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CALM (Gumarcel)
Senior Member
Username: Gumarcel

Post Number: 964
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 03:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

I have a Sony Digital Handycam video camera (DCR-TRV18). It takes good videos and such, however everytime I move the film from my camera to my computer, the file comes out huge. Like a 4 minute video is about 128mb. I am using the software that came with the camera. That being Pixela Image Mixer. I can not figure out a way to make it smaller in size, they are just too big.

Now does anyone know how I might go about making it smaller size. I have gone through the manuel and found nothing helpful. Is there a better software out there that will be able to do this that is relatively cheap and easy to use.

Thanks
Chris
 

CALM (Gumarcel)
Senior Member
Username: Gumarcel

Post Number: 965
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 04:04 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Also what software would you recomend for video editing. I know that the file would have to be that big for the good quality, but i don't need that good of qaulity.
 

Ian Kreidich (Ian95rrc)
Member
Username: Ian95rrc

Post Number: 75
Registered: 03-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 04:05 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

You have to start with the files that are that big then compress them into a smaller video such as .mov or .avi So basically save them with your software in the different file format.

I think my movies take up like at least 10 gig of my hard-drive.
 

Michael Noe (Noee)
Senior Member
Username: Noee

Post Number: 737
Registered: 03-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 04:13 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Go here for Video tools and info: http://www.afterdawn.com/software/

Some decent info here:
http://forums.afterdawn.com/

This site http://www.doom9.org/ has some very detailed codec info and can get deep, is mostly DVD related, but the concepts should be the same. THere is a lot to learn from here.

Not sure what format your video is coming out at, maybe MPEG. THere are numerous free conversion tools that you can customize for size/quality requirements. You can convert to AVI, DiVX, etc.

I hear that windows movie maker thing has some conversion options. I'm sure you'll get some other suggestions.
 

Todd Juneau (Toddxd)
Member
Username: Toddxd

Post Number: 103
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 06:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

If you are using a MAC, try iMovie. It is fairly limited but very user friendly. You can convert to QuickTime or other formats that are small enough to email or stream on the web.

 

CALM (Gumarcel)
Senior Member
Username: Gumarcel

Post Number: 968
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 06:34 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

I am not using a MAC, I have got a dell. I do not know how I can go about changing the type of video in the program that was provided with the video camera. So what program might you recommend.
 

Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d)
Senior Member
Username: Deanbrown3d

Post Number: 768
Registered: 02-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 07:06 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Pinnacle Studio 8 for around $70 has a captuire card (cheaper if you have one already). Also good is the Adobe but its more $$$.

When you download (firewire) to your computer its like 10 GB/hour, but that's full res uncompressed AVI format. The software will then let you edit this into a movie with music if you like and fades and effects, and then let you createany format you want and any resolution, giving an estimate of how big it will be. MPEGs are good, and .rm files are smaller still. More compression leads to worse quality.

You can get a good res movie on a single CD (700MB) that will play for 1 hour and still be great quality. Or you can buy a DVD recorder and do it properly.

Dean
 

Discosaurus (Jurassicdisco)
New Member
Username: Jurassicdisco

Post Number: 6
Registered: 08-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 07:19 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Lots of good info here
http://www.dvdrhelp.com/author.htm
 

CALM (Gumarcel)
Senior Member
Username: Gumarcel

Post Number: 969
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 07:20 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

The most I could shrink it down to was 10MB. It saves the video as MPEGs. I just want to make it to be smaller. I have a Sony Cybershot digital camera that takes video. That is kinda blury, and if it was a little bit sharper it would be fine. Those are only 1 or 2 MB for a 1 minute video, and those are MPEGs.

It is just kinda fustrating for me. I really can't go out and look at it.

Dean, what is this capture card you speak of?

I just don't want to fill up my hard drive. I just got my Dell for school and it had a 40GB hard drive, and I am now down to 11GB.

I think I should just get an external hard drive for videos and such. Anyone have a brand that they recomend? I don't know much about that, are pretty much all brands the same?

Thanks you all, you are being helpful to an idiot like me!
 

Alec Wallis (Alec_w)
New Member
Username: Alec_w

Post Number: 32
Registered: 05-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 07:37 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Chris I posted a bunch of info about the software I use on the H2 forum in that last video thread of mine. It may be helpful. Unless you have a laptop, go get a 100GB hard drive from your local electronics/computer store. It is easy to install a second HD and by far your cheapest solution. Adding some more memory is also a good idea while you have the compuer open. Feel free to email me if you want more details.

 

Erik Olson (Jon)
Senior Member
Username: Jon

Post Number: 453
Registered: 02-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 09:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

NTSC 15.75 30f video runs close to a gig a minute uncompressed.

Windows is packaging a new interface in their XP OS if you don't already have it. Some decent support for 16:9 and a wizard for compression after you edit.

Going better, then better etcetera is Adobe Premier / After Effects, Vegas + DVD (HD support), AVID ExpressDV and then you're into $$$. Used to be that memory and bandwidth were the limiting factors - now it is software that'll keep you in the poorhouse!

e
 

CALM (Gumarcel)
Senior Member
Username: Gumarcel

Post Number: 970
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 09:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

My computer is like 2 or 3 weeks old about. It is a 2.4 GHZ Pentium 4 with 512 MB of Ram.
 

Discosaurus (Jurassicdisco)
New Member
Username: Jurassicdisco

Post Number: 7
Registered: 08-2003
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 10:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

What to do with large files one wants to save is debatable. I know some people who just buy external hard drives and argue that the cost vs. a burner plus media is a wash. Plus the flexibility it gives you to delete/add files is an advantage. Myself I picked up a HP DVD burner on closeout at Staples for $104 + tax. Discs are around $20 for 10, that’s a lot of storage. I guess then one has to debate the amount of time a disc is readable vs. when a HD might fail and all data is lost.
 

Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d)
Senior Member
Username: Deanbrown3d

Post Number: 769
Registered: 02-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 10:52 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

CALM,

If your computer has a firewire connection (most new computer do now) and you have a compatible video (digital), the it will plug right into it. Otherwise you'll need a firewire card ($20), or if your video is analogue, a full analog capture card which records from any video out signal.

Just go to CompUSA and ask the guys there to explain it, take your video with you.

Dean
 

CALM (Gumarcel)
Senior Member
Username: Gumarcel

Post Number: 972
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 10:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

Wow dean I knew what that was I use it for my Ipod, I am retarded. But the film goes throught the USB port as streaming video.
 

Dean Brown (Deanbrown3d)
Senior Member
Username: Deanbrown3d

Post Number: 771
Registered: 02-2002
Posted on Friday, August 29, 2003 - 10:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

CALM

It depends on the video camera. The newest ones now use firewire. Generally these are digital videos, e.g. MiniDV. The software will take control of the camera with a 2-way interface and play/rewind etc for you.
 

Mike Goodell (Mikegoodell)
Member
Username: Mikegoodell

Post Number: 86
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 08:07 am:   Edit Post Delete Post Print Post

On your start menu, click on windows update, after you reach the microsoft website and windows has performed its scan and lists all the updates available, look for one called windows movie maker. It is free to use and is a very bare bones editor that can capture video strait from the camera, and has good compression for making .wmv files. I played around with it while I was waiting for my pinnacle software to arive. I got pinnacle studio 8 free when I bought my new canon Optura 20 camera. the pinnacle software has a very easy to use interface that does its editing on the raw video, then performs its compression depending on what you select as your output. Be warned, after you edit your video and tell it to make your movie, rendering can take a long long long time. I usualy set it up to render when I go to bed, or leave for work.

I also added a seperate 80 gig HD just for video storage and capture. raw video can go about 13 gig an hour, then add all the temp files and final output, and it wont take long to swamp your C drive
Mike G.
96 Disco SD

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