To capture for editing purpose you want as many frames as you can get and capture in AVI uncompressed will give to you more options. Unfortunately it does take a lot of space on HD. MOV will compress and in that effect you will loose some frames. Try both and see what you can come up.
My preffered capture format is AVI uncompressed.

Many times, the choice is based mostly on distribution audience. If they're Mac-heads, use QT, if they're PC-nostic, use AVI, altho', in recent years, the difference has blurred.

My preffered capture format is AVI uncompressed.

My preferred capture format is NTSC-DV. Vegas doesn't capture uncompressed. You must be using some propriatary hardware to capture uncompressed.

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1. Is working on a Mac in Final Cut Pro with .mov files essentially the same as working on a PC in Vegas with .avi files?

Yes. Both are simply wrappers containing the DV video.

2. What software do I use to capture "uncompressed" NTSC-DV? Is there a benefit capturing uncompressed NTSC-DV over capturing with the Vegas Capture app?

There is no such thing as "uncompressed DV". DV is compressed. You CAN render to uncompressed (which is MUCH larger than DV). Capturing via firewire you will be getting DV.

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A MOV is like an AVI. It is a wrapper that can contain several types of files. Depending upon what compression and what codec is used, the file may vary in size.

Dave T2

A DV-MOV file and a DV-AVI file will both be roughly 13Gig / hr. There is no difference. If one was smaller than the other, then yes, it was compressed more. But that wouldn't be the normal capture size. I've used both MOV and AVI as capture formats on a PC - both are the same size on capture. AND Both can be made smaller with more compression after capture.

I think what happens is that lots of people forget that both .mov and .avi can contain different types of codecs and compressions. Probably most of the .mov files people encounter are quicktime files using a compression of 30:1 or more. Most of the avi files that are used in NLE are DV compressed at 8:1. So, all other things being equal, these common examples would show .mov files at about 1/4 the size of avi. However, .mov files could also be compressed with DV at 8:1 and .avi files could be MPEG-4 at 30:1 or more. Then the size relationship would be reversed. What's more important than the extension on the filename is the codec and compression ratio used when creating the file.

I occasionally have "problems" with Quicktime files when I put them on the Vegas timeline. Simply put, Quicktime is an Apple format, avi is a Windows format. Whatever works for you.

Here is a great resource for understanding video compression and codecs.

"Compression for Great Digital Video" by Ben Waggoner

It is published by CMP Books and is available on Amazon.com

--Jay Mitchell

So Cal Vegas Users Group

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Avi is not a compression scheme.
Mov is not a compression scheme.

They are file formats that contain video which can encoded in various codecs and in various compression schemes.


When he said that most quicktime files that people encounter are at 30:1 he was mainly talking about files you would encounter on the web or on a CD-ROM, that is, files that have been compressed so they can delivered at small file sizes, it is not files that you would capture or edit with.

If you capture somde footage from a DV camera to a PC it goes to a .avi file (which is what 8:1 compression?).
DV is compressed at the camera. When you capture the footage over a firewire you are just transferring data. The compression does not change. So when you capture to an avi file on a PC, it's the same quality as when you capture to a mov file on a Mac. (Also, I thought straight DV is a 5:1 compression, not 8:1)

The avi or mov "wrapper" is just kind of an interface with the computer. Among the things that are contained in the metadata of the wrapper is which codec to use. That is why sometimes you can find an avi file that you cannot open, even though most avi files play on your machine. It usually means your computer does not have the codec that file was created with installed.

In simplest terms, use avi when working on a pc and use mov when working on a mac. When you output you can choose whatever format you need. You can edit an entire piece on a PC using avi files, even though the piece will be delivered on a Mac as a mov file. You just need to render to quicktime as the final product.