Jan FAQ (currently the world's shortest FAQ, but growing quickly)

Current Entry:

3.2.2 If I want to capture analog home video to my computer, what's my best option?  I'm willing to consider both internal and external products.

Jan:  You have three general options:

1.  Purchase a hardware unit from a developer of both the hardware and software. Today, www.pinnaclesys.com is the only option in that category with both the Studio and Dazzle line. This is a good option because there's no finger pointing when things go wrong - the same company developed both components of the system.

2.  Purchase a hardware unit from a company that built the hardware and licensed the software from a third party. Products in this category include Turtle Beach's Video Advantage USB (reviewed here in PC Magazine), ADS A/V Link with Premiere Elements, AverMedia DVD EZMaker USB2.0 (reviewed here in PC Magazine) and Adaptec, with a full line of products here.

3.  If you already have a video editor picked out, choose an external capture device that comes with no bundled software. Here I like the Canopus line of "Digital Video Converters" the best (scroll down a bit on the page to see the product line).

My rule of thumb here is to favor companies that are solely in the video business, like Pinnacle, Canopus and if you stretch the point, AverMedia (who also does TV Tuners and the like). Beyond this preference, when buying a device like this, follow these rules:

2.1  DV Cameras

2.1.1  Which camera should I rent for a 16:9 Shoot?

2.1.2  Before buying a DV camcorder, what should I do to check it out.

5.1  Definitional Questions

5.1.1 What's the difference between editing and authoring?

5.2  Prosumer Authoring Programs (with current reviews)

5.2.1 Adobe Encore

5.2.2 Apple DVD Studio Pro

5.2.3 Sonic DVDit!

5.2.4 Ulead DVD Workshop

5.3 Consumer Authoring Programs (with current reviews)

5.3.1 Apple iDVD

5.3.2  Sonic MyDVD

5.3.3  Ulead MovieFactory

Question: If you were to buy or build a computer for serious but not professional editing, what would you get? 

Question:  I was wondering if the new consumer video editing software from Pinnacle - Studio Plus Version 9 - and from Adobe - Premiere Elements 1.0 - were capable of taking advantage of dual processors.  In particular, I was wondering if the rendering times of video projects were faster with the dual processors operating versus one processor. 

Answer: A couple of explanatory notes. First, I tested on a dual Xeon system. This allowed me to turn off one entire processor (and use only one processor in the tests).  Xeons are also hyperthreaded (Intel calls this HT Technology), which means, in essence, that they can do two things at once. The Dell I tested on also lets me disable Hyperthreading so I can test on one processor running a single thread.

2.0  Managing the Shoot

2.1  DV Cameras

2.1.1 Which camera should I rent for a 16:9 shoot

Question:  My boss wants me to shoot some business interviews in 16:9. Any suggestions on choosing a camera to rent? I've been looking at Sony's PDX10 and HDR-FX1, as well as the Panasonic AG-DVX100A and The Canon XL2.

Answer: I would stick with the FX1 or XL2 and probably would prefer the FX1 because the image is a bit sharper. See the two camcorder articles here: http://www.doceo.com/business.html (upper left of the table), where I reviewed the FX1 and XL2. Keep in mind that the XL2 has XLR adapters, which you'll need for good quality audio, while the FX1 doesn't, so you'll have to rent/buy a product like the DXA-8 I wrote about in Chapter 2 (or get a Sony wireless or other mike with stereo input).

2.1.2   Before buying a DV camcorder, what should I do to check it out?

Question: I'm about to buy a DV camcorder; What should I do to check it out before buying?

Answer:  My one rule about buying camcorders is to never buy without first seeing an objective, third party evaluation of quality. You can't buy brand; I love Sony, but they've put out some stinkers, and you can't buy specs; I've tested some 3CCD camcorders that output lower quality than 1CCD cameras. You need an objective evaluation.

I think PC Mag and EventDV produce great reviews; but we don't test all of them, so you probably will have to go elsewhere. My three favorite sites for checking out camcorders are:

http://www.camcorderinfo.com/ratings.php - does a great job with standardized reviews.

www.epinions.com - only users, but there are some great reviews.

www.cnet.com - good reviews and lots of reader feedback.

Epinions always has good links to online sites for buying, as does CNET. I've personally had good luck at http://www.bestpriceaudiovideo.com/ and at www.jr.com.

3.0  Video Capture

3.2   Analog Capture

3.2.1  What are my options for capturing analog video today?

Even if you just bought a DV camcorder, changes are you have some analog tapes that you may want to edit. Here are some alternatives for getting these analog assets digitized and ready to edit.  Vendors of these products include Adaptec (www.adaptec.com), ADS Tech (www.adstech.com), AVerMedia (www.aver.com) Canopus Corp (www.canopus.com), Pinnacle Systems (www.pinnaclesys.com)

Camcorders with Analog Input capabilities

Many camcorders can convert an incoming analog signal to DV, store it to tape and pass it though your camera’s FireWire port simultaneously, so you can capture on your computer during the conversion process. This feature is generally called analog input or analog pass through and is convenient if you only have limited numbers of analog tapes to convert. Otherwise, you run the risk of wearing out your expensive camcorder on a task you can easily perform on a $200 external box.

Graphics Card

Some graphics cards can capture video with audio captured via the system’s sound card. This is a good alternative if you already have the graphics card, but not the best alternative if buying new for several reasons.

First, graphics cards usually capture to a proprietary format. We prefer DV for its quality and universal cross platform compatibility. Second, when you capture video with one device, and audio with another, you increase the risk of sound synchronization issues.

Finally, other solutions are more portable.  If you decide to buy another computer, you can’t use the capture card without obsolescing the older computer by removing the graphics card. So, if you already have a graphics card that captures video, give it a try. If not, consider the other alternatives presented below.

Other Internal Cards

Internal analog capture cards produce much less clutter than external units, but are more complicated to install and can’t easily be shared among different computers. When buying:

·    Make sure the card offers S-Video and composite inputs, as well as stereo audio input. Don’t buy a card that uses the system sound card to capture audio.

·    Make sure the card captures in DV format. MPEG-2 is acceptable as an additional option, but DV is your best choice when capturing for editing.

·    Make sure the card can both capture video from and write video back to the analog camcorder.

·    Make sure the card doesn’t work exclusively with a particular video editing program. Otherwise, if you change editors, you may have to buy another capture device.

External Boxes

External boxes are easy to install and share, but can promote clutter around your desktop. When buying:

·    Don’t buy a box that connects via USB 2.0, which always capture in MPEG-2 format. Instead, get a box that connects via your DV port and captures DV video.

·    Make sure the box offers S-Video and composite inputs, as well as stereo audio input. Don’t buy a box that uses the system sound card to capture audio.

·    Make sure the box can both capture video from and write video back to the analog camcorder.

·    Make sure the box doesn’t work exclusively with a particular video editing program. Otherwise, if you change editors, you may have to buy another capture device.

3.2.2 If I want to capture analog home video to my computer, what's my best option?  I'm willing to consider both internal and external products.

Jan:  You have three general options:

1.  Purchase a hardware unit from a developer of both the hardware and software. Today, www.pinnaclesys.com is the only option in that category with both the Studio and Dazzle line. This is a good option because there's no finger pointing when things go wrong - the same company developed both components of the system.

2.  Purchase a hardware unit from a company that built the hardware and licensed the software from a third party. Products in this category include Turtle Beach's Video Advantage USB (reviewed here in PC Magazine), ADS A/V Link with Premiere Elements, AverMedia DVD EZMaker USB2.0 (reviewed here in PC Magazine) and Adaptec, with a full line of products here.

3.  If you already have a video editor picked out, choose an external capture device that comes with no bundled software. Here I like the Canopus line of "Digital Video Converters" the best (scroll down a bit on the page to see the product line).

My rule of thumb here is to favor companies that are solely in the video business, like Pinnacle, Canopus and if you stretch the point, AverMedia (who also does TV Tuners and the like). Beyond this preference, when buying a device like this, follow these rules:

·    Don’t buy a box that connects via USB 2.0, which always capture in MPEG-2 format. Instead, get a box that connects via your DV port and captures DV video.

·    Make sure the box offers S-Video and composite inputs, as well as stereo audio input. Don’t buy a box that uses the system sound card to capture audio.

·    Make sure the box can both capture video from and write video back to the analog camcorder.

·    Make sure the box doesn’t work exclusively with a particular video editing program. Otherwise, if you change editors, you may have to buy another capture device.

3.3.1  What are my options for converting 8 mm film to digital video I can edit?

You have three basic options:

1.  You can do it yourself. It's a time consuming process, but pretty rewarding since you get a good look at your home videos before you start to edit them, which is always fun and definitely necessary to effectively edit the footage.  Click here for an article I wrote for PC Magazine that details the process. Quality varies with the quality of your camcorder, but you can generally get acceptable quality if you follow the procedures. Note that you don't need a light box to do this, in fact, I found these boxes often produced the yellow hot spot seen on the image on the right (click to view a full frame version of the picture. On the right is the same frame shot against a wall.

2.  You can send your film to a video specific service bureau. There are bunches around; I sent my films off to two of them to gauge the quality (which was certainly better than I could produce myself).  You can see their names and some comparative images here.

3.  I've heard that in some areas, drug stores like Walgreens and Eckherds are starting to perform this service as well. I have no experience so can't comment on quality or pricing.

4.0  Editing Software

4.2.1 Adobe Premiere Pro

4.2.1.1 Latest review (version 1.5)

4.2.1.2 Fixing back lighted video in Premiere Pro

4.2.1 Apple Final Cut Pro/Express

4.2.2.1 Latest review (Final Cut Express)

4.2.3 Pinnacle Liquid Edition

4.2.3.1 Latest review (version 6.0)

4.2.4 Sony Vegas

4.2.4.1 Latest review (version 5.0)

4.2.5 Ulead MediaStudio

4.2.5.1 Latest review (version 7.0)

4.3.1  Adobe Premiere Elements

4.3.1.1 Latest review (version 1)

4.3.1.2 Premiere Elements color correction and other corrective filters

4.3.2  Apple iMovie

4.3.2.1 Latest review (iMovie HD)

4.3.3  Magix Movie Edit Pro

4.3.3.1 Latest review (version 10)

4.3.3.2  Movie Edit Pro's color correction and other corrective filters

4.3.4  Pinnacle Studio

4.3.4.1 Latest review (version 9.0)

4.3.4.2  Pinnacle Studio's color correction and other corrective filters

4.3.4.5  What are VOB files and how can I import them into Studio?

VOB stands for Video Object, and these are the files formatted by your authoring program and stored on a DVD. They contain both menus and videos. As of version 9.4, you can't import these into Pinnacle Studio. Two programs that I know of can; Sonic's MyDVD (www.Sonic.com) and Ulead's VideoStudio (www.ulead.com).  With MyDVD you can output MPEG-2 files from the program which you can import into Studio, and with VideoStudio you can output MPEG-2 or DV AVI files. I think Ulead offers a trial download of their program.

4.3.5  Roxio VideoWave

4.3.5.1 Latest review (version 7.0)

4.3.6  Ulead VideoStudio

4.3.6.1 Latest review (version 9.0)

4.3.6.2 VideoStudio's color correction and other corrective filters

4.2.9  Video Editor Comparisons

4.2.9.1  How does Pinnacle Studio Compare with Premiere Elements

The following email thread details my feelings about Pinnacle Studio and Adobe Premiere Elements, and one customer's experience with Adobe.  It's a bit long, but there's a lot of information that folks should consider before buying an editor.

Clark:  Email to Jan Ozer, 12/9/2004

Hi Jan: Wonder if I could bug you with a few quick questions about your recent review.

I am producing a lengthy (90 minutes) video documentary on my uncle's WWII experiences, incorporating interviews and other DV footage, photos, music, narration, etc. I am a complete DV-editing novice, and there's nothing I hate more than non-intuitive software of any kind.

After reading a number of reviews and spec sheets, I too was homing in on Pinnacle Studio 9+. Then I came across a recent PCWorld review of Adobe Premiere Elements, and it ranked it higher than 9+ for a number of reasons. Admittedly not in ease of use, but offering more choices and overall more robust and "professional". I know everyone has opinions, but I am really struggling with this decision because I do not want to learn a new system and then find out it won't do what I want.

The geeks at Fry's don't have a clue, and the companies' inside phone sales people will say anything to move product. So I'm hoping you can help me with your views on these questions:

1. Elements seems to offer more precise/professional clip trimming features, both video and audio. Do you agree? I will need to do a lot of trimming of video clips especially, so this needs to be a strong feature.

2. In browsing the Pinnacle user forums a few months ago, they seem to have a lot of really pissed-off customers. Most of the problems seemed related to crashes while DVD authoring, especially in previous versions. Do you believe this has been resolved with 9+?

3. Another advantage of Elements is that I would like to produce both NTSC and PAL versions of DVDs, as I have friends in Europe who are interested in this. It appears only Elements can do this.

4. One thing I must be able to do is to take a video clip with audio, run it for a few seconds together, then replace the video with other video or a pan-zoom photo while the audio from the original clip keeps going -- Elements seems stronger in this area -- can that be done in 9+? 5. Both seem to be weak on the menu options -- do both only allow stock templates for the menu? I can't even use a photo background on my subject with the text menu overlaid? I don't need motion, but I don't want flowers or balloons behind my chapter index.

Overall, I need as much simplicity as I can get, no doubt. But I don't want some cheesy end product because I was using a system that is overly dumbed down or not suited for anything but home videos of kids birthday parties. Do you think Pinnacle can handle a project of this scope (think Ken Burns rip-off) and is still the best way to go?

Jan:  Email to Clark, 12/9/2004

Clark: Thanks for your note. I saw the PC World review but didn't read it carefully. It's a pretty challenging question and depends upon a number of factors.

First, Studio is great for simple projects and casual users. It can do all the stuff you're talking about and offers a much more flexible authoring interface. It will be much easier to learn and its DVD authoring capabilities are much, much more flexible than any other consumer program. There are some capabilities, like real time audio mixing (critical when mixing multiple audio tracks) and image stabilization, that Elements doesn't have, and other functions, like color correction, where Studio is simply better.

However, Studio has only two timeline tracks, so multiple layered effects are challenging. Compatibility seems binary, it either works well or doesn't work at all. They have literally millions of users, so even a few hundred really pissed off customers is a small percentage.

Elements' interface was created for more complicated projects - it's essentially Premiere Pro with some features lopped off. Some functions are way too complicated, like Pan and Zoom for the Ken Burns effects, but once you know them you have more sophisticated controls than with Studio. However, Elements' authoring capabilities are totally cookie cutter, more so than any other program I've ever reviewed.

Studio is much better for the typical mom and pop who uses it every couple of months. Elements is better for more serious users, but most will immediately need a different authoring program since these features are very weak. To answer you specific questions.

1. Elements seems to offer more precise/professional clip trimming features, both video and audio. Do you agree? I will need to do a lot of trimming of video clips especially, so this needs to be a strong feature.

Both the same here.

2. In browsing the Pinnacle user forums a few months ago, they seem to have a lot of really pissed-off customers. Most of the problems seemed related to crashes while DVD authoring, especially in previous versions.

Do you believe this has been resolved with 9+? Discussed above.

3. Another advantage of Elements is that I would like to produce both NTSC and PAL versions of DVDs, as I have friends in Europe who are interested in this. It appears only Elements can do this.

I can't comment. Even if you can output PAL DVDs, are you sure you can do this with NTSC source material? Pinnacle sells lots of software in Europe.

4. One thing I must be able to do is to take a video clip with audio, run it for a few seconds together, then replace the video with other video or a pan-zoom photo while the audio from the original clip keeps going -- Elements seems stronger in this area -- can that be done in 9+?

Elements is much harder to use for pan-zoom, but is a touch more flexible.

5. Both seem to be weak on the menu options -- do both only allow stock templates for the menu? I can't even use a photo background on my subject with the text menu overlaid? I don't need motion, but I don't want flowers or balloons behind my chapter index.

Studio is much stronger here.

Overall, I need as much simplicity as I can get, no doubt. But I don't want some cheesy end product because I was using a system that is overly dumbed down or not suited for anything but home videos of kids birthday parties. Do you think Pinnacle can handle a project of this scope (think Ken Burns rip-off) and is still the best way to go?

I'm not sure simplicity is what you need. This project will take many, many hours, after which you'll know the software very well. So you probably need the software that best accommodates your final requirements/desires. I think in your shoes i would get Premiere Elements, and count on buying a different authoring program, probably either Sonic DVDit! or DVD Workshop Express, for authoring. Hope this helps, take care and good luck. Jan

Clark email to Jan, April 22, 2005 (after finishing the project).

Hi Jan: Just wanted to let you know I finally finished my 80-minute documentary film. I used PE, and I concur with all of the points you made.

I used motion on about half of the 200+ photos in the film, and it was a huge pain in the butt with PE, but proved to be fairly customizable (although I must say, I never really got the pan or zoom motion slow enough for my taste). But it was robust, even with my 500MB RAM machine. I had very few crashes (oddly, it would crash about half the time I tried to open the titling function from within the Timeline).

Many of the effects and the drag-drop were easy to use, and the multiple tracks came in very handy, as I was able to have clip audio on one, narration on another and music on a third, so that was a big advantage over Pinnacle.

The help files were useless. After getting a good overview with Dummies, I relied almost entirely on the good people on the Adobe PE users board for help.

The sheer number of effects and multiple ways of doing things were hard to discover or get a grip on. I'm sure I could have streamlined certain repetitive actions, but it was so hard to find these tricks unless someone points them out.

Again, the feature set is quite overwhelming, but I'm glad I had more rather than less. One HUGE drawback -- the menu options really suck (almost impossible to customize), and the damn thing wouldn't author a DVD anyway! From many hours on the user board (and a lot of similar complaints), it was probably the result of some mp3 files and mpeg video files pulled off the web (as opposed to from my DV camera) that PE couldn't handle.

When it came time to export to MPEG, it crashed every time. Fortunately, it would produce an avi, and since I wanted better menu options anyway, I paid another $100 for Sonic MyDVD, which was a breeze. It's got a great menu feature -- totally customizable, and with music and animation too! So I got it done and everybody loved it. It was a bit of nightmare, but a lot of satisfaction given my trepidation going in. And you were right about "many, many hours" -- I'd guess I spent close to 100 hours for a 1.5-hour film!

Thanks again for your advice. Clark

5.0  Authoring Software

5.1.1 What's the difference between editing and authoring?

Joyce:  I keep hearing the terms authoring and editing. What are they and how are they different?

Jan:  Great question, and let me go back to the beginning to answer it. When we first started editing video on the computer around 1994, it typically involved two or three different types of programs, as follows:

Capture programs – connected to the camcorder and captured analog video from your camcorder, converted it to digital format and stored it on the computer.

Editing programs – Converted the raw captured footage into a polished final movie. Functions include trimming unwanted sections of your video, adding special effects and transitions, perhaps text titles or other graphics, and narration or background audio.

Rendering programs – converted your finished movie into a form suitable for distribution. Initially, that meant producing Video for Windows files with an AVI extension or QuickTime files with an MOV extension typically delivered on a CD-ROM. Later, MPEG-1/2 became popular output formats, and then streaming video formats like RealVideo and Microsoft’s Windows Media Technologies.

Pre-mastering – these were the programs that burned your final movies onto a CD-ROM that computers could read. They were also used for data storage, and to rip tracks from your Audio CDs, convert them to MP3 or even burn new audio CDs for playback on your stereo. Probably the most popular pre-mastering program ever was Inset Systems Easy CD-Creator, later purchased by Adaptec, spun off to Roxio, and now owned by Sonic Solutions.

Over time, video editors began to incorporate capture and rendering functions, so in a program like Adobe Premiere Pro or Pinnacle Studio, you could capture and edit video and then render into any number of formats. Pre-mastering remained a separate function, however.

The Rise of DVD Authoring

In the late 1990’s, authoring programs appeared on the scene. These allowed DVD producers to input videos and still image files for menus, link them together and produce the file structure and formats necessary to mass produce Hollywood DVDs. DVD Recorders were initially non-existent, and later way too expensive, so most producers wrote the output from their authoring programs to digital linear tape (DLT) for handing over to the DVD manufacturer. 

Initially, authoring programs were very complex and did little other than authoring. For example, most couldn’t even compress video into MPEG-2 format, you had to encode before inputting the video, and none could capture or edit video at all.  

Meanwhile, pre-mastering programs continued burning data and music solely to CD-R because very few people could afford DVD-Recorders. Then, around 2000, as prices dropped, most pre-mastering programs added the ability to record data files to DVD-Recordable as a data storage mechanism. These discs, however, could only be read by DVD-drives on computers, not by DVD Players in your living room.  

This is a critical distinction. Pre-mastering programs can write data to DVD recorders for reading on DVD drives, while only authoring programs can create menus, link to video content and create the Video Object (VOB) files necessary for the discs to play on DVD Players. For a long time, these functions were almost exclusively performed by separate programs.  

Massive Integration 

Then, as DVD-recorders dropped below the $200 price point, video editing vendors started adding authoring capabilities to their video editors, creating an integrated program that could capture, edit and author. The first, and arguably still the most elegant approach, was implemented by Pinnacle Studio, which added another line in the timeline for menus and another control window for linking menus and content. Other programs like Ulead VideoStudio and Adobe Premiere Elements added a separate function accessed as the final production step, which is effective, but not quite as elegant. 

At the same time, simple authoring programs like MyDVD started adding first capture functions, then simple editing functions. Adding to the confusion, suites built around pre-mastering programs like Roxio Easy CD Creator and Nero Software Nero Ultimate Edition started adding both video editing and traditional DVD authoring features to their product suite.  

Note that this integration became pervasive only in the consumer space. At the professional level, several key vendors like Apple (Final Cut Pro/DVD Studio Pro) and Adobe (Premiere Pro/Encore) have kept their editing and authoring programs separate. In addition, few editors or authoring programs have traditional pre-mastering functions, so to write data to DVD-R, you’ll typically need a separate program.  

So, while editing is still messing with video, and authoring still formatting the VOB files required by DVD Players, most consumer programs that can do one can do both. The functions are still separate, but the workflow has been integrated.

5.3.1 Apple iDVD

5.3.1.1 Latest review (version 5.0)

5.3.2  Sonic MyDVD

5.3.2.1 Latest review (version 6.0)

5.3.3  Ulead MovieFactory

5.3.3.1 Latest review (version 4.0 - by Don Labriola)

6.0  Miscellaneous Software

Jan, I have about 40 hours of video 8 ( analogue) and can have it converted to DVD at a reasonable price. Question....Can I capture my pictures from the DVD and how do I do it? I want to be able to view the DVDs in a regular DVD player as well .Is this possible?

Don:  Thanks for your note.  To view DVDs on your computer, you'll need a DVD player. Most of these have a screen capture feature.   For example, I use Sonic's CinePlayer (www.sonic.com).

As you can see on the embedded screen, there is a screen capture button marked with the tool tip "Capture video frame." Click that button and the image gets stored to your hard disk. Any disc that's compatible with your living room player should play on your computer.

6.5.1  Image Stabilization Software

Rob: I am editing in Premiere 6.5. My source video has shake and jitter problems and I am looking for some software to smooth them out. Are you aware of such plug-ins for Premiere?

Jan: Too bad you're on 6.5, because Premiere Pro has a great stabilization plug-in. Premiere Elements does not have the plug-in, though Pinnacle Studio Plus offers image stabilization, as does Magix Movie Edit 10, which costs only $49. I think the Premiere Pro plug-in comes if you buy the standalone product (as opposed to the bundle) but I'm not sure. I'm not aware of 6.5 plug-in. There is a standalone utility that I've used before called Steadyhand. You can download a trial version here: http://www.dynapel.com/products/steadyhand_trial.shtml.  You can buy it here http://www.softwarecasa.com/publ/dynapel.htm?source=pubdynap

A codec is a compression technology, and is the contraction of enCOdec/DECode or COmpress/DECompress, depending upon who you ask. You care because pretty much every audio, video or even still image format that you use on your computer is compressed. MP3 or Windows Media audio you listen to?  MP3 and Windows Media are codecs, and the music files are compressed. DV video you shoot in your DV camcorder? DV is a codec and the video (and audio) is compressed. The video and audio on DVDs?  Compressed with MPEG-2 video compression and Dolby Digital audio compression.  Web pages with JPEG or GIF images?  JPG and GIF are compression technologies as well.

It's gotten a lot easier to produce video in the past few years, and software vendors have made great strides in minimizing how technical you need to be to produce video. Still, it helps to at least know some basics of compression.

7.1.1.1  Codec choice and encoding options for PowerPoint.

Pete: I'm producing video files for inserting into PowerPoint. What codec should I use and what encoding parameters should I use?

Jan:  I like Windows Media for PowerPoint, and cover why and the appropriate encoding parameters for PowerPoint here.

7.1.2  How do the codecs I use change through the production cycle?

Though most programs tend to shield you from this minutia, sometimes it really helps to know what’s going on under the hood.  The best way to learn these details is to follow the formats through a typical production cycle.  Let’s start with what happens inside a DV camcorder. 

DV camcorders convert information captured through the lens into digital data stored in DV format using the DV codec. Briefly, a format defines the file structure, or how the information is presented in the file.  Different formats, like the Video for Windows and QuickTime formats, use unique file extensions (AVI and MOV), and different ways of storing the audio, video and other data contained in the file.

In contrast, a codec is a compression technology, pure and simple. When you capture DV video and store it as an AVI file on a Windows computer (or as an MOV file on a Mac), the computer stores the exact compressed audio/video data received from the camera, changing only format related stuff like file extension.  Accordingly, capturing DV video is more accurately called a file transfer, like copying a file from one computer to another.   

Some call this a “lossless” transfer, because no information is lost in the process.  Contrast this with capturing video from an analog camcorder where the video first must be converted from analog to digital format and then compressed for storage on the computer. Both steps involve some “loss” of data, as well as a plethora of confusing settings I’m glad I don’t have to deal with anymore.  

However, just because the transfer from DV camera to computer is “lossless” doesn’t mean that the DV codec itself is lossless.  Rather, the DV codec uses a stream of frames compressed with JPEG compression, the technology used for most pictures on the web.  JPEG is a “lossy” compression technology, which means that it irrevocably discards information during compression.   

However, the DV codec uses a relatively modest compression ratio of about 5:1, in contrast to 60-70:1 for many web-based pictures.  Though this means that the data rate of DV video is high (about 3.6 megabytes per second), it also translates to near-perfect quality.  Technically, the DV codec is lossy, but practically, it’s as close to lossless as you can get in a reasonably priced camcorder.  Since the DV codec uses a simple sequence of JPEG frames, it’s also easy to process, which means that even low powered computers can edit DV video with good responsiveness. 

Let’s contrast both the quality and editability of DV with another lossy codec/format, MPEG-2, used on some camcorders and video capture devices.  Let’s exclude HDV for a minute, and focus on most standard definition MPEG-2 based camcorders. 

While MPEG-2 compression is scalable, the data rate usually ranges from about 1-1.6 megabytes per second.  Though much more compact than DV, the immutable rule of lossy compression – the more you compress the more you lose – means that the quality of MPEG-2 video is lower than DV, even at the highest data rate ranges of MPEG-2.  

In addition, since MPEG-2 uses a complicated compression system that is much more difficult for computers to manage during editing.  Throw a DV file on a timeline on virtually any computer, and trimming, splitting and other edits are near instantaneous.  Edit an MPEG-2 file on the same computer, and you’ll instantly notice decreased responsiveness, a sluggishness that slows editing and makes it much less fun.  

This highlights the critical distinction between a “capture” codec and a “delivery” codec.  The ideal capture codec, DV, captures at the highest possible quality and is responsive on the timeline. The ideal delivery codec provides the best possible quality under the constraints imposed by the delivery system.  For example, while definitely second rate as a capture codec, MPEG-2 works well as the delivery codec for DVDs. 

What lessons can we draw from this dichotomy?  First, when choosing a camcorder, buy DV if you’re shooting to edit.  Second, when buying a capture device (for DV or analog video), choose one that can capture in DV format. The only exception is when converting tapes to DVD with minimal editing; in these instances, choose a capture device with on-board, hardware based MPEG-2 encoding, which produces better quality than software based MPEG-2 encoding options now available on most video editors.   

Back to our production workflow, after capture, your video editor works with the captured files in their original format, rendering into your chosen format as the final production step.  Which format and codec to choose?  

Here the tables turn on DV.  Though the quality is grand, the 3.6 MB/second data rate is too large to conveniently distribute.  Thus, you have to choose a different option.  

In some instances, your choice is dictated by the platform, as with MPEG-2 and DVD.  In other instances, say for web delivery, or high bit rate hard disk playback, you have many more options, with your choice dictated by a range of factors, including quality at the target bit rate, streaming server type and whether the file will be embedded into PowerPoint or other specific use. 

How does HDV change this equation? HDV is a relatively high data rate MPEG-2 stream with a resolution of 1920x1080. DV doesn’t go that high, so if you want to shoot in High Definition at near consumer prices, HDV is your only option, which makes MPEG-2 your capture codec, in these instances.  

Nothing changes on the delivery side; you’ll still have to convert to deliver your video, either to a lower resolution MPEG-2 file, or a streaming media format like Windows Media.  

Just for the record, to see my take on the current codecs to use for delivery of video under a variety of circumstances, check out this article from EMedia.

7.1.3.  What's the difference between Hollywood Dual Layer disks and the new DVD-Recordable DL discs?