Digital Video from analog camera's..help

Hi, have a look here, www.aja.com, these are broadcast Analog to SD convertors, and they have some MAC stuff as well

Hi:

I use a Dazzle-Hollywood DV Bridge device to encode analog video. The source does not matter, in the sense that is can be PAL, NTCS or S video. I can record directly from camera to hard disc (although I've typically used tape as an intermediary,because there is often a lot on the tape that I don't want to put on the hard drive).

The Dazzle goes into my computer through a Firewire port -- which was a cheap ($24) addon for my PC, but which is built in to most MACs. My computer is 6 years old, and the Dazzle thing is at least that old, but it produces better-than-VHS quality video. I typically edit in DVD quality, but my source material rarely starts out that good. I also use digital video from my still camera, which records at 640 x 480 x 30 fps -- about twice as good as VHS.

The Dazzle was cheap ($200) and these days there is probably an equivalent that is even cheaper. The Dazzle has only one input per video type, so I could not connect two cameras to it without a switcher, and if i wanted to be feeding both cameras to disc all the time I could not do so. I'd think that a fast, current computer with two digitizing cards and three drives (one for the basic computing stuff, and two large fast ones for captures) would be able to take feeds from two cameras simultaneously (but I'm guessing here -- don't take my word for it).

I'd estimate that the video that comes out of a cheap still camera and ends up on hard disc, looks about as good as broadcast beta from 15 years ago when I used such equipment often. (Obviously, the lenses are not as verstile, and most still camers don't have external mike jacks, etc, etc.)

If you are going from tape to AVI, then you must have a means for capturing video. Ordinarily, you could use that same card for digitizing the signal directly from the camera -- but of course you could only do one feed at a time.

Maybe an easier approach is to get a couple DV decks, which record from NTSC to DV. These JVC ones are about $1500 (or maybe less). Then, video from these goes directly into your computer through firewire, with no encoding required (it's already done in the recording). Of course, if you are buying new stuff, then you have to think about HD. JVC also has a nice direct-to-disc camera.

Thanks Ken

I have a Dazzle at home. For consumer use they are ok. The output on professional floor camera's is a component out put,(not sure if its RGB , I think is HYsomthing) anyway it's not compatible with Dazzle. And most PC cards are not fast enough for realtime capture.

Good point. I'd forgotten that Betacam was component, rather than NTSC composite. (When I worked seriously with video, we actually shot onto portable 1" machines -- amazing as that may seem. When I worked with Betacam, I was no longer as technically involved, so viewed the camera as a black box, and we continued to edit onto 1" for quite a while.)

As you know, there were several component systems (the crudest being S video) and there are some converters than claim to handle both Betacam and M format, both of which were originally aimed at the broadcast (especially ENG market).

This antique desktop machine will handle 720x480x30 frames (DVD rate, a little higher than betacam data rate) easily in real time, so I'd think a modern machine would easily handle a direct camera feed. (Clean signals digitize faster than lower quality ones). I'd think it you had a couple of computers, each with a several hundred Gig drive, you'd be set. (In fact, a single modern computer with a few drives and a couple firewire cards would work, I'd think.)

Do your cameras have decks that hang on the back? I'd think Sony would make a digital deck that could use the analog camera front.

Try A Philips DVDR it has aan audio and video input jack and a I.link firewire input righton the front panel. we tape or school plays right from and old VHS deck that the camera looks great but the Tape recorder function is old ans worn out.

Just set the in put on the DVDR to AV input connect the proper cables and insert a neww blank DVDR disc. record times vary as to the speed and quality you select from the DVDR setup menu

Thanks Guys,

It looks like a capture card from AJA.com (from guest #1) will be the best bet! I can run component riight into the MAC and it has Final Cut drivers..Perfect! Thanks Again