do I need a proc amp?

I record on a MiniDV camcorder. Will software take care of it, or is a

Richard Crowley...

OK, I will have to make these specific assumptions...
1) You are shooting live video with your camcorder
2) You are NOT recording on your camcorder from
some analog source like a VHS VCR, etc.
3) You are conecting your camcorder to your PC via
a Firewire cable.
4) You are asking about a *hardware* proc-amp and
not some software plug-in/application, etc.

In this scenario, there is NO opportunity to use a proc-
amp even if you needed one. If you want to do any
modification of the video, you would need to do it
in your NLE video editing application (Vegas, etc.)

Proc-amps (at least the traditional consumer hard-
ware ones) use analog video in and out. But your
assumed workflow is digital all the way (as it is
for most of us).

Cajman...

Correct senario. 1)yes, 2)yes (for now), 3)USB cable 4)yes, hardware

Richard Crowley...

No proc amp is going to do even analog noise reduction
(i.e. "snow"). The CIA or NSA may have some kind
of computer algorithm to de-pixelate digital de-res,
but I'd bet against it. Once you have lost that much
information (where you see blocks of color instead
of individual pixels) the video picture is gone forever.

Cajman...

The camcorder is nothinig to write home about so I find that while
shooting that it pixelates areas of the frame sometimes. Now, this

Richard Crowley...

Then your camcorder is dirty, misaligned, or broken.
No proc amp on this planet will fix that problem.

Get your camcorder cleaned/aligned/repaired ASAP
before you shoot more video that you will never be
able to recover!

Frank...

That almost sounds like it could be an error reading the tape.

could be because when I edit the video it is magnified on my computer
monitor, this pixelation could be due to pixel streching. Maybe I
should look into hooking up to an external CRT at the videos native
resolution for previews and editing. What do you think?

Frank...

Absolutely, positively. There's no way that you can perform objective
picture evaluation using a computer display. You need a television
display device in your edit suite, preferably a high grade, direct
view CRT display.

Richard Crowley...

Unless you mean something different by "proc amp"
than I am familiar with, I don't see any way you could
use a conventional proc amp even if someone held a
gun to your head?

*IF* you could connect a proc amp in the Firewire path
between your camcorder and your computer, it would
certainly be faster and easier to color balance different
shots "on-the-fly" as they were captured. But AFAIK,
there is no product that implements this functionality.

Cajman...

This is where I was confused while doing some research. All the proc
amps I looked at had only analog inputs. This confused me because
while doing some reading several articles said that most broadcast (ie
news, tv shows, ...) use similar setups with amps, TBC's, audio
equalizers, ect. I thought that most studios had switched to all
digital, which would reduce the market's need for hardware. Therefore
I *assumed* that proc amps were superior over software. But that is
where the difference lies, correct me if I am wrong. Hardware (mainly)
for analog signals, and software for digital signals. Even though one
could argue that MiniDV is analog because it stores info. on tape.

Frank...

Anyone making that argument would lose. The DV (or HDV) data stored on
that MiniDV tape is in a digital, not analog, format. It's zeros and
ones just like all data stored on your hard drive.

Data in digital form has been stored on tape for about forty years
now. (I'm referring to computer applications, not video applications

This is the kind of consumer-level proc amp I'm picturing...
It is typical of both consumer and professional proc amps
where they have only analog (composite, Y/C) inputs and
outputs.

Cajman...

Yes, I have seen that exact same model and have heard nothing but
raving remarks about it.

I just do not know of any consumer-priced proc-amps with
digital (Firewire or otherwise) inputs/outputs? If you have
some particular product in mind, it would be good to mention
it so we don't dance around in the dark here.

Cajman...

Same here, I haven't seen any, besides if I were to buy one I couldn't
afford anything expensive anyways. I would probably get a used one.

Richard Crowley...

IF you were recording from some other source of video
(as contrasted from aiming your camcorder at the scene),
then you would have an analog connection (between the
source and the camcorder input) where you could insert
a conventional proc amp (and/or TBC). I have found that
the Canopus ADVC-300 is pretty good for cleaning up
old VHS tapes (and digitizing them into DV/Firewire).
The ADVC-300 has built-in TBC functionality.

I have also acquired traditional analog industrial TBCs
(on eBay) and vitually all TBCs also include proc-amp
adjustments on the front panel: gain ("contrast"), pedestal
("brightness"), chroma ("color"), and phase ("hue").

Cajman...

Lets see where this goes.

Richard Crowley...

Not sure what that means in your context?...
1. Does it mean that you shoot video with a mini-DV camcorder?
2. Does it mean that you record video from some other source
(like a VHS VCR or something) on your mini-DV camcorder.
3. Does it mean that you capture on your computer video from
your mini-DV camcorder?

Richard Crowley...

What do you mean by "it"? Are you looking to solve some kind
of problem? What are the symptoms and circumstances?

"proc amp better" than what?

Please describe more completely what you are doing, how,
and exactly what your question is.

proc amp better?

Thanks, Blake