Ivan H

Q: Where should I store imported videos

I have video 8 and Hi 8 PAL and NTSC videos imported to Windows 7 Movie Maker. I also have some other video clips of various format.  Lately I have DV tapes to be imported and stored.  These videos are the "source" to be edited later.  I intend to store them all on the MACINTASH HD2 (2nd hard drive) of a MacMini Server.  But for convenience sake, I am using MacBook Pro much more often.

 

1) I tested my old Sony DV Camcorder and it works with iMovie '11.  But by default, if I do it on MacBook Pro, the video are stored under the Event Library of my MacBook Pro, instead of the MacMini Server, and sometimes the videos are stored in a wrong year (e.g. a 60 minutes tape, with the first 5 seconds in 2013 but the rest in 2008, then the whole tape will be imported into 2013.)

 

2) The tags that I entered to the Windows 7 Movie Maker videos' properties are all gone.  But the videos are MPEG-2, mostly. How do I copy / import them into iMovie, or the source video library, in which format?

 

My problem is:

 

What settings should I make on the MacMini Server (each account?), the MacBook Pro and the iMovie app in these two machines so that I can store all source video in one place (e.g. iMovie Camera Archive) so that I can later use them (readonly) in iMovie projects / other applications like Adobe Premiere Pro? 

 


MAC MINI SERVER (LATE 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Posted on Aug 7, 2013 2:01 AM

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Q: Where should I store imported videos

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  • by Klaus1,

    Klaus1 Klaus1 Aug 7, 2013 6:05 AM in response to Ivan H
    Level 8 (48,888 points)
    Aug 7, 2013 6:05 AM in response to Ivan H

    You should store them in your Movies folder, as well as maintaining an external backup (NOT time machine).

     

    If they are in mpeg2 format they are already in the final compressed standard DVD format, not intended for editing.

     

    You need to convert the VOB files in the TS-Folder of the DVD back to DV which iMovie is designed to handle. For that you need mpegStreamclip:

     

    http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html

     

    which is free, but you must also have the  Apple mpeg2 plugin :

     

    http://store.apple.com/us/product/D2187Z/A/quicktime-mpeg-2-playback-component-f or-mac-os-x

     

    (unless you are running Lion in which case see below))

    which is a mere $20.

     

    Another possibility is to use DVDxDV:

     

    http://www.dvdxdv.com/NewFolderLookSite/Products/DVDxDV.overview.htm

     

    which costs $25.

     

    For the benefit of others who may read this thread:

     

    Obviously the foregoing only applies to DVDs you have made yourself, or other home-made DVDs that have been given to you. It will NOT work on copy-protected commercial DVDs, which in any case would be illegal.

     

    And from the TOU of these forums:

     

    Keep within the Law

    1. No material may be submitted that is intended to promote or commit an illegal act.
    2. Do not submit software or descriptions of processes that break or otherwise ‘work around’ digital rights management software or hardware. This includes conversations about ‘ripping’ DVDs or working around FairPlay software used on the iTunes Store.

     

    If you are running Lion:

     

    From the MPEG Streamclip homepage

     

    The installer of the MPEG-2 Playback Component may refuse to install the component in Lion. Apple states the component is unnecessary in Lion onwards, however MPEG Streamclip still needs it. See this:

     

    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3381

     

    To install the component in Lion, please download MPEG Streamclip 1.9.3b7 beta above; inside the disk image you will find the Utility MPEG2 Component Lion: use it to install the MPEG-2 Playback Component in Lion. The original installer's disk image (QuickTimeMPEG2.dmg) is required.

     

    The current versions of MPEG Streamclip cannot take advantage of the built-in MPEG-2 functionality of Lion. For MPEG-2 files you still need to install the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component, which is not preinstalled in Lion. You don't have to install QuickTime 7.

  • by Ivan H,

    Ivan H Ivan H Aug 7, 2013 6:38 AM in response to Klaus1
    Level 1 (16 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 7, 2013 6:38 AM in response to Klaus1

    Thanks for all the advice.  I learn a lot.

     

    You mentioned to "store them in your Movie Folder", and I need to access it from my accounts on the MacBook Pro and the MacMini Server.  In a later stage, additional users will access to them as well.  So, does the "Movie Folder" refer to say Users/Ivan/Movies/<a new Movie Folder> in the MacMini Server?  Then what's the purpose of a Camera Archive?

     

    Meanwhile,  I'll see how much I can follow.

  • by Klaus1,

    Klaus1 Klaus1 Aug 7, 2013 8:30 AM in response to Ivan H
    Level 8 (48,888 points)
    Aug 7, 2013 8:30 AM in response to Ivan H

    Sorry, I don't run Mountain Lion.