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Capturing from Digi Beta and VHS. Equipment questions + general….
Dear Forum,
It’s been a while since I have posted but I’m in a bit of a pickle.
I’m in the process of trying to find the easiest and most economic way of capturing some digi-beta tapes (around 200) and some regular VHS tapes (around the same number). The intention is to capture them and form a database that can link to them quickly.
Can anyone recommend any hardware that I could beg, borrow or steal in the New York area that would be able to do this ?
I’m rather in the dark with digi-beta. Am I correct that they are already digitised and simply need to be captured (as opposed to analogue VHS that needs to be digitised)?
I’m using a Macbook (and a soon-to-be-purchased mammoth hard drive), FCP, Leopard but the database will be on PC so again, any advice about a good (and cheap) piece of software that would act as a database that, on the click of a button, would bring up the relevant video, would be fantastic.
Many thanks in advance for all your help.
Very best wishes,
James
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5 Replies
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Do you have a system that will let you transfer the data from tape to your Computer
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[james948] “I’m rather in the dark with digi-beta. Am I correct that they are already digitised and simply need to be captured (as opposed to analogue VHS that needs to be digitised)?”
No…it isn’t already digitized. Digibeta is a digital tape format, but it is still tape, still needs to be captured. VHS? Lordy…no timecode on those tapes. 200 of each? Wow.
[james948] “I’m using a Macbook (and a soon-to-be-purchased mammoth hard drive)”
Well, then you are lacking what you need. A MacBook is a consumer computer, not up to the task of capturing professional formats like digibeta. What you need is a MacPro and Decklink or AJA capture card…that you can connect to the Digibeta deck via SDI. Or you can get the AJA I/O HD, which connects via firewire, but then you need a MacBookPro and then eSATA PCI express 34 card and eSATA RAID. Better to get the tower.
The database is on a PC? OK…what EXACTLY are you trying to do? Capture in some very low data rate so that you know what footage you have? Or do you need to capture things at high quality, and catalog it? If so, then you need a MAD amount of storage. Uncompressed SD from Digibeta eats up lots of space.
If this is cataloged on a PC…why not get a PC and PC software for this? PCs have issues reading many of the formats FCP captures.
Shane
Shane
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Thanks for the responses.
The tapes contain performance art pieces. Some of which are only ten minutes in length so, while I’m going to need a lot of storage, I don’t think it’s impossible.The quality should be high. Quicktime movies of each piece I expect.
So a Macbook just won’t cut it, eh? Damn.
I don’t have access to the PCs just yet and, besides, they are not state of the art.
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[james948] “I don’t have access to the PCs just yet and, besides, they are not state of the art.”
The $200 PC at Best Buy may not be ‘state of the art’, but Dell, HP, Gateway, Boxx and other’s I can’t name off the top of my head all sell ‘state of the art’ workstations. Oddly enough, they cost about the same as a similar Mac Pro. You can also make your own ‘state of the art’ computer. Oddly enough, it would cost about the same as a similar Mac Pro.
Arnie
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James,
Contact me via the “View my Website” link on my profile. I may be able to hook you up with the right gear at a pretty low cost. I’m in New York a lot.
Regards,
David
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