HDMI for Laptops?

[Gary Kleiner]

What HD format are you working with?
For example, XDCam and HDV can be imported directly. For others, an SDI card would most likely be the route you’d take.

Gary Kleiner

Learn Vegas and DVD Architect

http://www.VegasTrainingAndTools.com

[Terry Nahirny]

Gary I’ve got sony’s HC-7(HDV m2t). I would like to capture HD footage right from the HDMI out on the camera instead of capturing from tape (m2t files). I’m experimenting with Cineform (Neo) for capture. It’s not working for me yet -keeps glitching in numerous ways. Have you used Neo?

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

Terry,
The HDMI port on any laptop isn’t going to connect to an optimal codec/encoder. You’re sending uncompressed information from your HC7 to the laptop; it’s gonna be choppy. This is not easy information to process. If you can find a means of getting a Black Magic Intensity card into your laptop, you could use their codec and standalone capture app. However, at the moment there is no means of using Neo and a laptop direct to capture via the HDMI that I’m aware of. Most laptops will struggle with mere playback of MPEG 2 at higher bitrates, let alone playing back uncompressed or lightly compressed 1080i information inside of Vegas.
HDMI capture is best relegated (for now) to reasonably up to date desktops with at minimum, a SATA raid, IMO.

Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASST
Aerial Camera

[Gary Kleiner]

The real question on your HDV cam is; are you getting the signal output before or after the compression stage. Have you hooked up the HDMI to a TV while in camera mode to verify if that output is active in that mode?

Even if it is, you may not see any advantage over capturing live via firewire.

Gary Kleiner

Learn Vegas and DVD Architect

http://www.VegasTrainingAndTools.com

[Terry Nahirny]

DSE,
Ya that makes sense. My laptop has a hard enough time handling m2t files. I guess capturing on laptop will have to be compressed.
You mentioned sata drives -I’ve got two 500gig sata drives connected through usb, I’ve been debating on getting a pcmcia sata adaptor card. Do you think this would help the strain on my laptop?
tks,t

[Terry Nahirny]

Gary, yes the HC-7 outputs directly out the HDMI in record mode. It seems to me that the picture is better quality and pre-compression (but I could be wrong). A number of HC-7 users are thinking the same. I believe they’re capturing directly with the Black Magic HDMI cards (on their desktops I might add). I’ll rule that out for my laptop now.
Do you capture or convert m2t files with Cineform HDlink? The avi files are 4-5x’s larger than the m2t files and Vegas or any other player plays the video back slower than real time audio. Any ideas on why?
I just finished my first test burn with a avi file rendered in Vegas to DVDA and the picture on the DVD was great!! Best I’ve burnt yet. I’m excited about that! Can’t work with it in Vegas yet but it burns well.
tks, t

[Gary Kleiner]

I capture my HDV with the HDV Capture in Vegas. WHat version of Vegas are you using? I haven’t botrhered much with intermediate codecs since Vegas 7 handles HDV so well.

Gary Kleiner

Learn Vegas and DVD Architect

http://www.VegasTrainingAndTools.com

[Terry Nahirny]

Vegas 7.e

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

Terry,
You’ve got to be able to sustain a read/write rate of around 200MBps. A laptop can’t make that happen, AFAIK, and a PCMCIA bus won’t manage that sort of speed.

Over HDMI, 4:2:2 1920 x 1080 is approx 1.5Gbps
That’s not an insignificant number. 🙂

And yes, contrary to another post in this thread, there is a *significant*B> difference in capturing 4:2:2 over HDMI vs capturing the MPEG2 stream via Firewire. HUGE difference.

Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASST
Aerial Camera

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

The real question on your HDV cam is; are you getting the signal output before or after the compression stage. Have you hooked up the HDMI to a TV while in camera mode to verify if that output is active in that mode?

All HDV camcorders with HDMI are outputting a post-compression signal at this point in time. Some are 8 bit and others will be/are 10bit with the last 2 bits set to null.
All of them are active in camera mode, still mode (if the cam offers it) and playback modes.

Even if it is, you may not see any advantage over capturing live via firewire.

You’re pulling Terry’s leg, right?

Douglas Spotted Eagle
VASST
Aerial Camera/Instructor
Certified Sony Vegas Trainer