I captured my first analog video through a Digital camcorder yesterday, and went ahead and saved a full 2 hr tape. Can this be shortened with software if I want to retain the high resolution, or do I have to capture in shorter segments? Put another way, do I have to capture the exact amount of video (or less) that will fit on a DVD? I tried to edit it down in MyDVD, but after the computer "worked" all night, it didn't work? I realize the previous post is very similar to this, but I didn't fully understand it, and didn't want to "takeover" his post. PS - I would have given up by now if it weren't for all the info on this forum....Thanks!!
If you captured a 2 Hour movie to DV AVI format useing a digital Camcorder then you should have an AVI file close to 25gb to 30GB so to Put this whole File on a DVD you will have to encode it to Mpeg2 for DVD useing an average Video Bitrate of about "4850 kbs" and an Mpeg1 layer 2 or Dolby digital AC3 audio Bitrate of "192 kbs" and the resulting Mpeg2 file will fit on a DVD Just perfectly..... You should use a good Standalone Mpeg2 encoder Like the "MainConcept Encoder" or even "Tmpgenc" to encode the AVI file to Mpeg2/DVD useing the Above Bitrate settings and then you can use your DVD authoring program (MyDVD) to Add your Menu"s and Chapters and to Burn the DVD, Just make sure that MyDVD does not re-encode the Mpeg2 file because this will ruin the quality and then the file will not fit on a DVD and it will take forever.... Cheers
Okay, thanks, I got extremely frustrated with the MyDVD last night, as this was my first attempt after reading hours and hours about it, both here and the tutorials. I was under the impression that MyDVD was going to convert it to the proper form for DVD, but that I just had too large a file, and since I'd like to get the best quality, even if it means only getting an hour or so per disc. I'll read more about the stand alone encoders.
Well a good standalone encoder can produce Much better Quality useing half the Bitrate that MyDVD Uses... Yes MyDVD Can encode but it doesn"t mean you should use it to because 99% of all DVD authoring programs come with Low Quality mpeg encoders Built in and any Encoder worth it"s salt will not Re-encode your Files if they are allready in the Correct format.... Useing a Mpeg Encoder Like the "MainConcept Encoder" I can encode a 2 Hour movie to Mpeg2 for DVD in just over an hour so there is No sitting up all night waiting for your File to be encoded were some encoders are so slow and bad that you might have to wait 12 to 36 hours to encode a whole Movie... Cheers
You were exactly right, Minion. I have a 24.7GB file of the video. Thanks for the last reply, it makes sense stated that way. I just downloaded the TMPGenc trial, and I know I saw a guide to using it somewhere on this site, so I'll go look for it. You mentioned using MyDVD to author the DVD, and to make sure it does not re-encode the video. Is there a way to disable it, or will it know that its already MPEG2?
sorry, I just saw that you answered the very same question in another post. Based on your answer, I guess my question would be, how do I know if my captured file is one of those formats? I captured it using a Sony Digital 8 camcorder w/MyDVD.
Well If your Captured file is about 2 hours and is 24.7gb then I suspect that it is a DV AVI File... DV is the Native format that a DV or Digital 8 Camcorders record too... To Find out the Type of File it is you just have to right click the file and go to "Properties" and then it should give you info like the Length and resolution and the Codec used to Create the File.... Tmpgenc is a Good Encoder But it is Terrorably Slow, And encoder Like the "MainConcept Encoder" or "CinemaCraft Encoder" are 3 to 5 Times as Fast as Tmpgenc with Simular quality.... Cheers
I just found that out, when TMPGenc said it was going to take 26 hrs to convert!! I stopped it, and will experiment with shorter clips before I attempt that! One other question, if I bought the Canopus ACEDVio I have previously posted about, would I avoid all this? I think it captures to MPEG2, so wouldn't the video be captured and converted to a DVD ready form in real-time?
If you want encodeing to be Quick then don"t use Tmpgenc because it is Terrorably slow but 26 hours is even long for Tmpgenc unless you have a Sub 1.5ghz PC... If you tried the "Mainconcept Encoder" or "CinemaCraft Encoder" it would encode in faster than real time if you have a fast enough PC... If you got an ACEDVio you would be in the same boat because it captures to the same DV AVI format... There are Mpeg capture Devices But most are USB 2.0 and Crap compared to what you can do if you did it properly with a Good Mpeg encoder.... Canopus makes an awesome hardware Mpeg encoder that Captures directly to Mpeg2 called the "Canopus MpegPro EMR" but it is Very expensive at about $450.. All you need is a fast PC and a fast encoder and you could have a 2 hour Movie encoded and Burned to DVD in under 2 Hours... I can encode 6 Movies at night when I sleep and when I wake up they are ready to be authored to DVD and I only have a 2.5ghz PC with a Gig of Dual Chanell DDR Ram.... Cheers
Thanks again. I am running an Athlon XP 2000+ w/512 of RAM. At this point, I'm about ready to spend the $450 if it makes this easier. I have about 30 2 hr Hi8 tapes to convert!! I'll look into the other encoders today...
