Tape or Live Capture? Quality Difference?

I have never captured live footage direct from camera to computer. I have an opportunity to do so tomorrow on a 2-camera shoot. I have questions:
1) Is it possible to capture 2 firewire streams simultaneously in OnLocation or with some other program?
2) Is there a quality difference between live capture from an HDV camcorder and from a tape?
3) I have a Matrox MX02 Mini with which I can capture a stream via component HD. How does this compare quality-wise to HDV?
It is a long event - a bodybuilding contest (about 4 hours) I would love to save time not having to capture from tape afterwards, but wondering if the setup is worth it. I do not have a laptop, so I would bring my editing computer to the gig.

Hi(Bonjour)!
If you shooted in DV format (standard resolution) monitor your footage on a Standard tv monitor, not on a HD one.
Did you shoot with extended play activated ?
See this post:
http://discussions.apple.com/click.jspa?searchID=-1&messageID=3921401
Michel Boissonneault

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Live Capture from Video Mixer

I'm having a problem with getting my Powerbook to communicate with my Videonics MXPro Dv digital video switcher. The switcher has firewire out which works when I connect to a camera but I can't get Final Cut 5 to connect with it. I have set up my device setting as non-controllable but with no success. I am trying to capture SD footage of school musical. Any thoughts?

Additional thoughts...
If you have a DV camera/deck, I'd try to use that instead of the Canopus. This way, you could record to tape what you're capturing live.
Granted, there is timecode differences between the two, but it serves as a backup, should the live capture fail. (and trust me, it will at some point...Mr. Murphy says so)
For our workflow, we do a couple of things...for mission critical events, we ISO record to tape in each camera and to a Deck (live to tape), as well as the live capture into FCP.
We then capture all tapes and cut shows from that. This way, we have DV recorded quality from camera tapes, along with proper timecode, which comes in handy, should we ever have to revisit the project. (the live capture becomes our redundant backup recording, which we dump after the show is a lock)
For non-mission critical, we just record the live cut to the deck, along with the live capture into FCP. We can cut from either, then we can dump the live captures from the drives (saving valuable disk space) and still have tape backup to re-cut if needed.
K

DV capture quality in CS3 vs CS6

I am capturing Hi8 & Digital8 footage via firewire. I recently purchased Premiere CS6 but I have an older computer that is running CS3. I would like to dedicate that PC to capturing several hundred hours of footage rather than tying up my current PC. Is there any quality difference capturing DV in CS3 vs CS6?
Thanks
David

The model 55 is both one way only (to the computer) AND is not as good with older tapes
The higher models are, from what I have read, better with old tapes
If your tapes have "dropouts" you may need to use http://windv.mourek.cz/ or http://www.exsate.com/products/dvcapture/ since I **think** PPro stops capturing when there is a signal drop

Capture quality

can somebody please help i recently bought a macbook pro 17" with 2gb of ram and final cut studio. for whatever reason when i capture into final cut and into i movie the capture quality is terrible. i am in a pal region and have tried every setting there is, a friend who works in special fx could not sort out this problem. if anybody has any idea it would be greatly appreciated i have tried different tapes and different capture devices so i am maybe thinking it could be a hardware proble, i dont know but i am seriously lost with the whole situation.

Well, that is very unusual. As far as I know, when DV comes across a Firewire interface into a computer, it is not touched at all. In other words, whatever is the encoding quality of the original should show up at the same quality level on the computer. There is no "generation" loss to this transfer. Here are some things I would check:
- Does the video look good played directly off the camera to a TV monitor? That would confirm that it is recording properly. If it looks bad right off the camera, without the Mac even being involved, then you need to figure out why the camera is capturing poorly. But it sounds like you have already done this.
- What are the file sizes like when importing the video from the camera to the Mac over the FW interface? The files should be quite large. It should take about 200 MBytes of disk for every minute of video, so about a gigabyte for five minutes of video. If the files are a lot smaller than that, then that would mean a format translation and compression of some form is taking place during the import, even though that should not be happening. There should be no codec involved during the import stage. The DV should be coming straight across. It is put in a QuickTime wrapper of some kind, but that shouldn't make it any smaller or degrade the quality at all. So check the file size.
- Could it be that you don't have Intel-native versions of the applications involved? If FCP or iMovie are running as PowerPC applications under the Rosetta emulator, maybe that is where the problem lies. Not sure but something to consider. Good luck.

Fc express and live capture with non-controllable devices

final cut pro allows live capture from non-controllable devices, by selecting this option in the capture window (as i understand). in my case that would be a sony dvc trv900e which i want to use without a tape loaded, and that means no timecode is transmitted.
is it possible to do this in fc express? when i try to capture, i just get the window up saying waiting for timecode...

great - thanks! i've read in numerous places that it is not possible in fc express, which i found hard to believe. i found the preset in the easy setup options. hallelujah!

Help! Frames Dropped During Live Capture

I am trying to switch over to Adobe Premiere from Final Cut Pro, but am having a serious problem with frames being dropped during capture. When I do have frames dropped, it doesn't even save the video that it was capturing. All that I get is a corrupt file that won't open.
I'm using a Mac Pro with 3.0Ghz Dual Core Xeon Processor, 9GB 667MHz RAM, and a BlackMagic Decklink SDI card, and am trying to capture 720p 59.94fps video over SDI. I am capturing to an interal 1TB 7200RPM dedicated scratch disk that is not used for ANTYHING but live capture. The OS is 10.6.8.
I only have 3 capture options in Premiere using the Blackmagic card: 8-bit, 10-bit or DVCHDPRO. I want to use 8-bit, because DVCHDPRO is 960x720 instead of 1280x720. But, I have tried DVCHDPRO and it did not work either. I can successfully capture video for 5-10 minutes, but then I always get the Warning that frames were dropped and Premiere fails to save the video properly so that it can be opened.
I have used BlackMagic's speed test app and determined that my internal hard drive's data rate is plenty sufficient for both 8-bit and DVCHDPRO.
Final Cut Pro 6 has always captured perfectly fine using this exact setup. It even gives me a lot more capture options for the BlackMagic card - I'm not sure why I'm limited to only those 3 capture settings in Premiere.
I would really appreciate some help to point me in the right direction to get this resolve. Thanks!

Randal,
It might be a bit tough on a fast computer, especially if the BIOS are not set to show POST at boot-up, a common setting nowadays. As Steve says, the exact key will differ by your BIOS brand.
You may not actually see the particular logo screen, that Steve is talking about. I'd do a cold-boot and immediately tap the ESC key. If this does not get you into your BIOS Setup, then repeat, but tap the F1 key. When I say "immediately," I mean immediately upon hitting the Power On button.
With older computers, you had about 5 sec. to get into Setup, but not anymore. On my laptop, I still have trouble hitting the F8 key fast enough to boot Windows into Safe Mode. I miss it, more than I get it. Could also be that I've been away from gaming for too many decades, and my gunfighter reflexes ain't what they used to be, but I'll just blame it on faster computers. I have the same problem with trying to flush my Preferences in Adobe programs, gotta' hit the Shift-Ctrl-Alt key at precisely the right time. [Exact key combo does differ with some Adobe programs]
Also, if you can give us the name of your BIOS, say "Award," we might be able to give the exact key to hit for Setup. If you have the MoBo manual, it will be in there, plus the correct key. You still have to be quick, however.
Good luck,
Hunt

Live capture into PP CC 2014

I have a Samsung NX30 mirrorless camera, which I purchased to assist me in making videos - I work alone. The camera streams video at 1080p @ 30fps over HDMI 1.4a. Older, tape-based cameras streamed video into PP via live capture over FireWire. A similar live video capture feature for HDMI capture cards would provide for a workflow as efficient as FireWire capture used to be. BTW, I tried 3 BlackMagic capture cards, which advertised such a feature and none of them worked. Does anyone have a solution for live capture with this camera?

It's quite possible that there is nothing wrong with any of the capture cards you tried and it could be the camera. Did you try capturing any other HDMI video sources other than the NX30? Here's the thing - "camcorders" with HDMI outputs send out a very standard 1080i signal in most cases, and they "just work" whether talking about video capture to a PC or using a portable recorder such as the Atomos Ninja 2 device.
DSLR cameras are another story entirely. When DSLRs first started offering HD video recording a few years ago, a lot of them had non-standard HDMI outputs. Some cameras had viewfinder data overlays on the HDMI output that could NOT be disabled, rendering the HDMI output useless for recording. Some cameras also put out a weird frame sizing that was cropped or otherwise non-standard. Most newer models of Canon, Panasonic, and Sony DSLRs are now putting out a standard signal that works, in part due to the efforts of Atomos working directly with the camera makers.
Some of the DSLRs that will work with Atomos don't do so "out of the box" - the user is required to go into the DSLR setup menu and get all the settings "just so" to make it work. While it is quite common for DSLR videographers to want to connect to a portable recorder such as the Atomos units, much less likely when talking about desktop capture, so that is why I keep referencing Atomos, since I don't know anyone connecting a DSLR to a BlackMagic card for instance.
So, while you may be able to connect the NX30 HDMI output directly to an HD screen and get a picture, that is not a guarantee that the same HDMI output is going to work with a "capture card". I checked here What cameras are supported? | Atomos and see no mention of any Samsung camera models. That does not necessarily mean it is not possible to record the output, but not a good sign that it is not mentioned. The solution might be as simple as changing a camera menu setting or record mode or something, but I'm not familiar with that camera personally.
I see that the NX30 can record 1080p60, so please note that most capture cards do not accept 1080p60 inputs. I did see camera specs that suggest the HDMI output is 1080p30 and that *should* work.
Just to give you an idea of the compatibility issues with recording HDMI from DSLRs, check these links: http://atomos.helponclick.com/kb/article/ninja-tests-with-popular-dslr-cameras
F3 - What cameras work with Atomos recorders? - ATOMOS
May I ask the intended workflow? Is there a reason that the video recorded to SD card is not going to work out for your needs, making "live capture" preferable?
Thanks
Jeff Pulera
Safe Harbor Computers
www.sharbor.com

MiniDV Capture Quality

Does footage look the same from:
*a $2500 3CCD Sony/Cannon
*a $1500 miniDV capture deck
*an old $200 Panasonic home video camera?
Basically I am asking if capture quality changes depending on what is being used?
Thanks.

Of course not. If all MiniDV cameras captured exactly the same image, nobody would buy an expensive camera over a cheaper one, and there wouldn't be the hundreds of models there are out there. They are all the same resolution, but resolution is only a small part of the image quality equation.
a $1500 miniDV capture deck
Decks don't capture footage, they just play it back. So however good or bad the footage from a MiniDV tape is, that's how good or bad you'll get it from the deck.

Live Capture Plus

I have notice a lot of people talking about Live Capture Plus and just purchased a copy. It seems to be working great at splitting full tapes into smaller clips.
The problem I am having, is once the clips are imported into FCP they need to be rendered before they can be viewed. Is that normal?? I have tried capturing with every possible setting Live Capture has and everyone comes up as needing rendering in FCP
It seems rather pointless to have a program that does not capture in a format that is compatible with FCP so I am going to assume that I am doing something wrong.
Anyone able to lend a hand??
Thanks

mpeg4 is a DELIVERY format, not an editing one.
If the material is a DV tape, use the settings for DV-ntsc or DV-pal (which ever is appropriate) in setting up your format for capture.
In FCP use the EASY SETUP for DV-ntsc or DV-pal (which ever is appropriate) and life is good.
cheers,
x

Print quality difference between iphoto and aperture...?

when ordering books, is there a print quality difference between using iPhoto and Aperture? or are they sent to the same lab?
it's possible i may have some setting wrong, but when i order a book using iphoto, i never really feel the quality is that great. it's good, i just feel it could be a lot better. the print quality sort of reminds me of newsprint, albeit high quality newsprint. similar sized prints made at home on my basic 3-in-1 printer look better.
thanks...

Previews are what you view on your display. When you import a photo into Aperture (and I'm pretty sure iPhoto as well), your computer automatically generates a preview for quick viewing. The original images are stored in your library, but it is the preview that you see.
In Aperture, you are able to set the size and quality of these previews. When sharing photos between Aperture and iPhoto, the process is as follows:
Let's say that your images are stored in Aperture, but you also want to be able to view them in iPhoto without taking up too much room on your hard drive. Essentially, if you were to import the originals into iPhoto as well, you would be storing two exact, yet separate copies of the same image on your hard drive. As you are aware, with large images (whether JPEG's, and especially RAW) this would put quite a tax on your storage capacity after not too long.
So, you have your images in one or the other (in this case Aperture), but you want to play around with them in iPhoto. What you can do, is open iPhoto, go to the File menu and then select, Show Aperture Library. This will open a window with all of the contents of your Aperture Library. You can then drag any images you want into iPhoto . The only thing is, you are not dragging the original JPEG's, but rather, the previews of those images. If you have those previews set to a lower quality (again for capacity concerns), you will only have lower quality and lower detailed images in iPhoto. These images might not be ideal, or even suitable for printing high quality prints. The previews that you generate in Aperture though can be adjusted to be extremely high quality with no size limits.
My thinking was that since you mentioned Aperture, it sounded like you had experience with working with it and with ordering a photo book through Aperture. I guess you were saying that you ordered via iPhoto, weren't happy with the quality and were wondering if Aperture created books were better.
Anyway, if this is the case, I cannot answer that for you. I have never ordered a book through Aperture. If the quality of your images is good, you should be able to get a decent product no matter where you order it from. There is not doubt that the materials used and the print shop that does the work makes a difference, but if your images are good, you should still get a decent product through iPhoto. Perhaps iPhoto isn't the way to go though if you have had poor experiences with them.
If you haven't used Aperture yet, I would highly recommend it though aside from the photo book aspect of this thread. It is a stellar product.
I hope this helps.
Message was edited by: macorin

LARGE GPU vs. CPU Export quality differences in MPEG2 (and others?)

I noticed that encoding to MPEG2 (for DVD's) using the CPU (through Media Encoder) produces much better results than does the MPEG2 codec the uses the GPU. Just finished a documentary and was preparing it for DVD. During fades to black, I would get grey macroblock errors on the first full-black frame. Also the encode quality was very poor (mosquito noise, lots of pixelation, and the macroblock errors). Rather than exporting directly from the timeline, I decided to queue to Media Encoder (which on CS6, only uses the CPU). While this increased the render time from 20 minutes up to 55 minutes (for a 57-minute show), the resultant file was of much higher quality (less mosquito noise, no macroblock errors, MUCH less pixelation). Both of these encodes had the exact same parameters. Exact. With the Media Encoder render, the CPU was maxed properly at 99% and the GPU was only handling the RT Effects from the timeline and such, varying in the low percentages of its utilization. With the GPU direct timeline render, the CPU was working around 40%-50% and the GPU was utilizing about 50%-88% of its potential.
I also tried test renders changing from single-pass to two-pass encoding. Absolutely no difference. Results were visually identical with same issues in GPU encode. Also tried the usual tests with switching on and off various features (maximum render quality, maximum depth, etc.)
I'm assuming, as with many other compression programs, there are different codecs because of the different processor architectures (cpu vs. gpu).
Has anyone else seen whether this has been resolved in later versions (CC+)? Because while I LOVE the low render times, the quality difference is HUGE (with MPEG2 for DVD).
Thanks!
Intel 3930K
16GB RAM
GTX680 2GB
CS6
Win7/64 SP1

Give us your screenshots to better understand

Live Capture with a camera via firewire and usb audio interface

I am trying to do a live capture through Final Cut 7.
I want the video feed through the firewire from my HVX200 and the audio feed from a 4 channel usb audio interface (Alesis iO4).
When I have both audio and video input coming in from the HVX200, the live capture works fine.
However, when I change the audio input so that it is coming from the usb audio interface, final cut has an error message saying "Video is not available."
During the preview, I see the video clearly and am getting levels from the iO4.
But when I try to capture, I get the error message.
Is it a processor issue (I've attached my specs below) with problems handling 2 separate inputs?
I'm not quite sure what the problem is.
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Model Name:          MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:          MacBookPro5,3
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2.66 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          3 MB
Memory:          4 GB
Bus Speed:          1.07 GHz

Hi MtD,
Yes I am changing the Capture preset to iO4. Once that happens, it lets me run both the camera and the iO4 into the laptop but then an error message pops up the moment I try to capture it.
I was only trying to use 3 out of the 4 channels of the iO4.
Thanks!

TV Anywhere poor video capture quality

I have a Celeron 1.7, 20 and 60 gig hd at 7200 rpm, 512M of ram. My capture is of very poor quality. I have used the MSI software and also Virtual Dub. Still poor video capture quality. Anyone tell me what I can do or how to do this right?
geo-ela

If you use a compressing codec in real time, you need lotsa CPU.
Try using a lossless codec such as Huffyuv (you'll need lotsa disk) for the real time capture and then compress afterwards.

Extracting Photos From Live Capture Mode

Greetings,
Is it possible to capture still frames live from my HD camcorder when I connect it to Final Cut Express and open Live Capture mode? I'm working on a stop motion animation and thought being able to capture photos from my camcorder and then have them directly transferred into my editing program would be useful.
Thanks

Have you looked at this:
http://www.boinx.com/istopmotion/overview/
MtD

Live Capture Plus, CatDV and FCPX Import Files

I have tested my workflow process as set out in thread:
Re: Is my workflow reasonable for a beginner?
capturing Sony handycam DV using Live Capture Plus - that seems to work fine.
Files set up in CatDV under the appropriate directory structure as mov type files - that seems to work fine.
Tested files with QuickTime and the Inspector shows DV for the imported clips.
Went into FCPX used Import Files - I selected the DV file in the CatDV directory and checked Create Optimizd Media. The problem is that transcoded media was not created in the Event directory as I thought would happen.
I do get a small alias file in the Event - Original Media directory.
The clip does import and opens fine in FCPX - on reveal it points to the DV media in the CatDV Directory.
Is there a reason ProRes422 optimized media was not created?
Additionally going into the event after the import and trying to optimize the clip manually the Create Optimized Media (and Create Proxy Media) options are greyed out.
Thanks.

Read the help file on importing and on the page Import Preferences their are a few words that indicate:
"If the original camera format can be edited with good performance, this option will be dimmed." as it relates to creating optimized files.
Guess that means the DV file provide "good performance".

Tape or Live Capture? Quality Difference?

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