Capturing HDCAM on MacPro - Urgent Help Needed!!!!! Please!!!!!

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Level 1

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Capturing HDCAM on MacPro - Urgent Help Needed!!!!! Please!!!!!

Hi there,

I have some HDCAM tapes which I need to capture and convert for use on the web.
I have hired a Sony J-H3 player, but can't capture via the firewire... I am green to this as all I have ever done has been in DV and I am new to HD!

Is there a way to capture the footage using the Sony J-H3 player and my MacPro, (with 2 extra 500gb drives and 8gb ram) or do I absolutely need a capture card?
If so can you recommend a budget card that will do the job?

Help! 🙂

My end goal is to capture the footage (which is essentially a screen capture of a person giving a demo of how to write some HTML during a confrence/workshop... the reason they captured it on HDCAM is because they wanted to keep the legibility of the text, so it needs to be captured at hi res then converted to a high quality mpeg/wmv/mov... does that make sense?!

MacPro, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Sep 23, 2007 4:21 PM

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Answer 1

Shane Ross

Level 8

43,110 points

Sep 23, 2007 4:26 PM in response to Simon_London

I am not familiar with that deck INTIMATELY, but I am darn sure that the ONLY format you can capture from it via firewire is DV. So what you would have essentially done is made shooting HD "moot." Because you will be working at a DV level and suffer all the artifacts you get with it...including poor text.

If you want to capture as DVCPRO HD (recommended) you need a capture card...no way around that. Seeing that you have a MacPro...the good thing is that a) You can get the Decklink Intensity Pro for $349 and capture via component to DVCPRO HD and b) DVCPRO HD is compressed HD (still looks good) and the drive requirements are low. You can capture to a secondary internal SATA drive...and you have 3 spare slots. And SATA drives are cheap.

Sorry for the bad news...in terms of renting the deck and being unable to capture as HD right at this moment. But the good news is that it isn't expensive to be able to do so. (Does the J-30 have Component outs on the back? I hope so)

Shane

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Answer 2

Simon_London Author

Level 1

0 points

Sep 23, 2007 4:46 PM in response to Shane Ross

Thanks for the prompt reply.. the J-H3 deck has <I'm quoting the manual!> Component Y Pb Pr, composite, SDI (Super), Firewire, HD SDI (Super), D3, and 15pin Monitor.

I am in the UK so will have a look for the Decklink Intensity Pro card... it is a case of installing the card then FCP will recognise the HDCAM format... sorry I am so 'green' with HD... and I was hoping that this would have been a nice easy acid-test in the new format for me! (are there any other cards that you would suggest incase I can't find one in stock anywhere!?)

Many thanks for helping...

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Answer 3

Shane Ross

Level 8

43,110 points

Sep 23, 2007 5:08 PM in response to Simon_London

Kona LHe, Decklink HD Extreme...but those are more expensive.

Being this green it might be wise to assist the aid of someone with experience with this format...because fumbling around without help might mean doing things two or more times costing you time and money. When I started down the HD road I had help...and used post facilities. I think that it would be REALLY wise for you to do the same.

Shane

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Answer 4

Sep 24, 2007 2:00 AM in response to Shane Ross

I've fitted the Black Magic Intensity Pro Card, this will capture using either HDMI or Component input. Bought the card from Digigtal Video computing in Brighton - BM's documentation is 'basic' and it took me a while to find the control icon within OSX (being a newbie to the Mac) for Intensity, but once found I had no problems in downloadinf HDV to ProRes.

Good luck,

Geoff

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