Video Decks and Importing

Help Center → Digital Video Overview → Video Decks and Importing
The following steps work for the equipment available in Mary Gates Hall 066 and Odegaard Undergraduate Library outside room 230.

I. IMPORTING miniDV TAPE

  1. Place your tape in miniDV deck (you may want to lock your source tape by sliding the small tab on the back of DV tape to keep it from being overwritten).
  2. Push the DV button, then the arrow pointing to the right.
  3. Set the channel of the deck to F-1.
  4. Cue your source tape to the point where you want to start recording and pause the video. The deck may be controlled from the computer by clicking the buttons on the Playback control. If this doesn't work use the controls on the deck.
* To import miniDV tape with your own camcorder, set the camera to VCR/VTR/playback mode, and connect it to the computer with a Firewire cable. Cue your source tape to the point where you want to start recording and pause the video.

Then in iMovie '08, '09 or '11...

 

In iMovie HD 6...

  1. Once you have completed the steps at the top of the page, open iMovie and switch to Camera mode. As soon as the connection is made the words "Camera Connected" will appear on the monitor. The position on the tape will be shown in the following format: hours:minutes:frames. 
  2. Click Import and iMovie will begin capturing the clips.
  3. When you are finished capturing, press the Import button again to stop capturing.

In Final Cut Pro X...

  1. Once you have completed the steps at the top of the page, open Final Cut Pro X and go File > Import From Camera...
  2. Click the blue Import... button.
  3. Final Cut Pro will give you the option to add your media to an existing event or to a new event. You can choose either option depending on how you want to organize your video files. Events function similarly to folders.
  4. Click Import.
  5. Click Stop Import to finish capturing.

In Final Cut Pro 7...

  1. Once you have completed the steps at the top of the page, open Final Cut Pro 7 and go File > Log and Capture... You may need to turn ON Device Control in order to get FCP to work with the DV tape correctly. This is set in the Preferences tab on the right side of the Log and Capture dialog.
  2. Once you have found the material you would like to capture, click the Now button in the Capture area. The clips will be automatically imported into the default capture bin.
  3. When you are finished capturing, press <Command>. to stop capturing. This command is shown on screen.
  4. You should now save the captured footage somewhere safe where you can find it.

In Adobe Premiere...

  1. Once you have completed the steps at the top of the page, go File > Capture.... You may need to turn ON Device Control in the Settings tab in order to get Premiere to work with the DV tape correctly. (Select Scene Detect in the bottom right corner if you would like Premiere to automatically detect and separate individual clips).
  2. Once you have found the material you would like to capture, press play then click the red Record button.
  3. When you are finished capturing, press the stop button once to pause then a second time to end capture.
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II. IMPORTING HARD DRIVE OR FLASH MEMORY CAMERA
  1. Connect the camera to the computer with a USB cable.
  2. Set the camera to playback mode.
  3. Make sure Connect to PC mode is activated (often automatic, but sometimes must be done manually depending on the camera).

Then in iMovie '08, '09 or '11...

 

In iMovie HD 6...

iMovie HD 6 only supports miniDV tape cameras. Consider using another application to import the video and then transfer it to iMovie HD 6 if you would like to use this software.
 

In Final Cut Pro X...

  1. Once you have completed the steps at the top of this section, open Final Cut Pro X and go File > Import From Camera...
  2. Click the blue Import All... button or select certain clips and click Import Selected...
  3. Final Cut Pro will give you the option to add your media to an existing event or to a new event. You can choose either option depending on how you want to organize your video files. Events function similarly to folders.
  4. Click Import.

In Final Cut Pro 7...

  1. Once you have completed the steps at the top of this section, open Final Cut Pro 7 and go File > Log and Capture...
  2. Select the clips you would like to import and click Add Selection to Queue.

In Adobe Premiere

  1. Your files will appear in the file browser.
  2. Choose the ones you want to import.
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III. IMPORTING VHS

  1. Turn on the VHS deck. Make sure that its Firewire cable is connected to the computer.
  2. Put your tape in the VHS deck (you may want to lock your source tape by punching out a small tab at the back of VHS to keep it from being overwritten).
  3. Push the S-VHS button.
  4. Select the right arrow on the Dub Direction controller (pointing to the left). This tells the DV deck to send the DV signal through to the VHS tape.
  5. Set the channel of the deck to F-1.
  6. Cue your source tape with the controls on the deck to where you want to start capturing and pause the video. 
  7. Follow the importing miniDV tape steps for the application you are using (press Play on the deck when you are ready to import).
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IV. DUBBING VHS TO miniDV

  1. Put both tapes in the VHS deck (you may want to lock your source tape by punching out a small tap at the back of VHS to keep it from being overwritten).
  2. Push the S-VHS button.
  3. Select the RIGHT arrow on the Dub Direction controller (pointing to the left).
  4. Cue your source tape to the point where you want to start recording and pause the video.
  5. Push the DV button. The TV screen should display "VHS->DV."
  6. Press Record.
  7. Press the S-VHS button followed by the Play button.
  8. When you are finished capturing, press the DV button followed by the Stop button.
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