[BNM] [OT] Hard disk vs mini-DV

[Ivan Pope]

Mark,
I've got a JVC Everio HDD 20GB camera. When I bought it I was under the
impression that it would mount via firewire to my MacBook desktop and also
that I'd be able to edit it using iMovie in the same way as I could with my
DV camera. But no. Although it links via USB to the Mac, there is no obvious
connection. I think all the software I got with it was for PCs - but I might
be wrong.

Anyway, after a bit of hunting I found an small cheap app called DropDV that
more or less bridges the gap - http://dropdv.com
But, I still miss plugging in the camera and pulling stuff off the DV - and
then saving the edit back up to the DV.

Hope that helps.
Here's the DropDV Help file.
Cheers,
Ivan

DropDV 2.0.13
January 29, 2006

DropDV is a Mac OS X droplet which converts MPEG video into DV video
streams.  After conversion, your video can be edited in iMovie, Adobe
Premiere, Final Cut Pro, or any other DV video editing system.

To install, simply copy DropDV to your hard drive.

To convert an  MPEG to DV format, drop the MPEG file onto the DropDV icon
either in the Finder or on the Dock.  With version 2.0.9, you can also drop
MPEG files onto the DropDV window itself.

By default, DropDV places the DV Streams in a folder called "DV Project 1"
(or some other number) on the Desktop.  You can change where the projects
are created by setting the "Output Folder" preference from the DropDV menu.

DropDV creates projects that are recognized by iMovie.  Double click the
file named "imovie project" in "DV Project 1" to open your project in
iMovie.  Your DV files will be displayed in the iMovie clips pane.  You can
use the drop down menu to select whether you want one iMovie project created
for all the files in a drop action, or otherwise create a separate project
for each MPEG file that you drop.

Because iMovie cannot open DV files larger than 2 Gigabytes, DropDV will
split the converted DV files so they are smaller than 2 Gigabytes.  You can
disable this feature in the Preferences.

On 7/13/07, Mark Walker <mark at scip.org.uk> wrote:
>
> hello all
>
> My dad wants a new video camera - he had a nice mini-DV panasonic for
> a few years and lost it. His iinsurance just paid up so he asked me
> whether mini-DV is still the way to go, or hard disk?
>
> My thoughts:
>
> I've not used HD but assume it would be slightly more convenient for
> plug and play usability - I guess it appears on your desktop like an
> external hard drive? If he goes with HD he can borrow a camera to put
> all his current footage onto external hard disk - only I'm not sure
> what format he'd end up with and how useful it is for archiving
> purposes.
>
> If he sticks with mini-DV he can put everything on disk but he's
> always got a backup copy in case his hard disk fails or the films get
> corrupted - I just bought mini-DV for that reason.
>
> I also thought that he may get by with a decent digital camera that
> can do movies - not fab quality but still editable and perfectly
> suitable for home movie use.
>
> Any experience of HD? Any preference either way? Any other options?
>
> Cheers
>
> Mark
>
>
>
> --
> Mark Walker, Project Manager
> SCIP: IT Services for Charities and Communities
> Community Base, Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XG
> T: 01273 234049  M: 07956 627116  W: www.scip.org.uk
> --
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-- 
Ivan Pope
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