Transferring footage directly to External Hard Drive

[thewelshman1943]

Hi Everybody

I am hoping someone can help with the problem we have below:

I am taking over the distribution & production of a small business. The two friends of mine who own it (Copyrights etc) have asked me to help them out

Trouble is:

All the footage (films) they have were done in the 1990's on Sony Hi-8. They have tried to edit with a Casablanca Machine (model - I do not know) Although the footage is of DV quality the sound is very low and sometimes seems to fade out

How is this rectified?

For me to edit ..... example: Put all titles etc on the films (which I would use Adobe Premiere Elements) Is there a way they can put the HI-8 Films directly through the Casablanca Machine as they are (RAW FORMAT) directly to an external hard drive so I can fully edit in DV Quality and not lose any sound whatsoever or put through Casablanca and saved on their hard drive as a File, then transferred to DVD-R for me to fully edit in this way through adobe or a programme as good or better

Answers will be gratefully appreciated.......This is my first venture into this kind of editing, so I live in hope that you members out there have the answers I need ..... in simple plain english

Thank You

Tony

[ChrisStone]

Tony, I'm having a hard time understanding your question

You could digitize the Hi 8 films into the Casablanca, then edit them, fix the sound, etc, then burn them onto dvd, or record back out to tape.

Or, you can digitize the films into your PC and edit with Premier elements or whatever else you like.

You can output Casablanca films to a backup external hard drive, but this is a firewire transfer of the dv material designed to be imported back into a Casablanca. You couldnt simply hookup the external hard drive and "drag" files into your PC editor.

Your third option and I cant think of why you'd want to do this, is to digitize the films into the Casablance and then export them via firewire or disk transfer into your PC.

Maybe some one else understands your question better than I.

[BobNaughton]

Tony,

As Chris stated, you could transfer the HI-8 footage into the casablanca directly via the audio and S-vhs connectors. It would really be helpful to know which model casablanca you have and what operating system it is using. If you have one of the casablanca 2 versions, such as Avio, Prestige, Solitaire etc and it has been upgraded to Smart Edit 6 or above, once you have downloaded all of your footage to the casablanca you could edit it as you wish, add titles and then output it to a DVD or as you wish to do to a firewire External Hard drive. With one Caveat in that the firewire HD must be a Lacie Firewire of the Porsche design. Once you have captured the footage, you could just send it to the external HD without editing it, but for that matter you could capture the footage to any compatible Computer editing system.

If you wanted to know if you could capture the footage into the casablanca, and edit it without the casablanca damaging the Audio. Yes it will do that easily. And again you could then send it to a Lacie firewire Porsche design IF your casablanca is using Smart Edit 6 or 7.

If the audio on the original HI-8 tapes has been damaged in some way or not recorded properly, your'e out of luck. Neither the casablanca or for that matter any editing system be able to restore faulty Audio. You could play around with the audio features to increase the volume, but it wont restore what is not there in the original tapes.

One other note I thought of is that if the audio and video seems to be ok viewing it on the HI-8 camera playback but when downloaded to the casablanca it breaks it up into many different clips you have a bad tape. You could then re-record that footage into a digital camera and either make a new copy of it on DV tape or as Chris pointed out to digitize the footage by putting a DV camera in line between the original HI-8 camera and the cassie. The cassie will then see the new time code without any breaks and keep your footage intact until you decide to split it while you are editing.

[jimmeeker]

Hello Tony,

Welcome to the Cassie forum. We hope you come back and visit us again and become a regular here. We are a family of friends here and try to help out everyone who asks for help.

A couple of things I need to add to this discussion. You mentioned putting your footage on DVD to edit it later in a PC program like Adobe etc. Please do NOT use material that has been compressed into MPG-2 as the source material for editing. This process compresses the quality and will lose a great deal compared with just using the raw Hi-8 footage and capturing it into the Cassie to digitize it.

This can be done as mentioned by playing the Hi-8 footage directly into the Cassie and it will digitize both the video and the audio. This way however will sometimes balk at the glitches in the Hi-8 tape and any empty spots where the camera was turned off and started again farther down the tape. Most folks are not aware that 8mm and Hi-8mm video tape did not produce a control track on the tape when it was being recorded. VHS, S-VHS and 3/4 tapes all had a control track recorded on them when they were shot. This makes them a little bit easier to capture. Although they are still subject to hanging up at corrupted spots and missing control track spots.

To solve this problem merely wire your hi-8 camcorder or playback deck into a digital camcorder and then hook up a fire-wire from it's output and run it into the Casablanca firewire input.( If you have a DIGITAL version of Cassie)

It is not necessary to have a tape in the digital camcorder. You merely use it a as a pass through so that the signal gets converted from analog to digital by the camcorder......as it passes between the hi-8 and the Casablanca editor. Now you have a steady digital signal even in the places where the signal stopped or had a slight glitch in it on the original Hi-8 tape.

Be sure to hook up both the video and the audio between the hi-8 and the digital camcorder. Use the highest quaity cable for getting the signal into the digital camcorder. RCA cables are the least quality, then S-VHS or YC cables are better but they are video only and you must hook up the RCA cable for the audio to pass into the Digital camcorder. In the pass through from the camcorder to the Casablanca, if you have a Firewire connection on it, then you can use the firewire connection from the camcorder to the Cassie as it carries both the video and the audio signals in only one cable.

DO NOT COMPRESS to DVD mpeg-2 and then try to edit from that footage. Use the original material converted directly to digital via either of the two methods above and you'll have much better footage in the end. Then of course, you can add titles and narration and music using the Casablanca and won't have to worry about going to another form of software to edit on. It can all be done in the Cassie.

We're always happy to help out, but more information about which model Casablanca and which operating system is in it will help us greatly in giving you better assistance in the future.

Again welcome to our family or friends.

[thewelshman1943]

Hi Chris, Bob & Jim.

Thank you from North Wales {UK} Sheep and Mountain Country for your welcome and replies.

Firstly, I really do not understand Casablanca.

The Story is:

I have a couple of friends who live 110 miles away in Lytham St Annes near Blackpool who have asked me to help them out. They are very busy with other interests {Holiday Accommodation in Spain & Blackpool} and I have retired so spare time is in abundance for me. Jackie who's father has passed down to her the copyright of Railway Cab Ride Films that he filmed in the 1990's on Sony Hi-8 of which he released into the UK Market on VHS. Now that things have progressed to DV, Jackie wants to keep her father's legacy going plus there is a guy {Pirate/Counterfeiter} on EBAY UK selling all 30 of the films on a regular basis. Ebay will not cooperate by barring him as the site is so bent that all counterfeiters & trademark items are being sold every minute. So, this is where I come in. Jackie has the Casablanca Machine {In Spain until Saturday} so I am afraid I do not know the Model No. or Software used.

Problem 1

The ones that she has sent me are good DV Quality but the sound is very very low [which is a major problem], tried editing through Adobe Elements but to no avail. Am trying Cyberlink Power Director Ultra 7 at the moment.

Problem 2

Editing The Copyright in shortening gaps between her editing etc {Got by this now}

Problem 3

Unfortunately as the Hi-8 tapes are the only originals, I do not want the responsibility of the Tapes & Machine with me for obvious reasons, the main one being …. If I damage the tapes in anyway.

I can understand slightly Bob’s thoughts. Hi-8 Camcorder directly to one of my sons digital camcorders. {JVC, Canon, or Sony} but the Hi-8 only has S-Video output {none of my sons camcorders has this connection on them}. So another problem. They have normal firewire or USB. If it could be done onto Digital Camcorder Tapes that would be great. I would let them borrow his Canon or JVC and then as Bob suggests….problem solved.

Chris’s & Jim’s suggestions, I can understand I think but not having the machine is the problem.

I could purchase quite cheaply my own Hi-8 Camcorder or Video-8 but as I do not want the responsibility of the original tapes in my possession {problem}

How can you transfer one tape to another [can you do it by the s-video connection] using it as an output from one camcorder to an input source on the other…..if so, can you then edit through a adobe or similar the same way as a Digital Camcorder.

Sorry about all this but it looks to me as a hard problem when I only deal with Simplicity, Simplicity and more Simplicity.

I really do hope that between you …. The problem can be solved, maybe by my suggestions

Thank you all for everything and taking time out to try and help me. I can assure you it is much appreciated.

Looking forward to reading your return correspondence

By the way….where are you all based {I see Jim is in Illinois, USA]

Regards

Tony …….. thewelshman1943@hotmail.com …… http://www.uk-railways.com ….. http://www.uk-railways.com\railvision.htm

[MartinWilson]

Hi Tony,

As the original tapes are so precious you should really try to get them backed up to mini dv if at all possible. Most recent camcorders have an analogue in facility which means they can be used just like a VCR.

What models are your sons camcorders, I'm surprised they don't have an 'S' connection.

Once on to mini dv you can the use them to input into your own or the casablanca editing system.

Shame I'm not that bit closer as I do have the facility to copy to mini DV, Hi8 or Digital8. Mind you to the guys over the pond I'm probably next door.

[thewelshman1943]

Hi Martin

Unfortunately I do not and cannot afford a Casablanca of my own...

Son's Camcorders

JVC ........ GR-D70EK .... USB & DV Firewire Connections

Canon ..... MV-900 ..... DV Firewire Only Connection

Sony ....... HDV Handycam .... HDR-HC1E Pal .... USB & DV Firewire Connections

So as previously mentioned, can my friends use a Sony Digital 8 which I am thinking about purchasing off EBAY that definately will take analogue tapes. Can they then transfer the films directly through their PC to a very large external hard drive. I then get the hard drive and my son edits everything through Adobe Premiere Elements, Which is how he does his Railway Films direct from his Sony.This way everything is DV Quality and not VHS Quality, plus will we get decent sound. By the way, we are coming over to your neck of the woods {well pretty close}. Doncaster Railway Station, Barnetby & Hillam Gates on Saturday 28th June for a full day of filming.

What does GTFC stand for??......Grimsby Town Football Club LOL

As always, any help is much appreciated

Tony ..... Prestatyn, Denbighshire, North Wales Coast.

[Charles]

Hi Tony
Not touting for business but the transfer of Hi8 and 8mm to Mini-DV is something i do and could work out cheaper than buying a D8 camera of Ebay and you could end up with a dud. There is the postage costs to consider as well though,just another option to consider. E-mail address in profile if you would like a quote,just noticed it's not in profile so e-mail is,Charles@avsvideo.co.uk or PM

[thewelshman1943]

Hi Charles

Thanks for the offer but there are 32 tapes

Camera guaranteed working approx final figure £31.00 plus £9 postage next day

Again much appreciated taking time to reply

Regards

Tony

[MartinWilson]

Hi Tony,

Yes GTFC does stand for Grimsby Town Football Club (don't laugh) we have been videoing the matches for over 20 years, through thin and thin.

Donny (Doncaster) is only 16 miles down the road from us. As for Barnetby, well I used to live there for a couple of years, in Railway Street to be exact. I could walk out of my front door across the small road and onto the platform.

Done some checking for you, the JVC GR-D70EK does have 'S' in and can be used as a digital VCR as per the JVC site, in fact it's in the camcorder booklet page 33 under "dubbing to or from a VCR".

I would even suggest that you could use the JVC as a digital converter to pass through the footage from your Hi8 cam via the 'S' or composite in connection and out via firewire.

Just another point, if you are going down the Digital8 route and buying off Ebay, just make sure that it will play back the original analogue tapes as some models didn't. I was looking on Ebay for several weeks hunting for a Digital8 camcorder that not only played back analogue tapes but had analogue and Dv in, bought one about 6 months ago for around £100. Have to say it has worked perfectly so far.