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TheOriginal150mph
Inspiring
January 21, 2015
Answered

Mini DV tapes - first time transfer to harddrive suggestions needed

  • January 21, 2015
  • 4 replies
  • 22068 views

This may not be the perfect forum for this, but there are probably Premiere users who've dealt with this before...

I'm a complete video amateur/some time Premiere user with a dozen Mini DV tapes in a box that haven't been viewed in years. (I sold the camcorder long ago) I just found out that Mini DV is now obsolete and that I'd better move fast if I want to salvage this footage before Mini DV equipment is no longer available.  I want to do a one-time transfer of all the footage to an external terabyte drive, but don't know what's the most economical way to go about this.

I looked through this Ebay page http://tinyurl.com/nu43k3j where I can spend many hundreds on recorders, players, camcorders. I don't know what questions to ask - like can I use Firewire or USB, or is that extra slow? Should I get a cheapo used camcorder for just these 12 tapes and hope the motor holds out, or do I need a player/deck? Also, I don't know what format the content of Mini DV tape will be when transferred. Once I get a device, are there different formats or codecs that I have to consider before I start transferring or does Mini DV footage always come over as .mov or something? I just want the raw footage, something Premiere can edit. The post-transfer format I want is something I'd need to know before purchasing something I'm guessing...

Any suggestions? Something to sell? thanks in advance!

Mac OS 10.6.8 | 2x2.26 GHz QuadCore Intel Xeon | Premiere CS6

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Conrad_C

    TheOriginal150mph wrote:

    Also, I don't know what format the content of Mini DV tape will be when transferred. Once I get a device, are there different formats or codecs that I have to consider before I start transferring or does Mini DV footage always come over as .mov or something? I just want the raw footage, something Premiere can edit.

    Mac OS 10.6.8 | 2x2.26 GHz QuadCore Intel Xeon | Premiere CS6

    I transferred a bunch of these tapes not long ago. Looking at your specs, we have very similar Mac Pro desktop towers. That means your Mac probably has both FireWire 400 (6-pin) and FireWire 800 (9-pin) ports on the front and back, so you are completely covered on having FireWire. That leaves the other side, the camera. A miniDV camera should have the 4-pin FireWire port on it (Sony called it iLink on their cameras). The bottom line is that you will need a FireWire cable with 4 pins on one end for the camera, and either 6 or 9 pins on the other end for either of the FireWire ports on your Mac. If you need to buy the cable, Monoprice has them for less than $5.

    There shouldn't be much of a format issue with miniDV; it was a pretty well established standard and most miniDV cameras should have recorded it the same way. You are correct that raw miniDV footage is automatically imported as .mov files; there is nothing to choose there. Because .mov is just a filename extension for the QuickTime container format, what's really inside is a video file in the standard DV codec. You'll still have to export it from Premiere to a modern format like H.264 to upload it to a web site.

    Premiere Pro should have no trouble bringing it in but you may have to verify your capture settings first. With the camera plugged in, turned on, and set to playback mode, go into Premiere Preferences, click Device Control, and set it to the camera brand and model. Then File > Capture should work. In the Capture window click the Settings tab and make sure Capture Format is DV, not HDV. Once all that is set you should be able to control the miniDV device from Premiere and record interactively.

    4 replies

    Conrad_C
    Community Expert
    Conrad_CCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    January 23, 2015

    TheOriginal150mph wrote:

    Also, I don't know what format the content of Mini DV tape will be when transferred. Once I get a device, are there different formats or codecs that I have to consider before I start transferring or does Mini DV footage always come over as .mov or something? I just want the raw footage, something Premiere can edit.

    Mac OS 10.6.8 | 2x2.26 GHz QuadCore Intel Xeon | Premiere CS6

    I transferred a bunch of these tapes not long ago. Looking at your specs, we have very similar Mac Pro desktop towers. That means your Mac probably has both FireWire 400 (6-pin) and FireWire 800 (9-pin) ports on the front and back, so you are completely covered on having FireWire. That leaves the other side, the camera. A miniDV camera should have the 4-pin FireWire port on it (Sony called it iLink on their cameras). The bottom line is that you will need a FireWire cable with 4 pins on one end for the camera, and either 6 or 9 pins on the other end for either of the FireWire ports on your Mac. If you need to buy the cable, Monoprice has them for less than $5.

    There shouldn't be much of a format issue with miniDV; it was a pretty well established standard and most miniDV cameras should have recorded it the same way. You are correct that raw miniDV footage is automatically imported as .mov files; there is nothing to choose there. Because .mov is just a filename extension for the QuickTime container format, what's really inside is a video file in the standard DV codec. You'll still have to export it from Premiere to a modern format like H.264 to upload it to a web site.

    Premiere Pro should have no trouble bringing it in but you may have to verify your capture settings first. With the camera plugged in, turned on, and set to playback mode, go into Premiere Preferences, click Device Control, and set it to the camera brand and model. Then File > Capture should work. In the Capture window click the Settings tab and make sure Capture Format is DV, not HDV. Once all that is set you should be able to control the miniDV device from Premiere and record interactively.

    T
    TheOriginal150mphAuthor
    Inspiring
    January 23, 2015

    Thanks Conrad. After the initial $30/per tape price I got from a local vendor, I'm looking to buy another camera/deck and do it myself - so this is great information. Thanks for sharing!

    R Neil Haugen
    R Neil Haugen
    Legend
    January 23, 2015

    I am curious if the 6-pin connector will work to PrPro in Mac, as it doesn't in Windows ...

    Neil

    Everyone's mileage always varies ...
    Peferling
    Peferling
    Inspiring
    January 21, 2015

    +1 with Richard.  Find a local shop that will do the capture into a format that you can edit, (discuss your system/needs with them).  Some charge by the hour and others charge per tape. Provide them a hard drive to copy the files to make things easier.

    S
    SAFEHARBOR11
    Participating Frequently
    January 21, 2015

    If you can find someone local to capture them at a reasonable price, maybe $10 apiece, that may be the way to go. If you have Firewire and proper software on the Mac, then a camcorder will do the trick if you prefer. The Canon HV20 is always popular on Ebay between $100-200 and is a workhorse (I have one). It is an HDV camcorder, but also records and plays DV as well.

    If not interested in editing the footage, but simply want copies you can view, Walgreen's and others will transfer them to DVD. But that also is heading towards obsolescense. A Digital file will be preferable in the end, backed up to two drives. Once you have a digital file, meaning the captured DV clips, it can later be converted to H.264 which is currently the universal playback standard for computers and tablets, and the digital clips can also later be converted to whatever comes next.

    Thanks

    T
    TheOriginal150mphAuthor
    Inspiring
    January 21, 2015

    Thanks all for your replies, I have much to learn and still a little unclear. The end product I want after editing will be a .mov or .mp4.

    First, transfer raw footage from the tapes to a current media (external drive, or dvds) that I can access with my computer, then rip/convert it with Premiere to an editable format (like H.264). Ripping means importing the raw footage into Premiere and converting/exporting as a different format right? This means leaving the computer for hours to chug through each tape I'm guessing. I'm a little concerned that having to use my computer/apps for other things might cause a hickup in the conversion.

    I got a prelim estimate from a local shop of $30 per tape to transfer to DVD, but that is only for viewing as I understood it, not a format that can be edited. It would still need to be ripped to something editable (like H.264 for instance) right? Converting the footage to H.264 seems like the only way $30/tape would even be a consideration...

    My MacPro has a Firewire port. The tapes were shot on a Sony DCRTRV(17?) with default format.

    B
    Bill Engeler
    Inspiring
    January 21, 2015

    You will need 3 things to transfer the video files:

    1. Something to play the tapes. A cheapo camcorder may work, as long as the videos aren't in a proprietary format. Some progressive formats may only play with the same brand. In my memory, I never had a problem mixing between Canon and Sony.

    2. A fire wire connection. USB will not work. I hope your mac has such a connection, or you will have to borrow a different one. Don't try to use a USB to firewire converter - it will not work.

    3. Software for capturing the video. You can't  go straight to a hdd; you will need to use a computer.  Premiere will work, even elements. I don't know the mac software,  but this shouldn't be a problem. Capturing is a bit by bit process, no conversion is needed or done. I forget the file extension, it depends whether the footage is SD or HDV. In any case, it is what it is. You won't need any new codecs, beyond what Premiere. Has

    Peru Bob
    Community Expert
    Peru BobCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 21, 2015

    Bill Engeler wrote:

    Premiere will work, even elements.

    Only up to version 12.  Premiere Elements 13 does not support capture.

    R
    Community Expert
    Richard M KnightCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 21, 2015

    If you only have a handful of tapes and this is a one off I would be tempted to send them to a post house to get the work done.

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