I have a lot of mini-dv tape from my camcorder (sony dcr-hc90). I want to convert it to dvd. I was wondering if a better capturing software can produce better quality (and/or smaller size) in a faster time. I heard a good thing about scenalyzer, but, since I did not have that, I can't compare it with other softwares, like Vegas or Adobe premiere pro. For reference, I tried miniDV to DVD recorder path, but little disappointed at the picture quality. I want to get better result with PC, even if it requires more time and effort. It would be great if you let me know the best encoding/editing/authoring program for this process. I appreciate your help in advance.
MainConcept is the best one in my opinion, but also kind of expensive. You will always lose quality by taking your raw minidv transfer by downsampling it to 4.7 gigs. your taking 15 gigs of info and taking 2/3rds of it away. Black levels are really noticable when downsampling. My sugggestion would be to save your 15 gig raw transfers or minidv tapes that are important to you and transfer to a higher capacity disk. Blue Ray, HD-dvdr
I use a free easy to use tool called Captureflux to capture from the camcorder to the Pc via firewire I then use Virtualdub to edit the footage Next I encode with Main Concept And finally I create my DVD project with DVDLab Pro VoilĂ !