Capture

We use the term ‘capture’ when uploading the data from a DV tape (digital video tape) onto a hard drive in a PC. This is done through a DV cable or Firewire cable. This particular method has a quicker transfer rate than USB 2.0.

I use the same program to capture as I do to edit. To capture, select ‘Capture..’ in the File drop down menu, or press F5.

You are then presented with the above window. This is the capture window. I will log the captured footage to my project folder, give the clips appropriate names and record them in real time.

Under the settings tab, I make sure that the capture format is set as DV capture. I’m locating the captures to the project file and my control device is my DV/HDV on the motherboard.

Then comes perhaps the most important settings of all. The capture settings must match the project settings otherwise the captured footage won’t fit the project window and my capture will be useless.

In this instance, I have used the following settings:

Mode: DV PAL (PAL is the British standard for video. It is 25 frames per second. Its American equivalent is NTSC which is 29.79 frames per second.)

The frame is 720x576. Usually this is 4:3 aspect ratio but because of the way our camera records, we set it in a widescreen 16:9 aspect (1.422). This looks much more professional and fits the standard of new televisions.