User guide

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Chapter 8, Using Matrox MediaTools
About Matrox MediaTools
Matrox MediaTools is a DV capture application that allows you to perform
automatic, unattended DV tape scanning and batch capture. With MediaTools,
you can:
• In a single pass, automatically scan and capture clips from a DV tape into
.avi files on your computer.
• Automatically scan an entire DV tape to create a batch capture list.
• Capture clips from a batch capture list at a later time, and adjust the In and
Out points of clips prior to capturing.
• Capture live video from your DV-1394 device.
• Use onscreen transport controls to navigate quickly and easily through clips
on tape or clips on disk.
• Grab single-frame images and save them as .tga or .avi files, such as to
create photo montages.
• Edit the In and Out points of clips and recapture them.
• Change the order of clips in your clip list by simply dragging and dropping
clips into the sequence you want.
• Export your clip list to an Adobe Premiere project where you can add
Matrox realtime effects.
¦NoteYour clips are captured in native DV format (that is, Matrox
DV/DVCAM format).
Preparing your tapes for use with MediaTools
The tapes you use with MediaTools must contain continuous and consecutive
time code, and all material must be recorded at the same speed. Leaving blank
gaps between recorded material results in discontinuous time code. To avoid this
problem, stripe your entire tape with time code before recording your source
material. You can stripe your entire tape by recording black video for the duration
of the tape. To do this, insert a blank tape into your camcorder, put the lens cap
on, then record up to the end of the tape.
¦NoteMediaTools requires about six seconds of preroll before capturing
material. Therefore, don’t record material that you want to capture within the first
six seconds of your DV tape.