AVI Capture

[MrAnderson]

Just trying to make my work life easier . . . .who isn't!!

I am capturing a type 1 avi and I see pictures etc from the camera. Each time i atempt to capture SS crashs out. I have attached a text doc of the error.

Any input.

Being able to capture live content directly for us would be extremely advantageous

Thanks
Steve

[Bob L]

There have been some problems discovered with capturing PAL format DV video on certain systems. I am still looking into it, but it's difficult becuase I do not have a PAL video source and monitor.

You might also try a Type 2 DV file, which may work sometimes where the Type 1 dosen't.

The NTSC capture should work fine for you in either type, if you have the choice to use NTSC gear for your work.

If not, you will have to capture outside the SAWStudio environement for now.

Bob L

[Carl G.]

Pardon my naivity....
NTSC? Is that the ol' analog cam corder format?

I have tons of VHS family videos I'd love to make a 15 minutes montage from for a family reunion. I just bought an inexpensive StarTech Firewire card/DV editing kit (VideoStudio SE) - but only have an analog CamCorder (not DV).
I do have a Matrox 400TV with capture unit (but was unhappy with the quality, so I didn't put it in this upgraded computer).

What's next to convert the VHSs and CamCorders to DV 1 or 2 formats to produce (eventually) the audio in SS?

Carl G.

[Bob L]

Carl,

A small box like the Canopus ADVC-100 for about $300. Pinnacle also makes one called the MovieBox... there are others out there... ranging from $200 all the way up to thousands of dollars if you feel the quality difference is noticable... kind of like audio converters... you can spend thousands on one converter or you can use a Soundblaster. :)

These boxes have analog composite and SVideo inputs and outputs. You simply plug the analog outputs into the box and monitor the signal from the other side and then hook the box's firewire connector to your computer's firewire connector... and it couldn't be simpler. If your computer does not have firewire, then another $39 gets you a firewire card.

Pop open the Video Viewer... set your timeline to Smpte 29.97 and you are ready to capture direct in standard 29.97 NTSC DV format.

Capturing in the viewer is a nice way to go, in my opinion. You can create a file and capture and pause and capture and pause, adding footage in chunks into one file stream. Then it later becomes a snap to layout the file on the video track and start editing it down, or take the file into any one of the video editing programs and start doing fades and transitions and render the results into a final file which you can then open on the video track in SAWStudio to begin your audio work.

The finished audio/video render can be done right in SAWStudio for a final DV output.

I just finished capturing over 30gigs last night for a video session without a hitch. This will turn into a full 90 min finished video of a new production show that just opened in Australia.

Bob L

[Carl G.]

Awesome!
Thanks!
Carl

[MrAnderson]

Bob


Being in Australia - that is why I am going to capture PAL.

PS what is the show produce for Australia? I'd be interested in seeing it.

Cheers
Steve

[Bob L]

The show is called Midnight Magic at BroadBeach Island, Gold Coast, Australia.

Bob L

[Ben Hall]

Bob


Being in Australia - that is why I am going to capture PAL.

PS what is the show produce for Australia? I'd be interested in seeing it.

Cheers
Steve

Hi Bob - also from OZ - I was having this sort of trouble as well. I'll try and have a look at working out what it is doing and get back to you.

Ben

[Bob L]

The new 3.8 update has fixed the PAL capture... it should be working fine now.

Bob L

[MrAnderson]

Bob


I'll give it a whirl & let you know how we go

Thank you very much

Very excited about trying it

Cheers
Steve

[MrAnderson]

Bob


On a short test it captures fine & looks good. Thanks for the fix.

On another point - pardon my ignorance - I had a use in my head that as I was capturing video the multi-track would run and I could put markers in place so that later I could use those as reference point etc.

Am I right in understanding that the capture side of SS is external to the multi-track and is simply an avi capture device?

What I would like to do would be - EG: If I was recording a live event and I have 4 camera's mixed live could I capture the video & muti-track audio along at the same time on the multi-track? So later I could mix down the audio with visual reference and then output a new AVI with fully mixed & sweetened audio for the vision guys to top & tail?


Thanks for your help again

Steve

[Bob L]

The two are independent at this time... but you can certainly record the real audio direct to the MT.

The easy sync reference later is to simply extract the audio or a piece of the audio from the start of the video clip after you drop it to the MT.

Use this as a sync guide track... then slide it and the video into place over the clean audio recorded to SAW's MT... the data is in perfect sync from that moment on... get rid of the guide track and use the render functions on the viewer to render the finished MT mix with all its processing into a new DV video file.

The video results are a direct digital video copy with the new MT audio.

To dump back a perfect copy to your camera... use the Layback option in the viewer... connect your firewire cable and record the finished render back to the camera.

Bob L