Preparing for DV video capture

Capturing DV video differs from capturing analog video in several ways. Because the DV image is converted directly to digital format in the camcorder, it is ready to be stored on a hard disk and doesn't need to be digitized in the computer. Therefore, DV input doesn't need to be captured in the sense that analog video does; it merely needs to be transferred to your computer. To transfer DV in Windows or Mac OS, you need a capture card or computer with an OHCI-compliant interface.

Your computer also needs a DV codec, which is provided in software as part of the operating system, or as a hardware chip on some capture cards. Premiere includes support for DV codecs and can read digital source video without further conversion. You can help prevent dropped frames by using a hard disk capable of sustaining the 3.6-MB-per-second data rate of digital video.

A critical difference between analog capture and digital capture is how you set up Premiere before you begin. Before capturing DV, create a new project, and in the Load Project Settings dialog box, be sure to choose the appropriate DV preset.

Note: If the video you are capturing was shot in 16:9 format using an anamorphic lens, be sure to choose a Widescreen (cinema) DV preset. You'll also need to set the pixel aspect ratio for each individual clip after importing. If you don't, Premiere will treat the video as if it were in 4:3 format, resulting in distortion of the aspect ratio.

To prepare for capturing DV video:

1 Connect the DV device (camcorder or deck) to your computer using an IEEE 1394 connection. The connection point on your DV device may be marked DV IN/OUT or IEEE 1394.

2 Turn the DV camcorder on and set it to VTR mode (not Camera mode). Setting your camcorder to Camera mode or turning it off may interrupt audio and video routing.

3 Start Premiere. When the Load Project Settings dialog box appears, select the desired DV preset from the Available Project Settings list. Select your preset based on the standard format (NTSC or PAL) and the audio rate (32 kHz or 48 kHz) used when you shot your video footage. If you are not sure, check your DV camcorder documentation. DV audio is usually 16-bit Stereo. Click OK.

Note: When you set up your project using a default DV preset or the preset supplied by your camera or DV capture card, do not change presets or any settings in the Capture panel of the Project Settings dialog box. All settings are determined by the preset.

4 After the project opens, choose Project > Project Settings > General. Click Playback Settings. When you select a DV preset, the Editing Mode automatically is set to DV Playback (Windows) or QuickTime (Mac OS), both of which provide additional DV playback settings.

5 Select from the following settings and then click OK:

Playback on DV Camcorder/VCR (Windows only) Plays back all DV-compressed clips to your video (NTSC/PAL) monitor or the LCD screen on your camcorder.

Playback on Desktop (Windows only) Plays back all DV-compressed clips in the Monitor window or Clip window on your desktop.

Output Device (Mac OS only) Select an option on which to play back all DV-compressed clips: to your video (NTSC/PAL) monitor, or to the Monitor window or Clip window on your desktop.

Output Mode (Mac OS only) Reflects your Output Device selection. If FireWire is set, you can choose between NTSC and PAL modes. The Frame Size and Frame Rate for the selected mode automatically appear below.

Play Audio on Output Device Only (Mac OS only) Select to play audio through the selected output device. If FireWire is selected, audio plays through the FireWire device; if Desktop is selected, audio plays out of the computer. If you don't select this option, audio plays out of the computer. Scrubbed audio always plays out of the computer.

Note: Audio and video may not be synchronized if played back through different devices.

Sample Rate (Mac OS only) Select the sample rate used by your DV camera. If you chose the correct preset, this should already be set correctly. Most DV cameras use a sample rate of 32 kHz or 48 kHz; however 44.1 kHz is an available option for some cameras. If your camera uses 44.1 kHz, you can select that here. For best results, your playback format should match your project's settings. See your DV camera's documentation for supported audio settings.

Note: Always capture and edit using the same audio sample rates that your DV camera supports. Do not mix audio sample rates on the same tape, and avoid mixing them in the same project.

Play Also on Desktop When Playing to the Output Device (Mac OS only) Select this option to enable desktop overlay so that DV-compressed clips play to both the output device selected (if other than desktop) and the desktop. When this is not selected, Premiere displays only the first frame of the video clip on the desktop. Leave this option unselected when recording back to DV. When it is unselected, this option saves CPU cycles by not simultaneously outputting to two devices.

Note: When this option is deselected, scrubbing playback still appears on both the desktop and the NTSC/PAL video monitor.

Render Scrub to Output Device Select this option to display rendered frames on the selected output device when you render-scrub the Timeline. To render-scrub, press Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag the cursor through the time ruler in the Timeline.

High-Quality Playback and High-Quality Scrubbing (Mac OS only) Leave these deselected for faster playback or scrubbing and less impact on the CPU. These options are not selected by default to achieve better performance for all systems.

Deinterlace Desktop Playback (Mac OS only) Select this option if you want Premiere to deinterlace the video before displaying it in the Clip or Monitor window. Selecting this option makes the video appear less blurry when previewing at a larger size. This option has no effect on rendering or final output to the DV device. Deselect this option if your Clip or Monitor window is full size and you want to see all of the video data in the window on your desktop.

Show Marker Comments (Mac OS only) Select this option to display marker comments in the Monitor window on the desktop. See Using Timeline markers for comments.

6 If your DV camera supports and records audio at 44.1 kHz, and your project is set to 44.1 kHz, select Audio Settings from the General Settings menu and then select 44100 Hz from the Rate menu.

7 Click OK to close the Project Settings dialog box.

8 Choose Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks and Device Control. See the Adobe Premiere Web site (http://www.adobe.com/premiere) for a list of supported devices.

9 Select DV Device Control for Device and click Options. Select your camera model. If your particular camera is not listed, see the Adobe Premiere Web site (http://www.adobe.com/premiere) to see if a profile for your camera has been recently added.

10 In the Device Control Options dialog box, check the Check Status option. If the status is Offline, Premiere does not see your device and you need to check all your connections and settings; if the status is Detected, Premiere sees your device but cannot control the tape (possibly there is no tape inserted); if the status is Online, Premiere sees your device and can control the tape.

11 Specify the scratch disk for captured movies. See Setting up Premiere's scratch disks.

Note: The length of a captured clip may be limited by the file-size limits of your operating system; see File-size limitations.

Capturing and Importing Source Clips > Preparing for DV video capture

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