On Sat, 20 Apr 2002 14:42:35 GMT, Erik Harris wrote:

>I just bought my 1394 card, so I'm just barely getting into using the DV
>format. So far, I've got only one question.
>
>I know the MS DV codec kinda sucks, so I want to re-render as little as
>possible (at least until I can get a better codec to replace it. Suggestions
>on codecs, price, and where to get them would be appreciated), but I also
>don't want to use any more space than necessary for my work footage.
>
>From what I know about compression (which I think is a good deal, since I did
>it for a living until recently), it should be a relatively simple feat to
>clip the beginning and end off of a video clip without having to re-encode
>the whole thing, even if it means being limited to cutting it off at key
>frames. Are there any programs that can do this with DV video? Capturing
>from and to the exact moment in the tape that I want obviously isn't easy, so
>I always capture a little extra, and I want to clip off the extra few seconds
>on each end of the clip, but I don't want to incur any generational loss from
>re-encoding when I'm not doing any real editing that should require it.

Hi--

I trust the camera is still performing well...! ;-)
If you are using a generic FireWire card, you may be
able to substitute the MainConcept codec for the
MS ($50 - search on Google). All editors I know of
but Lumiere allow cuts/trims, assembly, and playback
to tape without rendering footage so long as you do
not use filters, effects, or transitions (anything
that calls for modifying the original footage).
Do some tests to see if 1-2 generations of rendering
with the MS codec change the image noticeably, though
(look particularly at the lightest tones, and for
color-smear...).