Capturing from DVD? And resolution question?

1. How can we capture from a DVD (I have permission) and get the best image? I tried using mpeg streamclip and others but they don't work at all (OS X 10.5.2). So I hooked up my DVD player to my Sony Media Converter box but the image isn't sharp.
I'm wondering are there special settings (like FPS or something) for capturing from DVD?
Should I use Super VHS cables instead of RCA?
OR- is there a program that does work well with Leopard where I can digitize from a DVD?

2. Also, how does one set it so that the capture generates a 720x480 Quicktime .mov file? I was having problems before with my captures (from video tape) randomly changing to widescreen mode and I'd have to go into Quicktime and change them. They only look correct when I change them to 640x480. However, in the past I used to capture video tape with no problem and they always came out at 720x480. Does this even matter? I'm using these for background projection one a large movie screen so need the best possible image resolution and the optimal size.

Thanks for any input.

what do you mean by "dont work at all"? is it a leopard thing?

No idea if it's a Leopard thing. But what I get when I try to digitize a DVD using those programs is mostly digital static.

Sean

Pass thru a DV device such as a DV Camera.
Capture via Firewire.

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Pass thru a DV device such as a DV Camera.

that's exactly what the Sony Media Converter is

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mostly digital static

could be copy protection.
you may have the rights,
but the DVD doesnt know that!

rip from the DVD to your internal using Mac The Ripper, THEN use Mpeg Stramclip on the ripped files.

(but i would have thought that the Sony converter would block copy protected stuff)

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Should I use Super VHS cables instead of RCA?

Super VHS would be better than RCA,
UNLESS...
the RCA's are hooked up to Component outputs (the Red, Green & Blue outputs)
does the Sony have Component inputs?


i've ben using black magick design's Intensity Pro for this.
(that has HDMI for a digital trasnsfer, but that will probably block copy protected material)

im captureing to ProRes, which would be better than DV, for sure.
if you go with a software approach, try ProRes rather than DV.

ALSO:
remember that DV (for some reason) is set to display at a low res in QuickTime, and also in FCP's canvas..
you can change QuickTime to display it at high res in the QTPlayer prefs)
in FCP, make sure to view on an external monitor


but ProRes would be better, i think.


nick

There are no Component inputs on the Sony box - or the Canopus box I was able to borrow. BTW, I tried capturing from the Canpous 110 unit but the picture was really weird saturated colors. No idea what was going on with it. But the Sony captures ok, just doesn't look crisp and clear.

I think I found the preference in Quicktime that plays higher quality "when available". Not sure how that works really but it still doesn't look as nice as it should. The bits that worked using Streamclip, etc, seemed crystal clear - however like I said there were other issues (freezing, static, etc). The stuff done with the Sony unit seem compressed or blurred a bit. No crisp lines, sharp edges, etc.

Ok, so is there certain FPS setting I should use? Certain compression, etc? These were my main concerns, I thought I had something set wrong. For DVD should I have it set at 23.98? And for the Compressor drop down menu, what should be used? I tried None and it didn't seem to effect things. The default was the DV/DVCPRO - NTSC.

I have good luck using Cinematize Pro 2 on DVD's of all kinds (that are not copy protected.)

You have to drill down for the standard QT DV-NTSC and there's no way to save the Output Settings, but otherwise it works well.

- Loren
Today's FCP keytip:
Set Video In & Out separate from Audio with Control I & O !

Final Cut Studio 2 KeyGuide? Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

Bah. Hate these copy protection. I once had an audio cd that i recorded back in school and it won't copy on a computer. Can't remember which software that was.

>BTW, I tried capturing from the Canpous 110 unit but the picture was really weird >saturated colors.

Could the saturation issue be caused by the age old NTSC hue shift problem?

> (but i would have thought that the Sony converter would block copy protected stuff)

I don't think it's possible to recognize copy protection on an analog signal (or even a digital one).

"I don't think it's possible to recognize copy protection on an analog signal (or even a digital one)"

what sort of signal is left?

i tried running a DVD thru my Sony TRV900 once and got a "no-can-do" warning.


nick

What's even more fun is trying to get around MacroVision on a VHS tape (that you have the rights to, of course...some customers can't find their master after so many years) that you're trying to capture into your system. I find that if I loop it through enough different types of decks and TBCs, it will work.

>"I don't think it's possible to recognize copy protection on an analog signal (or even a
>digital one)"

>what sort of signal is left?

I mean video signal. Copy Protection should exist only on the DVD, and once the signal is decoded, i don't think it's carried in the metadata of an SDI or a component signal.

It is. You can capture material from a copyright protected DVD without realising it, then get stung when you try to go back out to tape. Has happened to me with a nice tight deadline in sight.

Thanks Jude. Like wow. I never expected the guys to be able to copy protect a video signal! I'll keep that in mind when i've to include dvd material (i usually make it a point to ask for a higher quality master like beta or even dv).

Yeah, but you can't get better quality when you're showcasing the actual DVDs.

<<<I never expected the guys to be able to copy protect a video signal!>>>

They distort the signals up beyond the top of the picture. Normally, that's where the signals are to tell the TV that here is the top of the picture. Later, they discovered that the signal was more robust than they thought was needed, so they added standard television test signals up there.

If you have a TV with a vertical hold control, you can roll a broadcast TV picture down and see all this stuff. If you have a monitor with screen controls like pulse cross, you can do that, too.

Then they found that you can do severe damage to these signals and most (but not all) TVs would play the show just fine, but video recorders, which depend on much more accurate video signals would fail. The latest Macrovision messes with the color reference signals in addition to everything else giving you wacky colored stripes down the screen in addition to terrible copies. The first Macrovision killed one of my very early TVs. The picture wouldn't sit still on the screen.

The video damage was so severe that you can't legally broadcast it, even if the transmitter stood still for it, which I doubt.

[pages dramatically flying from calendar]

The latest "digital" protection contracts the picture size by one scan line and puts key signals at the top, in addition to all the other digital protections. This kills off not only digital duplication, but most analog translations as well, since most pro analog video processors will not impinge on the picture area.

Koz

geezus man! I understand the problems of piracy... But I hate getting locked out of my own work.

I had to install VLC on my mac so I can get DVDs to play fine without having to send it to the Apple shop every few weeks to reset the codes. Where i come from, it's common to purchase a wide range of DVDs from various region codes.

The whole anti-piracy technology gets pretty ridiculous sometimes. It's okay when it works, but when it doesn't, it's like that old saying- the point of a lock is to lock the owners out of the house.

Yea, thanks for the posts. They're very enlightening.

Region coding is a completely different thing. There's no way you should get locked out of your own work unless you have deliberately added copyright protection, or a region code.

So, if you haven't added it - or don't know how to add it, then no copyright protection or region coding should exist and you can copy to your heart's content.

Lol. Yup, they're two different things. I'm thinking that if i ever work on the offline edit for a project that results in a DVD commercial release with copyright protection.... I'm going to have to need a copy of the master.

Region coding on Macs was set up to prevent dvd piracy. Great. So when i watch films on a mac, and i have to toggle the region codes on the machine, there's no way to reset it once the numbers run out.

strypes,

try VLC as your mac dvd player.

i don't think that doesn't care about region codes at all.


nick

Lol. Yep, i've been using VLC for the past half a year. Only issue is that the software is starting to crash on a regular basis. I might need a reinstall.

<<<>"I don't think it's possible to recognize copy protection on an analog signal (or even a
>digital one)" >>>

Yes. In the analog signal, they put a couple of little white dashes up in what's supposed to be active video line 1. If you can cover those up, the video goes straight through. If you can't...

Koz