imovie capture quality, DV/HDV?

DV is suitable for editing, while HDV is not. HDV is compressed in a way that make editing impossible. So HDV is converted to "Apple Intermediate Codec" that is suitable for editing. When exporting back to camera that is converted back to HDV.

DV, on the other hand, goes right in and right out.

"..The file sizes should be the same since I am using the same type of miniDV tape in either case.."

The tape has nothing to do with it!

HDV - being hi-definition - uses larger movie frames which have about four times the data of an ordinary standard-def DV frame.

So, logically, the file size for HDV should be about 4x the size of normal DV ..which, in your case, it obviously is: 40GB vs. 11GB.

The method by which all that extra data can be squeezed onto a miniDV tape - running at the same speed as normal DV - is that the HDV data is compressed onto the tape, with only one-in-fifteen video frames being recorded in full, and the next 14 frames are just saved as compilations of what's different between the 'keyframe' and each of those subsequent 14 frames.

This means that much less data than the full hi-def frames needs storing on the tape. HOWEVER, as Lennart says, it's not editable in that form, because most of the video frames don't actually exist! ..So when HDV is imported into iMovie, it's expanded into the Apple Intermediate Codec format, which builds real movie frames from compressed data ..hence, the file size within iMovie expands, and can end up much larger (..maybe 4x larger..) than the file size of normal DV.

It's like transporting gallons of orange juice; you could transport 20 gallons in 20 individual gallon jars. But you could also extract all the water, just leaving the concentrate, and then transport it in, say, only 5 jars ..like compressing the 4x larger HDV data onto low-capacity tape.

Then, at the point where you want to use it, you add water to bring it back to its original consistency ..whereupon it fills 20 jars again ..or it expands back to its proper huge file size.

"..Since FCP does not import the date and time of the recording.." ..I'm astonished to read that! (..I won't check with my FCP right now, as I'm just about to jump in the bath..)

The date and time are embedded (invisibly) within the movie data, so FCP will capture that, just as iMovie does. I'm pretty sure that FCP must also have a means to display it, but can't remember where or how - a trip to the FCP Discussions would give you a quick answer, I expect.

"..I would like to ensure that there is no degradation of the video and audio quality since I am converting from one format to another.." ..d'you mean converting from HDV to AIC, or from iMovie to FCP..?

There's no degradation between iM and FCP, as FCP simply reads the iM project file, and video and audio files, so is handling exactly the same material. There's no degradation when importing DV, as it's just a digital file being imported. There's no degradation when importing HDV into Apple's Intermediate Codec ..something like, at most, 4 pixels per frame - according to Apple - may not be perfectly accurate, but that's below the threshold of visiblity at 25 or 30 frames per second!

Although FCP edits HDV "natively" (..and doesn't seem to need the AIC..) nevertheless, it'll handle AIC files made from HDV which has been imported into iMovie HD.

But I think you may be missing something about date and time - if it's so important to you. Check in the FCP Discussions; there's bound to be a way to display it in FCP..!

Incredibly - or with incredulity! - I've just re-read the FCP manual, and on page 138 of Volume 1 it says..

" VITC (Vertical Interval timecode) is written in the video signal on your source tapes as you shoot video. You can see it as a series of alternating square dots at the top of the video signal on a monitor in underscan mode. (These dots are visible in Final Cut Pro except when you're capturing DV clips.) Because VITC timecode is part of the video signal, it can't be changed on your original tapes. The VITC part of the video signal is also not captured as part of a Final Cut pro clip's video frame." .. (my emphasis)

Just to be certain, I just captured - in FCP - a clip which I shot yesterday (25th March 2007) and then looked at its Properties.

Under 'Format' it says "Last Modified: Today, 14:56"

..In other words, there's no detail of when the shot was recorded in the camcorder.

I'm astonished. Dumbfounded. Gobsmacked. Seriously disturbed. Incredulous. Amazed. Astounded. Flabbergasted. Bewildered. Inordinately surprised.

..And you're right!

... ok, I'm wearing now not only shades, but do use a white stick* ... :

quote from http://journalism.berkeley.edu/multimedia/tutorials/finalcut/capturing.html

Above the clip are time duration and time code boxes. The one on the left shows the duration of the clip currently displayed in the Viewer. The one on the right displays the time code - the time stamp showing where the current frame of the displayed clip exists on the mini-DV tape from which it will be captured.

.. this is not what ... oops, need a dictionairy.. 'perplexed' (HA!, you missed that one..) you ...?



for those, who follow those posts here not so frequently: David is our HiDef specialist here, and when I ask my silly, 20th century questions here, the joke is, I have to wear shades, due to shiny crystal sharpeness, he's talking about... no offense to our blind iMovie/FinalCut users..
... ehm? .. ??? ...

Thanks, Karsten:

"..The one on the right displays the time code - the time stamp showing where the current frame of the displayed clip exists on the mini-DV tape from which it will be captured.."

Yes, "..displays the time code - the time stamp showing where the current frame of the displayed clip exists.." ..that's the time code (as in 00:03:24:15) but not the date when the clip was shot.

I find this incredible. (..Mind you, a similar thing happened - you may remember - when iMovie 3 was introduced: when you double-clicked on any imported clip it showed the date when the clip was imported instead of the date when the clip was shot! ..until all the outcry from iMovie users (Matti, Karl, etc) had it changed back to the date of shooting..)

If I'm unsure when an old tape was shot, I can import five seconds into iMovie, double-click on the clip, and that shows when the tape was shot in the camcorder. But not in FCP?!! ..Ludicrous!

Hi David,

time stamp ≠ time code.. < slapping own forehead >

.. that is indeed 'unmöglich!' ...
... but seems to be no trivia task, had lately a nice conversation with Bruce from geethree, about how comes, you can double-click on any clip and get all info, but you are NOT able to get some 'title' showing automatically these infos.. he told&tought me, that the API (?) doesn't offer these infos ... seems to be a 'inherently' problem...

but, that a tool as FC doesn't show you with no workaround/clickthat/hotkey these infos.. indeed... strrrrrange... 😉

Yes; you would have thought that an AppleScript - or Automator script - could:

1 - Jump to start of clip
2 - Double-click to get date-&-time
3 - Copy date-&-time to Clipboard
4 - Open blank title of user's choice (..wait for user to select title..)
5 - Paste date-&-time from Clipboard

It's not difficult when a human does it ..so why can't a computer do it automatically, and save the human effort?

Verrückt!