Best way to store MiniDv to DVD?

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

Mike,

I would suggest that you keep your miniDV tapes. Each tape stores about 13Gb
(60 min) and a DVD a little over 4 Gb assuming that your data is converted
into MPEG2. You may get about 75 minutes on to a DVD without not too much
deterioration of quality. It will take a lot of time to transcode and also
you will have problems if you want to use the MPEG2 saved files for later
editing because of the MPEG2 compression that is based on an interframe
method that requires you to keep track of reference frames. In DV each frame
is compressed.

One option I am considering is to get one of the very large external discs
that are available these days for a reasonable price. A 500Gb disk could
store about 35 miniDV tapes and they would also be randomly accessable.

Peter


"news" <tec5@earthlink.net> skrev i meddelandet
news:1AClc.3181$a47.1178@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> Hi,
> I'm not into editing, but I have lots of family MiniDV tapes I want to
save
> to something other than VHS. I want to store to DVD, but I wanted to get
> help before investing in a dvd recorder. I see there is a sony RDRGX7
> coming out, but here are my questions:
>
> 1) Is the best way to transfer by using the IEEE 1394 ports on both the
> camcorder
> (I have a TRV9 and a VX2000) and to the DVD recorder? Is this just like
a
> VCR
> where you hit "play" on the camcorder and "record" on the DVD recorder and
> let
> them run?
> 2) Is this even the right way to go with a DVD recorder? (I'm not going
> to edit; I'm
> just trying to store the minidv onto a more easily playable media)
> 3) Should I use my camcorders to play back the tapes (I have about 40 to
60
> tapes);
> or should I use a minidv playback deck, or maybe even buy a low-end
> minidv
> camcorder just for playback (I don't know if the playback of all these
> tapes will
> shorten the life of my camcorders).
>
> Any input is appreciated.
> Thanks,
> Mike b
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

thanks,
sorry, but I'm a novice at the edititing part, but are you saying there is a
conversion going on when transferring the mindv to the dvd recorder using
the ieee 1394 cable?
also, when you say it takes a lot of time to transcode, I thought all it
involved was
"playing" the mindv tape from the camcorder while "recording" on the dvd
recorder.
Then also, from what you are saying, it sounds like the quality on the DVD
must be
less since for the 4GB storage on it, it must be leaving something from the
13GB
minidv behind. (is this similar to the VHS recording mode differences
between
Short play and Long play)?

"Peter O Sjostrand" <po.sjostrand@telia.com> wrote in message
news:05Ilc.91616$dP1.283973@newsc.telia.net...
> Mike,
>
> I would suggest that you keep your miniDV tapes. Each tape stores about
13Gb
> (60 min) and a DVD a little over 4 Gb assuming that your data is converted
> into MPEG2. You may get about 75 minutes on to a DVD without not too much
> deterioration of quality. It will take a lot of time to transcode and also
> you will have problems if you want to use the MPEG2 saved files for later
> editing because of the MPEG2 compression that is based on an interframe
> method that requires you to keep track of reference frames. In DV each
frame
> is compressed.
>
> One option I am considering is to get one of the very large external discs
> that are available these days for a reasonable price. A 500Gb disk could
> store about 35 miniDV tapes and they would also be randomly accessable.
>
> Peter
>
>
> "news" <tec5@earthlink.net> skrev i meddelandet
> news:1AClc.3181$a47.1178@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net...
> > Hi,
> > I'm not into editing, but I have lots of family MiniDV tapes I want to
> save
> > to something other than VHS. I want to store to DVD, but I wanted to
get
> > help before investing in a dvd recorder. I see there is a sony RDRGX7
> > coming out, but here are my questions:
> >
> > 1) Is the best way to transfer by using the IEEE 1394 ports on both
the
> > camcorder
> > (I have a TRV9 and a VX2000) and to the DVD recorder? Is this just
like
> a
> > VCR
> > where you hit "play" on the camcorder and "record" on the DVD recorder
and
> > let
> > them run?
> > 2) Is this even the right way to go with a DVD recorder? (I'm not
going
> > to edit; I'm
> > just trying to store the minidv onto a more easily playable media)
> > 3) Should I use my camcorders to play back the tapes (I have about 40
to
> 60
> > tapes);
> > or should I use a minidv playback deck, or maybe even buy a low-end
> > minidv
> > camcorder just for playback (I don't know if the playback of all
these
> > tapes will
> > shorten the life of my camcorders).
> >
> > Any input is appreciated.
> > Thanks,
> > Mike b
> >
> >
>
>

Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop (More info?)

tec5 wrote ...
> sorry, but I'm a novice at the edititing part, but are you saying
> there is a conversion going on when transferring the mindv to
> the dvd recorder using the ieee 1394 cable?

If you are talking about making "playable" *video* DVDs (which
you can play on any set-top DVD player), then yes, there is a
conversion from DV to MPEG. This conversion significantly
reduces the resolution (spatial and temporal) of the video.

> also, when you say it takes a lot of time to transcode, I thought
> all it involved was "playing" the mindv tape from the camcorder
> while "recording" on the dvd recorder.

Again, if you are talking about making a DVD *video* disk, then there
is DV to MPEG transcoding. OTOH, if you are talking about making
DVD *data* disks from your DV-AVI files, then there is no loss of
resolution, but it will take three DVD data disks to hold an hour of
DV tape.

> Then also, from what you are saying, it sounds like the quality
> on the DVD must be less since for the 4GB storage on it, it must
> be leaving something from the 13GB minidv behind.

Clearly.

> (is this similar to the VHS recording mode differences between
> Short play and Long play)?

In extremely general terms, yes. But to be more accurate, the
difference is that MPEG compression throws away a lot more
video information to pack it into such a small space. Commercial
movie DVDs play with variable compression rates and "budget"
the amount of digital data space on the disk so that some scenes
are compressed more and others (with lots of detail and/or fast
action) are compressed at a lower rate and take more space. This
takes an experienced operator going through the production scene
by scene and programming the compression algorithms.