Camcorder advice, file sizes etc...

Mars Bar

I'm doing some video analysis for a football club.

I've been using someone else's JVC Everio cam corder. I have a MacBook Pro. What the manager wants is a DVD of the game after the match.

However, it takes an hour to import the match from the camera to my laptop and this is time I don't have! I couldn't even give him a copy last night. :mad: The guy who owns the camera says it only takes seconds for him to import the same sized file to his laptop. There's a small cable attached to his laptop that he just plugs in.

The file sizes were huge (14gB) in the first game so I lowered the image quality for last night hoping it would import quicker. That didn't work.

I'm guessing that particular camera isn't compatible with Mac and that's why I can't record straight into iMovie.

So can anyone recommend a good camera that is Mac compatible and not too expensive? i.e, <€200

Or would firewire fix my issue?

*I hope this is the correct forum for this!*

ScumLord

I would have thought most cameras where mac compatible, they usually work off standard protocols that have been around for years.

You might be having compatibility issues with USB 3 depending on how old your macbook is and whether the camera is using usb 3, with windows you needed separate drivers for usb3.

I always use firewire for transferring off a camcorder, Although that's tape.

If the camera is using a card try taking it out and transferring using a card reader.

Mars Bar

It's a brand spanking new MacBook Pro with the latest software.

The camera was using flash so I don't think Firewire would have been any use to me.

I was shown some cameras in Curry's and some of them were only compatible with Windows. Some were compatible with both and some worked with iMovie and some didn't.

ScumLord

Waiting an hour for video to copy onto the computer can be normal enough from the tape days, digital tape is still popular on pro gear, but even so if it can be copied in minutes it's annoying not to get that speed.

Try firewire, or try using a card reader if you can. Try copying the file onto your hard drive outside of imovie, the program could be converting the file into something native as it's copying.

Mars Bar

Card reader? Is that when it shows up on the desktop like a USB or memory card?
If I could figure out how to export the movie straight to my hard drive rather than to iMovie, it would be grand! It always opens with iMovie.

I really didn't want to have to but I think I'll have more comfort with a camera of my own. I was thinking of this one.

ScumLord

Mars Bar wrote: »

Card reader? Is that when it shows up on the desktop like a USB or memory card?

Ya, A lot of laptops have a universal card reader built in but you can get an external one very cheaply. you take the card out of the camera and plug it into the card reader and it shows up like any USB storage device. Like this one.

SouperComputer

If your MacBook Pro has an express card slot, then an express card, card reader would be the fastest way to transfer the data from a memory card. Fits flush with the side of the laptop as well so you wont have to carry anything extra around.
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/memorycardreaderwritere34.html


I assume it doesnt appear as an icon on the desktop or under "computer" in finder? Depending on how finder is setup, it may not automatically put an icon on the desktop but it may appear under "computer". in which case you can cancel the iMovie "import" and manually drag the files over.
Beyond that, it sounds like iMovie is transcoding the video to an intermediate CODEC (Prores) which is CPU intensive and even on the fastest of processors will take a while if its HD footage.
That said, if you plan using iMovie, you might have no choice but to transcode the video before editing it in there. I haven't used iMovie in a long time, but might be worth checking the settings to see if you can cancel any automatic transcoding or things of that nature.

Mars Bar

ScumLord wrote: »

Ya, A lot of laptops have a universal card reader built in but you can get an external one very cheaply. you take the card out of the camera and plug it into the card reader and it shows up like any USB storage device. Like this one.

I'd have to see the size of the card in the camera. IIRC, it mentioned microSD in the manual although that doesn't sound right to me.

SouperComputer wrote: »

If your MacBook Pro has an express card slot, then an express card, card reader would be the fastest way to transfer the data from a memory card. Fits flush with the side of the laptop as well so you wont have to carry anything extra around.
http://www.sonnettech.com/product/memorycardreaderwritere34.html


I assume it doesnt appear as an icon on the desktop or under "computer" in finder? Depending on how finder is setup, it may not automatically put an icon on the desktop but it may appear under "computer". in which case you can cancel the iMovie "import" and manually drag the files over.
Beyond that, it sounds like iMovie is transcoding the video to an intermediate CODEC (Prores) which is CPU intensive and even on the fastest of processors will take a while if its HD footage.
That said, if you plan using iMovie, you might have no choice but to transcode the video before editing it in there. I haven't used iMovie in a long time, but might be worth checking the settings to see if you can cancel any automatic transcoding or things of that nature.

Thanks for that link!

I don't think it comes up even under computer. I would have noticed it in the finder.

I'm using iMovie until I get my hands on analysis software.

ScumLord

At this point you might be as well off finding someone with windows that can get a copy of the file for you.

14gb is also a huge file It's not going to be easy to deal with a file that large. You may be better off recording it in real time so you can cut it into more manageable sizes.

Mars Bar

ScumLord wrote: »

At this point you might be as well off finding someone with windows that can get a copy of the file for you.

14gb is also a huge file It's not going to be easy to deal with a file that large. You may be better off recording it in real time so you can cut it into more manageable sizes.

Well that's it, I wanted to record it real time into the laptop but the camera wasn't mac compatible.

The next one we did was FAR more manageable because he did it on his laptop. The file was under 3gB and the end product was 300mB.

I recorded it in a lesser quality so that probably helped too.

Mars Bar

Is it possible to have a firewire plugged into the laptop and have the other end also fire wire plugged into a firewire to USB cable?

I'm really thinking I'm trying a long shot here.

ScumLord

Looks like it's possible.

I always look on amazon for cables and adaptors. It's seems the best place to find out if they exist.