Virtual DVHS question:

I connected my HD10 (yeah, got it back after Jon Fordham used it and we shot a short film, too!) to my Mac and had complete control with Virtual DVHS, but I'm clueless as to where the files are going. I hit the record button at the upper right-hand corner and it said it was capturing, but to where? Can someone help?!

heath

If you drag the folder where you want the files to be saved onto VirtualDVHS that sets the save folder upon launch, it can also be changed in preferences "Transport Stream Path"
To create the files you need to press play on "External D-VHS VCR Transport Control" and record under "Recorder (Input Plug 0)"
Another way that firewire stopped working for me (from another post). Apparently if you have DVHSCap running (even if the window is closed) VirtualDVHS will not detect the camera.

Also I found another person offering Project X binaries
http://www.radonmaster.de/robernd/tools/
ProjectX_jar_0815.zip

These work for me (of course the other ones did also)

A free and easy way to export Quicktime to JVC HD cameras or D-VHS
 

I created an Applescript droplet that allows for conversion from Quicktime 1280x720p to MPEG2 transport stream.
http://www.celt.sunysb.edu/paul/HDQT2TS.tar.gz

The instructions are include in the README, please let me know if you need any clarification.

Paul St. Denis

(Heath, I posted in the main HDV Editing Solutions section as well, thinking that less people read this individual thread, please feel free to move or delete either post.)

Lumiere HD seems pretty cool to me.

heath

...out of curiosity.....now that Steve Jobs has announced a new resolution independant H 264 codec that will support HDV in the next OS release, Tiger- can we expect HDV editing to be easier since it will be part of the Quicktime architecture?

Can native HDV editing be finally on the horizon for FCP users? Even iMovie should be able to edit HDV when Tiger comes out if I figure correctly.

Who knows...and Apple ain't talkin', that's for sure!

heath

RE:OS 10.4 Tiger and editing Hi Def in FCP4 HD
 

Just want to know what the deal will be with Tiger OS 10.4? I have FCP4 HD running on a G5 and have recently acquired a JVC JY HD10 hi def camera if I can get OS 10.4 installed on my machine (which is now on OS 10.3.5) will I need another plug in or something for FCP in order to download from the camera and edit in Hi def? Will I still need Lumiere HD even with OS 10.4? What will be the procedure? Anyone out there that can explain it to me?

J D

It'll run better on the G5 than Panther, which is great for Final Cut HD.

heath

OK<

So what you are saying is that 10.4 is a more robust platform for HDV but I will still need Lumiere? Or that 10.4 will eliminate the need for any third party software? Also I have seen a lot of different posts that talk about Lumiere or 4HDV, etc. etc. Which is the best solution/set up?

Thanks,

J D

Until Final Cut Pro comes out with support for HDV, you're gonna need Lumiere HD or other 3rd party software. 10.4 is a faster and more powerful OS, but doesn't have HDV support.

heath

Thanks,

You have obviously already been down this road. Would you reccomend Lumiere HD or is there some other better solution for FCP 4 HD?

J D

Lumiere HD is great and Frederic is promising 1080i HDV support soon. Lots of great reviews (I'll have mine up soon).

There's also Steve Mullen's solution, which is really just a bunch of programs cobbled together. It's a bit pricey, too. I've heard some not-so-great things, though.

You can also use some free stuff, that's kind of iffy, found in this very thread. I used it, and had some problems, but surprisingly, making my HDV clips into Pixlet clips and editing those weren't so bad. Apple Computer was surprised, that's for sure!

heath

Great thanks much for the info. I'd done some research (mostly thorugh this excellent site and JVC) and seen the options you'd mentioned. Getting the word from an objective individual that Lumiere is it works for me. I'll go that way and the fact that they are going to make this work with the new Sony sounds like a good thing too.

Now that I've alread jumped into Hi Def with the little JVC camera and with the understanding that there will soon be many more options available (including JVC's new HD version of the GYHDV5000 which will include flash recording) I think I will wait as long as I can before buying another HD cam. What is your take on this new emerging market?
thanks for your help.

J D

The market is going a bit faster than DV did, only because no one realized how powerful DV was. Or that DV filmmaking would be accepted. In early 1999, I bought a G3 Power Mac with Premiere (Final Cut wasn't out for another couple of months) and an XL-1 and I was LAUGHED at for using a Mac AND for shooting digitally. One old film teacher called me dumb, though a year later, Lucas said he was using the CineAlta to shoot Ep. 2.

HDV is here to stay, until the next format comes out. We laughed about mini-HD cameras over five years ago, laughing about how great it would be to buy a $900 mini-HD handycam, and now it's here. Maybe not as saturated, but it's here.

heath

I'm having problems runing project x it giveme errors yhe file don't open I tried to open terminal and didn't work
any commentes

ok I make it to work.
now I'm having problems importing it to final cut pro hd.
it only import the auidio.
may be that I'm using 1440 x 1080i

1440 x 1080 is what the FX1 shoots. What are you using to capture, demux, etc. in your Apple?

hwm

this works incredible good
loss less codec and the fastest option
check it out
[http://www.alfanet.it/squared5/mpegstreamclip.html]

Troubles with mpegstreamclip
 

Ouch!
When transforming m2t files to .mov files to edit uncompressed in FCP4.5, I OFTEN come up with artefacs that look like the digital DROPS I got on dv footage once and a while when my camera heads were dirty. (squares, like large pixels show up on the image - in large numbers on a single frame)

These drops are HUGE! they cover 2 or 3 frames and a large central area of my images. I also experienced FREEZING of an image for 1 second or so in the output footage once and a while. (I did convert 6 hours, but this should be flawless, should it not?)

Now if I view my footage on the camera, the image is clean.

Has anyone experienced such problem?

If this happens to you, try watching the m2t footage on something else too before freaking out like I did! I tried viewing the footage in VLC player and it seems clean! Pfiew!

Now, does anyone have another alternative to demux on a mac?

dOM

well... went for lumiere
 

I've tried to find some other solution but ran out of patience & this project is on tight deadline

so I bought lumiere and I'm trying the beta wich supports HDR-FX1

this forum sometimes seems like a big add campain for lumiere.
But it solved my problem - no artefacts despite the long transfer time and that the fact that the Apple upgrade will soon make me put my newly bought soft in the closet.

Cheers.
dOM

Dom,

There are currently a bunch of free solutions that I've tried that don't work. You can also try another program that many had problems on, but others had success.

Lumiere HD is the only one I like for Apple, and I've tried almost all of them (except DVC's) and I really didn't like the freebie stuff.

We're NOT a big ad for Lumiere, it's just the best HDV "bridge" for Final Cut Pro editing out there right now.

heath

Heath, the link you'v posted above seems unavailable.

Too many people logged onto that site, so it's shut down (as of late August 2005). To be honest, I like Final Cut Pro 5 the best.

heath

Hey, Heath, is dual 2.0 with 2 gig of memory and 2 400gb hard drives good enough or should I sacrifice some lighting equipment and get dual 2.3? I hear rumors also that there might be a slight bump sometime this month. Catch is, my student discount runs out in a couple of weeks.
thanx

Betsy,

Oh yeah, that's just fine! You're ready to rock and roll, trust me! Buy a light kit instead of the dualie 2.3 ghz.

As for the rumors of speed bumps, check this out:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=49596

Of course, this thread is a sticky, so this info will be dated as time progresses.

heath

A new link:

www.apple.com/finalcut

There, you'll see the two Mac apps that cut HDV via the Apple Intermediate Codec (which isn't so popular on these boards and introduces artifacting), which are Final Cut Express HD and iMovie HD (part of iLife 05) and Final Cut Pro 5, which is a native HDV editor (both 1080i and 720p).

heath

so....

save me from actually having to do the reading and digging through the thread :D

Can one capture, edit and put back out to tape HDV footage, using a G5 and FinalCutPro 5.0.2?

Wow, Heath, thanks, so if my student discount runs out on the 14th of September and the reveal is on the 20th, is there any delay strategy I can employ? Like ordering and then--I don't know... also, re: artifacts and all that stuff, does the new full Final Cut 5 still have all those artifacts? Do I still need to get a third part app on top of all that stuff? Ay-yi-yi... maybe I can't get those lights after all...

ok, what reveal?

That Apple may use the dual core chips IBM announced (two processors on one chip).

Betsy, you're fine right now, don't buy a new computer.

Yes, you can capture, edit and export to tape, all in native HDV, all in Final Cut Pro 5 (www.apple.com/finalcutpro)

No artifacts in FCP 5 editing, that's Final Cut Express HD and iMovie HD.

heath

danke mucho...

I'm in the hunt for a new Mac also...

BUT, I dont think can or will wait.

Got work to do now.

plus, just cuz new units are announced, doesnt mean that they will be on the market, or that the software will be re-written for them either...

risky wait, risky buy.

No announcement yet, just rumors and speculation.

heath

Thanks Heath:) I haven't got the Dual 2 yet, maybe I'll wait a week just to see if any rumors come of anything. It's all so daunting.

multiple vtr's and fcp 5.02
 

I've been following this thread and it parallels a problem that I have been trying to overcome.

I have a G5 2x2, 2x23"HD CD, FCP 5.02, Sony M10U, and a JVC HM-DH4000U VHS player/recorder.
Both vtrs have iLink, and Apple Profiler sees them both.

Objective: using FCP to capture video from both vtrs.

So far I have not found the solution. However, I have discovered that Apple's Virtual DVHS and DVHScap control the JVC very nicely. Does anyone know if FCP supports DVHS codecs? And if so, what the settings might be?

The other side of the coin is finding a work around. My only thought here is to do a two-step: dump video from the JVC into the Sony; then use FCP to capture from the M10U.

FCP Wish List: ability to switch between multiple vtrs on the fly within FCP.

Jim Wicks
Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Welcome aboard, Jim. Glad to see an old friend here at the best videomaker/filmmaker, etc., community on the web!

I'll research your problem and see what I can do. I have the first JVC D-VHS deck, the 30000.

heath

Old Friends and D-VHS vtrs
 

Thanks Heath,
I looked at Apple's Virtual DVHS, DVHScap. Not quite what I am looking for.

I appreciate any help I can get to solve this.

Cheers,

well, I went and got me a new Mac for home.
2.3Ghz, 2.5gig or ram, 300 gig firewire 800 drive

soon to have a Dell 24" LCD.

Ding DV right now, but HDV is on the horizon

Sending HDV to stockfootage company
 

I'm using an HC1 for u/w stuff, and a Mac Dual 867 G4 for editing(iMovie HD). I sent a hard drive to my stock-footage people, and it apparently was damaged in transit, so what are my options? If this is something you're familiar with, please be very specific with your answer/instructions. My geekiness is sorely lacking. Thanks a bunch.

Porter H Watson
TropicSea Visions
http://www.TropicSeaDive.com

Post this question here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=63

So more people will find it. Create a new post.

heath

FCStudio 2 Manual PDFs now online
 

http://www.apple.com/support/manuals/

(Thanks to James Culbertson of FCP-L for the link!)