Is it possible to capture miniDV video and audio from tape based camcorders using iMovie or Quicktime on a modern Mac without losing quality?

Not according to MediaInfo. The full report exceeds the 5,000 character limit so I’ll send the video section only here:

General

Complete name : /Volumes/Crucial X9/0 Video Source Files Still to Be Processed/MiniDV Files/MiniDV Original Captures from Tapes/0 May 2025 Captures/A Spain to Zermatt 20032004/2025-05-14 10_40_10.mov

Format : MPEG-4

Commercial name : DVCAM

Format profile : QuickTime

Codec ID : qt 0000.00 (qt )

File size : 5.71 GiB

Duration : 26 min 12 s

Overall bit rate : 31.2 Mb/s

Frame rate : 25.000 FPS

Recorded date : 2025-05-14T10:39:42+0100

Encoded date : 2025-05-14 09:40:15 UTC

Tagged date : 2025-05-14 10:06:28 UTC

Writing application : macOS 15.4.1 (24E263)

Writing library : Apple QuickTime

Writing hardware : Apple Mac16,12

Video

ID : 1

Format : DV

Commercial name : DVCAM

Codec ID : dvcp

Duration : 26 min 12 s

Source duration : 26 min 12 s

Bit rate mode : Constant

Bit rate : 24.4 Mb/s

Width : 720 pixels

Clean aperture width : 703 pixels

Height : 576 pixels

Clean aperture height : 576 pixels

Display aspect ratio : 4:3

Original display aspect ratio : 4:3

Clean aperture display aspect ratio : 4:3

Frame rate mode : Constant

Frame rate : 25.000 FPS

Standard : PAL

Color space : YUV

Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0

Bit depth : 8 bits

Scan type : Interlaced

Scan type, store method : Interleaved fields

Scan order : Bottom Field First

Compression mode : Lossy

Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 2.357

Time code of first frame : 00:00:00:04

Time code source : Subcode time code

Stream size : 5.27 GiB (92%)

Source stream size : 5.27 GiB (92%)

Title : Core Media Video

Writing library : DV - PAL

Encoding settings : ae mode=full automatic / wb mode=automatic / white balance= / fcm=manual focus

Encoded date : 2025-05-14 09:40:15 UTC

Tagged date : 2025-05-14 10:06:28 UTC

Color primaries : BT.601 PAL

Transfer characteristics : BT.709

Matrix coefficients : BT.601

You’re right, there is a 90 day trial of FCP. Just researching the capture methodology for FCP vs iMovie, Apple’s AI says:

When capturing DV video in Final Cut Pro, the saved format is Apple ProRes 422 Linear PCM stereo. While DV is the original source format, Final Cut Pro automatically converts it to ProRes for editing and playback,. This conversion helps optimize editing performance and allows for better editing capabilities within Final Cut Pro. You can then export your final project in various formats, including DV, according to Apple Support. 

And, for iMovie, it says:

When capturing DV video with iMovie, it's saved as a DV file, which is a type of QuickTime (.mov) file. iMovie can then be used to edit and further export the DV file in various other formats like MP4 or MOV, depending on the desired output. DV files are essentially the raw bitstream from the tape, stored within a QuickTime container.

I’m happy to stick with iMovie on this basis. I’ve now completed my captures and will move to the processing stage. Thanks for your input.

Thanks Ian. I’m aware of interlacing, aspect ratios and pixel dimensions etc.

I want to capture interlaced as per the original miniDV video. My problem is being able to capture in this form now.

If I can capture interlaced original footage to .avi or .dv, I then deinterlace using QTGMC and Bob in Hybrid to produce 50 unique frames per second and adjust to get square pixels. which I export as ProRes522 for editing. As this is standard definition PAL, my workflow maintains the original DV file information losslessly. Once edited, I save again as ProRes as the master and this can be exported to any lossless format as many times as needed.

This workflow is the best I’ve found without losing information from discarded fields.

For whatever reason, iMovie is playing much nicer with subsequent tapes to the first one, which I had the problem with and is giving me what I need.

My initial experiences with iMovie and Quicktime were as you say and I described them on the original post. However, subsequent experiences with iMovie have been much better, producing captures as long as desired and not splitting into clips. I’m wondering if it’s due to the tapes used (I’ve used Sony, Panasonic, JVC) or whether the tape which produced the tiny clips has different time coding which is throwing the capture process.

So far so good with iMovie. Please see the MediaInfo extract on my recent post. I’ll now see if it can be deinterlaced to produce 50 separate frames per second as I was able to do with earlier captures to .avi in Adobe Premiere Elements in 2015.

Hi Ian. Thanks for your reply. I have been using the various cables and adapters to get firewire output as described in my post and iMovie does see the camcorder and can control it when capturing. Ising this method, I am getting lossless capture. Today, I tried capturing a different tape without changing iMovie settings (you can’t). One captured clip was 17 minutes long and comprised several shorter clips on the camera but one clip on the camera was again split into tiny 1-4s clips when captured. Without any control of capture settings in iMovie such as ignoring clip markers or time codes, I can’t get past this at the moment. I have a capture device similar to the one you mentioned which I have used for capture from VHS but don’t want to use it here because firewire capture gives the best quality.

I think I might have reached a word limit on my original post because I can’t see it all. I did try Quicktime, which worked but saved as 25 fps progressive, so I wondered if half the interlaced fields had been discarded. I’ve had some success capturing with DVRescue today but it has been a bit flaky in controlling the camcorder.