Best practice importing AVI file captured from MiniDV Tapes?

I have around 100 avi files I wish to edit, but cannot import them into DaVinci Resolve 15 (free version on Windows 10). These video files were captured from MiniDV. I can import other video formats, such as MP4 from a gopro without issue.

I note there are other threads discussing this, but there isn't a 'best practice' methodology even a novice could follow.

Additionally, DaVinci Resolve 15 will not 'capture' directly from a MiniDV camcorder over firwire - i.e. the capture feature is greyed out, so cannot be imported in DaVinci Resolve 15 via direct capture method.

Noting I have already captured the files directly from my MiniDV camcorder (original tapes created on Canon and Sony camcorders). I captured these video files using a camcorder over firewire connection and another program (Cyberlink Power Director 16 on Win 10) as that still supported MiniDV capture.

The process of capturing so many old MiniDV tapes is lengthy process; capturing MiniDV content from a camcorder over firewire is performed at 1:1 speed. So I have about 100 files, each between 1 and 1.5 hours. The Cyberlink software was not reliable enough to find scenes and separate, so I have very long videos!

The files were saved using the original / unaltered file format as defined by the tape, which results in AVI files on the PC (i.e. retains the original MiniDV standards). Some older tapes were shot in 4:3 and some in 16:9. The region is PAL and 25 frames per second. The file resolution is 720 x 576. Data rate 28883kbps, Audio is 1024kbps, stereo and 32.000khz sampling.

Each file now plays well on Windows 10 using various sofware (players). Each file is therefore the original tape length of around 1 to 1.5 hours long and each file ends up between 10gb to almost 20 GB in size.

I have read other threads/posts on this topic but it is unclear the best way forward. I read discussions about 'rewrapped' Mov files using FFMPEG and so on. Obviously with so many files I am asking for the 'best practice' method/s to handle and edit these files without getting it wrong. Sure, these files are in a very old format, but typically they will carry great sentimental value to their creator. Also getting it wrong could be very time consuming, cause video quality loss, create compatibility issues and so on.

Introducing further video quality losses or dropped frames etc is unacceptable. I am happy to convet (upscale) the video to a new resolution, such as 1080p and so on. If upscaling, I am uncertain of when the upscaling steps should be performed (i.e. before or after editing).

I have read AVI is an older 'container' file. I read in another thread someone was able to simply modify the container so it was a .mov file. Other threads suggest converting the file using software, lines of code, drivers and so on. Other suggest another software program will achive this, but these threads are also for older versions of the software, so this info needs consolidating.

I feel there needs to be a single, definitive thread covering the MiniDV / AVI importing issue and would like a thread that provides a complete list of compatibility issues, capturing solutions, converstion recomendations, importing methodologies, tips, tricks and other recommendations that would constitue 'best practice' that a novice could follow.

So too some specific questions:

1) Is there a way for DaVinci Resolve to capture video directly from MiniDV camcorders?

2) For already captured AVI files (captured externalk to DaVinci Resolve) is there any way the AVI file format be imported 'as is', and without quality loss or conversion to another file format?

3) If the answer to 2 is 'no', then what is the recommended method for importing AVI files - e.g. adding a codec, converting to another format, altering the file name in some way and so on?

4) If converting AVI to another file format is essential, then what is the BEST file format to use for editing in DaVinci Resolve? (assuming Pal, 720 x 576, 25fps, interlaced etc) to maintain the video quality?

5) What additional steps might need to be taken when importing an AVI converted to another file format in DaVinci Resolve?

6) If upscaling the video to a higher resolution is desired, should the video be captured and edited at the native resolution of 720 x 576 and then upscaled, or upscaled first, then edited?

7) What other tips or tricks are worth knowing for handling the MiniDV/AVI file format within DaVinci Resolve?

I do not have the answer, but I'm working on the same issue. Your PAL 720x576 with 4:3 display aspect ratio sounds European - so exactly my issue. I already tried one of your points:

- convert all these 100 files that Windows created to .mov using ffmpeg as you wrote
- ffmepg tells me sar=16:15, dar=4:3 - so the aspect ratios still look fine
- now I import to davinci resolve 14, set PAL everywhere in the project settings including timeline and including clip attributes.

Result: it doesn't really look 4:3 to me, width looks a bit smaller. However I could process in Resolve and at the end I tried several ways to render:

- using mov or mp4 container with pal again and anamorphic pixels
- mp4 and rescaling to 768x576 with quadratic pixels (found this hint somewhere here in the forum)

Whatever I did - rendering did not deliver 4:3 - it's looking something like 3.5:3 or so. ffmpeg tells me: sar 59:54, dar 295:216. I never succeeded in getting sar=16:15, dar=4:3

If I again convert with ffmpeg to correct sar/dar, footage looks fine, but is still not ok - not all programms still present correctly with 4:3.

Old format, old issue. Hope some experts are out there ....

First of all, Resolve can read QT mini-DV files natively, but that's probably not going to help you.

I can't explain why the conversion doesn't look like 4:3, but to get 4:3 in exports, try using the Grass Valley SD codecs.

I just saw on the "Supported Video Formats and Codecs" list of Resolve 15 beta that there are Grass Valley codecs included with the new release. So maybe it's worth to upgrade - or are the codecs you mentioned different? In the list they are called "Grass Valley HQ ...", on the Edius page they write "HQX". Is it the same thing?

I did two things:
- upgrade to Resolve 15 and tried with Grass Valley HQ codecs - Result: ffmpeg still showing sar 59:54 and dar 295:216
- installed HQX codec and tried with settings Format: Quicktime, Codec: Grass Valley, Type: HQX, Resolution 720 x 576 PAL, Field Rendering both ticked and not ticked. Result like above.

In addition I did not succeed so far to play this video. VLC 3.0 should be able to do this, but just plays the Audio. However - the issue is still, that according to ffmpeg this is not a PAL 4:3 file with the correct pixel aspect ratio.

Any idea what I could have done wrong?

I don't think Resolve can capture DV. It's not really couture tool. It can capture your tapes using some DV deck with SDI/RS-422 output (if you have BM card). Other way is capturing your tapes with app which can save them directly in MOV container.

Depending how you captured your files they may be standard DV or Canopus DV. Check file in mediainfo- standard one has "dvsd" codec tag and Canopus will have "cdvc" (most likely).
If your files are anything else than "dvsd" then you may have problem reading them as they may require custom decoder.

If files are "dvsd" then:
- open your AVI DV in QT 7 PRO. It should read them fine then save as reference MOV and try importing this into Resolve.
I tried it and Resolve does see DV in MOV container, even if file is just reference MOV to DV AVI source.

If above doesn't work then your DV uses custom DV codec and Resolve won't import it.
You need to convert it then.

ffmpeg -i "DV.avi" -metadata:s "encoder=Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)" -vendor apl0 -c:v prores_ks -profile:v 3 -vf "fieldorder=tff,setdar=16/9" -flags "+ildct+ilme+bitexact" -ar 48K -c:a pcm_s16le -movflags write_colr "out.mov"

Will convert it to ProResHQ (should invert field order to top filed, so it's more common) and re-sample audio to 48KHz. In other words- it will make nice ProRes interlaced file with all flagging as it should be.

I setup a script to rip through the .avi files using ffmpeg and use video and audio codecs of copy. Output file is .mov. This is just taking the digital video data in .avi format and moving it to quicktime .mov format.

I ran through all the files for a feature length film in DV25. This was hundreds of GB. Took as long as copying to another drive.

Resolve understands DV25 and DV50 fine. It is STUPID THAT IT CAN'T UNDERSTAND AVIs. But there you go. Handled them fine as quicktime wrapped data.

Also there are significant problems with any effects in resolve with interlaced video. Also the deinterlacing is terrible. avisynth has better methods but take considerable processing time.

Yes, re-wrapping to MOV will work (but most likely only if your codec is standard DV not eg. Canopus DV).
If you have QT 7 PRO you can avoid re-wrapping, just create QT ref files for your AVIs.
Resolve is not very good for interlaced source files, but this is less worry as interlacing is going to be phased out. For old content you have to deal with it

Depending how you captured your files they may be standard DV or Canopus DV. Check file in mediainfo- standard one has "dvsd" codec tag and Canopus will have "cdvc" (most likely).
If your files are anything else than "dvsd" then you may have problem reading them as they may require custom decoder.

I checked, mediainfo says "DVCPRO". Seems to be MainConcept codec.
ffmpeg output of my minidv avi is: Video: dvvideo, yuv420p, 720x576 (SAR 16:15 DAR 4:3)

If above doesn't work then your DV uses custom DV codec and Resolve won't import it.
You need to convert it then.

ffmpeg -i "DV.avi" -metadata:s "encoder=Apple ProRes 422 (HQ)" -vendor apl0 -c:v prores_ks -profile:v 3 -vf fieldorder=tff,setdar=16:9 -flags "+ildct+ilme+bitexact" -ar 48K -c:a pcm_s16le -movflags write_colr "out.mov"

Will convert it to ProResHQ (should invert field order to top filed, so it's more common) and re-sample audio to 48KHz. In other words- it will make nice ProRes interlaced file with all flagging as it should be.

I changed setdar=16:9 to setdar=4:3 - correct? Anyhow it doesn't really look good, stretched. Maybe around 3:1 and not 4:3.

I found a similar post here: viewtopic.php?f=21&t=62356&p=353989&hilit=minidv#p353989 saying also stating that a conversation to prores 422 should work.

I setup a script to rip through the .avi files using ffmpeg and use video and audio codecs of copy. Output file is .mov. This is just taking the digital video data in .avi format and moving it to quicktime .mov format.

Did that really work fine - no issues with aspect ratios? And how did you render / deliver?

I setup a script to rip through the .avi files using ffmpeg and use video and audio codecs of copy. Output file is .mov. This is just taking the digital video data in .avi format and moving it to quicktime .mov format.

Tried that, behaviour is much the same as in the other tests:
- import works fine
- in "Edit" screens are shown more as 5:4 rather than 4:3
- in "deliver" screens look fine

BUT: I still do not find a way to render correctly so that in the end I get a file with sar=16:15 and dar=4:3. For me import and process does not seem to be an issue other than render (deliver). How did you render your footage?

DVCPRO should also work in QT 7, so you can try QT ref route as quick way.

Yes, 4:3 is correct (update 4/3 for new ffmpeg).
I would not trust Resolve here with aspect. Play file with QT7 or best with Switch player. It should say this:



ProRes with above flagging has to work fine in terms of aspect. When you convert your source does ffmpeg detect source properly as 4x3 (16:15 par)?

You have to set Resolve project properly and then it should preserve your 4x3 footage properly.

DVCPRO should also work in QT 7, so you can try QT ref route as quick way.

I'm on Windows, not on Mac - so this won't work, sorry. Apple does not support QT7 on Windows any more.

ProRes with above flagging has to work fine in terms of aspect. When you convert your source does ffmpeg detect source properly as 4x3 (16:15 par)?

Not really. It shows SAR 12:5 DAR 3:1 that is quite close to my observation in the Resolve Edit Screen.

I'm not sure if this might have to do with a warning I got while converting my files: "The AVFormatContext is not set into bitexact mode, only the AVCodecContext. If this is not intended, set AVFormatContext.flags |= AVFMT_FLAG_BITEXACT." At this point it's somewhere beyond my understanding. I don't know what ffmpeg wants to tell me.

I'm talking about PC.
If you have old QT 7 (best if PRO) then you can use it.

"Not really. It shows SAR 12:5 DAR 3:1 that is quite close to my observation in the Resolve Edit Screen"

It means AVI headers have some bad info which ffmpeg is reading.
Even so converted file should have it corrected, strange. If not we need to force ffmpeg to ignore any info and just write new, correct one.

Do you have small sample file?

Ignore this warning- it has nothing to do with actual conversion.

I guess the final conclusion about the numerous questions of Stuart's 1st post is - don't do this at all.

My understanding is that there is no consistent aspect ratio handling of resolve if you look at the full end to end process from import over processing to deliver. I did not succeed to import a 720x576 4:3 25i PAL (sar 16:15) - converted from the original avis - and get the same format as output.

Resolve is great, I like it, but for this kind of footage I'll switch to some other nle.

DR has never supported DV-AVI. This is not news. To answer the OP's question, there is no "best practice" as all methods require transcoding which is never lossless, and it depends on what your needs are. While one can certainly screw up a transcode, Andrew posted an ffmpeg-based transcode to ProRes (mind you this is not a licensed version of ProRes) that DR will decode. Is a transcode to ProRes on a PC the "best practice"? I seriously doubt it. Is using ffmpeg "best practice"? Doubt it as well. But it does offer the very appealing price of free and is relatively quick and easy.

Ultimately, we are discussing workflows which are bespoke for everyone. The only way to know for sure is through testing. For example, strange and subtle color shifts can occur especially when dealing with ProRes. One needs scopes to be certain nothing funny is going on. This becomes especially critical when round-tripping between apps. However, if you plan to work exclusively in DR, then you may be able to get away with Andrew's recommendation.

Not addressing the OP since I’m on a Mac, just noting that last year I decided to edit old MiniDV files of a wedding I had shot with my old Canon HV20 camcorder. Resolve would no longer read the files, so I used iMovie to read them and export in what they call “high quality” which was ProRes 422. Worked perfectly in Resolve.


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On windows I have pretty good results with old avi dv files by transcoding and deinterlacing with virtualDub. There is a modded version that reads and saves mp4 and mov. Very useful. U can batch encode anything. And there are some very sophisticated deinterlace filters available. The one included is not bad.

https://sourceforge.net/p/vdfiltermod/wiki/Home/

Mov prorez 422 is OK. They play fine in resolve. It doesn't seem to have a problem with the pixel aspect ratio, when imported in a 16/9 project, which is not always the case with other NLES I am on DR 15beta7 Of course upscaling is a whole different story.

I always thought you can capture directly into resolve through a firewire connection and a suitable camera or player. But I haven't tried it yet. Isn't this the case?

Used to be true but dropped some of the older codecs in a previous release.


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So, maybe use an older version just to capture the footage and transcode?

I didn’t have an alternate system for booting from which would have solved the problem. I could do that next time as I created another boot disk!


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I always thought you can capture directly into resolve through a firewire connection and a suitable camera or player. But I haven't tried it yet. Isn't this the case?

Nope.

Screen Shot 2018-08-26 at 2.30.12 pm.png (111.8 KiB) Viewed 34653 times

Yes, re-wrapping to MOV will work (but most likely only if your codec is standard DV not eg. Canopus DV).
If you have QT 7 PRO you can avoid re-wrapping, just create QT ref files for your AVIs.
Resolve is not very good for interlaced source files, but this is less worry as interlacing is going to be phased out. For old content you have to deal with it

+1

Hi,

I have already tested the solution proposed by Andrew and it works very well with QT 7 under windows. (This is an old SVHS movie dating from 1990)

You have to create a project in 720x576. If the clip is interlaced: clip attribute => Enable Deinterlacing.

Source

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QTREF

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Channel positions                        : Front: L R
Sampling rate                            : 32,0 kHz
Bit depth                                : 16 bits
Stream size                              : 218 Mio (2%)
Alignment                                : Alignée sur les interleaves
Interleave, duration                     : 40  ms (1,00 image vidéo)
Title                                    : Module de gestion Son / Gestionnaire d’alias Apple
Language                                 : Anglais
Encoded date                             : UTC 2018-08-26 10:04:38
Tagged date                              : UTC 2018-08-26 10:06:08
Source                                   : k01.avi


QTREF.jpg

We already went through this.
Heinz "sorted" importing.
Problem is that Resolve sets wrong PAR on exports for 4x3 PAL (and probably other SD options). It uses 59:54 PAR, but doesn't set clean aperture to 9 pixels left/right, so end result is wrong. You get 787x567, which is not 4x3.

This is Resolve:



And it should be:



or the best to use "digital" flagging:



There is a bug in Resolve and it needs fixing. There is also wrong color space set as well- HD (1-1-1), instead of PAL (5-1-6).
You also have to be aware that this is just flagging and actual encoded picture is fine. Many tools ignore this flagging (or you can overwrite it). When they are present there is fairly easy way to change it, but you need to know bit of coding.

The OP appears to have lost interest, but if you are still looking in Shrubby: In your circumstances...

Noting I have already captured the files directly from my MiniDV camcorder (original tapes created on Canon and Sony camcorders). I captured these video files using a camcorder over firewire connection and another program (Cyberlink Power Director 16 on Win 10) as that still supported MiniDV capture.

The process of capturing so many old MiniDV tapes is lengthy process; capturing MiniDV content from a camcorder over firewire is performed at 1:1 speed. So I have about 100 files, each between 1 and 1.5 hours. The Cyberlink software was not reliable enough to find scenes and separate, so I have very long videos!

The files were saved using the original / unaltered file format as defined by the tape, which results in AVI files on the PC (i.e. retains the original MiniDV standards). Some older tapes were shot in 4:3 and some in 16:9. The region is PAL and 25 frames per second. The file resolution is 720 x 576. Data rate 28883kbps, Audio is 1024kbps, stereo and 32.000khz sampling.

Each file now plays well on Windows 10 using various sofware (players). Each file is therefore the original tape length of around 1 to 1.5 hours long and each file ends up between 10gb to almost 20 GB in size.

...I would suggest getting a copy of Corel VideoStudio Pro:

https://www.videostudiopro.com/en/products/videostudio/#compare

Yes, despite the 'Pro' tag, it is (like Cyberlink Power Director) essentially a 'consumer-level' editing software, but I think it would perfect for the task you are facing:

1. Works perfectly with native Type II DV.avi files, and if your files were captured with Power Director I don't see any problem there.

2. Has the option to apply true (binary stream copy) 'Smart Rendering' with DV. If you are just cut editing your files there is no re-encoding and you can output DV with full assurance that the original quality is preserved.

3. Has a very good Scene Detection/Cut tool, with the option to split by time code or frame content (with adjustable sensitivity). The detection scan is fast and will it automatically split into 'virtual clips' on the timeline, each with it's own thumbnail, so you can easily move them around. The fine (frame-accurate) trimming tool is also very easy to use.

4. Supports direct firewire capture if you have need.

5. Easy also to apply titles and transitions from a comprehensive library of presets.

6. The available color correction tools aren't much to speak of, by professional standards. The 'Ultimate' version includes a dumbed down version of NewBlueFX ColorFast, which is the closest you'll get to a primary and secondary (qualifier) color tool set, but there are no scopes. As I recall though, the Auto White Balance function was actually rather good for quick fixes.

Haven't used it in years, but I have an older version that I retain for just such an eventuality. Only thing I can't recall is if there is a limit on the file size for DV import. I'm pretty sure I have a little standalone utility tucked away somewhere that will split DV files into smaller segments of a specified size. Always used WinDV for Mini-DV tape transfers myself:

http://windv.mourek.cz/

Discontinued now. Not sure if it still works with Win10.

Anyhow, just a suggestion. No disrespect to BMD, but I don't think Resolve is the right tool for a task like like this.

I'm pretty sure I have a little standalone utility tucked away somewhere that will split DV files into smaller segments of a specified size.

Here you go. DGSplit, under Tools and Utilities:

http://rationalqm.us/mine.html

...I would suggest getting a copy of Corel VideoStudio Pro:

Bryan, you're right. I did it with Pinnacle (also Corel product since some time) and it worked well - no need for any wrapping or transcoding, just import, process & export. It's simply not what I wanted to do ...

I have already tested the solution proposed by Andrew and it works very well with QT 7 under windows.

Jean Claude - as Andrew already wrote, trancoding or wrapping was not my issue. You can see already within Resolve that something looks strange: your Asterix in the edit screen for me is not 4:3 ... If you switch to "deliver" it might look better. Try to render a correct PAL 4:3 720x576 25i out of your clip. I did not succeed and following Andrews arguments I meanwhile believe it won't work.

Hi Everyone and thank you all for your input. I decided to let the topic run for a while hoping it might gain a life of its own before I came back. Also life with kids and so on is hectic so Ive only checked back in a few trimes. Firstly I am new to video capture, editing and so on. I understand DR is a pro tool. But it's free and loks to be a great tool. Also my son wants a career as a director, so why not learn a pro tool to help him, so that's whay I want to stick with Resolve, to learn more. I will also edit my GoPro videos and so on, but for this project, simple edits is all I need. Furthermore, I understand some of you whom are experienced will be rolling there eyes as another newbie asks newbie questions. I respect your wisdom and appreciate your time and effort.

I should have mentioned I'm in Australia and we used PAL systems while the USA used NTSC. I think ours was based on European standards.

My core objective was to preserve many hours of video with significant personal worth. I created the videos as I started my family, and my video skills were poor and I realise that too much footage is of the same thing, like 20 minutes of shakey video of a baby rocking back on forth on the ground as I hoped to catch his first crawl and so on. Riveting stuff right. So it's only important to me. But that means I still need to 'do the best job I can capturing the best quality from the original source". I am sure there are a great many people in my position and it would be a good business prospect for an experienced editor to 'get this right' and then they could charge people for this sort of service as it is too hard for an average person. Thus my goal for a single thread that might conclude with a consensus of how best to approach this particular issue. Obvious video is so complex that this isnt a 'common' issue with a single solution.

I think the Cyberlink software has captured my MiniDV content quite well and the software allows for uploading in native format to the tape. Just a thought - but it is therefore possible that if I edited these videos all down sufficiently, Iso to 1 hour or so, might be able to upload back to tape and then download that tape from a mac or other system. But that seems like more hard work.

So I seem to be stuck with all kinds of compatibility, codec, interlacing and transcoding issues aghead of me.

It was mentioned the capture software I used was consumer grade. Indeed it is and it's very flaky. If I ran ANYTHING other than the software (like launch a browser) it would crash while capturing over firewire 'oops something wnet wrong'. Sometimes I was an hour into a capture and a windows popup would terminate the program. Still I persisted. I upgraded the software when an update was announced and the software crashed on turning on the camera!. So I reinstalled the pervious version from my original download files. I opened a ticket and reported every crash - nothing from the makers of the program. So there's certainly no simple answer.

Naturally, I could just use the Cyberlink software, as I have already paid for that and it does work. I dont think anyone though of this. Also the software can export, but I still dont think it will do a good job of transcoding as it is afterall, hobbyist grade software.

I'm thinking one obvious option may be to simply use Cyberlink to trim the videos to extract the important bits and 'export' at some fairly common video format, like 1080p. I might try this and see is DR can handle that. I anyone has a recommended format to convert to, that would be helpful.

I dont have QT 7 Pro. Not sure if this can be obtained and run on windows 10? I also came across an open source tool called 'Handbrake' (handbrake dot fr). Anyone used this? Apparently it is a great substitue for QT7 as it converts virtually any video format to acurrent, supported codecs.

Of course support for old systems is difficult. When I realised how hard it was getting to even connect the cameras (firewire) I knew I had to act, so here I am - doing stuff. Im still not certain which way to go and I still have some tapes to get through.

So looking forward I need to try a few things mentioned above and by others. I thank those who have given there input, its appreciated.

I suppose I will now proceed as follows:

1) Getting hold of QT7 Pro if possible. Thewre are videos on YouTube, but this is all getting dodgy. Where do I start?

2) Working out what original codec is involved; I will download MediaInfo and check that out.

3) Anyone heard of / used Handbrake? If that works, what output settings / codecs and so on would I be best to use?

3) Trial using my current Cyberlink software to trim down files to the best bits, then export to a more common / usable file format; I would like recommendations on the best format / resolution etc to convert to.

Again, thanks to everyone for your input.

Warmest Regards,

Stuart

Video information from MediaInfo tool from one capture:

General
Complete name : (File name and path removed)
Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
Commercial name : DVCPRO
Format profile : OpenDML
File size : 12.5 GiB
Duration : 1 h 2 min
Overall bit rate mode : Constant
Overall bit rate : 28.9 Mb/s
Recorded date : 2001-08-29 20:40:02.000

Video
ID : 0
Format : DV
Commercial name : DVCPRO
Duration : 1 h 2 min
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 24.4 Mb/s
Encoded bit rate : 28.8 Mb/s
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 576 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 25.000 FPS
Standard : PAL
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Interlaced
Scan order : Top field only
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 2.357
Time code of first frame : 00:00:00:14
Time code source : Subcode time code
Stream size : 12.5 GiB (100%)

Audio
ID : 0-0
Format : PCM
Muxing mode : DV
Muxing mode, more info : Muxed in Video #1
Duration : 1 h 2 min
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 1 536 kb/s
Encoded bit rate : 0 b/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 682 MiB (5%)
Encoded stream size : 0.00 Byte (0%)

Further Update.

I downloaded the open source program Handshake (its freeware). It seems current and worked easily, installed on Windows 10.

I then created a test video - a short 26 second master (AVI) in exactly the same format as done for my entire 1.5 hr tapes. I ran this sample video through Handshake and created an MP4 file.

There are a lot of variables available, but for me I found one that produced a file that appears to be very close to the original quality and size without any converstion, but also deinterlaced. Inital settings made the image very soft, while others made the image quality better but file very large. Basically I aimed at trying to get it converted in the same format, resolution, bit rate etc, only to MP4 format.

Davinci Resolve was able to open the MP4 (but not the MKV files). It detected the different frame rate from the default setting and changed the settings to suit the imported video. I ran through a quick edit and this all now seems fine. As such, I have found a way to easily get my old MiniDV tapes (PAL) captured (using Cyberlink or use another program), then converted to MP4 (using Handshake) and edited in Davinci Resolve 15.

So it looks like it might be time to upgrade to the pro version

Looking forward to any thoughts or other recommendations.

Thanks again,

Stuart

I'm pretty sure I have a little standalone utility tucked away somewhere that will split DV files into smaller segments of a specified size.

Here you go. DGSplit, under Tools and Utilities:

http://rationalqm.us/mine.html

Scratch that. Tested DGSplit with a Type II DV.avi file (original WinDV capture) I had archived. VideoStudio Pro wouldn't import the split AVI segments. Likely no AVI Index.

Edit: But I just created a 12GB DV.avi file, joining multiple copies of that archived DV file, and VideoStudio Pro (X8) imported it just fine, so I don't think he'd have any problems with his large DV captures.

I did it with Pinnacle (also Corel product since some time) and it worked well - no need for any wrapping or transcoding, just import, process & export.

Right, Corel VideoStudio (formerly Ulead), Pinnacle, Cyberlink Power Director - they all had their origins as 'consumer grade' DV editors, where ease of use was the name of the game.

I have converted lots of DV AVI files to Mov DV files using virtual dub and batch processing. Resolve gets the PAR wrong when imported but you can select them all in the bin and set them to the right PAR.

I've got a ton of captured DV .avi NTSC 4:3 files from old video tapes of various formats (VHS, Video8, MiniDV, etc.) that I want to do varying degrees of editing on before converting to MP4.

Resolve is my preferred NLE, but it just doesn't support legacy DV and I drove myself (and a friend who is a legit post-production pro in TV/film) crazy trying to maintain the proper 4:3 aspect ratio while losing the black sidebars and bottom noise from the DV captures.

Going from analog 4:3 stored as 720x480 to a modern digital 640x480 4:3 is not what Resolve was built for, never mind having to convert the .avi files to ProRes so Resolve would be able to read the footage.

The best solution, unfortunately, is to not use DaVinci Resolve for this purpose. Adobe Premiere Pro is the NLE to use to convert legacy DV footage to a modern format. It will read in native DV .avi files and you can easily adjust the export frame to a 4:3 aspect while cropping out the sides/bottom, then expanding image to fill a progressive 640x480 frame with just a bit of edge image loss (that would have likely been lost when played back on an old tube TV anyway).

Of course, this solution requires a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud - about $30 for a month of Premiere use, which is pretty reasonable considering how easy it is to manipulate DV footage. If you've got the license to an older Premiere (like CS2), you can prep projects in the older version then just open them in the CC Premiere when it's time pay for the exporting.

Davinci Resolve was able to open the MP4 (but not the MKV files). It detected the different frame rate from the default setting and changed the settings to suit the imported video. I ran through a quick edit and this all now seems fine. As such, I have found a way to easily get my old MiniDV tapes (PAL) captured (using Cyberlink or use another program), then converted to MP4 (using Handshake) and edited in Davinci Resolve 15.

Stuart,
I see your footage seems to be the same like mine. Did you really try the full process, so did you export (render) your edited footage to any kind of video - mp2/mp4/mov whatever you like - and are you happy with the result? I cannot believe that you find a way to keep the correct aspect ratio. I'd be really interested if this works.

Heinz

After weeks of testing multiple tools and optimizing settings to get miniDV to mov here is how I did it on Mac.
1. Captioning via FireWire/Thunderbold connector from miniDV camera with iMovie to Mac and you get ~14GB per hour mov files (720x576, 25i, ~25Mbps)
2. Deinterlace files with 'JES Deinterlacer' with tab 'Project' switch to 'Use bottom field' and flag on for Adaptive and Sharpen, and on tab 'Output' set 'Sound output' to Quicktime and 320kbps
3. Edit and color code in DaVinci Resolve
In my case all miniDV videos had black bars (top and bottom) as I used 16:9 masking during recording. To remove them and get real 16:9 output you need to
- go to 'Project Settings' -> 'Image Scaling' ->'Input Scaling' and 'Output Scaling' set to 'Center crop with no resizing' and 'Output resolution' to 'customized 720x406'.
- Timeline -> Output blanking
- Deliver tab -> 'Output resolution' to 'customized 720x406'.

Rookie. Need advice. Apologies for the long post...
The aspect ratio for NTSC 720x480 MiniDV AVI files looks great while editing. But the video export file width looks stretched when viewed in Windows media player, or on my HDTV. Everybody looks fatter. No one is going to like seeing themselves in these videos. I've read all the above posts about MniDV, and am still baffled how to fix the problem...

SUMMARY
I've Googled and experimented until my head feels ready to explode. If I've understood the info from various websites, the DR15 program is assigning the wrong Pixel Aspect Ratio (PAR) value when selecting NTSC or NTSC DV from the Clip Attributes drop down menu:

PAR IS NOW: 0.909
PAR SHOULD BE: 0.888

Feel free to let me know I've come to the wrong conclusion.
Or I simply need to change specific settings in DR15 to get correct results.
If the problem really is a programming error, how do I get the PAR values for NTSC and NTSC DV fixed?

NOTES
Using Davinci Resolve 15.2.1 with Windows 10. Output video file was checked with MediaInfo program. Here is the MediaInfo aspect ratio info from the Resolve video export file:

Width : 720 pixels
Clean aperture width : 704 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Clean aperture height : 480 pixels
Sampled_Width : 720
Sampled_Height : 480
Pixel aspect ratio : 0.909
Original pixel aspect ratio : 1.000
Clean aperture pixel aspect ratio : 0.909
Display aspect ratio : 1.364
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Original display aspect ratio : 1.500
Original display aspect ratio : 3:2
Clean aperture display aspect ratio : 1.333
Clean aperture display aspect ratio : 4:3

It appears the "Pixel aspect ratio" is being incorrectly populated with the "Clear aperature pixel apect ratio" value of 0.909, when it should be 0.889

Info from website miraizon.com/support/info_aspectratio.html
There are (3) aspect ratios Display, Storage and Pixel.
The relationship is DAR = SAR * PAR. To find PAR, divide DAR by SAR.
For my video files the values are:
DAR = 4/3 (Full Screen), SAR = 720/480 (NTSC Standard Definition).
Solving for PAR: (4/3) / (720/480) = 1.334 / 1.5 = 0.889


UPDATE 12/20/18
Manually editing the MP4 output file aspect ratio values (PASP and CLAP) does NOT solve the problem. Not all video players use these values. Example: VLC player accepts the adjusted aspect ratio values, Windows Media Player just ignores them...

Manual editing a specific value was worth a shot, but it appears to be opening a "can of worms". Hundreds of variables in the MP4 file, any of which might be causing the problem. Not worth the time and effort to troubleshoot. So I'm going to leave it to the Blackmagic team to fix the program to output 720x480 NTSC DV to 720x480 MP4 with aspect ratios that display correctly on all players..

Meanwhile, I'm going to take advice from Andrew Kolakowski. Changing MP4 output to 640x480, with SQUARE Pixel Aspect Ratio (PAR 1:1). Which should result in all video players displaying correct aspect ratio...

SUMMARY
Below is a functional MiniDV process. I hesitated posting on a board where so many members are obviously professionals (and I mean HIGH level professionals). The proposed process is somewhat awkward. But I couldn't find anything better using Google search.

Not thrilled the output is 640x480 (because of aspect ratio problems with 720x480 export). But the overall video results look amazing!! It's hard to believe this program is free..

I'm on the fence about spending $300 for the Studio version. The Deinterlace and GPU Acceleration features would be "nice to have". But the Temporal Noise Reduction (TNR) reserved for the Studio version might be "must have". It's a dark/poorly exposured video clip issue. The clips shot outdoors during daytime look great without TNR. The clips shot indoors at night (on a 17 year old home camcorder) have lots of Noise after color correction. It's a little difficult to judge the TNR results (the free version adds a truly hideous watermark to the video if you use TNR). But it appears Temporal Noise Reduction provides a huge improvement to under exposed video clips.

Let me know if anyone with the Paid Studio version has strong opinion if TNR is worth the cost for standard definition AVI files?


TRANSFER FROM TAPE TO COMPUTER
1. Added firewire card (ieee 1394) to Windows PC
$25 for SYBA 2-port of 1394b + 1-port of 1394a Firewire Ports PCI-Express Controller Card (SY-PEX30016). Most modern computers do not have firewire ports needed to connect 20 year old digital camcorders. You may also need to buy firewire cable, if original provided with camcorder is missing.

2. Used WINDV windows program to transfer files from camcorder to computer. Program website is: windv.mourek.cz/ Internet searches indicated MiniDV tape is already in digital format, and WINDV program does a simple file transfer (instead of capture). So file is transferred in best possible quality. I was concerned this program is free/closed source, so no public review for malware. But not alot of legacy support for MiniDV these days. In the end, I had no problems. WINDV did not trip any alerts on Malwarebytes or Windows defender on my Windows PC. Here is a site with a decent tutorial on using WINDV: Windowsmoviemakers.net/PapaJohn/61/WinDV.aspx
The MiniDV videos were roughly 13GB per tape, 720x480 NTSC, DV codec, AVI container. Filled up 550GB on my disk drive.

REWRAP VIDEO FROM DV-AVI TO QUICKTIME MOV CONTAINER
Davinci Resolve 15 (DR15) will not import the DV-AVI files directly. Not sure why. The DV Codecs are supported by DR15, and AVI is one of the supported Export formats.

3. Command line programs like "ffmpeg" have a steep learning curve. I'd recommend Adobe Media Encoder (ACE) for anyone at beginner level. After you transfer all MiniDV tapes to computer, Download a free 7 day trial of Adobe Media Encoder. The trial has no restrictions or limitations. Put all the AVI video files in a common folder. Batch process all the AVI files using QUICKTIME/REWRAP profile to create xxx.MOV videos. REWRAP reportedly produces better quality than TRANSODING. For an Intel i5-4xxx computer processor, expect roughly 30 minutes processing per 13GB MiniDV tape. Using an older PC, my qty (46) tapes ran for approximately 24 hours at 50 - 100% CPU usage...

NOTE
You can avoid the Rewrap hassle by using an alternative editing program. PowerDirector and Premiere will both accept DV-AVI files. My opinion:
- Powerdirector automatic color correction results were terrible for poorly exposed home videos (many of my clips were shot indoors/evenings/after work). DR15 auto color correction results were visibly better.
- Premiere auto color correction was very good. But DR15 auto color correction results looked slightly better. And $50/month less expensive...

So based on experiments, I felt it was worth investing time to rewrap the DV-AVI files for use in Davinci Resolve.


PROCESS VIDEO IN DAVINCI RESOLVE 15
4. Create New Project
5. Edit Project Settings:
TIMELINE FORMAT
Time Resolution = Custom
For = 640x480
Pixel Aspect Ratio = Square
Timeline Framerate - 29.97 fps
Playback Framerate = 30 fps
VIDEO MONITORING
Video Format = NTSC
Video Bit Depth = 8
6. Import Files
7. Set original MOV Clip Attributes to Pixel Aspect Ratio = NTSC DV
8. Insert Clips to Timeline
9. Make adjustments (Trim, Color, Effects)
10. Deliver/export MP4 file (settings auto populated from Timeline changes in step #5)

UPDATE 2023-02-12
Davinci Resolve 18 is able process the DV-AVI files directly. No need to Rewrap from DV-AVI to MOV container. The deinterlace process is automatic and satisfactory quality. Thank you to the BlackMagic staff for devoting resources to a video format that's no longer mainstream...

I have the Studio Version of Davinci Resolve. The Studio version unlocks GPU acceleration, which is a huge help for older computers like mine. Plus Noise Reduction and some other goodies. It was a worthwhile purchase for me. Most everything I cover below should work in the Free version, and provide great results.

I couldn't find a good "How To" for DV-AVI. I searched... Repeatedly... For years...
There were plenty of methods that delivered an MP4 video. I experimented with free and paid software. But the MP4 videos were flat, muddy, and lifeless compared to the original DV-AVI. Below is a process that actually delivers MP4 videos that make me happy. Give it a try...

============================================================================
Revised Process - MiniDV AVI Tape to modern MP4 video file:
1. Transfer video from MiniDV tape to computer. My process was WINDV transfer software, Sony TRV17 camera, and firewire card. There are more details in previous thread posts above.
2. Create new Davinci Resolve project.
3. Add DV-AVI files to the project. Accept the popup recommendation to "Change Project Frame Rate",
4. Highlight all the DV-AVI video clips, Right click mouse for menu, Left click "Clip Attributes", change the video tab -> Data Levels to "Full". The default "Auto" setting adds most of my clips at a level that would result in clipping, unless I adjust the GAIN later. I find it more efficient to make the change to "Full" now. YMMV...
5. Edit the Project Settings:

MASTER SETTINGS TAB
Timeline Format:
Timeline resolution = Custom (Scroll UP to find in the drop down menu)
For = 640x480
Pixel Aspect Ratio = Square
Davinci Resolve will automatically make the following changes to deinterlace the DV-AVI clips:
- Timeline frame rate should default to 59.94 (deinterlacing doubles the quantity of frames)
- Enable interlace processing should be checked and "grayed out"

Video Monitoring:
Video format = NTSC
Video bit depth = 8 bit

Frame Interpolation:
Retime process = Optical Flow
Motion estimation mode = Enhanced Better
Motion range = Medium

IMAGE SCALING TAB
Image Scaling:
Resize filter = Smoother
Deinterlace quality = Davinci Neural Engine (or best quality for free version)

Input scaling:
Mismatched resolution files = Scale entire image to fit

Output scaling:
Enable "Match timeline settings" checkbox. That should fill in the settings from the "Master Settings" tab
Mismatched resolution files = Scale entire image to fit.

Click the "Save" button in the lower right.
You can save time in the future by going back into the project settings, and clicking on the 3 dots in the upper right. Select "Save current settings as a preset". I used "DV-AVI" as my preset name. On future projects just click on the Project Settings 3 dots, your preset name (ie DV-AVI), and "Load Preset". Or you make things very simple by clicking on your preset name and the clicking on "Set as Default Preset". And not have to deal with the project settings again until you finish your years of AVI clips...

6. Highlight all the clips, Right click the mouse, select "Create new timeline using selected clips". You can just click on "Create", accepting all the default options.
7. Make necessary adjustments using CUT/EDIT and COLOR tabs.
8. Export the finished video using the DELIVER TAB:

Click on the "Custom Export" icon (top left).
Fill in the export File Name and Location.

Export Video:
Format = MP4 (or Quicktime)
Codec = H.265 (or H.264)
Encoder = NVIDIA (Native if no GPU)
Resolution and frame rate filled in by project settings (640x480, 59.94)
Quality = Best
Encoding profile = Auto
Rate Control = Variable Bitrate
Preset = Medium
Tuning = High Quality
Two Pass = Full (only appears if you selected Encoder "NVIDIA" above)

You should now have a basic MP4 video. But it probably could benefit from color correction...
============================================================================

MY COLOR CORRECTION PROCESS
For videos shot in a location I've previously graded (for example the Family Room), I'll just apply a PowerGrade for that location. I'll discuss PowerGrades later in the post.
For a video shot in a brand new location, I apply a default "Swiss Army Knife" PowerGrade with 8 nodes:
a. Noise Reduction
b. White Balance
c. Light Night A 3200
d. Light Night F6 3200
e. Light Day B 5800
f. Light Day D55 5800
g. Contrast
h. Color/Saturation

I'll provide the setting details for each node below. For now, I'll just summarize the process flow...
This PowerGrade starts with all the nodes turned off. Turning nodes On/Off is "Ctrl + D"

"Noise Reduction" node is toggled off 99% of the time. AVI resolution is so low. I don't want to remove any additional pixels, unless the noise is so bad it looks like it's raining in the room.

"White Balance" node is turned on if there's an obvious white object. I apply the "white balance eyedropper" and toggle the node On/Off to determine if the results are acceptable. I may come back later to recheck the white balance before exporting completed video.

"Night" and "Day" nodes are parallel. I'll only use 1 of the 4, or maybe leave them all off. They use the "Chromatic Adaptation" Effect to correct the "muddy/brown" cast caused when Davinci cannot correctly identify the lighting source. I'll turn them on and off (Ctrl + D) one at a time, and keep the one that looks best. And maybe tweak the light source of the one I keep to get the best results. Additional details later in this post.

"Contrast". Not many adjustments should be needed after changing the Data Levels to "Full" in step #3, and applying "Chromatic Adaption Effect above. Some examples included later in post.

"Color/Saturation". Not many adjustments should be needed after changing the Data Levels to "Full" in step #3, and applying "Chromatic Adaption Effect above.

If the lighting changes mid clip (someone turns a light on/off, or walking from room to room), I'll switch to the CUT tab, split the clip, return to the COLOR tab and correct each split clip individually.

As you finish color correcting a video clip of a room, save it as a PowerGrade (Kitchen Daytime, Kitchen Night time, etc). And next time you need to work on a clip for that room, just apply the PowerGrade you saved for that room. And you're (99%) done in less than 10 seconds...

This process may seem like a lot. But once you get everything setup and have a little practice, you fly thru the basic color corrections for home videos.

============================================================================
INFORMATION THAT I FOUND USEFUL STARTING OUT WITH DV-AVI VIDEO
1. Change the aspect ratio from 720x480 interlaced to 640x480 progressive. My thanks to the people that eventually straightened me out.

2. Deinterlacing is a huge improvement for DV-AVI video. Many users recommend using a 3rd party software named Staxrip. But Staxrip is unable to process my DV-AVI video. But that's ok. I'm satisfied with the "Davinci Neural Engine" deinterlacing.

3. Invest an hour of time to learn POWERGRADES. There are many Youtube videos on how to create and use them. PowerGrades will save you hundreds of hours on the COLOR tab.

The lighting for each room of my home was the same, year after year. Most of the video color adjustments were to correct for the lighting. Since the lighting was not changing, I should have created a "Perfect Color Correction" for the kitchen at night, and saved it as a PowerGrade. Then applied the "Kitchen Night Time" PowerGrade to the other 999 night time kitchen clips. Basically one click, and you're (virtually) done...

Some minor adjustments might be required after the PowerGrade, but just a fraction of the time versus starting from scratch. So you'll have Kitchen Day, Kitchen Night, Family Room Day, Family room Night, Outside Sunny, Outside Cloudy, etc... Maybe a dozen PowerGrades for your most common recording scenarios. Huge time saver, and a more consistent look to your videos...

4. IMPORTANT - Add a node with "Chromatic Adaptation" Effect to your color correction process/PowerGrade. This effect can cleanup that flat, lifeless, ugly brownish muddy color cast with a mouse click.

Apparently Davinci Resolve can't obtain all the lighting information it needs from these old format AVI video clips. So Resolve has to guess about the lighting. The guesses for my TRV17 video created in daylight are usually good, but can sometimes be improved. The guesses for night time/Low light are tragically bad. The Chromatic Adaptation Effect improvement is HUGE!

Once Davinci Resolve is told the source lighting and the target temperature, it does magic. The results are at least as good as I can achieve manually, and only requires a single click! And for the worst clips, I can't even match the improvement from this Effect if I spent all day trying...

To use the "Chromatic Adaptation" effectively, you need to look up your camcorder specifications. The Sony TRV17 Camcorder's Color Temperature is Indoor (Night) 3200K, Outdoor (Day) 5800.

Create a new node and apply the Chromatic Adaption Effect. This will open up a new drop down menu. For a clip shot in sunlight make the following changes:

Source Illuminant:
Illuminant Type = Standard Illuminant
Std Illuminate = D55 (my most common choice). Other daylight options are:
"B" Sunny colder/blue look
"C" Sunny warmer/yellow look
"Dxx" Sunny progressively warmer/redder looks.

Target Illuminant:
Illuminant Type = Color Temperature
Kelvin = 5800 (replace with the Outdoor Color Temperature value for your camera)
Exit the Effects menu. Change the node label to something descriptive like "Sony Day D50"

For a clip shot indoors at night with artificial lighting:
Follow the same process outlined above for the sunlight clip.

Source Illuminant:
Illuminant Type = Standard Illuminant
Std Illuminate = A (my most common choice, a good old fashioned incandescent light bulb). If "A" does not provide good results for a night time scene, it's probably fluorescent lighting. Fluorescents are tough to judge, and there are 12 possibilities. But it's less than a minute to try all the "Fxx" combinations.

Target Illuminant:
Illuminant Type = Color Temperature
Kelvin = 3200 (replace with the Indoor Color Temperature value for your camera)
Exit the Effects menu. Change the node label to something descriptive like "Sony Night A 3200" or "Sony F6 3200"

When color correcting video from a new location, I find it faster to apply a PowerGrade that includes 4 nodes with the most common day and night Chromatic Adaptation settings. And just toggle each node on/off until the video looks correct.

5. Some examples of common Contrast Settings on the COLOR tab Sony TRV17 videos:
Typical for Outdoor sunlight:
Offset = 10
Lift = 0.00 (+/- 0.02)
Soft Clip L.S. = 10.0
Soft Clip H.S. = 20.0

Typical for Indoor with windows/natural sunlight:
Offset = 10
Gain = 1.25
Lift = -0.01
Shad = 20.00
Soft Clip L.S. = 10.0
Soft Clip H.S. = 100.0 (Window behind subject)

Typical for Indoor, Night, Well Lit, Artificial light:
Offset = 25
Gain = 1.00
Lift = 0.00 (+/- 0.02)
Shad = 10.00 (+/- 10.00)
Soft Clip L.S. = 0.0
Soft Clip H.S. = 0.0

Typical for Indoor, Night, Poorly lit, video almost black, Scopes almost a flatline at the bottom. Not much can be done, but you can at least see what was in the video.
Offset = 25
Gain = 2.25
Gamma = 0.05
Lift = -0.07
Shad = 25.00
Soft Clip L.S. = 0.0
Soft Clip H.S. = 0.0

I have lots of DV tapes to convert too. My process is to transfer to PC using Vegas ( any version ) firewire from either my HDR1000 or GV-HD700/1 ( that is also HDV done in the same way ). So a straight file transfer from tape to PC. Then use TMPGenc MasterWorks 7 to deinterlace this standard DV file , twice frame rate to maintain temporal motion. Can then render as almost anything !! Likely not to the same standard as Topaz Ai or maybe even Handbrake but fast and convenient. I do have Topaz
and use when I want the best output. Outputs can be brought into Resolve if needed.

First off it sounds like the interlacing information has got lost in capturing in Avid, and it may have rescaled things in which case it's a lost cause.

I do a lot of transfer from DV (also Digital8, which is a great way of capturing Video8 and Hi8), and I find that I get excellent results using a DVCAM camera as an ADC capturing over FireWire.

My setup runs Linux, which just makes all this stuff so much easier since you don't have to deal with obsolete software.

First I just capture everything in as raw DV with dvgrab. Left to its own devices, this gives me files about 1GB long because it makes some odd assumptions about converting them into .avi files, but we can ignore that.

Then I concatenate all the 1GB files into one big long DV file, with "cat `ls *.dv` > output.dv" giving me one file for the entire tape (or, as much as I care to capture in one go).

It's possible to use dvgrab to emit separate files for each shot, which might be what you want.

Once I've got a big stack of DV files - just raw DV, nothing else done to them - I convert them to .mov files with "ffmpeg -i thing.dv -c copy thing.mov". This just wraps the DV codec in a Quicktime .mov wrapper which Resolve can read.

Now I've got a bunch of .mov files that contain interlaced video with timecode markers, absolutely unprocessed from how it left the tape - not scaled, not recompressed, nothing. Resolve will load those, deinterlace them, and it's even a good codec for editing in since it's inherently an intra frame codec and the frames are quite small.

So, you'd need to recapture your video which is a pain, but from then on out everything immediately becomes much easier and more reliable.

When I use Vegas to transfer I get a single avi file. Yesterday the transfer I did from a large dv tape was 2 hour and 3 mins a single 25.8G avi file. Mediainfo identifies the file as DV 720x480, interlaced, bottom field first as expected. File works on the 1920x1080 60P timeline in Resolve 18 .1.3. Scaling is "scale entire image to fit " places a 4x3 image in the 16x9 frame.

I normally use TMPGENC because the encoders are better than Resolve though. However it does work in the current version of Resolve.

I wasn't sure if it was worth posting an update. The last thread activity was 2018. But it appears miniDV and DV-AVI information is still useful.

I completed the Tape to Computer transfer process years ago. So I'm no longer current on the best methods. The general rule was firewire involves a file transfer (no conversion/best quality). Anything not using firewire was a file capture (lesser quality). So it sounds like Vegas/Firewire is a useful and modern method.

WINDV is old, closed source, and no longer supported. But it still worked at last check. I liked WINDV because:
1. It's performance was rock solid. It transferred files without frame drops or audio screw ups.
2. It was dead simple to use.
3. It was free.
4. It could automatically name the transfer files with the dates the clips were shot (ie 2001-08-11_16-52.00.avi)

Having smaller files with date/time in the file names makes organization easy. I usually grab 1 months worth of clips for each project. And output them as nice "bite size" video named 2001-01, 2001-02, etc.). It makes it easier to locate and play specific holidays, birthdays, whatever...

I'm very happy that I can now do 100% of the video processing within Davinci Resolve 18 (I need to update my signature), and achieve excellent results...

UPDATE 2023-02-22
I am reprocessing all my MiniDV tapes for 2 main reasons:
1. Deinterlacing.
2. The "Chromatic Adaptation" Effect.

My expectation for Deinterlacing was...
I could do the basic color correction work on the free version. If the interlacing artifacts annoyed me too much, I would simply buy Studio later. Then export the videos again, but with Deinterlacing turned on.

The reality... NO
Frame rate is a foundational item in Resolve. Once you start a project, you lock in the Frame rate. No changes allowed. Deinterlacing requires a frame rate change from 29.97 to 59.94 fps. There are kludges to change FPS, but they're not supported. And it's not clear if there are negative impacts to deinterlaced video from tricking Resolve.

I'd probably fight thru the kludges, except for item #2.
The "Chromatic Adaptation" Effect provides superior color correction results, at least for a new hobbyist with minimal skills. I compared a few videos created using the new workflow to videos created 5 years ago. Videos shot in bright daylight on average had modest improvements, with a couple of "WOW!" moments. The improvement to videos shot at night made me smile. The results were really good. To the point I'm willing to redo the clips from scratch.

Try doing a manual correction, and compare it to the Effect. Let me know what you think...

Since I'm starting from scratch, it also makes makes sense to use the original DV-AVI files. At least I'll be able to delete all the intermediate "rewrapped" MOV files when I'm done...


Revised Process - MiniDV AVI Tape to modern MP4/MOV video file:
1. Transfer video from MiniDV tape to computer.
2. Create new Davinci Resolve project.
3. Add DV-AVI files to the project.
4. REMOVED "Data Levels" STEP. No longer recommended. Notes below.
5. Edit the Project Settings (if you haven't changed the defaults).
6. Create new timeline using selected clips.
7. Add Chapter Markers using the EDIT tab. Notes below.
8. Make necessary adjustments using CUT/EDIT and COLOR tabs.
9. Export the finished video using the DELIVER TAB. Notes below

NOTES
I'm still reading and watching videos, hoping to improve my process:

4. Found an article that says "98% of people should not touch Data Levels". Seems primarily an issue for professional work flows. But changing Data Levels was just a shortcut for adjustments easily done on the COLOR tab. So I'm removing it from my work flow. The article is "Video Vs Full Data Levels in Davinci Resolve". It can be found at https://filmmakingelements.com/video-vs ... i-resolve/

7. I've inserted a “Create Chapter Marker" step to the process. It's quick, simple, and the future. Even though MP4 format doesn’t officially support Chapters, they currently have limited support by YouTube and VLC media player.

Chapters are useful on a long video; I can't believe Chapters won't eventually be added to the MP4 standard. My Clips are monthly summaries. My Chapters are the video shoot dates.

The YouTube video "Export Chapter Markers to YouTube Resolve 18 Update" by Phillip R Peck was helpful, if you want to add this step to your process.

If you use Chapter Markers, you'll need to check the "Chapters from Markers" box on the DELIVER tab under "Export Video" section.

OTHER
I've removed the "white balance eye dropper" from my Color Correction process. It consistently delivers bad results when used with the "Chromatic Adaptation" Effect. So I'm back to relying on TEMP/TINT/Scopes on the COLOR tab to adjust white balance...

WRAP UP
I don't have a lot of time invested (yet) in reprocessing my videos. Please let me know ASAP if the process I've outlined can be improved?

Thank you,
Paul

UPDATE: 2023-03-06
I'm finding it useful to add "Titles" Effects along with the Chapter Markers on my home videos. Something simple like the Date and Subject. For example "June 18, 2008", "The Lemonade Stand". I like the "Right Lower Third" title effect.

Some of the initial color correction attempts don't look as good as I hoped after exporting the video. It's a huge time saver (on my old computer) to use the "Render: In/Out Range" setting on the DELIVER Tab for just the clips that need additional correction. Then flip the setting back to "Render: Entire Timeline" when I'm satisfied the entire month's worth of clips are ready for Export again.

There are plenty of YouTube videos that cover the details on how to do "Titles" and "Render: In Out Range".

Revised Process - MiniDV AVI Tape to modern MP4/MOV video file:
1. Transfer video from MiniDV tape to computer.
2. Create new Davinci Resolve project.
3. Add DV-AVI files to the project.
4. Edit the Project Settings (if you haven't changed the defaults).
5. Create new timeline using selected clips.
6. Add Chapter Markers using the EDIT tab.
7. Add Titles Effect at the same spot as your Chapter Markers.
8. Make necessary adjustments using CUT/EDIT and COLOR tabs.
9. Export the finished video using the DELIVER TAB.
10. Repeat steps 6 thru 9 if you're unsatisfied with the exported video.

Sorry if I’m coming to this topic a bit left field but I’m in a place where a lot of dv (mini dv and dvcam) tapes were captured for me a few years back and the place that captured them delivered to us as pro res files. I’ve only recently found time to re master some of the projects and have noticed a weird anomaly with all these captures.. all are upper field first (dv pal was always lower field first) and all have about a 3/4 line at top of blanking. Almost like one line is mostly missing from files. It’s like a black and white checkerboard style line rather than solid black. When you play it thins right down and is barely noticeable.

I noticed earlier in this thread someone mentioned prores should be upper field first. And to be honest after tracking down a dv deck and importing some footage as dv quality plays back identical bar the weird blanking line at top. I’ve got dozens of tapes so would love not to reimport but just wondered if anyone on this thread has come across this issue and found a way to solve. There’s some amazing tips above in how to get the best out of old footage in DR18. I’m just wondering whether a 1-2% zoom to lose a line is better than reimporting the tapes, or if it may have caused other issues when it was made.

Weirdly the prores upper field first matches the original lower field DV footage, they aren’t 1 interlaced frame apart as you would expect. If I turn the pro res to lower field first it does cause the expected back to front/out of order frame issue. But the same thing applies to the DV footage simply in reverse. The footage appears identical bar they seem to start the exact same frame on opppsite fields since the pro res transfer was made. Any insight would be massively appreciated.

Thanks Fols2018 for the update 2023-02-12.

Tiny question: I have Resolve Studio Pro but unfortunately from the Apple App Store instead of the retail version. Apps in the AppStore must run sandboxed, that affects often a lot of functionality.

A not sandboxed retail version (e.g. like Affinity Photo) can unfortunately not easily be purchased, it's a most inconvenient process over some exclusive dealers (at least in Switzerland and at least the last time I tried, what is a few years ago).

Do you know if the process you describe also runs with the sandboxed version?

Best regards,
Roland

UPDATE 2023-02-12
Davinci Resolve 18 is able process the DV-AVI files directly. No need to Rewrap from DV-AVI to MOV container. The deinterlace process is automatic and satisfactory quality. Thank you to the BlackMagic staff for devoting resources to a video format that's no longer mainstream...

I have the Studio Version of Davinci Resolve. The Studio version unlocks GPU acceleration, which is a huge help for older computers like mine. Plus Noise Reduction and some other goodies. It was a worthwhile purchase for me. Most everything I cover below should work in the Free version, and provide great results.

I couldn't find a good "How To" for DV-AVI. I searched... Repeatedly... For years...
There were plenty of methods that delivered an MP4 video. I experimented with free and paid software. But the MP4 videos were flat, muddy, and lifeless compared to the original DV-AVI. Below is a process that actually delivers MP4 videos that make me happy. Give it a try...

============================================================================
Revised Process - MiniDV AVI Tape to modern MP4 video file:
1. Transfer video from MiniDV tape to computer. My process was WINDV transfer software, Sony TRV17 camera, and firewire card. There are more details in previous thread posts above.
2. Create new Davinci Resolve project.
3. Add DV-AVI files to the project. Accept the popup recommendation to "Change Project Frame Rate",
4. Highlight all the DV-AVI video clips, Right click mouse for menu, Left click "Clip Attributes", change the video tab -> Data Levels to "Full". The default "Auto" setting adds most of my clips at a level that would result in clipping, unless I adjust the GAIN later. I find it more efficient to make the change to "Full" now. YMMV...
5. Edit the Project Settings:

MASTER SETTINGS TAB
Timeline Format:
Timeline resolution = Custom (Scroll UP to find in the drop down menu)
For = 640x480
Pixel Aspect Ratio = Square
Davinci Resolve will automatically make the following changes to deinterlace the DV-AVI clips:
- Timeline frame rate should default to 59.94 (deinterlacing doubles the quantity of frames)
- Enable interlace processing should be checked and "grayed out"

Video Monitoring:
Video format = NTSC
Video bit depth = 8 bit

Frame Interpolation:
Retime process = Optical Flow
Motion estimation mode = Enhanced Better
Motion range = Medium

IMAGE SCALING TAB
Image Scaling:
Resize filter = Smoother
Deinterlace quality = Davinci Neural Engine (or best quality for free version)

Input scaling:
Mismatched resolution files = Scale entire image to fit

Output scaling:
Enable "Match timeline settings" checkbox. That should fill in the settings from the "Master Settings" tab
Mismatched resolution files = Scale entire image to fit.

Click the "Save" button in the lower right.
You can save time in the future by going back into the project settings, and clicking on the 3 dots in the upper right. Select "Save current settings as a preset". I used "DV-AVI" as my preset name. On future projects just click on the Project Settings 3 dots, your preset name (ie DV-AVI), and "Load Preset". Or you make things very simple by clicking on your preset name and the clicking on "Set as Default Preset". And not have to deal with the project settings again until you finish your years of AVI clips...

6. Highlight all the clips, Right click the mouse, select "Create new timeline using selected clips". You can just click on "Create", accepting all the default options.
7. Make necessary adjustments using CUT/EDIT and COLOR tabs.
8. Export the finished video using the DELIVER TAB:

Click on the "Custom Export" icon (top left).
Fill in the export File Name and Location.

Export Video:
Format = MP4 (or Quicktime)
Codec = H.265 (or H.264)
Encoder = NVIDIA (Native if no GPU)
Resolution and frame rate filled in by project settings (640x480, 59.94)
Quality = Best
Encoding profile = Auto
Rate Control = Variable Bitrate
Preset = Medium
Tuning = High Quality
Two Pass = Full (only appears if you selected Encoder "NVIDIA" above)

You should now have a basic MP4 video. But it probably could benefit from color correction...
============================================================================

MY COLOR CORRECTION PROCESS
For videos shot in a location I've previously graded (for example the Family Room), I'll just apply a PowerGrade for that location. I'll discuss PowerGrades later in the post.
For a video shot in a brand new location, I apply a default "Swiss Army Knife" PowerGrade with 8 nodes:
a. Noise Reduction
b. White Balance
c. Light Night A 3200
d. Light Night F6 3200
e. Light Day B 5800
f. Light Day D55 5800
g. Contrast
h. Color/Saturation

I'll provide the setting details for each node below. For now, I'll just summarize the process flow...
This PowerGrade starts with all the nodes turned off. Turning nodes On/Off is "Ctrl + D"

"Noise Reduction" node is toggled off 99% of the time. AVI resolution is so low. I don't want to remove any additional pixels, unless the noise is so bad it looks like it's raining in the room.

"White Balance" node is turned on if there's an obvious white object. I apply the "white balance eyedropper" and toggle the node On/Off to determine if the results are acceptable. I may come back later to recheck the white balance before exporting completed video.

"Night" and "Day" nodes are parallel. I'll only use 1 of the 4, or maybe leave them all off. They use the "Chromatic Adaptation" Effect to correct the "muddy/brown" cast caused when Davinci cannot correctly identify the lighting source. I'll turn them on and off (Ctrl + D) one at a time, and keep the one that looks best. And maybe tweak the light source of the one I keep to get the best results. Additional details later in this post.

"Contrast". Not many adjustments should be needed after changing the Data Levels to "Full" in step #3, and applying "Chromatic Adaption Effect above. Some examples included later in post.

"Color/Saturation". Not many adjustments should be needed after changing the Data Levels to "Full" in step #3, and applying "Chromatic Adaption Effect above.

If the lighting changes mid clip (someone turns a light on/off, or walking from room to room), I'll switch to the CUT tab, split the clip, return to the COLOR tab and correct each split clip individually.

As you finish color correcting a video clip of a room, save it as a PowerGrade (Kitchen Daytime, Kitchen Night time, etc). And next time you need to work on a clip for that room, just apply the PowerGrade you saved for that room. And you're (99%) done in less than 10 seconds...

This process may seem like a lot. But once you get everything setup and have a little practice, you fly thru the basic color corrections for home videos.

============================================================================
INFORMATION THAT I FOUND USEFUL STARTING OUT WITH DV-AVI VIDEO
1. Change the aspect ratio from 720x480 interlaced to 640x480 progressive. My thanks to the people that eventually straightened me out.

2. Deinterlacing is a huge improvement for DV-AVI video. Many users recommend using a 3rd party software named Staxrip. But Staxrip is unable to process my DV-AVI video. But that's ok. I'm satisfied with the "Davinci Neural Engine" deinterlacing.

3. Invest an hour of time to learn POWERGRADES. There are many Youtube videos on how to create and use them. PowerGrades will save you hundreds of hours on the COLOR tab.

The lighting for each room of my home was the same, year after year. Most of the video color adjustments were to correct for the lighting. Since the lighting was not changing, I should have created a "Perfect Color Correction" for the kitchen at night, and saved it as a PowerGrade. Then applied the "Kitchen Night Time" PowerGrade to the other 999 night time kitchen clips. Basically one click, and you're (virtually) done...

Some minor adjustments might be required after the PowerGrade, but just a fraction of the time versus starting from scratch. So you'll have Kitchen Day, Kitchen Night, Family Room Day, Family room Night, Outside Sunny, Outside Cloudy, etc... Maybe a dozen PowerGrades for your most common recording scenarios. Huge time saver, and a more consistent look to your videos...

4. IMPORTANT - Add a node with "Chromatic Adaptation" Effect to your color correction process/PowerGrade. This effect can cleanup that flat, lifeless, ugly brownish muddy color cast with a mouse click.

Apparently Davinci Resolve can't obtain all the lighting information it needs from these old format AVI video clips. So Resolve has to guess about the lighting. The guesses for my TRV17 video created in daylight are usually good, but can sometimes be improved. The guesses for night time/Low light are tragically bad. The Chromatic Adaptation Effect improvement is HUGE!

Once Davinci Resolve is told the source lighting and the target temperature, it does magic. The results are at least as good as I can achieve manually, and only requires a single click! And for the worst clips, I can't even match the improvement from this Effect if I spent all day trying...

To use the "Chromatic Adaptation" effectively, you need to look up your camcorder specifications. The Sony TRV17 Camcorder's Color Temperature is Indoor (Night) 3200K, Outdoor (Day) 5800.

Create a new node and apply the Chromatic Adaption Effect. This will open up a new drop down menu. For a clip shot in sunlight make the following changes:

Source Illuminant:
Illuminant Type = Standard Illuminant
Std Illuminate = D55 (my most common choice). Other daylight options are:
"B" Sunny colder/blue look
"C" Sunny warmer/yellow look
"Dxx" Sunny progressively warmer/redder looks.

Target Illuminant:
Illuminant Type = Color Temperature
Kelvin = 5800 (replace with the Outdoor Color Temperature value for your camera)
Exit the Effects menu. Change the node label to something descriptive like "Sony Day D50"

For a clip shot indoors at night with artificial lighting:
Follow the same process outlined above for the sunlight clip.

Source Illuminant:
Illuminant Type = Standard Illuminant
Std Illuminate = A (my most common choice, a good old fashioned incandescent light bulb). If "A" does not provide good results for a night time scene, it's probably fluorescent lighting. Fluorescents are tough to judge, and there are 12 possibilities. But it's less than a minute to try all the "Fxx" combinations.

Target Illuminant:
Illuminant Type = Color Temperature
Kelvin = 3200 (replace with the Indoor Color Temperature value for your camera)
Exit the Effects menu. Change the node label to something descriptive like "Sony Night A 3200" or "Sony F6 3200"

When color correcting video from a new location, I find it faster to apply a PowerGrade that includes 4 nodes with the most common day and night Chromatic Adaptation settings. And just toggle each node on/off until the video looks correct.

5. Some examples of common Contrast Settings on the COLOR tab Sony TRV17 videos:
Typical for Outdoor sunlight:
Offset = 10
Lift = 0.00 (+/- 0.02)
Soft Clip L.S. = 10.0
Soft Clip H.S. = 20.0

Typical for Indoor with windows/natural sunlight:
Offset = 10
Gain = 1.25
Lift = -0.01
Shad = 20.00
Soft Clip L.S. = 10.0
Soft Clip H.S. = 100.0 (Window behind subject)

Typical for Indoor, Night, Well Lit, Artificial light:
Offset = 25
Gain = 1.00
Lift = 0.00 (+/- 0.02)
Shad = 10.00 (+/- 10.00)
Soft Clip L.S. = 0.0
Soft Clip H.S. = 0.0

Typical for Indoor, Night, Poorly lit, video almost black, Scopes almost a flatline at the bottom. Not much can be done, but you can at least see what was in the video.
Offset = 25
Gain = 2.25
Gamma = 0.05
Lift = -0.07
Shad = 25.00
Soft Clip L.S. = 0.0
Soft Clip H.S. = 0.0

I just saw your post. My apologies for the delay responding.

I don't know the answer to your question. I use Davinci Resolve Studio on a Windows 10 PC, and my skill level is "hobbyist". Hopefully one of the senior contributors knows the answers to your questions.

Best of Luck! If you can get it working, Studio does an amazing job cleaning up old video shot indoors with poor lighting...

Thanks for the brilliant writeup as I had given up trying to edit my old DV files with Resolve in version 17 and gone back to Sony Vegas to edit my DV footage.

The only issue I have is that I am using PAL footage of 720 x 576 so was hoping for some advice regarding this.

Most of this excellent write-up applies to PAL as well. Where do you have a problem with the other format?

Hello everyone in the thread!

I've been working on a full-scope guide for digital tape formats for the vhs-decode wiki and been working on many scrips for all FFmpeg and StaxRip hybrid workflows, as analogue capture has moved to FM RF and full software processing making BlackMagic workflows only useful for hardware reference, its workflow is quite simple but digital tapes are a whole lot more fun!

https://github.com/oyvindln/vhs-decode/ ... Tape-Guide

Deinterlacing with QTGMC via Avisynth or Vaporsynth (Manual or hassle free StaxRip) is a lot better then resolves relatively poor handling, keep your masters handy deinterlacing gets better and better with each year of tools and tinkering methods.

- Great Video on QTGMC. (before I knew about staxrip)

My Ingest Workflow Today

FireWire Apple Adapter or StarTec Cards --> Split .dv or .mov files --> DVrescue analsys

Only since Its handy to dump in the field I use Final Cut on a MBP 2017 its a nice workflow it splits each file by date code and muxes the timecode to QuickTime TC after capture I just toss it on an SSD and copy to my windows station then StaxRip can handle batch processing later.

I don't use windows anymore, as I could never get WinDV to work, so I use DVGrab more so on Linux Mint.

I also use DVRescue to make error reports, there muxing tools never have worked for me but outherwise its very helpful for date information and error fixes.



The Biggest Issue (I found)

The biggest issue with digital tapes is capturing the whole tape as a single file is terrible as the datecode/timecode information is hard to extract universal wise.

DVgrab (Linux) WinDV (Windows) and Final Cut (MacOS) are your best bets today for ingest transfer as they split by datecode.

DV25 files both DVCam/HDV can be ingested as a AVI with multiple sub-clips or scenes, however despite tools like DVdate doing a good job there can be major issues if there is a sudden ending a clip or overwriting and the datecode stamp is lost, so yeah best to avoid methods like adobe that capture the stream without using the metadata its saving to file.

Sub-code timecode metadata or as its more technically called ancillary data streams...

This timecode and datecode information be copyed over as first frame timecode value with ffmpeg when muxing initial .avi / .dv / .m2t files to mkv container with FLAC audio.

However you cant extract the sub-clips with easy ffmpeg commands, unless someone has some sort of bash/python script for this process? it would be very helpful as DVdate can do a good job but is not perfect in this process of sub-clip or scene splitting as it calls it.



My Editing Workflow Today

Ingest Tape --> Read Media Info --> StaxRip QTGMC to ProRes HQ (.mov) --> AMCDX Video Patcher --> Import to Resolve timeline --> Edit!

I go an extra step and edit the mov atom header with AMCDX Video Patcher set colour space and CLAP settings alongside timecode so files are ready for adding to the edit without issue.

I also have 2 basic scripts for ProRes HQ BDWIF interlacing too (PAL/NTSC/HDV versions)

PAL:

ffmpeg -i INPUT.xxx -movflags use_metadata_tags -map_metadata 0 -vf bwdif=1:1:0 -c:v prores -profile:v 3 -vendor apl0 -bits_per_mb 8000 -quant_mat hq -mbs_per_slice 8 -pix_fmt yuv422p10le -color_range tv -color_primaries bt470bg -colorspace bt470bg -c:a pcm_s16le -ar 48000 OUTPUT_BDWIF_Progressive.mov

NTSC:

ffmpeg -i INPUT.xxx -movflags use_metadata_tags -map_metadata 0 -vf bwdif=1:1:0 -c:v prores -profile:v 3 -vendor apl0 -bits_per_mb 8000 -quant_mat hq -mbs_per_slice 8 -pix_fmt yuv422p10le -color_range tv -color_primaries smpte170m -colorspace smpte170m -c:a pcm_s16le -ar 48000 OUTPUT_BDWIF_Progressive.mov

HDV: (note for 25/29.97p media remove the BDWIF part)

ffmpeg -i INPUT.xxx -movflags use_metadata_tags -map_metadata 0 -vf bwdif=1:1:0 -c:v prores -profile:v 3 -vendor apl0 -bits_per_mb 8000 -quant_mat hq -mbs_per_slice 8 -pix_fmt yuv422p10le -color_range tv -color_primaries bt709 -colorspace bt709 -c:a pcm_s16le -ar 48000 OUTPUT_BDWIF_Progressive.mov



My Archive Workflow Today (Windows)

For archive the original files are muxed to mkv with audio conformed to 48khz 16-bit FLAC mostly due to hating the mov/mp4 container, and it makes more sence for uploading to cloud and or saving to optical/LTO tapes.

These are Windows scripts so copy to a text file and save it as a .bat and drag and drop the files you wish to process onto the script file.

PAL:

:: Create MKV file from PAL SD AVI/DV/MOV files (Muxes TC / Creation Time Data to MKV)
pushd %~dp0
echo Muxing Input to MKV...
ffmpeg.exe -i "%~1" -c:v copy -c:a flac -sample_fmt s16 -ar 48000 -c:d copy -color_range tv -color_primaries bt470bg -colorspace bt470bg "%~n1.mkv"
echo Done.
PAUSE

NTSC:

:: Create MKV file from NTSC SD AVI/DV/MOV files (Muxes TC / Creation Time Data to MKV)
pushd %~dp0
echo Muxing Input to MKV...
ffmpeg.exe -i "%~1" -c:v copy -c:a flac -sample_fmt s16 -ar 48000 -c:d copy -color_range tv -color_primaries smpte170m -colorspace smpte170m "%~n1.mkv"
echo Done.
PAUSE

HDV:

:: Create MKV file from HDV HD AVI/DV/MOV files (Muxes TC / Creation Time Data to MKV)
pushd %~dp0
echo Muxing Input to MKV...
ffmpeg.exe -i "%~1" -c:v copy -c:a flac -sample_fmt s16 -ar 48000 -c:d copy -color_range tv -color_primaries bt709 -colorspace bt709 "%~n1.mkv"
echo Done.
PAUSE

Looks like a very complicated process to the one I use with Vegas. Vegas will capture( NTSC or PAL DV and HDV ) with device control from Sony deck/camcorder so you can specify any parts of tape to capture and it will control deck. No need to capture the whole tape, it of course brings it into Vegas from which you can edit directly and export to whatever format you like if you want. I still prefer to use TMPGenc MW7 to deinterlace and encode to whatever format I want want and its fast. Once I have a deinterlaced file, Resolve is fine for upscaling and a little cleanup.

I accept you need Sony deck with LANC control and Vegas ( almost any version )