[MacDV] Making Chapters in video

[David Abramowitz]

Perfect, then you have almost everything you need. Now, the one thing  
to check is if your Canon digital (which is what we have too, ZR10)  
has inputs for your analog source, either a VCR or an 8mm camera. In  
the former case, we didn't have any, so for this massive project, I  
purchased the Canopus ADVC-100, which has since been replaced by the  
110. One source is here at B&H Photo:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home? 
O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=349146&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

This thing has all the ports you would ever need for analog to  
digital or digital to analog. So the basic setup for the VHS tapes was:

VCR->Canopus Box->Output FireWire to Mac into iMovie

For the 8mm tapes, that was a harder story, because I don't know  
where you live, but it was a real pain trying to find an 8mm  
camcorder, or a digital one that also played 8mm tapes. We finally  
found one at a local Circuit City, so we bought it. Then the setup  
for the 8mm tapes became:

Digital/8mm Camcroder ->  FireWire to Mac in iMovie. So essentially,  
the older 8mm tape would play on the Digital/8mm camera, and be  
"converted to digital" as it left that camera via FIreWire. This was  
extremely helpful, because otherwise we would have had to go through  
the Canopus box again, or cable the older 8mm camera to the ZR10, and  
record on the ZR10, then go back rewind and import into iMovie with  
the ZR10 (you can't import into iMovie while the video is being  
recorded on the ZR10). So finding that old "combo" camera was a real  
saver. I can't remember which model it was (we returned it after we  
were done – gotta love retail!), but it was a Sony, I remember that.

By the way, I forgot to mention we had to buy a combo camera, because  
our Sony Camcorder (big old clunky 8mm one) died, and we couldn't use  
it anymore. Even if we could, though, we would have had to  
essentially repeat the same scenario as the VCR, because the older  
cameras didn't have FireWire digital output.

There's my brain dump, feel free to ask any other questions. Though  
taxing timewise, it was a fun project to convert everything, but the  
Chapter Markers in iMovie (that get transfered automatically) are  a  
lifesaver, and it's fun to add music, pick themes, and so on. Adding  
chapters in iMovie is just a matter of advancing through the tape,  
finding the spot where a new chapter should begin (we used the arrow  
keys to advance a frame at a time to get the exact spot, and marking  
the chapter.

Have fun!

- Dave

On Jan 15, 2007, at 1:17 AM, Marilyn Elhart wrote:


> Bless your heart, I think this is one of the most hopeful replies I  
> have
> read.  Newbies -me-have so much to learn but it can sound like  
> there is
> nothing but problems.  My goal is to turn Analog tapes into DVD'  
> from old
> Sony Camcorder through new Canon Digital to iMovie on a Mac and  
> then it
> started sounding really daunting.  I have one to the iMovie but  
> have done
> nothing further-just got it there tonight.  Any other tips or hints  
> would be
> so appreciated.  I do have and have read and underlined iMovieHD  
> the Missing
> Manual.  Have iLife 6.  Thanks, Marilyn
>