MiniDV cassette tape & full channel record

MiniDV is a Digital Video mini format cassette tape system launched in 1995. It was developed alongside FireWire, the IEEE1394 standard link also known as iLink. FireWire was great for attaching data backup devices. Janus Cycle had 10Gb of video data in need of a backup.
Music:
Dead Can Dance - The Host of Seraphim (in concert 2013)
farbrausch - fr-08 loading

[@subliminalvibes]

This is brilliant. I love how the data transfer program even gives you the option for redundancy too. I must try this. The ending was really cool! Still rocking my JVC-DV900A from around 2000, and a bunch of unopened tapes too. It's a PAL unit so I've used the "AV-in" to digitise VHS tapes from the UK and a handful of PAL laserdiscs too. There are some artefacts from the difference in formats as Mini-DV has a different resolution to PAL and NTSC frames but they look enough considering I had no other options at the time. I love all your "DATA IN WRONG PLACES" videos. 👍😎

[@artvandelayimports]

My dad recorded our home videos on these tapes for over 10 years. Took me a long time to back up these tapes to digital files using my camcorder and iMovie on my Mac haha

[@concr3t3]

love the subtitles getting corrupted too at the end... love your stuff man!

[@JanusCycle]

I had forgotten about adding the corrupt subtitles and had to check it out again. Thank you for reminding me!

[@NevilleStyke]

The lack of touch screen function (if the flex cable is known to be good) is usually due to the failure of the A-7112-124-A PD-213 BOARD, which can be found on the HC16, HC18, HC20 HC40 PC106, PC107, PC108, PC109 models, as well as the HC30, if you want to source a replacement.

[@JanusCycle]

Thank you for that high level of detail.

[@LAHegarty]

Hi, I'd just like to say I'm really enjoying your videos, I've watched about 50% of them and they are very much my cup of tea, thank you.

[@JanusCycle]

Thank you. I'm really pleased to hear that. It helps me to know that people are enjoying watching across the range of different videos. I'm hoping that my best work is still ahead.

[@77funtomas]

Nowadays the hardest part is to find a laptop with FireWire port...🤷

[@spazjackrabbit61]

my hp pavillion from 2006 does have though you need to look for windows xp era laptops as a couple of them have firewire port

[@csgoplayer1]

​@@spazjackrabbit61My ASUS Striker II Did have a IEEE 1394 port which didn't work but when I took out the board there was an plug on the board and luckily I had the card for it and now I can transfer videos of my JVC GY DV500 without any of those cheap av to usb grabbers

[@yoitsgiook]

Ummm every PowerBook or iBook by apple. Heck even MacBooks and MacBook Pros. I got a few lying around with FireWire 400.

[@andrewtowell6074]

Completely fascinating, thanks!!

[@Andres-st9fj]

So good man... Thank you so much from Uruguay !

[@JanusCycle]

I'm glad you enjoyed this :)

[@hellospam879879]

A compelling look at man's struggle with forces of nature and technology that present a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Will man triumph over these forces and thereby challenge the supremacy of the bemused rulers of Mount Olympus (or at least Mount Fugi)? Tension builds as hurdles grow ever higher but this morality tale delivers a timeless and satisfying resolution. Not to be missed.

[@moow950]

Thanks for this video!!! Very helpful 👍👍👍

[@JanusCycle]

I'm glad you got something useful out of it.

[@maxbradshaw4396]

Great video however I'd recommend getting a Firewire capture card for your computer and using Premier Pro's Capture function to control the camera and capture to AVI. Then use DVdate to extract the date/times as a subtitle file. Then use Handbreak to deinterlace, compress and add subtitles to the file.

[@maxbradshaw4396]

@Flippers49 best feeling when you finally get them all backed up at the best quality

[@TORONTO88821]

thank you.

[@TheRealHarrypm]

I run an HVR-Z5 (2007) as a webcam it has 1920x1080 4:2:2 HDMI output with an Atmos Recorder at 100-200mbps 10bit its still TV broadcast acceptable, However MiniDV as a standard actually died in 2012 for the 1st world nations, 3rd world still has a lot in use due to tons of good working older equipment but the MiniDV tapes can do up to 1440x1080i 50/60i or 25/30 in both interlaced or progressive at 25mbps 4:2:0 (4:1:1 was more a USA model thing and was axed when HDV started back in around 2001 or so) DVCAM was kinda piss poor compared to HDV and funny enough the cameras were in the later years cripped by the tape recording system even tho Sony managed to pack 200i slow motion into it the bitrate really didn't do it justice. Funny enough as much as I ramble about 4:2:2 output Firewire is still the best way to pull tape data over any other method unless you want to use the built-in upscaler in last-gen of HDV cameras. The sad thing about today though is the FireWire cards the cheap ones not from StarTech etc are plagued with the legacy driver install issues and without them, you can't pull feeds off the cameras you can get control of the tape system but windows allowed the driver standard to be broken if you're using Windows 10 it should be n Some Software to be noted though.. WinDV/VirtualDub2 FFMPEG/QTGMC/NNEDI3 - for De-interlacing (there is so many methods but most of the community agrees this is the current baseline)

[@kashifpathan740]

Hi

[@kashifpathan740]

Love

[@paulb4uk]

I have two sony mini dv camcorders here the latest one my dad bought for next to nothing from a charity shop it worked well but touch screen was not working i found a cheap remote on ebay that allowed me to operate it oddily after using it touch screen now works ,i am wondering if pulling the viewfinder out has made any difference oddily if i play video with screen closed viewfinder does not work the viewfinder only seems to work in record mode with the screen closed .The remote i have does not have long play function just the basics .This video was quite interesting i never knew you could do this .

[@vileCR999]

I found your channel after looking up some firewire workarounds for hooking up my miniDV camera, but not I bought a Firewire PCIE card cuz I wanna play with DVStreamer!!! Could you do another more indepth video on the program and more uses?

[@JanusCycle]

The two videos I made about DVStreamer covered most of what the software can do. While I'm open to doing more, that may not be for a while. Please feel free to ask me questions is comments or even email me if you are looking for specific information. I would like to help. I hope you enjoy messing about with MiniDV. Let me know how it goes.

[@scotshabalam2432]

I think the LANC port was meant for the dive-housing shown at 11:55 most home users would use the IR remote.

[@JanusCycle]

Very interesting, thanks for that detail.

[@scotshabalam2432]

@@JanusCycle the social media response "Very interesting" should be retired after Elon Musk made it the biggest dork phrase ever uttered by a human slime mold.

[@CoCoNutZ4eVer]

Great video mate, I have an old dv Sony camcorder and want to extract the video to my windows pc. The problem I have is that my laptop doesn't have a firewire port. The ports i have are x1 mini Displayport, x1 hdmi port and x4 usb ports. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[@Cosmic_Girl_9]

Same. Let me know if you worked it out!

[@Capturing-Memories]

I wonder if this would work on Digital8 camcorder since it uses the same DV format?

[@JanusCycle]

Yes, I believe Digital8 will work.

[@Capturing-Memories]

@@JanusCycle I installed it but there is no way to register it as all links are dead, I would really appreciate it if you could share your license, I know it's silly to ask but I have no other way to unlock the software. I've sent you an e-mail.

[@Capturing-Memories]

How do you get the DVstreamer license? all the links seem to be dead in their website.

[@JanusCycle]

Technically is a retired product. If you get the demo working ok, then email the sales email address, he might offer something. I get the impression he's quite busy, the easier you make it for him the better. I can offer some tech support regarding what I was able to get working. Maybe mention these videos, if that helps. I did send him a link.

[@Capturing-Memories]

@@JanusCycle I've sent them an e-mail, will see what happens.

[@zomalfa4363]

Where did you get the $6 part from? How can I figure out how to put it all back together after I've taken it apart? So, you can transfer VHS to mini dv this way? I wonder if can right to the computer and copy.

[@JanusCycle]

The ribbon cable spare part is from eBay. Re-assembling is just the reverse of disassembly. Though it requires really close attention during both phases. It also helps to take photos along the way and keep notes. Maybe practice on other less important devices first. There are many MiniDV models that have composite video input that can record VHS. Some also pass the digitized composite VHS signal directly to a computer over FireWire. Allowing VHS capture to a computer without recording to MiniDV tape first.

[@zomalfa4363]

@@JanusCycle I guess its too late for my camera, I paid no attention to how it came apart and there's like 50 pieces. So you can use this to get VHS to digital? Explain.

[@JanusCycle]

@@zomalfa4363 Many MiniDV camcorders already have analogue to digital conversion built in. You can just plug a VHS deck into the camcorder. The camcorder then converts the VHS signal into digital. Here is a popular video describing the process. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6fRfWekeNtliK8

[@bigbear307]

So these tapes store analog video? It says its digital, but why then do you need to ’capture’ the video instead of simply transfer it???

[@JanusCycle]

The video is indeed all digital. I may have said capture while thinking transfer. Thank you for pointing this out.

[@Maxim_Borusa]

HI!! Do you have Sony PCG-GT3?

[@JanusCycle]

I don't have one. Always wanted one, very unique machine.

[@alexwallberg5607]

Hello do you know a Mac software to connect what's in my MacBook screen to dv tape?

[@JanusCycle]

There is DVstreamer style software called 'dvbackup dmg'. For video transfer you can use older versions of iMovie. For video back to tape you may need to check which softwares can do that. For example Final Cut Pro may be able to send video to tape.

[@alexwallberg5607]

@@JanusCycle I have Final Cut Pro. I connected it to my Mac. Do you know the next step?

[@scotty1145]

I don't have a fire wire port in my laptop. Not sure what to do. Thanks

[@JanusCycle]

Apple sells a Firewire to Thunderbolt adaptor. Be careful of those basic USB to Firewire cables, they don't work with camcorders.

[@Ichwillkeinenaliascheisyoutube]

what is the name of the tiny laptop you use during the repair ?

[@JanusCycle]

This is a Sony VAIO C1

[@dutcie]

Hi I have a sony DCR HC42E HANDYCAM and a HP pavilion DV& with windows 7 installed it has a built in 1394 port. i have connected the cable 4pin each end to both devices but the laptop does not recognise the devise. Could the cable be the problem or do i need to install a driver.

[@JanusCycle]

I one ordered a silver coloured 1394 cable from eBay that didn't work. I checked the pins and it had been wired up incorrectly. Windows 7 already has a 1394 driver built in. If the cable works, then the camera should be detectable when in playback mode.

[@Maxonih]

Did you solve it?)

[@tromboneJTS]

0:36 = overly enthusiastic

[@SaulsUpholsteryNJ]

When to use ilink and when to use the regular av output? Differences?

[@JanusCycle]

iLink is a digital interface and so it copies the actual video file directly from the tape to your computer. This is preferred for best quality. AV is analogue which is fine for watching tapes on an old TV. Many people do a digital capture from the AV output to copy a tape. This is fine and produces decent enough results. But iLink gives you a copy of the original Digital Video (DV) file :)

[@SaulsUpholsteryNJ]

@@JanusCycle thanks! What is the best way to connect it to a pc?

[@JanusCycle]

@@SaulsUpholsteryNJ You will need a computer with a Firewire/IEEE1394/iLink port. Often found on older computers from more than ten years ago Most older Apple Macs have them, called Firewire(tm). Sony laptops called them iLink(tm). And other older laptops named the port IEEE1394 or DV port.

[@SaulsUpholsteryNJ]

@@JanusCycle 👌 for newer computers is there a suggested way to connect it?

[@Maxonih]

@@JanusCycle hi! Thanks for your content. I'm trying to get recordings via sony hc42-e camera. It have 4-pin 1394 insert on dockstation. I've bought 1394 card on AliExpress. It have one 4-pin and two 6-pin inserts. I'm using my old pc with windows xp sp3. When I use usb import it works fine, but quality awful. 1394 doesn't work. Do you think is it correct to use 4pin-6pin wire, or I need 4pin-4pin? Sorry my English

[@joeynrg]

I feel like you may have hid something in the fuzz at the end of the video. I would have certainly put a rick roll there.

[@tromboneJTS]

At 8:08 the reason why they invented USB flash memory

[@sting64az]

Is scenealyzer live software free?.

[@JanusCycle]

Yes, the publisher has made the software free. www.scenalyzer.com/

[@Varo486Photography]

Do you happen to have the license for the software? I've tried e-mailing the address on the website, but I get an incoming e-mail notifying me of an error, as the address isn't working anymore. I'm pretty sure it's abandonware as of today. Thanks in advance.

[@JanusCycle]

Send me an email using the address on the about page for this channel so I can help you properly.

[@Varo486Photography]

@@JanusCycle Sure thing!

[@tromboneJTS]

0:18 = ominous

[@tomeksloekers4602]

Ok. How can I do this at a modern Windows 11 laptop?

[@terencemcculloch3294]

You can't

[@nocturnal0072]

7:11 ;)

[@BillStreeter]

MiniDV tapes really aren't a great format for archiving. They're fairly fragile and they don't last very long. Interesting concept but really not a good idea if you want to archive data.

[@JanusCycle]

Though in the late 1990s it must have been tempting to backup with for the price and capacity.