importing from vhs via firewire camera

Question

Level 1

8 points

importing from vhs via firewire camera

In previous versions of iMovie, I was able to hook up a vhs player via a Sony firewire-based camcorder and import the video to the Mac--the camcorder just converted the analog to digital. Now in 10.0.5, the video still shows up on my iMovie screen--but it won't import it. I hit "Start Import", let it run, then hit "Stop Import", but nothing is captured.

I'm now using a firewire to thunderbolt converter--is that the issue, or is it the newer version of iMovie?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Oct 25, 2014 2:40 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Ziatron

Level 5

4,214 points

Oct 25, 2014 8:45 PM in response to vastw

or is it the newer version of iMovie?

Yes.

There are nice solutions for this that I know all about. But first, tell me how important quality is. Just how much are you willing to go through to get the very best quality. Easy solutions will not give you the level of quality that the more difficult solutions can get.

Also, when you purchased your MacBook Pro, what operating system was on it ?

Reply

Answer 2

vastw Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 26, 2014 10:21 AM in response to Ziatron

I certainly want decent quality, but it is coming from VHS to start, so it's only going to be so good. I figure I have the following options:

Record the VHS to 8mm and then convert to the Mac
Would take twice a long and would lose a generation of quality
Use my older Mac Mini (OS X 10.9, iMovie 8) which has Firewire and I know does work fine
- Since it's an older Mac (2,53 Ghz Core 2 Duo), it will take a while to convert, which is why I wanted to use the newer Mac
- Of course, the actual transfer is in real time so it's a moot point--I'm more concerned over the time to save and convert it in iMovie
Pay someone to do it professionally
Not really an option, since they won't touch copyrighted material (although I'm just converting from VHS to digital for my own personal use)
Buy some sort of gadget to convert the video
Tried various products in the past and found them wanting

I have time to work on this--it's a long term project involving dozens of tapes.

It would be great if Ion made a VHS device like their audio cassette converter--as long as it was cheap.

Reply

Answer 3

vastw Author

Level 1

8 points

Oct 26, 2014 10:22 AM in response to vastw

Not sure why they give you the option of putting in bullet points if it then ignores them when displaying it...

Reply

Answer 4

Ziatron

Level 5

4,214 points

Oct 26, 2014 6:25 PM in response to vastw

For maximum quality here is my procedure: ADVC300 > iMovie 06 > iDVD 09/11.

To get your VHS video into iMovie, use the Grassvalley ADVC300 . With the ADVC300 Audio and Video go in, FireWire comes out. It also comes with a nice Macintosh application that works flawlessly with iMovie 06 and iDVD 09/11 (I have used it a few times with iMovie 11).

The ADVC300 has been discontinued by the manufacturer. The included software (which is not really necessary but does enhance performance) is not compatible with OS 10.7 or newer. You can still find the ADVC300 for sale in a few outlets as well as eBay. It will sell between 50% and 100% ABOVE its retail price. Yes, it's that good.

If you can’t find the ADVC300, use the Grassvalley ADVC110.

I have a drawer full of analog-to-digital converters. After using the Grass Valley ADVC300 I find nothing else acceptable.

The program that comes with the ADVC300 has some nice filters that can improve video and audio of the source material. The ADVC300 will take Audio and Video from any source (VCR, Tivo, Satellite Receiver) and convert it to FireWire (iMovie will treat it like a camera).

I would use iMovie 06 with iDVD 09/11, why?

iMovie 09, 11, and 13 uses 'single field processing' meaning every other horizontal line of the video is thrown out, which reduces the sharpness of the footage. iMovie 06 uses ALL of the image to form the video. (Also the latest iMovie CANNOT set Chapters !!)

After lots of experimenting I get the best results using OS 10.6, iMovie 06, and iDVD 09/11. My movies look just like Hollywood!

My primary computer is a Mac Pro, so I just use one of the four hard drives and boot OS 10.6. You can also partition a single hard drive to achieve the same results.

This may seem like more trouble than you want to go through. However, I find the superior quality to be well worth it.

Reply