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  #1  
01-16-2019, 07:50 AM
maxismax maxismax is offline
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Hi all, I recently started converting old mini dv tapes onto hard drives. After about 6 tapes I noticed an issue with the timing of the camcorder and the converted video in iMovie not matching. After further inspection I realised that through importing the video the cassette would play slightly faster and ultimately cause the end video to be approximately 10 seconds faster than the footage on the tapes. I know it may seem pedantic but I’d like the conversion to be as accurate as possible and I’m unsure why both iMovie and Final Cut Pro result in slightly faster playback. Using QuickTime the timing and playback speed match the camcorder exactly. Looking online I couldn’t see any similar threads so I figured I’d try my luck here. Is there any reason for this and has anyone noticed anything similar?

Conversion is being done with 2013 MacBook Pro using FireWire to thunderbolt. The camera is a Sony PC9E (PAL format).

At this point I’m willing to give up and accept that I can’t get them perfect. This isn’t ideal so I’m hoping someone might be able to help.

Thanks
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  #2  
01-16-2019, 09:15 AM
hodgey hodgey is offline
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Not entirely clear what you mean by 10 seconds faster. Is the movie actually playing at a faster frame rate, or is it just the time code that is off?

Most, but not all, miniDV cameras will not output anything if there is nothing on the tape, so the length of the final file may not match the length of the tape. The actual speed of the footage should be correct though. There are some that will simply output the last fram until they encounter something new. When transfering DV video over firewire what you are getting is a direct copy of what is on the tape, as the video is stored digitally on the tape, so there shouldn't be any changes happening. I suppose there could be some bug if you're converting them to a different video format afterwards though, and both those apps probably use the same code or operating system functionality for that since they're both apple products.

Another issue that can happen is if there is a mix of footage with 16 bit audio and footage with 12 bit audio on the tape as the capture program may not handle that properly and treat it as if the whole clip has the same audio bit depth and frequency and thus mess up the audio. Doesn't sound like that is the issue here though.
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01-16-2019, 05:41 PM
maxismax maxismax is offline
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Sorry you'll have to forgive me for not being clear. The imported footage is actually playing faster when compared to the camera playing it. I dont know wether it is an issue with different formats such as PAL and framerates and im unsure how to even check using the softwares I mentioned. Final Cut Pro says the footage was imported at 25p using the PAL format. The footage only seems to play faster when using the import function on those softwares. Would you suggest trying a different software altogether? If so is there any specific you recommended. I have tried lifeflix briefly but had problems. If you can make anything out of this please let me know.
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01-16-2019, 08:52 PM
dpalomaki dpalomaki is offline
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A PAL recording? Captured via Firewire?

Are you using the same camcorder that made the recording?

Do I understand correctly that when the camcorder plays the tape it takes 10 seconds longer than when the same captured video is played in FCP or iMovie?

Is this actual wall clock time or based on the time code in the camcorder and in FCP?

What is the length of the tape that differs in playback speed by 10 seconds; e.g., 10 seconds in ## minutes of program material?
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  #5  
01-16-2019, 09:00 PM
latreche34 latreche34 is offline
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Big dollar software are not suitable for small jobs like this unless you know how their settings work, In other words they are not plug and play software, every parameter has to be set manually.
Audio and video in DV should be locked, If you get a lip synch issues that means the software is demuxing the audio and transcoding the video to what ever format is set to.

I did a lot of DV and HDV captures (on Microsoft thought) and I remember using WinDV for DV, I don't know about Apple, I'm pretty sure there is a simple application for Mac.

Try this app:
https://www.lifeflix.com/blogs/news/...t-minidv-tapes
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  #6  
01-17-2019, 07:23 AM
maxismax maxismax is offline
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Yes I recently purchased LifeFlix and although I still need to to do further testing I haven’t been able to notice faster playback. Both iMovie and Final Cut Pro also seemed to just completely miss certain scenes and not import them as files which LifeFlix seems to fix.

However with the recent change to LifeFlix I’ve been noticing new issues which I just can’t figure out and am hoping you may have some insight. LifeFlix imports the flies in an interlaced format opposed to both iMovie and FCP using a progressive format. I’m assuming the correct format is interlaced.

Playing these newly imported files through LifeFlix playback functions presents very noticeable interlacing artifacts especially when played through both a 3 year old lcd tv and a 11 year old plasma. What’s strange is the file imported itself when played through QuickTime and Final Cut Pros playback function show close to no interlacing. And then after exporting the very same file through Final Cut Pro using apples h22 pro res codec the interlacing reappears. This continues to persist even after compressing the file using FCP to a h.264 codec using .MOV container. Playback using a software such as Plex also reduces interlacing. I understand interlacing is normal and that deinterlacing in an option, but I’m confused as to why I’m am getting such inconsistent results.
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  #7  
01-17-2019, 07:36 AM
maxismax maxismax is offline
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Yes it was a PAL recording via FireWire. Hopefully putting it this way might make sense. If I press play on my camcorder and imported file and get the videos in sync perfectly, after a few minutes the imported file is reaching the next scene a couple of seconds faster. So essentially the footage is playing back faster in terms of speed with the imported file. I don’t think this would be an issue with time codes and whatnot, at least I don’t see how it could.

After purchasing LifeFlix in hopes it would make this process more simple the issue seems to not be occurring. However I haven’t done enough testing to determine that.

But now I’m having issues with interlacing. iMovie and FCP imported the footage as progressive, whereas LifeFlix is importing it as interlaced. If I’m not mistaken interlaced should be the native format for my camcorder and is to be expected for best quality. However the interlacing artifacts only appear noticeable after exported through FCP using h22 pro res format as well as h.264 with .mov container. Playing the original footage using QuickTime recorded with LifeFlix presents close to no interlacing artifacts. I’m honestly so confused and can’t figure this out.

If this makes any sense to you I’d greatly appreciate some help.
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  #8  
01-17-2019, 01:15 PM
dpalomaki dpalomaki is offline
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MiniDV is interlaced. What is on the camcorder tape is recorded as interlaced. Most TVs are designed for interlaced source material although many newer HD sets can to either (i or p).

You post #6 reads like the FCP and iMovie captures skipped part of the video; I gather that accounts for the time difference.

Computer screens are normally progressive, not interlaced. How the PC displays interlaced material will depend on how the software you use is configured to deal with it. What FCP, iMovie and your other software do I cannot say, I am not an Apple person.
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  #9  
01-19-2019, 01:57 PM
latreche34 latreche34 is offline
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Yes DV is an interlaced format by nature, Unless you know how to de interlace properly it it is better left alone, You will not gain any extra resolution from de interlacing.
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