capturing dv in hdv project

[Jon Zanone]

How are you capturing the DV footage (firewire, composite)? What device are you using to capture the footage (model #, etc)?

Jon

“So you want to throw out the old you – but the old you is old enough to know it won’t make it better”
Del Amitri – “Make it Better”

[Richard Barber]

I’m playing the dv tapes on a Canon HV-20 (or alternately on a Sony z1U – I usually play Sony tapes on the latter and Panasonic tapes on the former – in any case I’m getting the same result with both at the moment). I’m going thru firewire to a Mac tower with Avid Xpress Pro HD.

But here’s perhaps a crucial piece of information: it looks like the dv tapes I’m trying to capture are shot at 24p, and my project is 60i. I guess the iMovie is doing a pulldown? If so I imagine the question becomes: can’t the Avid do the same pulldown to capture the video directly? If not this solution of using iMovie as an intermediary seems to be working, and there’s not a huge amount of material I’ll need to deal with in this manner.

[Jon Zanone]

I don’t work with 24p stuff, but I looked at the supported devices list from Avid.

https://www.avid.com/content/8927/SUPPORTED%20DEVICES%20FOR%20AVID%20EDITOR%20PRODUCTS.pdf

Your Canon camera is not listed, but the Sony is. I’d be willing to bet the issue with the Canon is that it’s not a supported device. I’m not sure why the video isn’t coming in from the Sony – I’m assuming you are seeing the DV play on the pullout monitor? Maybe an internal menu to get DV out of the FW spigot? I really don’t think its a pulldown issue. Are you running on an approved system?

Jon

“So you want to throw out the old you – but the old you is old enough to know it won’t make it better”
Del Amitri – “Make it Better”

[Richard Barber]

Thanks for trying to help me figure this out, Jon. I actually don’t think it’s an issue with the Canon. I’ve had no problem capturing HDV 60i from that camera. Plus I’m having the same results with both cameras with this 24p dv material – it plays fine on the camera monitor, camera control is ok thru the firewire, but no audio or video seen on the Avid monitor. Also no problem going from the Canon with the 24p material to iMovie. Yes, it’s registered software. I do wonder whether this isn’t one of those things that Media Composer has that Xpress Pro doesn’t. Fortunately it’s not urgent since I do have this workaround with iMovie.

[Jon Zanone]

Have you tried opening a new project (at DV resolution) and capturing? What resolution are capturing at?

Jon

“So you want to throw out the old you – but the old you is old enough to know it won’t make it better”
Del Amitri – “Make it Better”

[Richard Barber]

I am able to capture in a new project in 23.976p, capturing at dv25p 411 mxf. I can’t figure out how to play, import or transcode these clips in my 60i hdv project though.

[Jon Zanone]

You should be able to right click (I’m not in front of an Avid right now so I don’t remember where it is in the menu – maybe ‘clip>consolidate) on the clip and select ‘consolidate / transcode’… You should also be able to open the bin in your HDV project. Just go to ‘file>open bin’ and navigate to your new project. I would think you could transcode your footage in the HDV project.

Let me know how it goes. I don’t work with HDV, so it’ll be interesting to find out if my theory works…

Jon

“So you want to throw out the old you – but the old you is old enough to know it won’t make it better”
Del Amitri – “Make it Better”

[Richard Barber]

Thanks for keeping up with my travails. I’ve tried every transcoding route you suggested within Avid. It really looks like at least with Avid Xpress Pro you can’t get there from here – I’m simply not given the option to transcode from 24p dv to hdv. And I can open a bin from a 24p project in my hdv project, but I can’t play or transcode the clips. Fortunately I hae the option of using iMovie as my transcoder.