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new MBP and working with video
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garyton
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Jun 20, 2010, 05:23 PM
 
I have a new 15" MBP coming next week for my wife. I configured it with a 500 SSD. It only has one 800 Firewire port along with an SD card slot.
My wife works with video and is planning on getting a new camera. Her old one just quit on her. I am wondering how she will get her video into the notebook and into an external drive to work with and render her movies. She is not sure whether her new camera will have a hard drive or take SD cards. He old camera was tape which seems to be not available anymore. Will she have to download using the firewire and then move out onto another drive as I do not think she will want to do all her video work on the hard drive that has the operating system when she is using the notebook?

My friend told me Apple really screwed up when they changed and reduced all the ports so video people are very unhappy now and switching back to PC's for that reason.

She now uses an older Mac Pro that she has multiple drives in that she networks also with a dell notebook. She plans to add the new MBP to the network but I am wondering how she will handle the video data when she is traveling.

Gary
     
AKcrab
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Jun 20, 2010, 05:39 PM
 
Depends on the camera (will it work via USB?), and what software she'll be using to edit her video.

You opted for the big, fancy SSD drive.. Why not use it?
     
mduell
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Jun 20, 2010, 08:23 PM
 
If she gets a disk based camera, you can transfer it over USB. At ~20Mbps it's 3-20x realtime depending on what bitrate the camera uses.

If she gets an SD based camera you can transfer it with built in card reader; expect about 10Mbps or 1.5-10x realtime.

Either way it's way better than realtime transfers over Firewire. Don't listen to the whiners.
     
amazing
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Jun 20, 2010, 08:33 PM
 
mini-dv tape is still available, but cameras are getting harder to find. If you need mini-dv based camera so as to transfer the old tapes, you can still find something like a Canon Vixia HV-40 (and you should be able to find it for maybe $100 -- $150 less than this one

Newegg.com - Canon VIXIA HV40 Black 1/2.7" CMOS 2.76MP 2.7" 123K 10X Optical Zoom Full HD MiniDV Tape Camcorder
     
garyton  (op)
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Jun 20, 2010, 08:52 PM
 
Thanks for the replies.
She used to use Pinnacle and Dreamweaver on her PC and since switching to macs she has only been using I Movie and the simpler mac programs. She has not had the time to learn final cut pro for her video. She still uses dreamweaver for her web design.

She does not like working on her movies on the same drive as the operating system so in the past she has two drives on her Mac Pro and several external drives using usb connections. I store all my digital photos on the main drive.

It sounds from what you say that she is better off choosing a camera with a hard drive that has usb transfer capability over sd cards or that has both and use usb for large file transfers. She has decided that she does not want to do her video in HD format as she has not been happy experimenting with her friends HD camera and then making her movies in standard format.

What are you guys doing in terms of what format and bitrate now?

Thanks again
Gary
     
amazing
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Jun 20, 2010, 09:28 PM
 
The Vixia HV40 lets you shoot in 4:3 format, and you can turn off HD, it's just a setting that you adjust in preferences, so you can switch back and forth and experiment. The mini-dv tapes are transferred via firewire. I know there are Sony mini-dv cams still out there, just not familiar with them. You can find mini-dv tapes at supermediastore.com. The reviews mention that it doesn't do too well in low light, which may be true, no experience with that. It does have a hot-shoe for a shotgun mic.

You can keep your video files on an external firewire drive, and you'll want to have a drive with firewire 800, given how much faster that is with the large files. Kingwin makes multi-interface enclosures where you pop in your flavor of HD size.
     
garyton  (op)
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Jun 20, 2010, 09:49 PM
 
She has been using her friends Sony HD mini dv tape recorder and has not liked it. When she has recorded on non HD settings the video has been poor and unusable she states. Maybe she has not had the settings right though.
I have seen her old Sony TRV30-DV tape recorder for prices much more than the new hard drive recorders.
IF she goes to a new hard drive type she loses the ability to work with all her existing tapes.
     
mduell
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Jun 20, 2010, 11:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by garyton View Post
It sounds from what you say that she is better off choosing a camera with a hard drive that has usb transfer capability over sd cards or that has both and use usb for large file transfers. She has decided that she does not want to do her video in HD format as she has not been happy experimenting with her friends HD camera and then making her movies in standard format.

What are you guys doing in terms of what format and bitrate now?
If the transfer speed is an issue, she can buy faster flash cards; they just get pricey. I prefer SD cards (more space available as they evolve, you can swap cards rather than having to transfer the data off when on the road, more durable, etc) to HDD for camcorder storage.

I shoot HD at 12 or 17 Mbps AVCHD on my Canon HF100; the newer cameras support 24 Mbps (the AVCHD spec max).

I don't understand what problem she's having with shooting HD and authoring SD, but if she really wants to stay with SD the typical bitrates drop into the single digits. Maybe 5 Mbps for video, although then the audio chews up 1.5Mbps since AVCHD mandates PCM instead of AC3. Figure 3GB/hr on native storage.

Tape is deprecated for con/prosumer use, time to dump the hassle and move on.
( Last edited by mduell; Jun 20, 2010 at 11:14 PM. )
     
garyton  (op)
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Jun 21, 2010, 12:16 PM
 
Thanks again guys.
I just had the new mb delived. Can't wait to open it tonight and show her.
Next step is to start researching new cameras to replace the old sony.
gary
     
Big Mac
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Jun 21, 2010, 02:14 PM
 
You don't have to replace an old camcorder if it still works and is good enough for your needs, you know.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
garyton  (op)
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Jun 21, 2010, 09:09 PM
 
I wish it still worked. It won't record or play anymore. It's had it and is not worth fixing when you compare it to the costs of new ones.
The hardest issue is which format to choose now as they seem to be abandoning mini dv tapes which is what her old Sony was.
     
macaddict0001
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Jun 21, 2010, 11:47 PM
 
One firewire port should not be a problem, firewire hubs work very well and some devices allow daisy chaining.
     
amazing
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Jun 22, 2010, 01:10 AM
 
mini-dv tapes will be around for quite some time, given how many mini-dv cams are out there. True, you won't be able to get them at the corner store, but that's what the internet in for.
     
Tuoder
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Jun 24, 2010, 12:11 AM
 
Originally Posted by amazing View Post
mini-dv tapes will be around for quite some time, given how many mini-dv cams are out there. True, you won't be able to get them at the corner store, but that's what the internet in for.
The Walgreen's by me still carries Hi8.
     
Big Mac
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Jun 24, 2010, 04:09 AM
 
Originally Posted by amazing View Post
mini-dv tapes will be around for quite some time, given how many mini-dv cams are out there. True, you won't be able to get them at the corner store, but that's what the internet in for.
Not to mention the fact that miniDV is still used by many professionals in the field, and even in the consumer end of the spectrum miniDV camcorders are still advertised as part of the current line of camcorders, such as the Canon Vixia HV40. miniDV ain't dead yet, not even close. miniDV tapes will continue to be produced and sold for many years into the future.

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
SierraDragon
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Jun 24, 2010, 01:17 PM
 
Why choose the 15" size? Personally I far prefer the 17" MBP for graphics work. More screen real estate, more pixels, better heat dissipation and an EC/34 slot for fast data transfer now and in the future. Well worth the extra 1.0 pound!
     
mduell
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Jun 24, 2010, 02:51 PM
 
Originally Posted by Big Mac View Post
Not to mention the fact that miniDV is still used by many professionals in the field, and even in the consumer end of the spectrum miniDV camcorders are still advertised as part of the current line of camcorders, such as the Canon Vixia HV40. miniDV ain't dead yet, not even close. miniDV tapes will continue to be produced and sold for many years into the future.
I can still buy 3.5" floppy disks and drives at Frys. Doesn't mean anyone wants to use them or they're a very good idea.
     
Big Mac
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Jun 24, 2010, 10:18 PM
 
Still not a good analogy. You can find all sorts of different types of technology and computer parts at Frys. But do many/any professionals still rely on 3.5" floppy drives? Are they featured on manufacturer current product line pages anymore? I don't think so. miniDV camcorders are not by any means obsolete like floppy drives.
( Last edited by Big Mac; Jun 25, 2010 at 04:22 AM. )

"The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." TJ
     
Tuoder
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Jun 25, 2010, 01:06 AM
 
I work in Mac lab at Purdue, and the majority of cameras that come in are MiniDV. We have loaners that are mostly MiniDV. We're not buying new ones, but most of what we have is that.
     
mduell
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Jun 25, 2010, 01:50 PM
 
Originally Posted by Big Mac View Post
Still not a good analogy. You can find all sorts of different types of technology and computer parts at Frys. But do many/any professionals still rely on 3.5" floppy drives? Are they featured on manufacturer current product line pages anymore? I don't think so. miniDV camcorders are not by any means obsolete like floppy drives.
Sure, plenty of professional test equipment (oscilloscopes, etc) in use still uses floppies. But that's not the point. miniDV is both deprecated and a hassle (importing in realtime like it's 1999).
     
   
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