[Sampdoria]

Hi,

I am having trouble importing video from a dvd source into my imovie hd.

This footage was shot on minidv (canon xl-2) and transferred en mass to dvd. It is basically two discs full of clips, but they have not been partitioned into "chapters" on the discs, and this was done via a 3rd party video store that sends stuff out for transfer.

The problem I am faced with is that whenever i attempt to import files, the program seems to go through the motions, yet i see nothing in my clip windows, or any evidence that the files have indeed been imported.

When I manually drag the files into the program, it tells me there is an error, and that quicktime could not parse the files.

The dvd player that comes with my G4 plays the dics just fine, and the footage is quite nice, but I just can't seem to get it into imovie, and so I'm stuck not being able to edit it.

Any ideas or help at all would greatly be appreciated....

Thanks

[dlefebvre]

It seems the video was not transfered to DVD as data (Quicktime clips or .dv files) but as a standard MPEG-2 DVD copy. It's not editing friendly. You would have to convert the MPEG-2 files to DV format. This will takes time and you will lose a lot of quality in the process.

It would be best if you could capture the original DV tapes. Even if it was shot using a XL-2, you could transfert it with a 500$ Canon camera witout loss of quality. Once the footage is recorded to a DV tape, it's data so the quality of the camera you use to capture is not relevent.

[Sampdoria]

Thanks for the reply.

The problem is that the original tapes are in Italy. I was shooting a music video for a rapper, and he took the originals with him to have edited over there. I was supposed to use the copies to do my edit version here.

How would I go about converting the footage to quicktime clips or .dv files? Is this my only option?

once again, any input would be appreciated

[dlefebvre]

Other than a convrting app that, like I said, i would take a lot of time, a quick workaround would be to record you DVD outpout (through a conventional DVD player) and record it to a DV camera.The quality would be decent and not far from what you would get using a converting app, plus it would be in real time. Since you can't get the originals back, there is not too many solutions.

[k_munic]

Originally Posted by Sampdoria

Hi, I am having trouble importing video from a dvd source into my imovie hd.

get for 20$ the Apple mpeg2 plugin http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/
and for free the tool Streamclip http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...treamclip.html for converting

other tools are:
* http://www.dvdxdv.com/DVDxDV.overview.htm DVDxDV a try, it has a 30d trial period (testdrive sets a watermark)... and cost 25$
* http://www.miraizon.com/products/products.html Cinematize >60$
* http://www.mpeg2works.com/ Mpeg2Works >25$ + Apple plug-in

http://danslagle.com/mac/iMovie/tips_tricks/6010.shtml
http://danslagle.com/mac/iMovie/tips_tricks/6018.shtml

you'll realize a (dramatic) loss of quality, DVDis end-of-the-road, meant for playback, not editing, a very lossy format.... try to get the tapes!

[Sampdoria]

Originally Posted by k_munic

get for 20$ the Apple mpeg2 plugin http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/
and for free the tool Streamclip http://www.apple.com/downloads/macos...treamclip.html for converting

Thanks for the info....

Do I need both those apps? Are they straight forward? I'm a PC user, but I just picked up a nice dual core G4 for editing like we used in film school a couple of years ago, so I am not exactly proficient in the finer aspects of apple software.

Once again, thanks for any and all insight

[k_munic]

Originally Posted by Sampdoria

...Do I need both those apps? Are they straight forward? ..

yepp, the plug-in allows Quicktime to handle mpeg2 streams, and Steamclipper cares for the export of video AND audio as one single dv-stream (which is the native codec of the iApps)

hmm, maybe you should consider the investment into
http://www.dvdxdv.com/DVDxDV.overview.htm
DVDxDV,
it has a 30d trial period (testdrive sets a watermark)... and cost 25$

maybe, a little more "convenient" for the average user then SC (<<too many options ;-) )

as said, it allows a test, so, give it a try.....