine. But I cannot confirm whether my tapes had any blank parts between scenes. Usually I don't let this happen.

It will be silly to capture HDV over composite or even S-Video, not to mention the aspect ratio flag that most consumer capture devices cannot detect, so it ends up in the wrong aspect ratio, I wouldn't even capture HDV via HDMI, it will just bloat the file size and convert twice from MPEG-2 to lossless and then to h.264. The OP needs to be patient and capture all the bits together using HDVsplit if he cares about quality, HDV is still supported by a lot of devices and playback programs.

[Alwyn]

It will be silly to capture HDV over composite or even S-Video, not to mention the aspect ratio flag that most consumer capture devices cannot detect, so it ends up in the wrong aspect ratio

Seriously? Nobody has suggested capturing HDV via Composite and as I have already said, the HV20 doesn't have S-Video. Nobody encodes video for consumption without setting the aspect ratio. What is it about aspect ratio flags that everybody gets in a tizz about?

it will just bloat the file size

Completely irrelevant. It's not the delivery format.

HDV is still supported by a lot of devices and playback programs.

Anybody who gives out HDV as the final format needs their head read.

The OP needs to be patient and capture all the bits together using HDVsplit if he cares about quality,

At this point in age/history, dozens of starts/stops/rewinds runs the risk of ruining their camera.

If your suggestion is continue using HDVSplit then that's fine, just don't justify it with irrelevances.

[Bwaak]

Your claim that the HDMI method is "analogue garbage".

I think it has been resolved that I had never said this.

Not if it is the only option.

It is not the only option. In fact, @njsteve has a perfectly working setup to transfer HDV the way it should be transferred, via Firewire. It is only a question of finding/configuring a capture app to not stop when a blank part of tape is encountered. I wonder how he ended up with tapes having so many blank parts, did he review every shot in the field?

Anybody who gives out HDV as the final format needs their head read.

Oh, really? HDV is nothing else than MPEG-2 HD in TS. Very similar to ATSC broadcast format, in fact (you in Australia use DVB/T and DVB/T2). Tons of other tapeless cameras use this format. BD uses this format. So, I am not sure why do you think there is something wrong with HDV.

[Alwyn]

I think it has been resolved that I had never said this.

What did you mean then by

I looked up the Startech USB3HDCAP and the price isn't too bad.

Don't even think about analog garbage.

?

I wonder how he ended up with tapes having so many blank parts, did he review every shot in the field?

Ask him.

So, I am not sure why do you think there is something wrong with HDV

"I think it has been resolved that I had never said this."

When did you last send or give an M2T file to anyone?

[Bwaak]

I think it has been resolved that I had never said this.

What did you mean then by

I looked up the Startech USB3HDCAP and the price isn't too bad.

Don't even think about analog garbage.

?

You have time for trolling? Ok, I type fast. I meant what I wrote - re-read what I WROTE to understand what I meant. The quote is wrong as I already have said. I thought that this device is an analog converter without looking it up.

So, I am not sure why do you think there is something wrong with HDV

"I think it has been resolved that I had never said this."
When did you last send or give an M2T file to anyone?

I cannot even restore your train of thought, this is really bad trolling, dude. It is just a collection of words without any logic whatsoever. Why do you quote my quote that corresponds to something else? Who cares when did I give an M2T to anyone if it were YOU who implied that there is something wrong with HDV. I don't think that there is anything wrong with it. If you do, it should be you explaining it.

[Alwyn]

I thought that this device is an analog converter without looking it up.

I don't normally comment about gear I know nothing about but hey, whatever floats your boat.