Hv30 1080i/30p= 60gb per mini dvd tape

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bluntforcetrauma

Member
i just started shooting with the hv30 using 1080i/30p. Then I imported minidv tape to the computer. It takes up 60 GB for one tape. My regular SD minidv tapes were around 12 GB per tape. I can only imagine starting to edit the footage.

I assume i will edit in HD, then once finished I would downconvert to SD.

Wow, just to get a project finished ( using DL discs for final format bucket) is about 8gb per disc, that is going to be some RENDERING.

I am going to have to squeeze/process some big files to get to the project finale.

anyone else find the workflow enormous?

thanks
 
60 GB/tape? That doesn't sound right. HDV is compressed at the same bitrate as DV so filesize should be roughly the same.
 
bluntforcetrauma said:
i just started shooting with the hv30 using 1080i/30p. Then I imported minidv tape to the computer. It takes up 60 GB for one tape. My regular SD minidv tapes were around 12 GB per tape. I can only imagine starting to edit the footage.

I assume i will edit in HD, then once finished I would downconvert to SD.

Wow, just to get a project finished ( using DL discs for final format bucket) is about 8gb per disc, that is going to be some RENDERING.

I am going to have to squeeze/process some big files to get to the project finale.

anyone else find the workflow enormous?

thanks
Click to expand...

Which software are you using for capturing and are you changing the file format from mpeg2. HDV is still 12-13GB per tape.
 
Yes, what NLE are you using? If you're using a Mac, are you converting to AIC(Apple Intermediate Codec)?
 
vsansal said:
Which software are you using for capturing and are you changing the file format from mpeg2. HDV is still 12-13GB per tape.
Click to expand...


Oh crap, I wonder what i am doing wrong. I connect the Hv30 via firewire then I open imovieHD--i know there are many different software but I can manage imovie HD and i know features may be limited but it works well. ONce connected to the computer via firewire then i open imovie in which from a drop down menu I choose 1. name the project. 2. where am i going to save it. and 3. format--with a drop down I have several choices, the one i select is 1080i HDV and them i hit import.

I figure since i recorded 1080i/30fps then i select the dv format in imovie as 1080i?

what am i doing wrong?

I am not kidding, the raw file size is 60gb.

please please advise.
 
Unfortunately, I am not familiar with imovie but if you are selecting the DV format, it is probably converting everything to .avi and since DV compression is less compressed compared to HDV compression you end up with huge file sizes. Don't you have a setting for HDV? Or there must be a setting for mpeg2 at least.
 
vsansal said:
Unfortunately, I am not familiar with imovie but if you are selecting the DV format, it is probably converting everything to .avi and since DV compression is less compressed compared to HDV compression you end up with huge file sizes. Don't you have a setting for HDV? Or there must be a setting for mpeg2 at least.
Click to expand...

first, thank you for your help. when i have the camcorder connected and the software ready to import the video the selection from the drop down menu under FORMAT are DV, 1080i, 720p, widescreen.

so the setting i select is 1080i and then hit import and the video starts and records to the hard drive, and then when i see the file size it says 60gb.

Its not an overly complicated video capturing software, i have used it for everything, this is the first time using HD 1080i/30p.

but i guess there is something i am just not seeing.

In the past when using SD one minidv tape would be about 12gb. Now using the same tape but filming in 1080i/30 the imported tape is 60gb. That is a HUGE difference

please advise
 
bluntforcetrauma said:
first, thank you for your help. when i have the camcorder connected and the software ready to import the video the selection from the drop down menu under FORMAT are DV, 1080i, 720p, widescreen.

so the setting i select is 1080i and then hit import and the video starts and records to the hard drive, and then when i see the file size it says 60gb.

Its not an overly complicated video capturing software, i have used it for everything, this is the first time using HD 1080i/30p.

but i guess there is something i am just not seeing.

In the past when using SD one minidv tape would be about 12gb. Now using the same tape but filming in 1080i/30 the imported tape is 60gb. That is a HUGE difference

please advise
Click to expand...

Can you please tell us what is the file type after you capture? Is it .m2t or something else?
 
I believe only FCP can handle HDV natively. iMovie converts it to AIC(Apple Intermediate Codec) upon capture, which yields file sizes up to 3-4 times larger.
 
Last edited:
how can i find out or tell if imovie converts to AIC upon capture.


I ran a 5 minute test with a minidv tape using 4 different settings on the Hv30

1. 1080i/30p = 4.71gb file

2. 1080i/24p cinemode = 4.01 gb file

3. hdv = 4.79

4. dv = 1.2 gb file

So the more lines of resolution the larger the file size.

I dont see where it " converts to AIC"

The HDV setting on the HV30 yielded the largest file
 
When iMovie is capturing the footage from your camera, it's converting it to the Apple Intermediate Codec; There's no getting around this. The resulting large file sizes are indicative of this. Only FCP can handle native HDV files, i.e. it's not converting it to AIC upon capture. Rendering/Editing with HDV is CPU intensive because of the compression, whereas AIC is much more friendlier which is why Apple decided to implement this conversion for iMovie.
 
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bluntforcetrauma said:
So the more lines of resolution the larger the file size.

I dont see where it " converts to AIC"
Click to expand...

No. HDV carries a fixed bitrate of 25 megabits per second, meaning that regardless of resolution the file is compressed down to fit a size bandwidth. If you're really capturing mpeg footage you should expect similar file size to DV. Clearly iMovie is converting to AIC during capture which is making the filesize bigger.
 
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