Import MOV drops quality

Hi, does anyone know a good way to import content without it drastically loosing quality? I have a Digital Camocrder that captures in AVI format (it appears to be Xvid). These play in quicktime but with no sound. They play fine in VLC. I can however transcode them into MOV format and they play fine in quicktime. However, if I then drop them into iMovie they loose SO much quality....any ideas on this one or possibly doing away with the need to transcode the movies?
Thanks for any advice...
Chris

Hi Chris,
no way. Xvid is a very high compressing codec... and for sure, it is lossy; iMovie needs for editing every frame of a video (30fps); so, any converter has to "estimate" the content of every frame (which Xvid doesn't store.....)
and the usual recommendation:
http://www.alfanet.it/squared5/mpegstreamclip.html

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Etude.

annadex wrote:
I have tuns of .mp4 clips, converted them to .mov clips... .
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easy way:
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(does it play the video?)
• File/Export/choose 720p (if optional, if not 480p)
• import THAT into iMovie using iMovies import routine, proceed …

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Hi, I am in a similar position with a Sony HDR-CX7. I shot at 1080i and am now trying to work out a good workflow to retain maximum quality for 720p output (not DVD or BluRay etc).
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can I import movies to my Itunes library

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AndersD_Vasa wrote:
… I mean, is there any quality issues?
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Wow Eddie,
That was quick. Two things that you might think about for that page (your link), would be the addition of "30 days, with no chance of re-install and no rolling the computer's clock back," and "be sure to use all the proper tools for completely removing the "trial version," PRIOR to attempting to install the "full version." These have proved to be gottchas' based on the # of posts to the forum. Otherwise, perfect link and something that Adobe should have had in bold red print on their download page, as Jim points out. If the above material was on the link and I missed it - well, never mind.
Cody,
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Sorry that the car analogy didn't do it for you. I'll try better next time.
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How to import movie clips from DVD?

Hi,
A really stupid question, and possibly this has been asked before, but I am at my wits end--is there a way I can import video clips to iMovie from a DVD disc that contains video files? When I try to select 'import movies' from the file menu, it won't import the clips because the video files contained within the dvd are VOB. IFO. and BUP. formats, and the iMovie will only read MPEG or mov. Is there a way I can somehow import these clips by changing the setting somewhere in the iMovie or am I to require some other type of application to convert these files before I can successfully import them?
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Is there a way I can somehow import these clips by changing the setting somewhere in the iMovie or am I to require some other type of application to convert these files before I can successfully import them?
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I use Quicktime pro as well to export any file to a version that iMovie will work with
Unfortunately, QT Pro will not work in this case since QT Pro is not conversion compatible with multiplexed MPEG-2 formats. Even if you add the $20 QT MPEG-2 Playback component, it will only convert the video portion of the file. Use an MPEG-based, third-party application like those mentioned above or FFmpegX (donation-ware/difficult to use) or MPEG2 Works (Pay-ware that also requires the $20 MPEG-2 component, etc.

Can I sync or import movies from VUDU or Flixter into my Itunes account? If so how do I do it?

Can I sync or import movies from VUDU or Flixter into my Iturnes? If so how do I do it?

I to would love to know if anyone has found a way to do this.... I purchased several bluray dads, and normally the software gives you the option to use the "ultraviolet" streaming and/or download a copy to iTunes, but these all seem to be Flixter or nothing. I contacted the folks at "UV," "Flixter" and Warner Bros as well, and they all told me "tough luck" on my request to get iTunes versions. Flixter even went so far as to tell me, "...we cannot provide digital copies in every media format for certain films for a variety of logistical reasons." which is total BS, and they know it.
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This really should be the foundation for a class-action lawsuit against the studios who do this BS "bait and switch" to try to force you to use a less then desirable format or poor quality 'streaming' service. I realize the studios want to make more $$ and that means screwing over Apple/iTunes and by default the consumer, by forcing a shoddy product they make more profit on.... No different than an electronics store pushing you to purchase 'brandX' because it has a higher profit margin for them... except that YOU HAVE THE CHOICE.
Apple could make a killing by accepting their codes for discounts on the iTunes versions... say half-price... just a thought.
But seriously, to all those out there, this really should be put into a class action suit..... I would be on-board.
--Dave

HT1473 how to import movies to iTunes from personal DVD's

Don't understand how to import movies on DVD/s to the iTunes library

If these are personal movies and you have the original files (that you created the DVDs from), use those instead. Converting to DVD then back reduces quality.
And as Skydiver119 noted, it is illegal to break the encryption on commercial DVDs, even if you own the DVD.

Importing movies-- iPhoto or into iMovie???

I am a bit confused on which way is the best way....
Importing my movies into iPhoto and then into iMovie, which it seems to do on its own whenever you launch iMovie....
or
Importing directly into iMovie and not have anything imported into iPhoto...
Why is one better than the other, in your opinion??? And, if you do option 1, does it have two copies on your hard drive or is it only a reference address from iMovie to the location in iPhoto???

bumpage - I am a new mac user and a prior MS enthusiast, builder, fixer. So I know my way around 'puters. And I'm loving the switch to Macintosh (that's what it was called when I was a kid). Everything's easier, and streamlined. But I'm having the same problem. I think (but am not sure) that I've had videos imported in both iPhoto and iMovie 11's even though I try hard as I can to not get dupes and I'm positive now I have 2 copies of half of the videos I imported from my iPhone4. I don't care how many thumbnails there are, or will be made, or where they are, or where they can be viewed... but I only want ONE original .MOV file.
What's the fastest way to find and eliminate these (or any dupes) on my MBP (or Snow Leopard/iLife'11)? Do it somehow through iMovie and iPhoto, or do through finder? I know I said I can put together a non-Mac PC blindfolded and drunk, but I'm still learning, albeit fast, how Mac's operate.
Can you believe I got it in November and I'm still getting used to "mounting" disc images, etc.?
Anywho...any help y'all could provide would be much appreciated. I just started deleting what I thought were dupes in iPhoto's root (master) subfolders because I was sure I always imported into iMovie first and got ALL of them every time (before firing up iPhoto to import pics), but then I spot-checked some of the .MOV's that I just dropped in the TRASH (searched for them elsewhere on my MBP - assuming they'd show up in the iMovie library folder/subfolder system) and found they only resided in the iPhoto libary folder system. Thankfully I just "PUT BACK" all of them until I can figure out a logical, efficient way to do this both retro-actively as well as going forward. I almost lost precious, precious memories of my 6-year-old little girl. I just want to get this right.
Because apparently the method(s) I'm employing are no good.
But I don't think it's all me. I mean why can't Apple just make it so that iPhoto imports ONLY photos, and iMovie imports ONLY movie clips???? Is that too much to ask? I mean you could still pull in thumbnails and add movie clips to a slideshow in iPhoto; or pull in pictures to use in a video project you are making, but how can the neat and tidiness of Mac-dom be so easily cluttered, especially by a conscientious user like myself who is being super extra careful and methodical -afraid of missteps everywhere [given that I'm extra wary while learning the advantages and pitfalls of Macs].
Not to mention...iPhoto (before an apparent recent update), would show the .MOV thumbnails in the "Import" dialog that shows when I plug in my iPhone, and would even have them selected, but would skip importing them (logically, if I'm in iPhoto, why tf would I want to import movies?) Now all the sudden I say import all and it actually does.
Give me a break here. I thought I was done picking peoples' brains on 'boards when I got a Mac. Hopefully this is my only gripe for the next year.
Thanks for listening/reading. Much Obliged.
Message was edited by: shoodabinacowboy (updated WHICH MBP I have, and the correct version of OS X, as well as what versions of iLife, iWork, & MSoffice)

Disk usage after importing movie files into iMovie

The movie files on my iMac consume about 200 gig of space on a 1TB hard drive.
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Does importing the movie files into iMovie double the disk space used?
Len in NC

Yes you should expect that imported movies will be much larger than the original on the camera. That's because the camera's AVCHD format records a full movie frame only about once a second. In between it stores only differences from the previous frame. That saves a lot of space, but requires a lot more processing power to display the movie during editing. It would also require reprocessing of multiple frames each time you split a clip somewhere that happens not to be a fully-recorded frame.
That's why all of Apple's video software (even Final Cut Studio) converts AVCHD at import time to a format that makes each frame independent, but that uses several times as much space. Actually the pro software uses an even bulkier format than iMovie, to provide more bits per pixel, so that you can do more extensive post processing without loss of quality.
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Import MOV drops quality

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