MiniDV to PC

[lightrules]

Ok, I am absolutely new to this...so please bear with me

I got a sony trv29e ( simple handycam ) and it uses USBstream to download to PC.
So I got the files in AVI format.

however when I play the avi file on pc, I could see a lot of pixelation and banding
whereas when I connect the camera and play the miniDV, its a much better image.
ie. image coming directly from the camera is much better than what i get after
the transfer to pc.

I used video capture from Vegas and tried some parameters there , but the best i got still is much different from what i get directly playing the miniDV from the camera.

How can i get similar quality to PC ?
My final destination is simple edit and burn to DVD
thnks

 

[leekch]

Connect MiniDV cam to PC via USB; bad choice. Instead, use Firewire.

 

[jaegersing]

As leekch says, firewire is the best way to cpature DV video. But maybe you can clarify what you mean by "when I connect the camera and play the miniDV, its a much better image". You connect the camera to what? If you are connecting to a TV then it will look different to what you see on a PC. The software you use for playback also can affect the quality.

But if you capture properly and then edit your video on the PC, you should be able to burn a DVD that is similar quality to what you see direct from your cam. Or you can make a WMV or DIVX file that will look great on a PC.

 

[lightrules]

The Sony camera trv27E has only USB and iLINK connection to PC.
There is no firewire ( strangely )

Yes, when i connect to TV, it does look rather nice ( given the low res of the camera )

When i download to PC , using Vegas. I can only get AVI files. There is no option for other format.
How do you get DIVX format ?
After downloading to pc, I play the AVI file using PowerDVD.....does this also affect the quality ?


Thanks very much guys.
I really didnt have much to work on till now. Things are clearing up a bit.

 

[midicity]

If I'm not mistakened, iLink is Sony's name for Firewire. You can probably get a suitable FW cable and just plug into ur pc/mac's FW port

 

[Jemhadar]

Sony's iLink is Firewire 1394.
A std firewire cable costs between $10 - $20 in Sim Lim/Funan.
Take note of the connector size.
On your cam the size is a small 4-pin connector.
You've to check the connector size on your PC.

Cheers!

 

[lightrules]

thanks guys

that really cleared it
Wonder why sony does a silly thing like that?
if its firewire and why not just call it firewire ?

I will try again
Thanks guys

 

[jaegersing]

thanks guys

that really cleared it
Wonder why sony does a silly thing like that?
if its firewire and why not just call it firewire ?

I will try again
Thanks guys

Sony's name is iLink, Apple's name is Firewire, the "official" name is IEEE1394a, they're all the same.

 

[lightrules]

Just a quick feedback
My problem is COMPLETELY resolved with firewire cables

The camcorder seems to suggest both USB and iLINK is useable
but its night and day in terms of quality of the clips download

I will make a point to avoid SONY products in the future
or anything that trys to lock you into their system

thanks very much for everyone here who helped

 

[enivre]

Just to let you guys know, my sony HD miniDV consumer camera's iLink port spoilt within a year, could not connect it to my PC, my laptop or my brother's PC. Tried 2 different cables all with the same results.

Sent it back to Sony, now waiting for it to come back... :angry:

 

[jaegersing]

Guys, I don't think that there is anything inherently wrong with Sony equipment in general or with iLink ports in particular. I had a Sony VX2000 for several years and it served me very well without any hiccups. I believe they did push Memorystick a bit too much on most of their products but that just seems to be one of Sony's marketing strategies, not really a reason to avoid Sony products.

With any Firewire/iLink/1394a port, although they are supposed to be hot-pluggable, you are well advised to switch off your cam before plugging or unplugging the 1394 cable. There are too many reported cases of fried camera ports (all brands, not just Sony) to make it worth taking the risk.

 

[lwm]

Just a quick feedback
My problem is COMPLETELY resolved with firewire cables

The camcorder seems to suggest both USB and iLINK is useable
but its night and day in terms of quality of the clips download

I will make a point to avoid SONY products in the future
or anything that trys to lock you into their system

thanks very much for everyone here who helped

I thought most (if not all) consumer miniDV camcorders use firewire for transferring video to the PC. Did your camcorder's manual say you can transfer video through USB to the PC, or you suspect so and try it out?

 

[lightrules]

YES...exactly....The manual says USB for video transfer...
Thats the thing that got me frustrated....if it had specifically said iLINK or firewire
I wouldnt try the USBstream....

i followed the manual...

 

[eel]

USB2 transfers information in packets at speeds up to (theoratically) 480 mbps. Firewire/iLink/IEEE1394 streams information at up to 400 mbps. So while it may seem USB is better to transfer information, it is actually not suitable for certain video capture (eg those using the DV codec) which requires a constant stream. Other formats such as mp4 have much smaller file sizes which more suitable for USB capture. However, mp4 video is generally lower quality. The AVI files you are getting when capture using USB are probably mp4 files in a AVI wrapper which explains the lack of image quality. The AVI files you get when you capture using firewire are dv files in a AVI wrapper which are less compressed so you get better image quality.

 

[lightrules]

yes
I was surprised by how vastly different the image quality although the speed seems to be close
" everything is NOT what they seems "..........

 

[jaegersing]

yes
I was surprised by how vastly different the image quality although the speed seems to be close
" everything is NOT what they seems "..........

Hi lightrules. I just downloaded the trv27 manual, and it says to use iLink for video from DV tape, and USB for stills/video from memory stick (page 154).

When you are getting poor quality from the USB, are you by any chance taking the video from the memory stick? The resolution of the MPG files recorded on the memory stick is very poor, this is why the quality is so much worse than what you get from the DV tape over firewire (iLink).

 

[lwm]

Hi lightrules. I just downloaded the trv27 manual, and it says to use iLink for video from DV tape, and USB for stills/video from memory stick (page 154).

When you are getting poor quality from the USB, are you by any chance taking the video from the memory stick? The resolution of the MPG files recorded on the memory stick is very poor, this is why the quality is so much worse than what you get from the DV tape over firewire (iLink).

That explains everything, as I have not heard of transferring video from miniDV to PC through USB.

 

[jaegersing]

That explains everything, as I have not heard of transferring video from miniDV to PC through USB.

Doesn't explain why lightwave says he followed the manual, in red some more.

 

[YDNERENDY]

try to explain
sony trv system possible to capture video using usb to pc.thats the standart capture system using the cd software that comes with the package.
theres a usb slot on sony trv camcoder thats possible to capture video to pc(usb slot) (compression file eventhought on avi format)

another alternative on trv system also has dv connection so possible to capture the video by fire wire cable(not provide from package)
for better resolution you can using the firewire connection to capture(dv
connection to pc(dv slot))