bf

Hi

Hope this is an appropriate group for this question.
I want to convert some of my videos to dvd using my PC.

Can someone please advise as to what software/hardware I need to buy
for this task?

Any particular make of software/hardware out there that is simple and
straightforward to use?

Im in the UK so PAL will be my format.

Thanks

gogarty

In article <5ejj811ahmt24bto5alrnbh417abj112sa@4ax.com>,
barry@bf111.plus.com says...

You are embarking on an endless quest with a shockingly steep learning
curve. You need a fast computer, way faster than 1GHZ, fast hard drives,
one of which should be at least 80GB, 7200 RPM and dedicated to your DVD
work. You need a capture card and a sound card and the appropriate
software. Probaly the Ahead Software Nero suite of tools is your best
bet. It may be bundled with either your capture card or your DVD drive.
You do have a DVD drive, do you not? Start reading some of the many
bulletin boards, support groups and the like. And don't throw away the
tapes after you have made DVDs of them. A few months from now you will
know how to do it better and will want to capture those tapes again.

bf

I have a fast enough computer with plenty of HD space.
I actually thought it was an easy process requiring the appropriate
capture device!

gogarty

In article <lhpk81ho8ip4c8jldhrba0maaiqr4dndnm@4ax.com>,
barry@bf111.plus.com says...


Depends on how good you want the results to be. The major problem in
capturing video from tape to DVD is dropped frames during the capture
process. This makes for herky-jerky most unpleasant playback with screwed up
out of sync audio. I have been getting some pretty good results with the
MedioStream capture card and Neovideo software for capture. The program is
huge, so it must be doing something. But it is not versatile. You must have
an AGP display adapter, a separate sound card and of course the capture card
as well as the fast computer and lots od HD space. The software comes
bundled with the card. For actually making the DVD, I find Nero mush more
versatile but it's not very good at capturing. Even with that setup frames
still get dropped.

I have been working with a free program called VirtalDub. But this is where
you get off the amateur track. VirtualDub allows one to capture in AVI
format, which is essentially uncomporessed so you get all the information
and because the load on the computer is less get fewer or no dropped frames.
Once you have a good clean capture with all the information you can do what
you please. The capture will be as good as the original tape and can even be
improved somewhat wiuth various filters. Other capture processes use various
degrees of compression, which measns information gets thrown away and you
end up with the generational problem where each iteration is poorer quality
than the last. A DVD will copy to another DVD without any degradation. The
copy is exact, unlike tape. But a poor copy just makes another identical
poor copy.

andy mcallister

This is coming from a big video nerd: I reccomend paying the pros to do
this conversion. I heard a rumor that Walmart converts 2 hours of VHS
tape to DVD for $20 - this is a fair price. The process is a huge
hassle, and for $20, you will have a decent final product.

Going DIY on this is going to take many many hours of your time not
just learning the conversion hardware and software, but dealing with
the programs crashing, running out of hard disk space, DVD's
mis-burning, and all sorts of other mayhem that'll end up costing you
more than $20 in hardware and your time per 2 hour tape.

Of course, if you outsource it, the final product may not be as good as
if put 20 hours into each tape doing it yourself. To this, I say,
agreeing with Gogarty: a poor original will only produce a poorer copy.

gogarty

In article <1116433550.527919.185800@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
drsmartz@yahoo.com says...

Ah, but you are putting a monetary value on what should be a labor of
love, a hobby, if you will. And what about those tapes you'd rather your
heirs never saw let alone somne clerk at Walmart? Yes, DIY is a HUGE
hassle. But then there is the feeling of accomplishment. Just don't throw
away the tapes until you are wholly satisfied with your DVD product. I
made that mistake.

I purchased and installed a capture card in my pc about six months ago,
with the same goal as yours. I spent about 5 hours looking for
software and tutorials that would explain the basic process in a simple
and straightforward manner to just get me started. I'm not the
sharpest knife in the drawer, but I'm not a blooming idiot either. I
finally said screw it and just gave up. To me, the process seems
mind-blowingly complex. Quantum Mechanics is far easier to understand.
I can copy DVDs on my PC with my eyes closed. But video capture in
the correct format, and preparing those files to be transferred to DVD
seems at least 1000 times more difficult. If you ever find an EASY way
to do the basics, please let me know. : )

Jeff

fred aspect

I would say that it is not too tricky, but this depends on the software
you are using. Most of the capture cards come with decent capture
software, so this, basically, allows you to store your videos to disk as
MPEGs or AVIs. Then, some decent software such as that by Nero allows
you to author a DVD where you import these files. That's essentially it.

I've an external Adaptec Video Oh card, which works well through USB
2.0. An alternative would be an internal card by someone like ATI (all
in wonder?) or Hauppage. There's many good products around. Perhaps this
web site can help: http://www.videohelp.com/ It has a wealth of
material, reviews, how to guides etc.

Good luck,

Fred.

gogarty

In article <4tqke.20377$J12.8722@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com>,
not_really@fred_aspect.com says...

The problem is that basic NeoStudio or Nero won't capture in AVI. They
insist on capturing some compressed format, basically MPEG2. This means
that your original video is being stripped of information even as you
watch. The result may be OK. But it will be a downgrade from the original
VHS. You need to be able to capture in AVI uncompressed or lossless
compression, i.e., hufy. That way you get a base file that is 100% of your
original. Then you can do what you like with it. But audio synch can be a
big problem.

fred aspect

Yes, good point. I myself don't use Nero for the capturing. I've only
used that for DVD authoring once the video has been captured. I've an
ATI all-in-wonder, and I use their software to capture to disk. I'm
fairly happy with it given it was cheap. But I've seen some stunning
quality stuff from their high-end cards, and also from Hauppage cards.

Fred.