Geek Speak Forum?

[scumdog]

Yaeh-yeah, but where do you get a flux-capacitor for all this and what's the tappet setting and end-float clearance?????

[MikeL]

Yaeh-yeah, but where do you get a flux-capacitor for all this and what's the tappet setting and end-float clearance?????

You don't need to worry about any of that shit. Your basic model hydrocillator as found in any garge should take care of all that.

[scumdog]

You don't need to worry about any of that shit. Your basic model hydrocillator as found in any garge should take care of all that.

Roger, gotcha!! now if I can only find a "garge" I should be sweet!!

[Dr Bob]

I have a question - what do I need (plugs, software etc) to copy from a video player to the computer?

I have some video footage I would like to burn to dvd. Can I copy to computer using something like a .wmv, convert to DVD format then burn to disc ?

I think that some responses have made the copying of footage from a video camera seem a little simple. There are possibly a few issues not mentioned, primarily the hardware needs to be there. One person mentioned an rca input etc. in actual fact there are a half dozen different formats for digital media download. Memory card, firewire, Integrated Video (S-Video), RCA cables (separate sound and video (maybe: black, red, yellow)), or plain old coaxial cable. It all depends whats on your camera and your videa capture card or sound card. Software can also be an issue, although in all likelihood there will be some free stuff around that you could use a few times etc just for your current needs.

The big issue though is bandwidth. You will not normally be able to go straight to DVD unless there is some form of software buffering going on, you will probably have to go to hard disk first. This brings in questions about the speed of the hard disk and the method of transfer. If you are just using field based format (normal analog TV is 485 by 330 lines interlaced at 25 frames a second) then you shouldn't have any problems. Any larger digital format will rely on proprietary tech to get the data into an appropriate file (the software should come with the camera).

[bungbung]

...normal analog TV is 485 by 330 lines interlaced at 25 frames a second..

PAL is accepted as having 625 lines vertical, NTSC 525.

Most capture cards utilise some variety of hardware compression, so your hard disk speed is less of an issue. i.e. DV is about 25mbps, well within the capability of a modern IDE hard drive.

Your main concern for making DVD's from existing footage, say from vcr or direct from a sky decoder, is the difference between the video standard your pc captures footage at, and the video standard required for DVD.

e.g. your capture card might capture a 640 x 480 avi, which needs further conversion to be ready for DVD (720 x 576, mpeg)

www.dvdhelp.com is a great site with plenty of information about making/copying/shrinking dvds.

[MikeL]

If image quality is important try to use the highest quality input compatible with your source. In order, these are:

1 firewire (digital): also carries encoded audio
2 Y/C or S-Video (separates the luminance and chrominance but still analogue)
3 composite (RCA/phono or BNC plugs): also an analogue signal and the only one output by VHS players

For 2 and 3 you need to connect audio separately

RF (coaxial aerial input: video and audio modulated on a carrier frequency) may be found on TV tuner cards but is not recommended - crap quality.

I know a bit about the video side of things but once the signal is in the computer it's all a complete mystery to me.

[Ghost Lemur]

Another useful site is Doom9.org.

[Deano]

Man - I have never made coasters yet.

Copying to your PC is easy if they are in close proximity to one another. Just use the video out feed and it should plug straight in to your video card. Then just copy it as .wmv file. Then is Smart Video Converter to convert it to .mpeg2 (DVD) and rip a copy. Simple!

Methinks I might request your services at some stage in the future - for a few of course.....

[wkid_one]

Methinks I might request your services at some stage in the future - for a few of course.....

Sweet man - I can bring the whole computer around as well.....what that has to do with BEER I have no idea....but anywho

[wkid_one]

If image quality is important try to use the highest quality input compatible with your source. In order, these are:

1 firewire (digital): also carries encoded audio
2 Y/C or S-Video (separates the luminance and chrominance but still analogue)
3 composite (RCA/phono or BNC plugs): also an analogue signal and the only one output by VHS players

For 2 and 3 you need to connect audio separately

RF (coaxial aerial input: video and audio modulated on a carrier frequency) may be found on TV tuner cards but is not recommended - crap quality.

I know a bit about the video side of things but once the signal is in the computer it's all a complete mystery to me.

Finding systems which are typically analogue (ie TV's, VCR's etc) which operate with 1394 Devices (FIREWIRE) is next to impossible. Firewire isn't necessarily the best for quality - if you are transferring straight video - Component RCA will work just as well - remember - you are only transferring low resolution TV signal in most instances - which computer monitors are more than capable of displaying. You also have to remember - in many instances the use of FIREWIRE is not better for quality as your raw data is often analogue also. Firewire only makes a difference if you medium is DIGITAL - in which case - if you can play it in a DVD Player/CD PLayer - you can play it in your computer and the use of Firewire is redundant.

Optical Digital Cable is the best for sound. This is the small round cable that will connect your DVD player to your stereo. Many mid to high end sound cards have Optical In ports on the back for streaming audio data in. Many also have Optical Out to so you can play the sound of your DVD players through your stereo.

The best option is to entirely seperate your audio (Using Optical Digital) and video (Component RCA) for analogue source.

For sending a signal to TV - the best quality are either SCART cables or Component RCA Cables - which break the video in to RGB rather than in to two channels. You will struggle to find many retail home entertainment equipment with a 1394 Device out to plug in to your Computer - so this option is largely useless.

The only difference between Firewire and USB is its transfer rate. Most DigiCams will have an mini-USB cable which will connect straight in to your computer USB Ports (PS: MAKE SURE YOU ARE RUNNING USB v2.0 - much quickly than v1.1). This is MORE THAN ADEQUATE for streaming data to your PC.

USB is NO DIFFERENT the Firewire. The principal difference is Firewire has a higher transfer rate - and carries power to the device it is plugged in to.

You can speed up live video on your computer by running Serial ATA Hard Drives, striping them, upgrading your sound and video card, installing more RAM, running Dual Channel RAM, etc etc

The single best way is to copy source to destination - Ie - DISK TO DISK - and not run in through any intermediate source.

[MikeL]

Firewire only makes a difference if you medium is DIGITAL - in which case - if you can play it in a DVD Player/CD PLayer - you can play it in your computer and the use of Firewire is redundant.

But I was assuming the original source was tape, and possibly a camcorder - most camcorders these days are digital (DV or D8).

Interesting that digital home VCRs (e.g. DV) never really took off because of the development of optical disk formats, and even in broadcast where Digital Betacam, DVCAM, DVCPro etc. are still predominant, the days of videotape are definitely numbered. Sony has a new disk camcorder system for broadcast use and a consumer version will no doubt follow.
Now I still have a soft spot for the old Umatic... whirr, clunk..., ouch! as I strain my back lifting a 32 kg VCR into the boot of my car...

[bungbung]

Finding systems which are typically analogue (ie TV's, VCR's etc) which operate with 1394 Devices (FIREWIRE) is next to impossible. Firewire isn't necessarily the best for quality - if you are transferring straight video - Component RCA will work just as well - remember - you are only transferring low resolution TV signal in most instances - which computer monitors are more than capable of displaying. You also have to remember - in many instances the use of FIREWIRE is not better for quality as your raw data is often analogue also. Firewire only makes a difference if you medium is DIGITAL - in which case - if you can play it in a DVD Player/CD PLayer - you can play it in your computer and the use of Firewire is redundant..

Most consumer miniDV cams use firewire for transfer of data. The reason firewire is great is your camcorder does the analogue to digital conversion for you, not your pc. The picture quality from VIVO style vid cards generally is not as good as a camcorder conversion. So you feed your TV/Sat/VCR into the "line in" (be it composite or S-video) on your camcorder. And then take the firewire to your pc.

Optical Digital Cable is the best for sound. This is the small round cable that will connect your DVD player to your stereo. Many mid to high end sound cards have Optical In ports on the back for streaming audio data in. Many also have Optical Out to so you can play the sound of your DVD players through your stereo...

There is little chance of finding optical or coax digital (SPDIF) sound from a vcr or sky box.

The best option is to entirely seperate your audio (Using Optical Digital) and video (Component RCA) for analogue source.

While firewire is a bitstream, the audio and video are seperate.

The only difference between Firewire and USB is its transfer rate. Most DigiCams will have an mini-USB cable which will connect straight in to your computer USB Ports (PS: MAKE SURE YOU ARE RUNNING USB v2.0 - much quickly than v1.1). This is MORE THAN ADEQUATE for streaming data to your PC.

USB is NO DIFFERENT the Firewire. The principal difference is Firewire has a higher transfer rate - and carries power to the device it is plugged in to. .

Attack of the pedant: USB can power devices.

The single best way is to copy source to destination - Ie - DISK TO DISK - and not run in through any intermediate source.

In an ideal world, but depending on the equipment you have available to you, results may vary. There are three general steps:

1. Capture source (to pc hard disk) using

a - source->camcorder->pc via firewire or usb
b - source->capture card in pc
c - source->pc video card with capture capability

2. Convert captured file on pc to DVD format
3. Burn to DVD

Some software will roll steps two and three together.

[wkid_one]

I was oversimplifying for those that don't speak geek.

My main points are that
1. Firewire and USB are typically for exclusive digital data transfer.
2. Most data is still collected in analogue format, rendering the benefit of FW or USB obselete.
3. It is actually a simple process to get data to pc and then to DVD
4. Regardless of how you transfer data - if the source is analogue - your quality is always limited.


I should elobarote on the power comment - USB can POWER a device - but can't charge it. Essentially, as USB is a PC invented product, INTEL were happy to include compatibility in their Chipsets. Firewire however, was invented by Apple Corp - and accordingly - for an extended period of time, they didn't include the firewire tech in the chipsets as they refused to pay royalties. Firewire actually has a lower transfer rate than USB 2 (400 v 480mbps).

My comments re Digital Optical related to this being the BEST source of audio transfer, and the most preferable if the source permits.

My comment still stands - if you are taking the data from a digital source (DVD Recorder, DigiCam etc) - you should have NO problems converting this to PC. Most peoples problems arise when you are taking it from an analagoue format - which you will almost NEVER find a USB or Firewire output.

Also - bear in mind that many PC's still don't have Firewire options.....unless upgraded or bought recently.

[Hitcher]

Roger, gotcha!! now if I can only find a "garge" I should be sweet!!

That's a "gargre", boi! (Cool bling bling, by the way)

[riffer]

Firewire actually has a lower transfer rate than USB 2 (400 v 480mbps).[/QUOTE]

You can get Firewire 800 cards now (800mbps).

Newer macs have it built in, natch.

Oh hang on, you don't like macs, do you?