8MM to Digital 8 to DVD

[pjirele]

First, thank you everyone for all the help on this forum.

I have just recently purchase a Digital 8 video camera. We have a number of 8MM analog tapes I want to transfer to Digital 8 to keep quality loss minimal. I want to also convert the footage to DVD format.
Questions:

1. Does the original source (352 x 240?) of our analog tape get converted to 720 x 480 (DV1 type) when copied onto Digital 8?

2. When I pull the video stream out of Ulead, should I use the DV AVI setting or just MPEG 1 (VCD) 352 x 240, MPEG 2 (SVCD) 480 x 480, or DVD (MPEG 2) 720 x 480 format? Basically, do I gain quality by copying the analog footage to DV format, other than not losing quality/clarity when I play the tape over and over again?

3. Am I waisting my time trying to make a SVCD or DVD out of it, since the original format was in analog and 352 x 240? I have noticed a big difference in quality when using the DV AVI format in Ulead while pulling the video off of my analog tape using my Digital 8 camera. Why is this when the original tape was analog?

Basically, what is the best way to get the best quality SVCD/DVD out of what I have? Currently, I do not have a DVD burner yet but will soon since we have a Digital 8 camera and will have Digital footage from now on.

Again, thank you for all of your help. Pat

[EricB]

Well, there are a lot of questions here! I have a lot of Hi8 tapes and use a Digital8 camcorder to convert them to DV.

If you want to use Ulead (VideoStudio6 ?) I would transfer the 8mm in DV format, edit the files, and then either use the Ulead encoder to produce VCD, SVCD or even better, save the file as DV and encode it with TMPGenc.

I get great results with xVCD which in my case is just a standard VCD format with the bitrate boosted from the standard 1150 to something between 1500 and 2000. If you have only tried straight VCD then you haven't seen what the format can do.

For SVCD, the standard results from Ulead are pretty good, and TMPGenc is even better. Some people who plan on getting a DVD burner are encoding to 352x480 (NTSC) instead of the standard 480x480 of SVCD. This is because 352x480 is a valid frame size for DVD and just the audio would need to be converted later.

[vhelp]

pjirele,

>> I have just recently purchase a Digital 8 video camera. We have a number of
>> 8MM analog tapes I want to transfer to Digital 8 to keep quality loss minimal.
>> I want to also convert the footage to DVD format.
---------------------------------------------------------------
When you say, "...to keep quality loss minimal" you DO mean to, ie, once converted to say, miniDV tapes, you want to replay these tapes over and over
again in your "video editing" endeavors, right??
Then, yes, that is what you want to do... until you are finished that is.
Basically, you want practice this route if you are going to do LOTS os what-ifs.
I do this when I do my Satalite-to-VCD/SVCD/CVD projects. I never use
the PASS-THROUGH feature (though my Canon ZR-10) does not have this feature.
But, I use the record-to-miniDV tape route so that I can (at my leasure) finalize
my Satalite-to-VCD/SVCD/CVD projects.
If I were to rely on the PASS-THROUGH route, then it would only be that one
change or one time/shot I have at performing a good encode, else I'd have
to wait till the next time it comes on, whenever that well be.
This process works great for me!!


>> 1. Does the original source (352 x 240?) of our analog tape get
>> converted to 720 x 480 (DV1 type) when copied onto Digital 8?
---------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, I believe that Digita-8/DV transfers to 720x480 resolution.
note-1, if you are transfering VHS/8mm to DV, understand that you
are not converting to DVD or even DV quality. You are stretching
a rather low resolution to an extreme 720x480, vs. 352x240, give
or take little in the exact resolution of VHS/8mm source.
note-2, If you were to say, use Satalite as your source, you would
benefit better from the video stretching, at least in MY experience


>> 2. When I pull the video stream out of Ulead, should I use the DV AVI setting
>> or just MPEG 1 (VCD) 352 x 240, MPEG 2 (SVCD) 480 x 480, or DVD (MPEG 2)
>> 720 x 480 format? Basically, do I gain quality by copying the analog footage to
>> DV format, other than not losing quality/clarity when I play the tape over and
>> over again?
---------------------------------------------------------------
Definately not! Their is really no need for this sort of practice, UNLESS
you are:
* planning on sharing this DV footage w/ other friends who need it in this
format.
* are doing a number of editing back/forth between DV, etc.
Otherwise, just frameserve to TMPG and encode to VCD/SVCD as you planned.
note, you may have to install a DV codec in order for this to work, that is,
if you don't already have a DV codec installed. If you don't, then look to
your left, under the tools section for the DV codec by MainConcept. This
(I believe) is a link the site for this DV codec to D/L.
So, if you don't plan on re-using the SAME footage on your miniDV or digital-8
tape, then after you've finished whatever editing in Premiere/Adobe, just frameserve
into TMPG for encoding, and re-record over your miniDV or digital-8 tapes.
If you wanna keep your miniDV or digital-8 tape's footage in it's origonal
form aka DV, then that's ok too. But, you can still frameserve directly into
TMPG to VCD/SVCD.


>> 3. Am I waisting my time trying to make a SVCD or DVD out of it,
>> since the original format was in analog and 352 x 240? I have
>> noticed a big difference in quality when using the DV AVI format
>> in Ulead while pulling the video off of my analog tape using my
>> Digital 8 camera. Why is this when the original tape was analog?
---------------------------------------------------------------
What you noticed, is NOT increase inquality, but increase in the
RESOLUTION, 720x480 I believe. And, when you see this on your PC
monitor, you'll obviously believe you GAINED increase in quality,
when in actuallity, you only increased the AREA.
* The footage is still a bit blurry, due to the low resolution
of the VHS/8mm tape, but only stretched full screen. You'll still
have the same quality once you finally encode to VCD.

-vhelp

[pjirele]

Thank you so much for the answers to my questions. Have a great one. Pat