Capturing dropped frames at DVinfo.net

Matt Elias · September 15th, 2004, 03:21 PM

I want to capture a minute of footage that seems to have dropped frames somewhere in the middle...

The footage that plays normally on the cam, but when I import this footage FCP seems to detect dropped frames. The resulting clip in FCP appears to be choopy and at the point of dropped frame(s) it jumps a few seconds forward. So instead of a frame or two dropped, it actually cuts out a chunk of video.

I have turned off the following in User Preferences:
-Abort EET/PTV on dropped frames
-Abort capture on dropped frames

Is there any way to capture this footage from beginning to end w/o FCP detecting the dropped frames?

Boyd Ostroff · September 15th, 2004, 03:36 PM

I wonder if maybe iMovie or BTV pro would handle this situation better?...

Nathan Gifford · September 15th, 2004, 03:41 PM

I am not sure what additional settings FCP might have, but another technique is to copy cam-to-cam. The new file that you have just copied should not have dropped frames.

Since I am not sure what problem you are having in FCP there may be a non-batch capture mode that allows you to copy the file in from your cam without specifying in/out time (ie start/stop).

Matt Elias · September 15th, 2004, 04:03 PM

Well the weird thing about all of this is that the footage was shot on a striped tape. Therefore, there shouldn't be any dropped frames right? Is it possible for my GL2 to drop frames when I'm shooting to a tape that already has a continuous time code?

Another weird thing is that I have already captured portions of this footage before, w/o any problems. Is it a possibility that the tape could have been effected since then and now is giving me dropped frames. Can this happen to tapes that haven't had any physical damage to them?

Boyd, what does BTV stand for?

Nathan, I'm going to try the capture now feature.

Boyd Ostroff · September 15th, 2004, 05:45 PM

BTV Pro is a nice little shareware program that can capture video and do lots of other cool things: http://www.bensoftware.com/btvpro.html

Glenn Chan · September 15th, 2004, 06:34 PM

Dropped frames happen at random points:
This is probably a hardware problem.
A- Capture to an internal drive instead of firewire/USB2.
B- Check that your drives have at least 15% free at end of capture.
C- Check that you have no other programs running, especially antivirus!

Dropped frames happen at the same point in your footage:
Final Cut may have problems with timecode breaks. Considering you shot on a striped tape, this shouldn't be a problem.

If the tape has gone bad or the camera is not reading the tape well, you might get a timecode break where it isn't reading the video properly. Maybe...?

Matt Elias · September 15th, 2004, 08:19 PM

Hardware looks to be the source of the dropped frames. I have been using the same external drive for the entire project. The dropped frames occured after I used my GL2 to capture. There seems to be an issue when the GL2 and the external drive are plugged in at the same time. I was able to capture the same footage on the same computer and exteranl drive when I rented a DV deck.

September 15th, 2004, 03:21 PM	#1
Matt Elias Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: California Posts: 149	Capturing dropped frames I want to capture a minute of footage that seems to have dropped frames somewhere in the middle... The footage that plays normally on the cam, but when I import this footage FCP seems to detect dropped frames. The resulting clip in FCP appears to be choopy and at the point of dropped frame(s) it jumps a few seconds forward. So instead of a frame or two dropped, it actually cuts out a chunk of video. I have turned off the following in User Preferences: -Abort EET/PTV on dropped frames -Abort capture on dropped frames Is there any way to capture this footage from beginning to end w/o FCP detecting the dropped frames?

September 15th, 2004, 03:41 PM	#3
Nathan Gifford Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Tickfaw, LA Posts: 1,217	I am not sure what additional settings FCP might have, but another technique is to copy cam-to-cam. The new file that you have just copied should not have dropped frames. Since I am not sure what problem you are having in FCP there may be a non-batch capture mode that allows you to copy the file in from your cam without specifying in/out time (ie start/stop). __________________ Nathan Gifford Southern Cyclist Magazine & Productions For quick answers try our Search! To see me and Rob Lohman click here

September 15th, 2004, 03:36 PM	#2
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	I wonder if maybe iMovie or BTV pro would handle this situation better?...

September 15th, 2004, 04:03 PM	#4
Matt Elias Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: California Posts: 149	Well the weird thing about all of this is that the footage was shot on a striped tape. Therefore, there shouldn't be any dropped frames right? Is it possible for my GL2 to drop frames when I'm shooting to a tape that already has a continuous time code? Another weird thing is that I have already captured portions of this footage before, w/o any problems. Is it a possibility that the tape could have been effected since then and now is giving me dropped frames. Can this happen to tapes that haven't had any physical damage to them? Boyd, what does BTV stand for? Nathan, I'm going to try the capture now feature.

September 15th, 2004, 05:45 PM	#5
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	BTV Pro is a nice little shareware program that can capture video and do lots of other cool things: http://www.bensoftware.com/btvpro.html

September 15th, 2004, 06:34 PM	#6
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Dropped frames happen at random points: This is probably a hardware problem. A- Capture to an internal drive instead of firewire/USB2. B- Check that your drives have at least 15% free at end of capture. C- Check that you have no other programs running, especially antivirus! Dropped frames happen at the same point in your footage: Final Cut may have problems with timecode breaks. Considering you shot on a striped tape, this shouldn't be a problem. If the tape has gone bad or the camera is not reading the tape well, you might get a timecode break where it isn't reading the video properly. Maybe...?

September 15th, 2004, 08:19 PM	#7
Matt Elias Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: California Posts: 149	Hardware looks to be the source of the dropped frames. I have been using the same external drive for the entire project. The dropped frames occured after I used my GL2 to capture. There seems to be an issue when the GL2 and the external drive are plugged in at the same time. I was able to capture the same footage on the same computer and exteranl drive when I rented a DV deck.