archiving mini dv

This details how I'm pulling all video off of my mini dv tapes for easy access on my computers or PS3.

1. rip footage to iMovie
2. re-encode .dv files with MPEG Streamclip or ffmpeg

1. Open a new iMovie project, in either DV or DV Widescreen format (depending on how you recorded the video onto your tape)
2. Allow iMovie to import the entire tape into clips
3. Save the project and close iMovie

1. create a preset with the following:
   • MPEG-4 container
   • H.264 video encoding
   • AAC audio encoding, stereo, 128 kbps
   • 60% Quality
   • Multipass
   • Limit Data Rate to 1000 Kbps
   • Deinterlace Video
   • 640 x 480 (4:3) frame size (or 854 x 480, 16:9 for widescreen)
2. if encoding many files
   1. go to List → Batch List
   2. click the Add Files… button
   3. select “All Files” from the filter at the bottom
   4. go to where your iMovie project is and expand to the Media folder (or open any folder with the files you want to encode if you didn't use iMovie)
   5. select all files and click “To Batch”
   6. select Export to MPEG-4 as the task and click OK
   7. click Presets…
   8. select your preset and click Load
   9. click To Batch
   10. click start to begin encoding all files in the batch
3. if encoding one file
   1. open a single file
   2. go to File → Export to MPEG-4…
   3. click Presets…
   4. select your preset and click Load
   5. click Make MP4