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Re: quality question

The Voodoo card does have it's own codec, but if you look a little closer, you
will also see that one of the codec choices in QuickTime is "NONE" guess what, if
you choose "NONE" then there will be NO compression.

The data on a DIGIBETA tape, as well as D1, D2, D9, DV, DVCAM and any other
digital format including HD is stored as a series of ones and zeros.

If that data stream is transferred from the tape to your hard disc, and none of
the ones and zeros are discarded, then you have no additional compression and no
additional artifacting in the video. If you choose "NONE" in the QuickTime codecs
list that is what will happen.

When that data is brought into your Mac through your capture card, QuickTime
places a wrapper around the data so that your mac can move, copy, duplicate the
'FILE' like it can any other file.

The trick is to get the data off the tape and into the computer. The mac has
firewire so you can bring in DV data without any further compression (it is
already 5:1) And if you purchase one of the cards that I mentioned (the CineWave
is my choice) then you can connect your D1, D2, Digibeta or even HD deck to the
card with SDI, and capture uncompressed, (or with the same codec as the tape
format uses) and the data will have no additional artifacts.

The fact that Macs (and any other computer) do not have a native SDI port is not
the fault of the software codec, and in point of fact, some of the 'Hardware'
codecs are actually software codecs with a board to accelerate the software
(Cleaner Super charger).

If you are using a high end system like an Avid or Media 100, you probably have
SDI inputs, so just export a quicktime file from your system and transcode with
the QuickTime exporter. If you want realtime encoding with analog inouts
(component, composite, s-video) then purchase the appropriate hardware card.

But again, just because you have a hardware codec, does NOT necessarily mean that
you will end up with better quality video than a software one. I have most of the
popular hardware and software encoders, an people who believe spending 3-7 grand
will get them better MPEG streams than the QuickTime Exporter are wrong in most
cases.

JD




Bill Kuper wrote:

> >I'm sorry to dissappoint you. Uncompressed means just that. No compression.
> >Hence no codec.
>
> I'm not disappointed. Vodoo is uncompressed. But it still has a
> "codec" in the QT output options. And the option of rendering to
> this "codec" in any QT app. It's "codec" is even Altivec-enhanced
> so on a G4 it can played in realtime even without the hardware
> present. Call it a "format" or whatever instead of a codec. This is
> just semantics now.
>
> >
> >And digibeta is most definitely digitized video on the tape, just like when it
> >is on the hard drive. QuickTime merely packages that data so that the computer
> >thinks it is a computer file.
>
> So let's say you have a Digibeta tape, and a Digibeta VTR. Now, how
> does Quicktime "package" that video?
>
> Back to the original point of this thread---that one way or the other
> one needs hardware to get that "digitized video" from the tape to the
> hard drive.
>
> Obviously, there is no USB/Firewire/SCSI port on a Digibeta deck (or
> on any kind of deck other than DV/DVCam/DVCPro). And if the whole
> point is for MPEG-2, then use a hardware encoder instead of
> digitizing with Voodoo then using software to encode.
>
> These are the limitations of a software codec--that somewhere in the
> process one needs hardware if he/she wants to encode video from an
> external tape source other than DV.
>
> best regards,
> bill
> _______________________________________________
> dvdlist mailing list
> email@hidden
> http://www.lists.apple.com/mailman/listinfo/dvdlist

References: 
 >Re: quality question (From: "Daniel C" <email@hidden>)
 >Re: quality question (From: Bill Kuper <email@hidden>)
 >Re: quality question (From: DVD Studio Pro <email@hidden>)
 >Re: quality question (From: Bill Kuper <email@hidden>)
 >Re: quality question (From: DVD Studio Pro <email@hidden>)
 >Re: quality question (From: Bill Kuper <email@hidden>)



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