imovie hd imports much darker than original

Mark

I just checked my manual and I quote the following:

"This recorder has a built-in DV (Digital Video) input/output jack for connection to a DV camcorder. This makes it ideal for transferring camcorder footage to DVD for editing. You can also transfer DVD content back to the camcorder if you need to."

From the last sentence the inference must be that the signal transferring to the camcorder is DV format, given that the camcorder does not have the ability to transcode MPEG-2 content. The same must therefore apply to transfer to any other digital device, eg., a computer. (See EDIT).

EDIT: To elaborate - the same signal is coming from the DVD recorder irrespective of the device connected - that's what I meant to imply in my last sentence above!

John

John,
I want to be sure because I will go & buy one. it's a very useful feature to have when a client brings me a DVD that they want a small section removed. It's good to have more than just software extraction as a second choice.
Have you made a test between the the DV ouput method compared to software extraction?
Mark

Mark

I think my last post crossed with yours. I have only tested the import from the DVD recorder to iMovie, but have not exported that back to DVD or tape. The import looked perfectly OK in iMovie, so I would assume that exporting will produce acceptable quality. As soon as I get a bit of time, I'll run a test for you (DVDs are pretty cheap now!). Note that I've never played around with software extraction, so have nothing to compare with. I will let you know how the DVD turns out.

John

Mark

I've just exported about 6 minutes of snippets from a wedding DVD using the DVD recorder to iMovie method. Imported to iMovie (4.0.1) with no apparent glitches. I then played back from iMovie to the DVD recorder, viewing the results on the connected LG LCD 15" TV. The images were very good - a slight drop in quality from the original DVD, but not that noticeable. The clips contained added music, transitions, "wild" audio and titles - all appeared OK.

It's getting late, so I'll have another look tomorrow. I don't think there is much point in test recording to a DVD, given that the viewing on TV was OK and I use the same method to record to DVD (using the iMovie preference "play through to camera")

I will see how I go tomorrow and get back to you.

John

probably too much beach & sun....

I can tell you, that isn't possible here in Sweden. Cloudy and a few scattered showers for weeks.

But where does it say it's DV stream output?

On the line you quoted: It does say DV terminal that is both IN and OUT. (It doesn't say MPEG OUT.)

David

I quote Dan Slagle:

"If you just want to pull video off a DVD you created previously, get DVDxDV and be done. It exports out a DV file that Quicktime will import right into iMovie."

Dan has an excellent FAQ site covering a wide range of iMovie topics. Here is the link to the topic from which I gleaned the above quote (from the last group of dot points):
http://danslagle.dvmix.com/mac/iMovie/tips_tricks/6010.shtml

Here is the product Dan refers to (DVDxDV):
http://www.dvdxdv.com/DVDxDV.overview.htm

John

David - just a quick hint for your future posts.

It's preferable to start a new post under the topic you are seeking advice on. Looks like this one may have got lost under the original header. Users with knowledge on your subject may not have visited the post under the current header.

Good luck with DVDxDV if you decide to go that way. I haven't used the product as I am able to transfer video from DVDs to iMovie using my Pioneer DVD recorder, which has firewire IN and OUT. A normal DVD player (as distinct from recorder) would not have this feature,

John

David - sorry about posting 3 times about your query, but I just realised that DVDxDV is not a free program. An alternative appears to be MPEG Streamclip (free) as referred to in Dan's site. It might be worth giving it a try - I've heard very good reports about it and it's mentioned quite frequently in this forum.

Also see this post:
Matti Haveri, "MPEG-2 files into iMovie HD?" #1, 04:14am Aug 28, 2005 CDT

John

Thanks John.
It appears after reading Matti Haveri's post, that MPEG Streamclip does require a $20 program to use it?
Have you heard of Handbrake (freeware)? My local Apple Store suggests I try it.
David

David

The extra program needed in conjunction with MPEG Streamclip is the "Apple MPEG-2 Playback Component" available from the Apple Store for $US19.99 -
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/71107/wo/w92XCAB lTgDi3bwE2Ac1ujFVsfX/1.0.11.1.0.6.25.7.11.1.3

I hadn't heard of Handbrake but just did a Google search. If you search on "handbrake video software" you'll get a large number of results. Reviews indicate that it works well, but a little slowly (typical of the conversion process). But, at least it's free! I'm not clear on whether it can produce a file suitable for input to iMovie - perhaps your reading will clarify this. Also, I'm not sure if you need the Apple MPEG-2 Playback Component with Handbrake.

John

I used the advice from this forum and bought DVDxDV to pull video for iMovie off DVD.

Don't do to much on the trial version. When you pay for the full version, the "watermarks" are still on the clips you converted.

When you pay for the full version, the "watermarks" are still on the clips you converted.

I assume it means the clips you converted BEFORE paying will still have the watermarks, not the ones you convert AFTER?

Watermarks do not appear in the fully licensed version of DVDx.

I converted several files on the test version. They had watermarks. I was disappointed that the watermarks couldn't be eliminated when I bought the full version. I had to do the same work again.

I wrote to the software developers, and there is no way to convert the test files.

I like the application. But, don't do too much work in the test version. You'll have to do it all over again.