Question for Dodcap Users

[studiocarter]

Will DodCap spill over?
My PC needs to use a limit of 1.9GB and to create a new avi file automatically in order to capture video at any length. I use several different programs to do this.
Will your program automatically keep recording by making lots of less than 2 GB files?

[digvid]

No, I think right now you would have to make sure that you stop Dodcap before you reach the 2GB limit. I will investigate what it would take to automatically start a new file though.

Of course, the best thing would be to upgrade to an operating system that does not limit the size of your avi files, such as Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

Even if you are using Windows 98 SE though, you should be able to create AVI files that are up to 4GB in size with Dodcap, not 2GB. The only way you would be limited to 2GB I think is if A) your file system is FAT16, or B) you are using an older software program for your editing that cannot read AVI files larger than 2GB.

If you could tell me exactly why it is that you are limited to 2GB, I could better understand how to respond.

- Jeff

[studiocarter]

That is something that is an unknown here. The work around is aviIO, VirtualDub, or making sure I stop in time. Stopping short is the only way to use the Workprinter now. Upgrading the OS will be done after I get a DV camera. Gotta get outa debt first. Not deeper into it.
Thanks

Michael

[Guest]

Also, when individual frames are deleted, would you prefer that the frames be replaced by a good frame, or that they be deleted from the video stream entirely, even if that affects the apparent frame rate?

Jeff,

Regarding this I see two somewhat different situations:

1) Bad frame(s) at the boundary between two different scenes (e.g. splice)
2) Bad frame(s) in the middle of a scene.

For situation 1) I would like to delete the frame(s) entirely, since it will not affect the frame rate (at least not if the deletion is done before any required pulldown).

For situation 2) I would like to replace the bad frame(s) with good frame(s), presumably an adjacent one in each case(?) I think this means that it would only be reasonable to replace at most two adjacent bad frames. This way you could use the preceeding frame to replace the first bad frame and replace the second bad frame with the one immediately following. I.e. if in the frame sequence 1, 2, 3 and 4, frames 2 and 3 are bad, the new frame sequence would be 1, 1, 4, 4.

Hopefully this makes sense.

Regards,
Sig R

[digvid]

You are exactly right. Whether you choose to delete the frame entirely or replace it with an adjacent/successive frame depends on the position of the frame within the scene.

This is all fairly straightforward if the capture was done with no pulldown. If whole-frame or interlaced pulldown was performed during the capture, then replacing and removing frames becomes a little more difficult, at least if you set out to keep the pulldown pattern exact. Perhaps I can figure out a scheme for this that works though.

In any case, there is no way for Dodcap to tell which case holds true for a particular frame (beginning/end of scene or middle of scene) without user intervention. I definitely don't want to tackle writing image analysis routines that can detect scene breaks. Those are not always accurate anyway.

- Jeff

[sigr]

I fully agree that user intervention would be required. All I would hope for would be the choice of deletion or replacement of a frame. Also, in the case of replacement it would be useful to have the option of replacing the bad frame with either the preceeding or succeeding frame.

Sig R

[digvid]

I guess that's the way I'll do it then!

Also, just out of curiosity, how do the majority of you permanently store your captures? Do you put it on a disc, output to VHS, back to DV, etc?

- Jeff

[Andreas Wideroe]

I output and store my films currently in 2 ways:

- miniDV
- CD-R

Hopefully DVD soon (as raw .avi files)

Just a little input to Dodcap: I like programs that are small and compact and do exactly what you need. I think you should try to avoid growing it to a Premiere-competitor (I know you won't), but instead focus on what it's suppose to do. I think this thread has been valuable to both you and the users out there. I can't think of a better way of programming a tool than letting the users tell the author what's good and what's not, and ofcourse what they want.

Keep up the great work!

Andreas

[paul]

I output and store my films currently in 2 ways:

- miniDV
- CD-R

For cd rom, capturing progressive video is the way to go. Dunno if dodcap can do this, since I don't have it.

[digvid]

Andreas -

In your opinion, should I avoid adding any editing features to Dodcap? Or do you think the features we are discussing here would be valuable?

As a programmer, I always enjoy adding new features to the software. However, I think what has attracted people to Dodcap in the past has been its simplicity. So I am torn--add a few simple editing features or stick to capture only.

Bear in mind that I am considering writing a separate editing program anyway, and I could always put essential editing features there.

Anyway, if you think that I should avoid editing features in Dodcap, it would be valuable for me to know. And you are right, this thread has been very valuable to me. Individual emails from Dodcap customers are valuable also, but there is no substitute for an open discussion about how pepole use a product and what direction the product should go in!

- Jeff

[digvid]

Now, having said that, I have one more question:

What do you all typically do with your footage after capturing it?

What is the extent of the editing you usually do on your footage?

Who are you usually capturing for--yourself or for hire?

- Jeff

[paul]

I don't see why editing features should be included since there is a lot of editing software around. What could be usefull I think, is an one click export button to software programs like avid dv xpress, premiere or FCP, the most used ones, I think. I know that a lot of people using avid dv xpress have difficulty exporting their footage to adobe AE. A software company has developed some software which can be plugged in to avid and can export footage from avid to AE with one simple action (and back). Something like that would be very usefull I think for Dodcap as well, more then integrating editing features into Dodcap.

my two cents

[Andreas Wideroe]

Jeff,
Yes, I personally think you should avoid turning Dodcap into an editor. However, the first suggestions you came up with in this thread (post no. 1) are really interesting. When I capture 8mm film I simply capture and then archive the file somehow. Later I might edit it, but then I will do it in Premiere or similare.

I love the simplicity of Dodcap, but I would looove to be able to make an output directly to DV from Dodcap.

Programs like TMPGenc, VirtualDub, divFix and so on are simple and do exactly what you want. I like to see Dodcap stay more or less focused on it's main task(s). Instead I would make a standalone editor and maybe other tools that for instance could be included in the package and offered as checkbox options during the installation process.

I'd like to refer to a phrase my "script-writer-class-teacher" used to say:

KISS (keep it simple, stupid!)

/Andreas

[Andreas Wideroe]

I store the footage on a HDD, miniDV tape or burn it on a CD-R. For my customers I only offer raw transfers - no editing. Personally I transfer and store, then edit later when I feel like it.

The extent of editing can vary quite a bit. Usually I simply store the raw files, but when I'm involved in projects there tend to be a whole lot of editing. (Ref. the Baum clip under Online films - films)

I'm mainly capturing for customers, but when I bought the WP my main plan was to capture for myself and the production company me and some friends are running.

Andreas

[digvid]

Andreas -

For those of you living in PAL-land: can you export back to DV from your computer? I thought I understood that there was some issue in EU countries with DV cameras not accepting an incoming DV signal for recording. If this is the case, I need to consider how this will affect Dodcap.

Here are the features I consider absolutely essential to include in Dodcap:

1) Ability to step frame-by-frame through a capture
2) The ability to output (but not record) to DV

The reasoning behind #1 is this: Users who selected the "pulldown after capture option" or who captured to a pre-allocated file are looking at a potentially time-consuming post-processing step. These users need to be able to review their captured frames with a fine-toothed comb before proceeding to the post-processing step. After all, if they shook the camera, moved it, are not happy with the exposure, etc., then they need to know about it so they can bail out and avoid the post-processing step. They could always review the capture before with Windows Media Player, but it did not allow frame-by-frame advancement. The new custom player will allow frame-by-frame stepping forward and backwards, full-speed playback, and slow-motion playback, all of which are important.

The reasoning behind #2 is this: Users who captured with interpolated pulldown, or who applied interpolated pulldown as a post-processing step need to be able to quickly see what this looks like on a television set. Viewing the interpolated pulldown footage on the computer screen does not work well because you see the interlacing artifacts.

Here are features which I think are not essential, but could be useful, albeit at the risk of turning Dodcap into an editor:

3) The ability to delete individual frames within the capture, and optionally replace them with an adjacent frame.
4) The ability to trim the beginning and end of the capture to get rid of leader (at the beginning) or trailing footage that didn't really belong with that capture.

Here is what my plan is then:

Within the next couple of weeks, I will release Dodcap 1.30.
It will contain the new media player and DV-out functionality.

Then I will take a look at creating a simple editing program that can be integrated with Dodcap as an option. Dodcap itself would remain a simple capture/DVout application.

- Jeff