VCR to Camcorder to Mac– not getting image on mac

[Zman]

could be many things, no e2e, cam cant fake record? but why dont u just record to a dv tape, and then dig from that. yea 2x’s long but you’ll have it all if something goes wrong.

[Pdr]

Hi Jeri

I always break this step into two processes:
1. Record from VHS VCR to miniDV tape
2. Captuure into FCP from miniDV tape

The best part of this is that you will have an archive of your footage with timecode that FCP can use at a later date — and your clips will be frame accurate for future reference.

Hope this helps.

Regards
Peter

—
raycity* media

[Bouncing Account needs new email address]

[jeri rowland] “My camera (if it matters) is a Panasonic DVC-30.”

It can matter a LOT.
Some camcorders can’t accept analog inputs at all.
Some do but don’t “transcode” A-D out via the FireWire.
Some WILL do this, but only if a preset in the menu (or on a switch) is set for this to occur.

I don’t know about your camera, but you might look for a setting that says something like “A/V > DV out” (which is the Sony version of this setting.)

All that said,
I strongly agree that you’ll get better results if you first record an unstable analog source like VHS to a DV TAPE first, then capture the DV tape. This can even help “stabilize” the VHS (which, if captured “directly,” will likely cause capture problems with FCP due to the VHS’s horrible timebase instability.

[Jeri Rowland]

Thanks to all who answered my post. I was trying to avoid the extra step of going from VHS to MiniDV simply because I have several hours of tape to dub, but it looks like that is the overwhelming opinion of those in the know. Thanks again for the advice…