Need converter - analog to digital via firewire

I'm looking to buy a converter to convert analog (VHS home movies) directly into iMovie via firewire. What are you using and have you had any problems? Thank you for your suggestions.

My Analog to DV passthrough settings memo:
1. Take the tape out of the camcorder
2. Connect the analog device's audio and video to the camcorder's minijack, use the S-Video jack for video if the output device supports S-Video
3. Put the camcorder into VTR-mode
4. Select A/V->DV out: ON, in VTR mode's menu choices
5. Disable the info display on the the camcorder by toggling its DISPLAY button
6. Put iMovie (or other DV application) to the Camera Mode
The analog image should now appear on the camcorder's screen as well as on the iMovie's screen.
Note that if you have a tape in the camcorder, you have to put the camcorder's VTR into REC mode (you may pause the tape) but this is not advisable because it produces wear to the tape.
* Note that the SCART which comes with the European nEUtered TRV320E camcorder is Out-only.
Is it possible to install iMovie 4 on an Intel iMac
I believe iMovie 4 works only on PPC Macs.

Similar Messages

Do I even need an analog to digital converter for old VHS?

I'm just trying the most cost effective way to transfer all of my old VHS & HI-8 material to a digital format for better preservation. Since, why I do not know, PE doesnt allow for analog capture, I need a converter like Dazzle to get my analog source to digital. Or do I?? Can I not just use Windows Movie Maker to capture then import into PE? Doesnt my capture card do convert?? I have my VCR hooked up via S-video to the card. Is the card not the same thing as an external converter? I just want to know the best way so I dont waste my time only to have to go back and redo everything. Thanx yall

Thanx y'all. Thats where I'm a bit confused. You mentioned "quality DV-AVI". I'm under the assumption that when I capture an analog signal that I set at 720x480 is a "quality DV-AVI". After I have captured and rendered to an .avi file I then import that into PE. Is that what you are meaning? Or is that an inferior quality video file? The capture card I have is a Legacy capture card that came with Pinnacle Studio ver 9. Pinnacle is a great intro level editor, but it sucks because it's slow, unstable and captures out of sync audio which I have to go in and manually sync. I shouldnt have to do that. I'll spend $100-$200 if thats what I have to do to get the results I want. I'm not looking for HD quality here. I simply want to capture all my old analog media, edit it, and burn to DVD and keep on my HD to preserve it all. I want it to be the same quality as it appears on its original medium.I also want to continue to edit and burn stuff using my Mini DV camera as well. I just want an editor thats above intro level, but not as complex as Premieire Pro. I feel that PE will do the job well. My capture card has S-video, firewire & composite inputs. Is my card not what I'm needing?? Or, do I need an analog to digital converter to get the analog material into a raw digital format thats the same quality as the original?
To help in my endeavors i recently upgraded and built anew PC so that I would have no problems, seeing that video editing does tax a computers resources. My new build is a Quad core 4 gb of RAM system. So my computer power should not be an issue for home editing and what not.

Converting Analog to Digital

Hi,
Really quick - what's the best option for getting video via my DVD player into FCP - an analog capture card or an external converter (the ones I've seen are USB 2.0?
Thanks,
Craig

If you need to pull video off of a DVD, use MPEG Streamclip (free).
As for Analog vs digital, it has to be digital to work with the video. If you have a firewire camera, use the inputs on that to pass the video through.

Converting analog to digital video

Does anybody know a cheap way to convert analog video (from a VHS) to digital video that can be burned on a DVD? A converter box is probably my best option as I have no digital camcorder, but I was looking for one under $150. So far the only ones I can find send the analog signal to the computer, where it is converted to digital by software. This would be fine, but the software is Windows only. I either need a converter box that converts the signal within the box and sends a digital signal to the computer, or one that comes with converting software for Mac. Preferably composite video (yellow, red, white), and preferably something that uses firewire, although if I have to I can use USB
Thanks,
Tom
iMac G4 15-inch 800 Mhz Mac OS X (10.3.9) iMovie 3.0.3, Toast 7 Titanium, no iDVD

Not sure what you mean by "breaks up in places".
In iMovie4, the maximum clip size is 2 gigabytes. When importing from a camera or converter, iMove will just start a new clip ever 9 1/2 minutes (2 gb), but you don't lose a single frame.
If you're getting irregular breaks, including the loss of video (may be hard to tell, if it's only a frame or two), you either have a cable problem (maybe just not plugged-in securely) or a VHS tape that is a bit out of synch. For that, you might need Time Base Correction, where the hardware will basically ignore the synch data on the tape and replace it with it's own. There are VCRs and video converters that have TBC built-in, but they're more expensive. There are also separate pieces of gear that do only that. I dunno whether digital cameras are available that do this.
First, I'd see if it happens with other tapes, then try another VCR, before spending megabucks on more gear.

Your help needed converting video to digital

How do I convert video to digital using a G4 Powerbook, Canopus 300 & Imovie HD 6.0.4.
Steps needed, please.
I have VCR, G4 Powerbook, Canopus ADVC 300 and Ilife 08 and/or Imovie HD6.0.4.
Another poster said I needed to purchase Ilife 08 to make it work, but after the software arrived, it required G5 hardware to fully install. Not happy with that.
Is there a workaround? Please advise.

Assuming that you have VHS tapes that you want to convert to digital to use in iMovie? Is that correct? If so, you can find helpful information in these threads:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7138598&#7138598
An older MacWorld article with step by step instructions:
http://www.macworld.com/article/30972/2004/05/fromvhstodvd.html
If you are trying to do something else, please post back.

Converting analog to digital: Canopus, etc. vs. Camcorder

I have a bunch of old analog tapes and, unfortunately, a digital camcorder that doesn't take analog input. So I need to acquire some new hardware to convert the tapes (I have the old analog camcorder for playback). Is there any reason I should get something like a Canopus, or other converter box, rather than simply buying a used camera off Ebay (understanding the risks of buying used), and then reselling it when done? Looks like there are more used camcorders than used Canopus units. Or, the Canon Elura 100 is available around $300. Guessing that I could use that for a week, in the house only, and sell it on Ebay and lose less than the cost of a Canopus unit. Of course, I guess a Canopus could be resold as well.
Any ideas on the best option here? Part of the equation, of course, is the quality of conversion.

the step of creating a digital tape from the analog tape, with a digital camera, adds an extra step.
Some camcorders feature also analog-to-DV passthrough so you don't have to store the material on a tape if you don't want to.
But it also creates the digital tape to save as an archive, right?
Yes. This is why I 1st transferred my old VHS tapes to digital tape, eventhough my camcorder supports* a-to-dv passthrough. I fianlly wanted to backup those precious tapes.
*This works with iMovie 1-4 only... iMovie 5-6 broke the a-to-dv passthrough feature of my Sony TRV320E. This is why I still have also iMovie 4 installed.
BTW, I haven't seen any good tests whether dedicated converters offer any better quality than the a-to-dv chips inside camcorders.

Small thin line at the bottom when converting analog to digital

I encounter a small line at the bottom of my videos (this is also on the DVD that I burn) when I try to convert my Sony Hi8 to Digital while using iMovie HD6. When I try this at home on my Sony Viao PC with the built in Giga Pocket Converter there is no line. I thought that it might be my DV converter a datvideo DAC-200 so I got a PyroA/V Link converter and the result was the same. When I use my Sony DV Camcorder every thing is great. I talked to apple support and they said that it was probably the tape. I told them that I had tried several HI8 tapes and the result was the same. (they were no help) Does anyone have these issues BB
MacBook Pro2,2 Mac OS X (10.4.8) Intel Croe 2 Duo 2.33 GHZ

See also:
http://lipas.uwasa.fi/~f76998/video/conversion/#faq
4. Frequently Argued Questions
4.1 Isn't 720 the real width of a 4:3 image? If not, then why are 720 pixels sampled instead of 711 or 702 (or whatever)?
720 pixels are sampled to allow for little deviation from the ideal timing values for blanking and active line lenght in analog signal. In practice, analog video signal - especially if coming from a wobbly home video tape recorder - can never be that precise in timing. It is useful to have a little headroom for digitizing all of the signal even if it is of a bit shoddy quality or otherwise non-standard.
720 pixels are also sampled to make it sure that the signal-to-be-digitized has had the time to slope back to blanking level at the both ends. (This is to avoid nasty overshooting or ringing effects, comparable to the clicks and pops you can hear at the start and end of an audio sample.)
Last but not least, 720 pixels are sampled because a common sampling rate (13.5 MHz) and amount of samples per line (720) makes it easier for the hardware manufactures to design multi-standard digital video equipment.

Converting analog to digital-no audio

I'm trying to convert some Sony Hi-8 camcorder tapes to ditigal through my new Canon Elura 100 directly into iMovie. The set-up looks good and seems to work as I am importing (video looks good, audio sounds good in iMovie window) but when I play back the clip in iMovie there is no audio.
Sony Hi8 Handycam connected to Canon Elura 100 through A/V ports, Canon Elura connected to iMac through Firewire.
I tried the same thing using my VCR to play a tape and the same thing happens-looks good during import, but no audio on playback.
Anyone else experience this?

I have found my problem
There is this white lead, a yellow lead, and even a red lead....!
Don't worry Ruth, we have all done it!

Which is the best Analog to Digital Converter

Hey everyone,
Im new to this movie making digital world. I have been using imovie for a while and looking to upgrade to FCP. Before I spend the money, just a few questions hoping someone would know the answers.
1: Can I use idvd to burn my movies with FCP?
2: Im need an analog to digital converter, but not sure which one to get. I have VHS, Hi8, mini DV, etc... Which converter is best with mac, specifically with FCP?
3: Does FCP work well with an external harddrive?
Thanks...

1. Yes
2. Canopus and DataVideo are popular but some camcorders have a built in A-D converter. Note that Mini-DV works without needing a converter. Just plug in your camera with FireWire.
3. Yes

Converting analog footage to digital help please!

I have a Canon GL1 and I tried running the VHS deck to the RCA cables to the GL1 then through to the Computer via Firewire but it doesn't work. Whenever I plug the firewire in the signal from the RCA is instantly gone. I heard you could use Sony cameras to convert Analog to Digital but it doesn't work with my GL1 also (I know you are supposed to use the "none controllable device" capture setting in FCP).
What I want is to go direct capture from my VHS deck to my camera to my computer without recording to minidv first.
Any help with this would be great!

hi focused!
As an avid Canon user myself, I'm sorry to say that the GL1 does not support "digital pass through"--what you're trying to achieve by using the camera as an on-the-fly analog to digital converter. The newer GL2 (among other newer models) does.
However, you can record your VHS signal onto a miniDV tape then via firewire get it onto your Mac. A longer process, but do-able. That said, if you have a little money to spend there are some inexpensive analog-digital converters available.
Hope that helps and nice to talk to another islander
Cheers (and aloha).

Capturing HDV Into ProRes 422 (LT) Via FireWire

I read this fine tutorial on Moviola on the technique of Capturing HDV Into ProRes Via FireWire.
http://moviola.com/hdv_prores
Since you can choose ProRes 422 (LT) as an option in the Log and Transfer window, I was wondering if there is a way to capture HDV to ProRes 422 (LT) via firewire like in the above mentioned article.
I tried creating a custom capture setting in the AV Settings, but ProRes 422 (LT) was not available as an option, only ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 (HQ). And those settings cannot be edited or duplicated (grayed out).
I don’t know why ProRes 422 (LT) is available in the Log and Transfer window but not in the AV Settings window. Maybe it will become available in an update.
In the meantime, does anyone know a way to get around this? Maybe modifying an FCP file somewhere?
Thanks,
======
Richard

HDV is recorded to tape inside of the camera as digital information. Component coming out of the camera is analog. The camera is performing the first conversion D/A, from HDV (digital) to component out (analog).
Component going into the ioHD is analog. The ioHD then converts via its hardware to Prores (any flavor), which is digital. The ioHD has to convert the analog from the component outs of my camera to digital for use in FCP. FCP only uses digital video.
You said "The IOHD internally converts to ProRes.." converts to ProRes is the second A/D conversion.
So the path is D/A/D. I count that as two conversions, camera D/A as one the ioHD A/D as two.
I don't want to unnecessarily convert from digital to analog to digital which is why I don't use the ioHD to convert from HDV to Prores (any flavor).
Unfortunately I don't have any digital outs for this camera, neither HDMI or HD SDI.
I believe capturing and converting HDV to ProRes via firewire in FCP doesn't have this D/A/D conversion which is why I'd like to be able to capture HDV to ProRes LT via firewire in FCP and stay digital all the way, with no analog conversions.
I use the ioHD for all of my analog to digital conversions. It's a great box from a great company.
Thanks,
=====
Richard

Convert VHS to digital?

I can't find a straight answer to this question.
I want to convert my VHS to digital format. I have purchased the RCAtoUSB dongle. Is iLife capable of recording the actual footage, or do i need a third party program to capture the video?
Thanks

I want to convert my VHS to digital format. I have purchased the RCAtoUSB dongle.
Oh Boy...
In my experience Firewire converters give higher quality results.
I like the ADVC300 Firewire converter.
I've played around with countless other conversion systems, ranging in price from $79 to $399. Short verison, this is the ONLY unit to own. No dropped frames at all, even with questionable quality tapes, no jitter, great color, excellent sound quality. Zero setup with iMovie 06 and iDVD 11.
This is a prosumer deck. The time code function is alone worth the price if you have old analog footage. Absolutely NO "Out Of Sync" audio.
ADVC300 is for anyone who wants to do editing and is concerned about quality of color and speed, for the novice it is an incredible gizmo that will restore VHS tapes to a state close to the original fixing midtones, highlights and shadows on the fly. Not only can you simply convert analog to digital you can actually manipulate the signal going in (if you want to).
A bit pricey bit it WORKS.
http://www.grassvalley.com/products/advc300
Is iLife capable of recording the actual footage
Yes, use iMovie
do i need a third party program to capture the video?
I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 11, why?
  iMovie 11/09 uses 'single field processing' meaning every other horizontal line of the video is thrown out, which reduces the sharpness of the footage. iMovie 06 uses ALL of the image to form the video.  If your primary workflow is editing DV clips and making DVDs, iMovie '06 is better suited. Your movie will arrive at iDVD in DV format, which is an ideal match for making a DVD: same resolution, same pixels aspect ratio, and original quality. If you share your movie from iMovie 11, it gets re-rendered at 640x480 or less, and then iDVD upscales it back to 720x480. The end result is obviously not as good. 
 iMovie 06 and iDVD 11 is a 100% "lossless" combination and my DVD's look like they came from Hollywood!

Thinking of getting EyeTV Hybrid to convert VHS to digital - the right move?

Hello,
I am soon going to be going back to Macintosh after a failed 17 year experiment with Windows and one of the things I will be wanting to do is transfer some home videos I own into a format that I can edit likely using I-movie.
I have reviewed several discussions on-line, and think I will be going with EyeTV Hybrid but I am wanting some fresh advice to make sure I am making the right decision. The videos I will be wanting to transfer come in, what I believe, are two analog forms VHS-C (which I would play back using a VHS cartridge converter as the camera is dead) and Hi8MP which I would play back using a Samsung SCw62 Camcorder.
Essentially, I am looking for a good conversion but it does not have to be great. I would like to be able to do some editing once they are converted, but these are home movies and I am treating them that way and not looking at producing a professional quality video.
So here are the options I have gathered online. As I said, I think I am likely going to go for EyeTV Hybrid but would appreciate any feedback as to whether it’s the best option for me or whether I should be considering something else. Money is an issue and I really don't see myself going much above $200 on this.
From what I have read, EyeTV Hybrid seems like it might be my best option. Its priced at around $150 which fits my budget and I understand the results are fairly good. Any reason why I should be wary of this option? Is it fairly straight forward to use? From what I understand, I all need to buy is this and it comes with the necessary software – am I correct?
I have read that video pass through in which the camera essentially converts analog to a digital signal. This does NOT appear to be an option for me unfortunately. As I mentioned, I own a Samsung SCw62 Camcorder and I also own a Sony HDR-CX110. Reading through the manuals I could see nothing that would suggest they could do this but I would be delighted to be informed that I am wrong.
There appeared to be a consensus on the threads I read that the Grass Valley ADVC300 analog DV converter would produce a high quality transfer. However, the price that I have seen is about $400 and this is far more than I am willing to pay and I haven’t seen a used one on ebay.
The ADVC110 does fit my budget but I am wondering if it would be much better than the EyeTV Hybrid as the prices I have seen have been a little more than $200.
There appears to be a consensus that the Roxio Easy VHS to DVD will result in a fairly low quality video and is not recommended. Anyone disagree?
Are there any other options I should consider?
Finally, as I noted I want to make some nice home movies using my old analog tapes is there any reason why investing in Final Cut Express would help in the conversion process?
Thanks to everyone for your help.
Cheers

There appeared to be a consensus on the threads I read that the Grass Valley ADVC300 analog DV converter would produce a high quality transfer.
I have a drawer full of analog-to-digital converters (including the EyeTV Hybrid). After using the Grass Valley ADVC300 I find nothing else acceptable. I appreciate your concerns about the cost you just have to decide how important these videos are.
Compared to today's standards DV Video's quality is not that great, so I don't want to lose ANYTHING in my conversion, I have no quality to "spare".
I've played around with countless other conversion systems, ranging in price from $79 to $399. Short verison, this is the ONLY unit to own. No dropped frames at all, even with questionable quality tapes, no jitter, great color, excellent sound quality. Zero setup with iMovie 06 and iDVD 09/11.
This is a prosumer deck. The time code function is alone worth the price if you have old analog footage. Absolutely NO "Out Of Sync" audio.
ADVC300 is for anyone who wants to do editing and is concerned about quality of color and speed, for the novice it is an incredible gizmo that will restore VHS tapes to a state close to the original fixing midtones, highlights and shadows on the fly. Not only can you simply convert analog to digital you can actually manipulate the signal going in (if you want to).
A bit pricey but it WORKS.

DAQ with ADC - analog to digital

I have a customer who needs to Analog to Digital functionality on a PC card. Do you have such a card and is it compatable with HTBasic. The user has many tests written in Rocky Mountain Basic which he would like to port to HTBasic for windows. I know that we have have a daqni.dw6 driver that will allow HTBasic to interface NI DAQ soffware, and hence control the card. What model of your cards can do A to D and do you think it is likely that HTBaisc which can control other DAQ cards from NI could control this card?
Thanks!!!

Hi,
Pretty much all major National Instruments hardware has at least one analog to digital converter. I recommend taking a look at M series boards for most DAQ applications. I would like to point out that these boards use the newer DAQmx driver instead of the Traditional NI-DAQ (Legacy) driver, so you may want to look further into the daqni.dw6 driver to see what it can interface with.
HTBasic is not a supported ADE. Therefore, I cannot guarantee that the hardware will work on that environment.
Regards,
Hal L.

Converting analog audio to mp3 with a DV camera

Has anyone used a video camera to convert analog to digital music? I assume it's possible but probably spits out a DV video file which then would require extracting the audio in iMovie. Anybody have recommendations on doing that?

J.D. Gibb wrote:
Has anyone used a video camera to convert analog to digital music? I assume it's possible but probably spits out a DV video file which then would require extracting the audio in iMovie. Anybody have recommendations on doing that?
Erm... don't bother. Your computer has an analog line input and some free software called Audacity will let you record and edit what comes in...
tt2

Need converter - analog to digital via firewire

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