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Ursula Davis - Nov 24, 2005 - 2:07 pm
I have purchased a Harddisk JVC Camcorder. The files are in .MOD format and therefore cannot be directly used in iMovie. I have downloaded dvdrop and MPEG Streamclip cut the quality of the recording is effected when I use these files to transfer them into a format that I can use in iMovie. I was wondering what the best program was to transfer files and maintain the quality
Drumhum - Nov 26, 2005 - 2:42 pm
Hi Ursula,
I've had a look at the JVC website and from what I can tell, the hard disk camcorders record the movies in Mpeg2 format. If you tell me the model of your camcorder I can verify this.
Assuming your movies are in mpeg2 format its not good news for editing. To be honest I am dumbfounded by the number of camcorders that use mpeg2 as a format. Mpeg2 was never designed to be edited. It was designed as a "finished", delivery format and ideal for DVD's and the like. Typically movies are encoded into mpeg2 at the "last stage". I work with video professionally and I wince when I see consumer camcorders using mpeg2. Usually its used for those cameras that record to recordableDVD disks. I can sort of understand these using mpeg2 as it means you can just put the recorded disk in your DVD player to view, but they are a bitch of a format to edit. Even with high-end editing systems, you would convert Mpeg2 movies to edit them. I cannot for the life of me see why jvc chose this format for their hard disk camcorders. Ho hum!
It might be worth looking at "ffmpegx" to convert your footage. It would be best to convert to DV format. iMovie likes DV. see here...
http://homepage.mac.com/major4/index.html
the conversion process will take a long time - so be prepared to wait (a few hours, perhaps for a 1/2hour movie). It will be a fiddly process. I can't tell you how much easier things are with just a miniDV tape based recorder!
You may also see a drop in picture quality after the conversion and it might be wise to always film in high quality mode because of this.
I know its not what you want to hear now you have bought the camera but I always recommend folk stay away from Mpeg2 based cameras if they intend to edit the footage (and who doesn't want to edit the footage!!)
Feel free to get back to me if you need further advice. And good luck:-)
regards
Tom
I've had a look at the JVC website and from what I can tell, the hard disk camcorders record the movies in Mpeg2 format. If you tell me the model of your camcorder I can verify this.
Assuming your movies are in mpeg2 format its not good news for editing. To be honest I am dumbfounded by the number of camcorders that use mpeg2 as a format. Mpeg2 was never designed to be edited. It was designed as a "finished", delivery format and ideal for DVD's and the like. Typically movies are encoded into mpeg2 at the "last stage". I work with video professionally and I wince when I see consumer camcorders using mpeg2. Usually its used for those cameras that record to recordableDVD disks. I can sort of understand these using mpeg2 as it means you can just put the recorded disk in your DVD player to view, but they are a bitch of a format to edit. Even with high-end editing systems, you would convert Mpeg2 movies to edit them. I cannot for the life of me see why jvc chose this format for their hard disk camcorders. Ho hum!
It might be worth looking at "ffmpegx" to convert your footage. It would be best to convert to DV format. iMovie likes DV. see here...
http://homepage.mac.com/major4/index.html
the conversion process will take a long time - so be prepared to wait (a few hours, perhaps for a 1/2hour movie). It will be a fiddly process. I can't tell you how much easier things are with just a miniDV tape based recorder!
You may also see a drop in picture quality after the conversion and it might be wise to always film in high quality mode because of this.
I know its not what you want to hear now you have bought the camera but I always recommend folk stay away from Mpeg2 based cameras if they intend to edit the footage (and who doesn't want to edit the footage!!)
Feel free to get back to me if you need further advice. And good luck:-)
regards
Tom
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