MiniDV tape to PC ripping

[minidv]

Hi,

I have some old MiniDV tapes that I want to look at and convert to my PC, but my old Cam isnt working any more.

I've seen some decks that I can buy to connect to my PC, but they look rather expensive, so I thought of buying a 2nd hand cam from ebay or something, just to rip them with.

I dont need the cam for using more than just to get the tapes ripped.

So, is it important to get a 'good' cam or is the cost/quality more for the lens etc, and can I just buy any old cam to do the job?

Any suggestions on a cam?

My PC has USB and also a 1394 port (the 6-circuit socket), or do I need some other input card?

Also, any suggestions on how / software to use to rip them, once connected?

I'm using WinXP, but soon upgrading to Win7. I have a decent computer, Core I7, SSD lots of disk etc.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[StevieBuck]

Before I upgraded to HD, I used to have a Sony MiniDV camcorder. I used the i.LINK(their name for the 1394 connection) to transfer the video from that to my PC.

I remember trying a few different capture softwares, but this one was the simplest & easiest to use:

WinDV - Video software and downloads - VideoHelp.com

This leaves you with quite sizable .avi files on your PC as it doesn't compress the audio or video as such. It does retain the original quality though, and means you're only compressing the files once if editing and converting to DVD later on.

 

[MarkE19]

Hi,

I have some old MiniDV tapes that I want to look at and convert to my PC, but my old Cam isnt working any more.

I've seen some decks that I can buy to connect to my PC, but they look rather expensive, so I thought of buying a 2nd hand cam from ebay or something, just to rip them with.

I dont need the cam for using more than just to get the tapes ripped.

So, is it important to get a 'good' cam or is the cost/quality more for the lens etc, and can I just buy any old cam to do the job?

Just get any 'working' miniDV camcorder. The data that gets transfered is digital so quality should not come into it - as long as the video heads are still ok that is.

My PC has USB and also a 1394 port (the 6-circuit socket), or do I need some other input card?

Use the firewire/ieee1394/iLink port - it is the only way to transfer full quality miniDV footage to a PC as USB simply isn't up to it and probably wont even work (depending on the camcorder you get).

Also, any suggestions on how / software to use to rip them, once connected?

I'm using WinXP, but soon upgrading to Win7. I have a decent computer, Core I7, SSD lots of disk etc.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Well XP has the very good Movie Maker 2 software built in - it is basic, but easy to use and learn. If you want to burn the footage to DVD you will need another program such as Nero though.
Other than that have a look at the likes of Adobe Photoshop Elements, Ulead (Corel) Video Studio, Pinnacle Studio or Sony Vegas Studio all at around £60 but you can get a free 30 day trial on all of them from the relevant web sites. They all include full editing features and also DVD authoring tools.

Mark.

 

[minidv]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies.

I'll get myself a cheap cam then, and try out the software you recommend.