Firewire

[Guest JDP]

I bought a new Mini DV camcorder. The Canon Elura 100. Can't wait till I get a chance to record some rides. I went with the minidv becasue I understand the picture quality is better than the DVD or hard drive due to compression. The bad thing about the minidv is it is harder to download to my PC for editing and burning. Thus my question. I have been reading a little about add on firewire cards for my desktop and laptop since mine did not come with it. The reviews for some are very negative such as the audio portion does not translate well. I was wondering if anyone has any advice about firewire cards and also some inexpensive yet good editing software.

[jeremy556]

I haven't done much DV stuff, but I would suggest you use a desktop and not a laptop to do it. I don't understand how a firewire card could have anything to do with the audio being that it is a digital transfer. Are you sure those reviewers know what they are talking about?

[HispanicSlammer]

firewire card can be found for around $20 cheap !! and the cables too! If you have microsoft xp you already have movie makerII thats what I use! You might need some extra ram as this is the part that chews up a lot of time!

[Guest JDP]

I haven't done much DV stuff, but I would suggest you use a desktop and not a laptop to do it. I don't understand how a firewire card could have anything to do with the audio being that it is a digital transfer. Are you sure those reviewers know what they are talking about?

Not really sure they know much but I know next to nothing. This is all new so I am looking at all the data. I agree with your comment about it all being digital so along those same lines why is it that if you reuse a minidv tape to much the picture quality is degraded. If this is possible I guess it is also possible for a digital stream of information to be degraded as it is being dumped into a computer.

That is my logic anyway. :unsure:

[CornerCarver]

I haven't done much DV stuff, but I would suggest you use a desktop and not a laptop to do it. I don't understand how a firewire card could have anything to do with the audio being that it is a digital transfer. Are you sure those reviewers know what they are talking about?

Not really sure they know much but I know next to nothing. This is all new so I am looking at all the data. I agree with your comment about it all being digital so along those same lines why is it that if you reuse a minidv tape to much the picture quality is degraded. If this is possible I guess it is also possible for a digital stream of information to be degraded as it is being dumped into a computer.

That is my logic anyway. :biggrin:

From what I understand the re-use of the tape deteriorates the media itself so some data may not be as clear. I am looking at the same camera that you just purchased. How do you like it?

[Guest JDP]

[

From what I understand the re-use of the tape deteriorates the media itself so some data may not be as clear. I am looking at the same camera that you just purchased. How do you like it?

I have only had it two days but I am impressed so far. The picture is excellent and I am not hearing any motor noise that can be a problem on some camcorders. Got it at Best buy for $341. It was voted the best camcorder for under $400 this year.

One thing that I did not realize is the cost of a replacement battery. $70 is the best I could find so far. I always like to keep a spare.

[oyama]

Not really sure they know much but I know next to nothing. This is all new so I am looking at all the data. I agree with your comment about it all being digital so along those same lines why is it that if you reuse a minidv tape to much the picture quality is degraded. If this is possible I guess it is also possible for a digital stream of information to be degraded as it is being dumped into a computer.

That is my logic anyway. :biggrin:

I just used a Canon Elura 65 to do my school project. I have a Turtle Beach capture device. It would be overkill in your case because it can capture from Firewire, USB, Video and S-Video. This capturing device also come with video editing, DVD menu creating and DVD burning software. It also come with all the cable I might need. In your case the only thing you need is a Firewire port. However, please understand that capturing is a hard work for the computer.

1, If you decide to compress your video while capturing it make sure you have a fast processor (2GHz or faster) and a lot of RAM(512MB or more). When you compress your video on the fly you use less hard disk drive space.

2, If you decide to store the raw video, fast and big hard disk drive is a must! I just captured 20 minutes and ended up with 4GB file.

I would recommend to capture more files instead of the whole tape in one if it is possible. It can make the editing easier, at least it did for me. My capture program can create a file for each recordings on the tape.

I agree with Jeremy556 use your desktop computer for capturing. Desktops usually have faster HDDs.

[CrazyInNYC]

I haven't done much DV stuff, but I would suggest you use a desktop and not a laptop to do it. I don't understand how a firewire card could have anything to do with the audio being that it is a digital transfer. Are you sure those reviewers know what they are talking about?

Not really sure they know much but I know next to nothing. This is all new so I am looking at all the data. I agree with your comment about it all being digital so along those same lines why is it that if you reuse a minidv tape to much the picture quality is degraded. If this is possible I guess it is also possible for a digital stream of information to be degraded as it is being dumped into a computer.

That is my logic anyway. :biggrin:

It isn't likely that picture quality would be degraded by recording to a tape multiple times. You do however increase the likelihood of "dropout" the more wear you subject a tape to. For non-professional uses you should be able to reuse a quality miniDV tape at least 100 times in quality equipment without an excessive amount of dropout.

Basically it depends upon a number of factors including the quality of your equipment. Better equipment will attempt to error correct for small anomalies in recording media.

If you do experience dropout you will likely lose all or some of the video and / or audio, but you likely won't have a full picture that would look degraded or not sharp.

In short, don't worry about it (unless critical footage). If you find a tape with a lot of errors, chuck it and buy a new one.

What is a dropout ?

A dropout is when your camera fails to record an image for a short period. The most common cause is the tape losing contact with the recording heads. This can be because of irregular tape shrinkage, poor tape tensioning (along the length of the tape most often, but sometimes across the height of the tape), excessive camera motion, poor tape storage practices or defects in the tape surface.

Most of the time dropouts look like an area of the screen that is black with random square or rectangular digital artifacts appearing all over the picture area. There is often a clicking or whistling sound, or a digital shirping that accompanies a visual dropout. It is possible to have either a video or audio dropout alone, but video dropouts are far more common.

[oyama]

One thing that I did not realize is the cost of a replacement battery. $70 is the best I could find so far. I always like to keep a spare.

Check this out. Or you can try eBay.

[Guest JDP]

One thing that I did not realize is the cost of a replacement battery. $70 is the best I could find so far. I always like to keep a spare.

Check this out. Or you can try eBay.

Thanks Oyama, I appreciate your feedback and saving me some money is always appreciated. :fing02:

[V4 Rosso]

The reviews for some are very negative such as the audio portion does not translate well.

If that should happen than it's not the firewire port that is to blame, but the camcorder. Using firewire you make a 1:1 digital copy of what the camcorder transmits over it's firewire port. It could be that your desktop comes with a firewire port. Look for a port shaped like the large one in the middle, in the picture below:

[Dutchy]

JDP,

What brand+partnumber of PC do you have?

With that info I can look up the specs for you.

What operating system? As HS said, Windows XP has a standard program "Moviemaker"; I use that as well. If you donot run XP, I will try and dig out a CD with basic capturing software. (all legit, no illegal copy)

Also, press START (bottom left)

click on MY COMPUTER (or something to that effect), and then either on show properties or right click, properties,

It should tell you the type of processor and RAM installed (ie Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.00GHz, Clockspeed 3.00 GHz, 2.00 GB)

Have you ever opened the PC case yourself? This to know if there are any free slots available for a PCI Firewire card to add (these cost around 17 euros here $20) and to see if there are free slots for additional memory.

It can get kinda cramped in there...

Alternatively, phone ahead to your local PC shop, check if they have a PCI card and if they can just fit it in for your. 5 minutes work max (including one cup of coffee)

[Synaptic Misfire]

Tape degradation is a concern but there are ways to mitigate the damage. Fast forwarding and rewinding while playing can cause significant tape wear in two ways. First is the stretching of the tape, most modern tape handlers have deceleration built in that prevents a lot of this. Abrasion from the head, particals can accumulate on the ape head and scratch th tape after awhile. Tapes can also degrade from exposure to heat and elements. Personally I do not review a tape until I capture it to hard drive that eliminates excessive rewinding. Finally using high quality tape is very important.

Firewire cards...audio sync is not a function of the firewire card. That lies with the codec your editing software uses to capture the stream. I have used a $20 firewire card to capture tape that cost thousands to shoot.

Compress on the fly...what is the point of buying a high quality camcorder to only compress the image before editing?? Storage is CHEAP, buy a bigger drive. While we are talking about drives although modern IDE/SATA drives are fast their performance degrades as their capacity is reached. Most 7200RPM hard drives can sustain the throughput neecessary for 30FPS capture it can drop rapidly and cause you to lose frames. Since drives are cheap and most computer made in the last 4 years have RAID capability buy two matched drives (same manufacturer size cache etc) and place them in a RAID 0 configuration. Once setup they can maintain well above the required throughput all the way to capacity. Also having a second hard drive to store video on increases the speed of capture and editing. Ideally SCSI or SATA Raptor drives are the best bet but they be expensive mmkay?

As far as memory goes MORE IS BETTER!! As much as your computer can take and you can afford. Video files are huge and editing programs can store multiple instances of one file (edit history) which can consume the largest RAM in no time.

Processor...dual core if you got it or can afford it, if not the faster the better. Regardless of how fast your gear is you will still see significant processing time as you layer effects(up to and beyond 10 to 1 ratio). The only way to mitigate this is to buy an expensive hardware editing card.

Same concepts apply for DVD production, faster drives, more memory, bigger processor and pop for a hardware encoding card if you can.

AFAIK movie maker has a limited output i.e. only severely compressed video, but I'm not sure. Pop for a copy of Pinnacle Studio plus good consumer level editing in $80 range it also allows you to make DVDs right from one interface.

Hope that helps

[orgndnr]

Just bought the same camera for the wifey for CM, looking forward to your use and importing remarks. I have a Sony VAIO 2.8gHz with 1gb Ram.

[The Phantom]

Having just came across the same issue last week I can recommend the following link for lots of useful info (having said that, there's pretty much enough in this topic already to get you sorted, as usual VFRD comes through :biggrin: )

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/bbs/t30394.html

[SEBSPEED]

So if I have a 3.2Ghz processor, 512mb of ram, and a 160gig hard drive, will I be ok to do this too?

I'd love to do some recording in the future!

[jeremy556]

So if I have a 3.2Ghz processor, 512mb of ram, and a 160gig hard drive, will I be ok to do this too?

I'd love to do some recording in the future!

I would add some memory. If you want to do it a lot then I would get an extra hard drive (or better yet 2 or more in RAID0).

[oyama]

So if I have a 3.2Ghz processor, 512mb of ram, and a 160gig hard drive, will I be ok to do this too?

I'd love to do some recording in the future!

I would add some memory. If you want to do it a lot then I would get an extra hard drive (or better yet 2 or more in RAID0).

Exactly! :biggrin:

[SEBSPEED]

I would add some memory. If you want to do it a lot then I would get an extra hard drive (or better yet 2 or more in RAID0).

Just an occasional ride vid, maybe 2 or 3 per year, up to 10 minutes long. Maybe some family vids. I had planned to add some memory at some point...

[Guest JDP]

JDP,

What brand+partnumber of PC do you have?

With that info I can look up the specs for you.

What operating system? As HS said, Windows XP has a standard program "Moviemaker"; I use that as well. If you donot run XP, I will try and dig out a CD with basic capturing software. (all legit, no illegal copy)

Also, press START (bottom left)

click on MY COMPUTER (or something to that effect), and then either on show properties or right click, properties,

It should tell you the type of processor and RAM installed (ie Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.00GHz, Clockspeed 3.00 GHz, 2.00 GB)

Have you ever opened the PC case yourself? This to know if there are any free slots available for a PCI Firewire card to add (these cost around 17 euros here $20) and to see if there are free slots for additional memory.

It can get kinda cramped in there...

Alternatively, phone ahead to your local PC shop, check if they have a PCI card and if they can just fit it in for your. 5 minutes work max (including one cup of coffee)

I have a Dell Dimension 2400. I am using XP home edition. Pentium 4 CPU 2.66GHZ with 512 MB of Ram. I have never opened the PC but there are block off plates in the back so it looks like I have room for more. Maybe I need to look inside to be sure.

Thanks to everyone for all the help

[Guest JDP]

JDP,

What brand+partnumber of PC do you have?

With that info I can look up the specs for you.

What operating system? As HS said, Windows XP has a standard program "Moviemaker"; I use that as well. If you donot run XP, I will try and dig out a CD with basic capturing software. (all legit, no illegal copy)

Also, press START (bottom left)

click on MY COMPUTER (or something to that effect), and then either on show properties or right click, properties,

It should tell you the type of processor and RAM installed (ie Intel Pentium 4 CPU 3.00GHz, Clockspeed 3.00 GHz, 2.00 GB)

Have you ever opened the PC case yourself? This to know if there are any free slots available for a PCI Firewire card to add (these cost around 17 euros here $20) and to see if there are free slots for additional memory.

It can get kinda cramped in there...

Alternatively, phone ahead to your local PC shop, check if they have a PCI card and if they can just fit it in for your. 5 minutes work max (including one cup of coffee)

I have a Dell Dimension 2400. I am using XP home edition. Pentium 4 CPU 2.66GHZ with 512 MB of Ram. I have never opened the PC but there are block off plates in the back so it looks like I have room for more. Maybe I need to look inside to be sure.

Thanks to everyone for all the help

Oh ya I forgot. 25 Gig of hard drive available

[Guest]

Glad you posted here, I just purchased the same unit a couple of days ago and still getting familiar with it. I noticed in the users manual it will download to a PC from the SD card using the USB port. I haven't actually tried it and I'm new to the whole video thing but it might be a temporary alternative. I found a 2Gig SD card at Radio Shack for $40.

Very interested in seeing your video results and general setup, bike mount etc.

[Dutchy]

your machine has

RAMRAM installed 512 MB

Max supported RAM 1 GB

Memory specification compliance PC2700

Memory speed 333 MHz

RAM form factor DIMM 184-pin

RAM technology

so you can add another 512MB (supported; this means it may accept more but not guaranteed). More MB is better but 1GB (1024MB) will do the trick

You should have a look inside (disconnect power cord).

Look for the long strips, similar to the ones in my picture under the "zalman" fan. I have 4 of those with no more empty slots in sight.

If your motherboard has 2 slots only and Dell fitted 2x 256MB to get to the 512, you must ditch those and replace by 2x 512MB.

You probably have 4 slots though.

Dell will have a list of memory modules that are guaranteed but you typically pay through the nose.... Same with a memory mfr like Kingston; they offer "value/standard"memory (with the specs laid down) and those tested/guaranteed to work on your DEll 2400. Guess what costs more.

Thing is, although within spec, sometimes a PC simply refuses to eat it....

So if you buy, always agree that "if it doesnot work I can return". Again an endorsement for going to a local shop and try on the spot.

Your type of memory is DDR 2700; there is also a faster type DDR3200. There is no point in buying this because -as far as I know- your system will detect the PC2700 already fitted and will down-clock the 3200 to 2700.

At the rear you see backing plates to you will be able to add a PCI (the name of the slot you stick the card in) Firewire card. Windows XP will automatically install the drivers or ask for the CD with the drivers (comes with the card; unless you buy an OEM card.....)

For the software, click on START, ALL PROGRAMS, and look for WINDOWS MOVIEMAKER

[V4 Rosso]

under the "zalman" fan.

I count four fans :mellow: What does it say on the front of your PC, "Intel Honda RR inside"? :unsure:

[The Phantom]

I count four fans :fing02: What does it say on the front of your PC, "Intel Honda RR inside"? :warranty:

Are those side-mounted rads? :fing02: