New DV Deck

I am currently working on a project which was shot on DVcam and my JVC BR-DV3000U DVcam/miniDV deck has suddenly become unrecognizable by FCP 7. It was working fine last week. I tried new cables, cycling power, and finally resorting to using my Canon GL2 camera as a deck (it works, but bleh) and it's pretty obvious to me something has gone wrong with my firewire port on the JVC.

So...I know it's a dying breed, but I was wondering if anyone could recommend a cheap DVcam deck to buy? I do not have $4000 to spend on this. I would prefer in the $1000 and under range?

Much appreciated, and I hope this wasn't posted elsewhere on the forum (although I doubt it; who wants DV decks anymore?).

Intel MacPro
6 GB RAM
Mac OS 10.6.8
FCP 7.0.3

If you're using the Canon GL2, that means you don't need a full-sized DVCam deck, you need Mini-DV. I really don't know where you'd find a DV deck anymore. Tried eBay or Craig's List? Or you can buy a cheap Mini-DV camera and use it as a deck. Also call up camera places and see if they have second-hand equipment that some editors/facilities may have sold off.


www.derekmok.com

Thanks for the response. Yes, true, at the moment I am using a mini dv tape. However, I have other tapes that are full sized DV Cam and the nice thing about my JVC deck is it played both, so my GL2 solution is really only temporary.

I thought about ebay or Craig's List...I just don't want to pay $$ for something that might not work or might have many hours of use/abuse.

The used or refurbished departments of a reputable seller (eg. B&H Photo Video) should, theoretically speaking, have equipment that's fully tested before you pay for it. Yes, I would try those places before eBay or Craig's List just to have some accountability. Ideally you should look for a used DSR-11, the most versatile DVCam/Mini-DV deck in its price range, but it was $1800 new, so I don't know if you can get it for sub-$1000 even after so many years.

Once you get your hands on a deck, capture those DVCam tapes in your archive and turn them into high-quality movie files for storage. DVCam tapes really are not a good archive format anymore. Even DigiBeta is better because TV stations still have mountains of them.


www.derekmok.com

Thanks for the advice, I will take a look at places like B&H in the used or refurbished depts. I am familiar with the DSR-11, having used it on some freelance jobs. If it's a little over $1000 I could probably do it. I just looked at B&H's new decks earlier today, and got sticker shock (especially for a "dying" format).

Yeah, it's a shame, but I have hundreds of DVCam tapes, and it is on my "list" of things to do, to get them onto another format. If I only had more time, LOL.

Are you sure it won't cost you more to buy a deck, compared with just paying to get the DV tapes transferred or captured? Even a freelance editor might be able to capture the clips from tape using his/her existing setup. You're basically investing in a piece of equipment that, I suspect, will go into depreciation freefall, while I still have my 2004 DSR-11 in good working condition, yet not doing much work. In the meantime, you still have to invest in updating your archives to a less moribund format.


www.derekmok.com

Possibly. It's something to think about anyhow. I guess I will have to get some quotes before I do anything. I don't know if it's possible to fix the firewire on my JVC either but I guess that should be one option as well (unless you have an idea how much it might cost to fix, and if it might be cost prohibitive?).

I have a DSR-11 for sale - you can email be at editalchemy@cox.net.

I have a dvcam/minidv deck that is in very good condition and very few hours of use I have posted for sale on craigslist.
[losangeles.craigslist.org]