Need Video Help

[zach619]

Ok, so I have always primarily gotten all my surfing captured on 35mm zoom len's and still shots. For the past 4 years, I have had a Video Camera. It has great zoom and resolution etc. It is a "DV" cam, meaning that all of the video gets recorded onto the mini-DV tapes.

So, I have lik 5 tapes full of surf footage from the past couple of years. I am ready to start getting all of the footage converted over to my laptop, so I can start putting together some AM. Video stuff.

So here is my question: What exactly do I need to get all of thhese tapes converted to digital formats on my Lap Top... A buddy of mine gave me his "Firewire" cable to hook to my new laptop, but I was missing something. I guess I need a firewire adapter or something to hook to the computer, then hook the cable to that?

Can someone just explain exactly what I need to get this footage off these tapes??? I have tons of video software, I have Adobe CS4 Master Collection and a few other video apps, so I am good there, I just need to get the video on my computer....


Any help could be sweet!

[MDSurfer]

Ok, so I have always primarily gotten all my surfing captured on 35mm zoom len's and still shots. For the past 4 years, I have had a Video Camera. It has great zoom and resolution etc. It is a "DV" cam, meaning that all of the video gets recorded onto the mini-DV tapes.

So, I have lik 5 tapes full of surf footage from the past couple of years. I am ready to start getting all of the footage converted over to my laptop, so I can start putting together some AM. Video stuff.

So here is my question: What exactly do I need to get all of thhese tapes converted to digital formats on my Lap Top... A buddy of mine gave me his "Firewire" cable to hook to my new laptop, but I was missing something. I guess I need a firewire adapter or something to hook to the computer, then hook the cable to that?

Can someone just explain exactly what I need to get this footage off these tapes??? I have tons of video software, I have Adobe CS4 Master Collection and a few other video apps, so I am good there, I just need to get the video on my computer....


Any help could be sweet!

Adobe CS suite Master I believe includes Premiere, Does your version? My CS Suite is just for InDesign, PS, Illus., Dreamweaver and Acrobat. I use Apple's Final Cut Pro for editing since I'm on a Mac and FCP is native to a Mac- not available for PC. The firewire itself is only part of the situation. Your computer must have a Firewire card in it with a 6pin input/output- Firewire ports are built into Macs from the factory. Then your camcorder needs to have a firewire 4pin out port. USB (even 2.0) is just entirely too slow to work easily and efficiently with video files since they gobble up a TON of space on your hard drive. You would do well to install at least a 500gb internal drive just to hold your video files, and even then you'll be amazed at how fast it gets gobbled up. If you get into it that much, you'll need to consider a hard drive Array with terrabytes of space.

Software is another biggie- PC's have Avid, Premiere, as the flagships, and Vegas as the chevrolet version of editing software. Macs generally rely on FCP and Premiere, but the pedestrian version of software for a Mac is iMovie which has its own set of idiosyncracies. But it's only like $59 if you buy it through http://www.apple.com/education/store and you can prove that you are a student.

If this hasn't scared you off, feel free to pick my brain some more via e-mail: MDSurfer@comcast.net

Cheaper is not always better, but then neither is more expensive gear or software. And I forgot to mention that Macs come with iMovie pre-loaded as part of their iLife Bundle of software.

[zach619]

I have Premiere CS4, and some ULead thing and another one. So, software is no problem. That is taken care of...

I just need to know exactly what hardware I need, and yse, in the future, I will probably get a nicer camera etc... but for now, I have 5 years worth of footage all on DV tapes....

So, my main concern now is just tranfering the video. I have used flash to build video for years, so I am assuming the editing process is similar...

So basically, I have a 6 month old HP laptop, not sure if has the firewire 6 pin thing or whatever, but even if it doesnt, can't I purchase a USB version of that?

So, really I need:
1) Firewire USB adapter for my laptop.
2) Firewire cable, to connect to the camera.... I am pretty sure the camera has the firewire port, but even if it doesnt, my buddy has teh same kind of JVC camera that does have it, so I can put my tapes in his cam and do it that way....

But generally speaking, that should get me started... Plus a ton of HD space.

I have only about 55 gigs free now, so that wont be enough for 5 90 minute tapes....

[SeaDaddy]

I have Premiere CS4, and some ULead thing and another one. So, software is no problem. That is taken care of...

I just need to know exactly what hardware I need, and yes, in the future, I will probably get a nicer camera etc... but for now, I have 5 years worth of footage all on DV tapes....

So, my main concern now is just transferring the video. I have used flash to build video for years, so I am assuming the editing process is similar...

So basically, I have a 6 month old HP laptop, not sure if has the firewire 6 pin thing or whatever, but even if it doesn't, can't I purchase a USB version of that?

So, really I need:
1) Firewire USB adapter for my laptop.
2) Firewire cable, to connect to the camera.... I am pretty sure the camera has the firewire port, but even if it doesn't, my buddy has the same kind of JVC camera that does have it, so I can put my tapes in his cam and do it that way....

But generally speaking, that should get me started... Plus a ton of HD space.

I have only about 55 gigs free now, so that wont be enough for 5 90 minute tapes....

Hey Zach, I don't know jack about video editing but I've bought adapters from this place before. They make every adapter combination under the sun. This thing sounds like what your looking for and they have every other firewire adapter there is. hope this helps.
http://www.synchrotech.com/product-1...-firewire.html

[SethC]

go onto google and search handbreak. download it and it can convert any basic video file to a file to use in an editing system. im guessing your video files are m4p's?

[MDSurfer]

That it's more about processor speed and reliability than how recently you purchased it, and with any system, it's only as reliable as the connections you make. Adapters are notoriously unreliable, maybe cost effective, but unreliable nonetheless. Desktop machines typically have much more capacity and processor speed than do laptops. Laptops are just conveniently mobile. Plug in a few peripherals and you might as well have a desktop machine that's much faster and more reliable.

[zach619]

Hey Zach, I don't know jack about video editing but I've bought adapters from this place before. They make every adapter combination under the sun. This thing sounds like what your looking for and they have every other firewire adapter there is. hope this helps.
http://www.synchrotech.com/product-1...-firewire.html

See, that is exactly what I need, but that particular link has been discontinued. That item is no longer menufactured =(

[zach619]

go onto google and search handbreak. download it and it can convert any basic video file to a file to use in an editing system. im guessing your video files are m4p's?

My video files are still all stuck on DV tapes, so there have no digital format yet. If they were mp4s, I would be money right now. But there are all on tapes

[zach619]

That it's more about processor speed and reliability than how recently you purchased it, and with any system, it's only as reliable as the connections you make. Adapters are notoriously unreliable, maybe cost effective, but unreliable nonetheless. Desktop machines typically have much more capacity and processor speed than do laptops. Laptops are just conveniently mobile. Plug in a few peripherals and you might as well have a desktop machine that's much faster and more reliable.

I have a desktop, but its old and slow. My laptop has a 3gig processor at tons of memory. So, I would assume I would just hook everything else up, then 10 hours later, teh tape will have converted to digital. Its like when I burn DVDs, it takes 3 hours for my machine to complete it, but they come out perfect...

So again, if cables are unreliable, I am dont for whatever, but no one has explained anyway to get these DV video files onto a computer other than using all these firewire thingies.

[matt720]

no one has explained anyway to get these DV video files onto a computer other than using all these firewire thingies.

try a capture card, if you have the cables to show videos on tv you can cannoct the av cables into the usb capture card, so whatever is coming out of the av cables for the camera shows up on the computer and you can hit a record button to make the files digital.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...456&CatId=1428