PC rqmts for DV-AVI capture

  • Thread starter Thread starter Todd H
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T

Todd H

I am using MM2 with a Sony TRV 18 digital camcorder hooked
up to my computer using firewire. After capturing the
video using the high quality DV-AVI format, I note that
the quality is not as good as expected or even consistant
over multiple captures. There is a significant degree of
pixelation (much more than the 720x480 resolution would be
expected to have) as well as serious "smearing" of the
picture during rapid pans.

What are the minimum PC requirements for capture of this
high resolution format. I am trying to use a 2.2 GHz
Celeron (400MHz) machine with only 256MB of RAM. I have
defragmented the hard drive and have not had any increase
in performance. Would the addition of more RAM help, or
am I doomed from the beginning trying to do this type of
video editting on a Celeron machine? Thanks.

Todd
 
Todd,

The data might be in the captured file, but the computer not able to play it
back well. Capture a small segment - maybe 5 minutes, and then export it
back to the camcorder and check it there. If the quality is in the file,
then it'll be there in the edited movie.

If the quality isn't there, then maybe your capture card/cable has an issue
and the quality is being lost in the transfer.

PapaJohn
 
Would there be any major difference between that
experiment and viewing the resultant video after
conversion to mpeg2 and burning to DVD? So far, I have
only dealt with video on the order of 5 minutes total, at
a max of ~1 minute per clip. The AVI files seem unsightly
during playback in Windows Media Player, and the resulting
DVD does not look good on the TV either.

I would think that if the data was in the file, it would
look right on the dvd. What do you think?
 
I'd expect a big difference in quality. MPEG2 is highly compressed and the
quality of the files would depend a lot on the software used to make them
and the settings. It wouldn't be as good as a DV-AVI file.

PapaJohn
 
OK. I appreciate your feedback. It sounds like I do need
to try out the experiment that you first suggested to
isolate hardware issues from the DVD software and settings
issues. I will do that when I get back to the computer in
question this evening.

If I find that the AVI clip does look good when
transferred back to the camcorder, I would use some leads
on what to check next. Regarding the hardware, I am just
using a standard PCI Firewire card, cable, and the Sony
camcorder. What might be the issue with the capture
card/cable? Could I still have a processor specific
problem, or are you familiar with successful
implementations using the Celeron Chip? I am also
concerned with the 256MB of RAM that I have. I note that
you suggested a minimum of 512 MB in a post earlier this
week. Do you think that this could also cause degradation
in picture quality? Any suggestions that you might have
(shy of replacing the CPU) would be greatly appreciated.

Is it not possible to generate "DVD quality" video on the
DVD format using MM2 and the general distribution Roxio
DVD burner software? Is the format for "Hollywood" DVDs
not the same mpeg2? I will check your website for more
informaton before hitting you with the next barrage of
questions. Thanks for your help.
 
RAM isn't an issue in capturing or exporting, just in project size issues.
And, yes - Hollywood MPEG2 is better. Pay big bucks and get better quality
rendering. DV-AVI also is consumer version quality, not professional. Get a
professional camera and equipment and you can have higher quality digital
video files.

PapaJohn
 
Makes sense...thanks for your help. Now I have a sense of
what my target really is.

I'll try to see if the capture is working well, as you
suggested. I did read your suggestions on your website
regarding MPEG2 encoding and DVD burning software, so I've
got some things to try there, too. Thanks again for your
help...hopefully you won't hear from me again!

Todd H
 
In addition to Hollywood paying the big bucks for better MPEG2 encoders,
most commercial DVDs movies are on a dual-layer "DVD-9" disc. Roughly, this
means that you'll be compressing your 100 minute movie (with a low-cost
MPEG2 encoder) about twice as much as Hollywood to get it onto a DVD-Video
disc you create on your PC.

Supposedly, there is enough flexibility in the Windows Media 9 specification
to support both a "consumer quality" video (what you get from WMM2) and a
"professional quality" (equal to or better than Hollywood DVDs).

Dan
 
Mr Smith,

Your message is off-topic, please refrain from posting off-topic messages
in this newsgroup.

--
Best Wishes.........John Kelly
www.the-kellys.org
---
Please Note : DO NOT reply by e-mail unless invited to do so.
----
God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the
difference.

From: "J. Daniel Smith" <[email protected]>
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Dan
 
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