can’t capture from dv-tapes with pixel errors

[Don Greening]

Try capturing using the “capture now” function and make sure the “on timecode break make new clip” is checked in your preferences.

If you’re still having problems then use iMovie to capture. It will also start a new clip at every break. Then you can import the iMovie DV stream files into FCP.

– Don

[Rafael Amador]

And If you can not do it with FC, you can try with QT:
QT> File> New Movie Recording.
Rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Nis Boye]

iMovie captured everything. And I now have all my tapes, with errors, in FCP.

Thanks!!

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Nis,
iMovie is not the way to go. You capture DV Stream (a proprietary format of iMovie) that do not support TC, chops the movie in too many clips and you have always to render in FC.
Rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Lars Fuchs]

Hi Gang,

had the same problem. Tried iMovie before checking the forum, discovered that it worked, but without TC. Then I found this thread.

But can anyone explain why iMovie will capture a tape from the same PD-170 that FCP can’t capture from? (the same camera was used to record the footage.) During playback, audible gaps are present in the audio. In other threads on this topic people have described this phenomenon. They have tried using different decks with persistent problems, so it appears to be tape not machine based. So what is iMovie accepting that FCP rejects?

BTW, I tried to use QT Pro (QT->File->New Movie Recording) and was only able to record from the built in iSight of the macbookpro. Can anyone recommend a better capture tool alternative to iMovie? Preferrably freeware?

Thanks

[Rafael Amador]

[Lars Fuchs] “But can anyone explain why iMovie will capture a tape from the same PD-170 that FCP can’t capture from?”
You did answer your own question: Because iMovie is not Time Code based.
You can try to set FC to be less demanding about TC requirements. In your Users Preffs, uncheck:
– Abort capture on dropped frames.
– Set “On TC breaks: Warn after capture”.
– Uncheck “Warn when importing non-optimized media”

[Lars Fuchs] “BTW, I tried to use QT Pro (QT->File->New Movie Recording) and was only able to record from the built in iSight of the macbookpro”
Go to QT Menu.
You will see Preferences and Quick Times Preferences.
In the first Preferences> Recording, set to AUTOMATIC.
you will be able to capture through FW instead of from the iSight camera.
Cheers,
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Lars Fuchs]

[Rafael Amador] “You did answer your own question: Because iMovie is not Time Code based.
You can try to set FC to be less demanding about TC requirements. In your Users Preffs, uncheck:
– Abort capture on dropped frames.
– Set “On TC breaks: Warn after capture”.
– Uncheck “Warn when importing non-optimized media””

tried these settings, still aborted with the same error. I tried QTpro again ( Thanks for the tip btw), but no joy. Got this error:

Recording stopped because the formate of the source media changed.
Media of different formats cannot be recorded to the same file.

So it definitely seems like there are errors in the dv datastream. I would guess that iMovie, as a consumer app, is designed to accept more errors to improve usability for the casual user. It would be nice though, if FCP had a user-variable error threshold; at least one could ingest troublesome footage and decide later what to do with it. After all, some footage is usually better than none!

Interestingly, the audio hits sound different in iMovie. In fcp the tape has repeated momentary lapses of sound – silence. In iMovie there is some sound with digital-sounding noise artifacts. That too suggests to me that iMovie is trying harder to get at least something into the system.