How to Capture Video from your DV Camera using Pinnacle and Windows XP If you already have your video in AVI format skip this procedure and go to How to Create Streaming Video using Real Producer FREE Basic. This page is how we captured the video from the Digital Video camera using Pinnacle. Getting your equipment ready: 1. Install the camera software onto the computer. 2. Protect your tape!: Look for a tab on the tape edge which will allow you to SAVE or SAFE or PROTECT your tape. 3. Plug in the A/C power source adapter and insert tape in DV camcorder. 4. Rewind the tape to your starting point. (Turn on your Tape Counter to keep track of where you are.) 5. Connect your DV camera using a DV to Firewire cable into the Pinnacle input. Using Pinnacle: 1. Open Pinnacle by clicking on the Studio Version** on the desktop Icon. (You may have to let the computer recognize the camera or help it along by following the instructions in the pop-up windows). 2. Setup the capture source to DV Camcorder and the capture format to MPG (or choose from dropdown options) this will capture in real time. 3. Select "View - Capture". (You should see an image that looks like a camera. The buttons on the image actually drives your camera.) Rewind and forward to the desired starting point 4. Select "Start Capture" and give it a name. 5. Select "Stop Capture" when you're done. 6. Select "View - Edit". Click on the picture of the film clip and drag it to the staging area. Press "Play" to find where you want to edit the film. Move the horizontal scroll bar to advance and backup to where you want to go. Place it at a point to cut the video and click on the separate strip icon that looks like a razor blade. Select the portion you want to cut (it will highlight) and delete it. Continue to edit your clip until you are satisfied with the results.
7. Select "View Make Movie," select the "Create AVI file" button, name it, and select OK. 8. Select "File Save Project As," give it the same name as when you were capturing it, and save it. The final AVI should be saved to the following path - C:/Document and Settings/All Users/Shared Documents/Pinnacle Studio/Captured Video. (Pinnacle creates a.stu,.scn, and auxiliary files. These files will allow you to come back and save it as a different format if you wish to later. You may opt not to do this step and save hard drive space if you know you won't need to change the file format later). 9. For additional videos, select "File New Program Repeat Step 3-9 until you're done with all your videos. 10. Copy the AVI file to convert to an RM file. Always save the original file somewhere else. Just in case the copy is lost.
How to Create Streaming Video using Real Producer FREE Basic Converting AVI Video files to RM files Download & install Real Producer Basic it's a Free software you can get at www.realnetworks.com/producer/producer and convert your.avi video clip to an.rm file. We worked with the free version which has a lot of the bells and whistles turned off. We also don't know if it were purchased whether or not it would convert faster. 5. Then click ENCODE. 1. Open Real Producer Basic Under Input: Select the Input file. Select Browse and locate your AVI video file and insert the video. Real Producer will load the path for you. 2. Under Output: Select Audience: Under Audio Mode: select the drop down and choose "voice". Under Video Mode: select the drop down and choose "normal motion video". 3. Under Audio Selection Templates: Choose 3 different speeds for viewers to access. We suggest 56K Dialup, 150K LAN, and 256 DSL or Cable. Scroll down in the Audio Selection Templates, locate the speed you want, click on it and click on the right arrow key to move it to the Audiences in Job section. Delete any slower speeds that may already be in the Audiences in Job section. Close window. 4. *Optional - Under Clip Information: Give it a Title, Author, and change the Rating if you wish. Real Producer will load the destination for you.
You should see green bars moving on the left input side of the window and video on this first pass This is done in real time. The destinations status should say writing. And then on the right output side of the window on the second pass This is done frame by frame. When that is done you should see "Real Producer Basic with Intel Optimizers Streaming Web Video" in the right output side of the window and the destination status should say complete. If you are not seeing this process in your windows stop the process and try again. You will find the.rm file on your C drive in your My Videos folder. (It will look like a sound file, that's just what it's supposed to do). Or search *.rm if you don't find it there. Make sure you have written permission from your students to put their image/likeness on the internet. We keep ours password protected and accessible only to students enrolled in the Homiletics Class.
Creating a.txt (Text) file using MsNotepad (a basic text editor) TXT to RM 1. Go to Start, Programs, Accessories, and then Notepad. Type one line which says where the.rm file will be found on your website and save the file with the same name as the.rm file. For example I created the following one line txt file in notepad: 2. Save the.txt file (It should have a note pad icon). Then change the extension from.txt to.ram by typing.ram in place of.txt (once you changed the.txt file to an.ram metafile you cannot make changes to it in notepad, so keep a copy of the.txt file just in case). (It will look like a sound file icon, that's just what it's supposed to do). 3. Upload the.rm and the.ram file to your web server. Keep it in the same directory as your web page. 4. Now within your web page link to the.ram file. Save it and test it.
Capturing Audio using Total Recorder Total Recorder Standard Edition can be purchased at www.highcriteria.com for $11.95. This software can capture any audio that can be played through your computer speakers as a WAV audio file. 1. Install Total Recorder on your computer. 2. Click on the "Mixer" button and make sure only your microphone is muted. 3. Click on the "Recording source and parameters" button it should be defaulted to Software. (Choose Sound board if you are capturing the audio from the CD player or microphone or Line In, whichever pertains to you) but leave it on Software if you are capturing the audio from the internet or your hard drive. 4. Select Convert using Recording Parameters specified below. Under Recording Parameters: Select the "Change" button Choose the quality which bests fits your file type. CD Quality would be for music you would want to make into a CD 44.100 khz, 16 Bit Stereo. You may want to choose a lower quality and mono for voice it will result in a much smaller size file. Select OK. 5. Fine the audio you wish to capture. Select File, New. 6. Select the Red Record button in Total Recorder 1 st then play the audio you wish to capture. You should see Green bars lighting up under Status L and R for Left and Right speakers. If it is going into the Red color bring the recording levels down by clicking the Level bar, slide down and bring the bars into the green again. Then hit the stop button in total recorder. Do not save this recording that was in the red, go to File and select new and try again. 7. When it is done stop the recording and select File and then Save As. Click the Save in drop down and direct it to where you want the recording to end up. (If you don't tell it where to go it will default under C drive: program files: High Criteria: Total Recorder.) Give it a File name and Save.
How to Edit Audio using Audacity This is free software you can find at http://audacity.sourceforge.net. You can edit any WAV or MP3 audio file. Take out ah's and um's, clicks and pops. If you take out more than just a blip, like people coughing, you can inadvertently take part of the voice out and the end result will sound jumpy. Also watch out for the absence of sound, it can be deafening. If possible get some background noise taped, just background noise in case you need to add some space within the audio clip. 1. Download and install Audacity and the Lame Mp3 Encoder. (you might as well get the encoder while you're there for future use) 2. Make a copy of the original audio file and bring it into Audacity: File, Open, find your file and Open. You can zoom in and out of your audio file by clicking on the magnifying glass + or -. Lets say I wanted to take out that long empty time at the end. 3. With the selection tool engaged, click into the area you want to work with. Play by clicking the green triangle button, toggle between play, stop, and rewind to verify the exact starting place and the exact ending place. Then click and drag to highlight the area you want to work with. A hand will appear showing you where you are. Play it to verify again this is what you want to edit. Click on the cut button and you have just edited the audio file. Play it again to verify this is the end result you want. 4. Audacity created a folder for your edited work called.audacity_temp. And note the path where this folder is. Go to File, Export as WAV. Always keep the original WAV file and the edited WAV file until you are sure you no longer need the original. (If, for future use, you choose to export as an MP3, place the Lame MP3 encoder folder in the.audacity_temp folder. You may be asked where the Lame encoder file is, if so direct it to the folder you just put in the.audacity_temp folder. If you have trouble exporting to MP3 files in Audacity try Cdex. It converts WAV to MP3 and back again very easily. You can find it at www.download.com and search "Cdex").
Converting WAV audio file to RM files using Real Producer Free Basic This is free software you can find at www.realnetworks.com/products/producer Download and install Real producer. 1. Open Real Producer Basic Under Input: Select the Input file. Select Browse and locate your WAV audio file and insert the audio. Real Producer will load the path for you. 2. Under Output: Select Audience: Under Audio Mode: select the drop down and choose "music". Under Video Mode: select the drop down and choose "no video". 3. Under Audio Selection Templates: Choose 3 different speeds for viewers to access. We suggest 56K Dialup, 150K LAN, and 256 DSL or Cable. Scroll down in the Audio Selection Templates, locate the speed you want, click on it and click on the right arrow key to move it to the Audiences in Job section. Delete any slower speeds that may already be in the Audiences in Job section. 4. *Optional - Under Clip Information: Give it a Title, Author, and change the Rating if you wish. Real Producer will load the destination for you. 5. Then click ENCODE. (You should see green bars moving on the left input side of the window and video on this first pass. And then on the right output side of the window on the second pass. The destination status should say writing. When that is done the destination status should say complete. If you are not seeing this process in your windows stop the process and try again. You will find the RM file in the folder you had the WAV file. Upload the RM file to your web server and keep it in the same directory as your web page. Create your.txt file, rename to.ram and link to the.ram file within your web page. Save and test.
Converting WAV audio files to MP3 files using Cdex This is free software you can find at www.download.com, search "Cdex". This software converts WAV to MP3 and MP3 to WAV. 1. Download and install Cdex. 2. Copy your WAV file to the CDex_140b9 folder. Go to My Computer, C drive, Program Files, CDex_140b9. 3. Click on the WAV to MP3 button. (It will take you to the CDex_140b9 folder content.) 4. Select the WAV file you want to convert (or the Select All button if you wish to convert all the WAV files in this folder). 5. Select the convert button. It will convert very quickly and will create a file called MP3 in you re my Documents folder. This is where you will find the new MP3 file. 6. Upload the MP3 file to your web server and keep it in the same directory as your web pages.