Movie Files Very Dark

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Guest

Greetings! I apologize for the redundancy of this post, but I posted a
similar question several months ago, and now can't find it. THIS TIME I'm
noting where and when I'm posting...

Anyway, I'm using Movie Maker with Windows XP Home Edition. When I capture
the Digital 8 video from my Sony Handycam, using USB streaming, the clips are
very dark and somewhat jumpy. When I posted this before, whoever replied
(thanks, by the way) said that I shouldn't be using USB, that I should be
using something else. I don't know what the other thing was; now I'm looking
for a new system, and I want to make sure that if a port, cabling, or other
hardware is necessary, that I include it when I get the new system.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Jay
 
CmpTch9 said:
Greetings! I apologize for the redundancy of this post, but I posted a
similar question several months ago, and now can't find it. THIS TIME I'm
noting where and when I'm posting...

Anyway, I'm using Movie Maker with Windows XP Home Edition. When I
capture
the Digital 8 video from my Sony Handycam, using USB streaming, the clips
are
very dark and somewhat jumpy. When I posted this before, whoever replied
(thanks, by the way) said that I shouldn't be using USB, that I should be
using something else. I don't know what the other thing was; now I'm
looking
for a new system, and I want to make sure that if a port, cabling, or
other
hardware is necessary, that I include it when I get the new system.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Jay
Click to expand...

Digital 8 cams don't come with the preferred Firewire/1394 interface,
none that I know of anyway.
If you are purchasing a new PC, it'll undoubtably be equipped with
firewire/iLink/1394 , but I don't think your cam can interface?

"USB streaming"?
What exactly do you mean by that phrase?
a) Does your cam have a USB output, and you are connecting to PC/USB?
b) Or Are you using an analog grab device that connects to your PC's usb
port?
c) Does your cam have a memory card for taking pix? If so that is all your
USB should be used for, transferring images from memory - Not video.

You could ensure that your new PC is equipped with a capture card,
these are TV tuners but also have an S-Video *input* -
You connect the analog outputs from your cam:
S-Video, and the audio to your soundcard.
You can also capture from VCR this way too
But your new PC will have to be very well specified -
Analog video capture is a very demanding, intensive chore.
There are numerous standalone hardware capture devices
that will convert and transfer your footage to PC.
(Firewire/iLink/1394 is pure digital and not so demanding
as analog capture/conversion.)

How MCE pc's work:
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/media-center-pc.htm

Video capture+editing, whats needed:
This is for firewire capture.......
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/video-editing.htm
 
This is my opinion and I welcome some discussion and alternative
opinions on a key issue for home movie developers

If buying a movie camera with the intention to use with MM2 there are a
number of considerations.
The firewire port is one

The video storage format is another: A lot of the newer cameras are
coming with mini DVD, solid state storage or hard disk storage. Typcally
these use either mpeg2 or mp4 format.....neither of which is
particulalrly easy to use with mm2.

The best approach if movie editing with mm2 is your deal is still the
minidv tape cameras which use dv-avi. With the advantage the because the
market is staring to regard them as older technology the prices are
reducing.

The market is in a state of flux. While the long term appears to be some
form of compressed format using solid state storage it is not there yet.
 
I don't have an alternative opinion, but for some discussion here's a few
comments....

My take on it is that 99% of the people buying camcorders don't have
intentions of editing the video. That's why the market makes them more and
more like point, shoot, and view.... with whatever compression formats best
support them. The primary market is not people who do editing.

It's only after they see their videos that it becomes a good idea to edit
them... so it's a matter of how best to do it... I know people who took
vacation videos years ago and never yet watched them. They don't want to
learn about Movie Maker or anything else.... the tapes sit in their
libraries and the camcorder is mostly unused.

People who want to both shoot and edit are and will be in the small
minority... and they'll figure out ways to get it done with whatever
camcorder, file formats, editing software, and distribution methods there
are. The file conversions are not a big deal, just a learning curve.

The right software to use might be Movie Maker but could be something
else... I found it funny that last week in my assessing Movie Maker in
Vista... there I am authoring and making DVDs with the integrated Movie
Maker/Vista/DVD Maker... while over on another computer I'm exploring my new
copy of Roxio's MyDVD Premier 8, going into it to author a DVD, but went
down a path into its movie-making feature, with a timeline, transitions,
effects, titling, music track, sound effects track, etc.... I ended up doing
movie making on MyDVD and DVD making on Vista's Movie Maker...

For those confused about camcorders, video editing, and making discs
today.... wait till tomorrow and they'll be 10 times as confused. Don't go
away as there will be many more looking for help.
--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 and Photo Story 3 website - http://www.papajohn.org
MM2 Tips and Tricks: http://www.simplydv.co.uk/simplyBB/viewtopic.php?t=4693
Online Newsletters: http://www.windowsmoviemakers.net/PapaJohn/Index.aspx
 
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