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DV Capture Problems
I am having an impossible time getting DVCAM onto my mac. I have tried two DVCAM decks, three macs, three different capture software, plus several different cables and adapters. Also several different tapes. The result is always the same, the video drops out for several seconds while it is playing perfectly on the deck.
I made a video so you can see the issue…
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12 Replies
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Updated my reply:
Plays back smoothly during ingest but crap on the hard-drive?
What format?
Resolution?
Conform to a PROXY and check again.
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It’s the same when captured. It breaks up into pieces with gaps. On the deck/camera it is playing smoothly.
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I didn’t see the other questions. The format is Mini DV and it’s capturing at 480.
What do you mean conform to a proxy?
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Breaks up as in file size limits?
Sounds odd if the file is captured as DVCAM.
Where are you playing this clip back that causes the pause?
Can you import them in an NLE and place them in a single timeline?
Watch if the clips break with black frames.
Next issue could be timecode but not sure what you are using to capture these.
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The format is DV/DVCPRO – NTSC. And the files are not usable. Where you see it drop out those sections are missing. And there are no black frames. The video plays fine. Just not to the computer.
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What software have you tried? What is the signal path? What else is attached to your machine?
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Premiere (Doesn’t see the decks), iMovie, QuickTime and Life Flix. It’s not the software.
The signal pat is it goes from the deck through the FW cable with an adapter to Thunderbolt. My iMac has HDs connected to it, the two laptops had none.
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Last year I needed to resurrect a bunch of archive recordings, we made for the Boston Symphony, to use in their “virtual summer season”. After a quick rewind/fforward, I played the tapes into a monitor that records to a file card. It’s a hardware codec and less likely to glitch. Any monitor Black Magic, Atomos, etc. should work. If you’re really worried about it, use a frame sync. That should be pretty bulletproof.
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Not sure what OS you have but wasn’t there news that Apple dropped older codecs?
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Are you sure all your frame rates match?
Not the answer you are looking for… but when I needed to capture DV I used an old Windows computer that had native firewire built-in. Another option for you is to go analog to PR422HQ. The stability of going analog may make up for any small loss of image quality. And the DV codec is not supported on Mac anymore so you will need to convert it eventually.
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