Quality when Digitizing using a different cam

J

jdmkenji

Member
I was wondering if there is any degredation in the quality of footage or audio coming from the DVX if the tape is digitized (downloaded) using another camera. I have a PV-GS250 and I can digitize(download) via USB using the Panasonic software that came with the camera. Is the quality the same as If I digitized using the DVX via Firewire and Premiere Pro?

Thanks
 
I think that if you use the firewire connector and Premier Pro to capture from the gs250, the quality will be the same as from the DVX. A lot of people do that to spare their main camera the wear and tear.
 
What software was included? If its some software aimed at consumers, they might not give you the optimal settings for good quality digitizing that Premiere Pro offers.
 
Many cameras which use (also) USB for video transfer do it only at low quality.

FireWire is the standard for bit for bit data transfer form camera to PC and back. No need to play with anything else.
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I do not like this "digitized" word when we are talking about digital data transfer from digital tape to digital hard disk. "Digitizing" was done when the footage was shot.
 
Petrus said:
I do not like this "digitized" word when we are talking about digital data transfer from digital tape to digital hard disk. "Digitizing" was done when the footage was shot.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that...... but it applies here.

'Digitize' can refer to both footage ingest (transfer from tape to disk) and several forms of digital post effects.

In Avid, you DIGITIZE footage into the machine. Their "Digitize Tool" dates back to the early '90's.

In Final Cut, you CAPTURE footage.

When something's shot in a digital tape format (i.e. DV), it is "converted" (not digitized) by an A/D device.
 
I understand the word "digitize" the process of sampling an analog phenomenon like light hitting the sensor or sound hitting a microphone into digital domain. That happens in DV camera and the digital result is stored on tape. When transfering this signal to PC there is no converison of any kind happening. It is a 1:1 data transfer. Therefore NOT digitizing.

The reason this word is used is in history: first digital editing systems had analog tapes as source, those tapes had to be digtized using a special capture card.

None of that happens with firewire. Data is just copied from tape to HD, no digitizing, not even "capturing". Just plain data copying.

When something is shot with a digital (video)camera, it is DIGITIZED by the A/D converter! Analog data (A) is turned into DIGITAL data (D). If that is not digitazing, what is????? After that no digitizin is done anymore.
 
Digitizing is taking analog information and turning it into digital information.
But, I know exactly what he meant.
The answer to the original question is ..... NO. There is no degradation, none.
It's all 1's and 0's, it's either there or it's not. The only issue is the rate at which the information is tranferred from one place to another.
Buy the cheapest camcorder you can get, use it for a deck. Save the heads on your more expensive camera. Or, you can buy a deck that costs thousands, just to download footage to your storage drives.
Hey, really.... the heads on all of them are practically identical.
 
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Avid - DIGITIZE

Final Cut - CAPTURE

It relates to both technical processes AND in-software procedures.

We also call it 'feeding the machine'. I guess we'll have to re-think that now too.

Call 'em and complain. Remedy the situation. I really could care less.
 
for what its worth...........

I purchased a JVC-D350u just for this purpose (player to capture video shot with main cam). Im capturing into Premiere Pro 1.5.1 with NO degradation that I can see.............via firewire. Use the analog out to monitor.

The JVC-D350u was $250 from B&H photo. It can be controlled via the dv controller within Premiere too. Timecode can be seen on monitor without showing up on the captured video.

Great way to save your main cam.

Jeff
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