Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows PC
Tia B. McMahon
freeware?
A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a horrendously
difficult and long process that took days - but worked. Is there a better
(freeware?) method today?
Here's what I did then.
* I played the tape in my VHS machine
* The VHS player analog out (red/white/yellow) went to my dv camcorder
* The firewire out of the camcorder went into my 1.2 Ghz PC
* Pinnacle Studio 9 created a huuuuuuuge avi file (17Gbytes/hour)
* Pinnacle Studio 9 allowed me to edit scenes, add menus, etc.
* Pinnacle Studio 9 converted to an MPEG file
* Pinnacle Studio 9 authored a DVD image (VIDEO_TS) directory
* My DVD burner program burned the DVD
The problem with this method was time. The DVD conversion step alone took
10 hours for a full 34Gbyte avi file of my home movie, so I gave up after
just converting a couple of VHS movies.
Is the state of affairs in freeware & computing better nowadays?
That is, can I simplify this horrendously long and complex task nowadays?
I know I have to start with a huge AVI file but can I simplify the rest of
the steps.
a) If I don't wish to edit, is there freeware that can convert the incoming
AVI file to DVD in a single pass?
b) If I wish to edit, is there newer freeware that replaces my old Pinnacle
Studio 9?
c) If I buy a VHS/DVD dual unit, how does it know how LARGE the incoming
data is (I don't get how it knows how much to compress if it does it in
real time).
Please help me!
Mr. Strat
McMahon <mcma...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a horrendously
> difficult and long process that took days - but worked. Is there a better
> (freeware?) method today?
Your life would have been simpler if you'd used a Mac. All the software
you need to make DVDs is included...and you don't need an instruction
book or 15 steps.
AlleyCat
r...@nospam.techline.com says...
What a great idea! Why didn't this nimrod even think of plunking down
$2500 for a Mac? I'm sure he has the cash in his front left pocket...
the dodo. As for you, Mr. Start... bravo!... for showing all of us PC
users what assholes Mac users can be. Thank you.
Al "my PC out performs your G5" Cat
http://www.megamacs.com/v1/index.php?cat=10004&G=1
Notice that even with these "super low" prices, they're USED Macs
-Lost
I agree. It served no purpose other than to show how useless they
and their opinion are.
Now, in a constructive manner -- it is funny because a Mac user would
have all of the available tools to capture video and burn it to DVD
in optimal situations.
However, even I would rather work on my PC. I am to the point where
I can do things equally fast on both systems, but I rarely do
anything other than graphics or test Web pages on my Mac.
--
-Lost
Remove the extra words to reply by e-mail. Don't e-mail me. I am
kidding. No I am not.
Ken Maltby
"Tia B. McMahon" <mcma...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:FZvVi.15850$lD6....@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net...
You wouldn't need a "dual format" recorder, a regular
DVD Recorder would do. That's assuming that you have
an acceptable means of playing the media you have. You
can probably do all the editing for a "home movie" using
an inexpensive MPEG capable editing package like those
offered by Ulead or Magix. There isn't much in the way of
free MPEG capable editing programs out there.
http://www.magix.com/us/movie-edit-pro/
http://www.ulead.com/runme.htm
Both have free trial downloads.
This approach will greatly speed up the process.
Luck;
Ken
Jeff
> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
> freeware?
>
> A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a horrendously
> difficult and long process that took days - but worked. Is there a
> better (freeware?) method today?
>
> Here's what I did then.
> * I played the tape in my VHS machine
> * The VHS player analog out (red/white/yellow) went to my dv camcorder
> * The firewire out of the camcorder went into my 1.2 Ghz PC
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 created a huuuuuuuge avi file (17Gbytes/hour)
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 allowed me to edit scenes, add menus, etc.
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 converted to an MPEG file
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 authored a DVD image (VIDEO_TS) directory
> * My DVD burner program burned the DVD
>
> The problem with this method was time. The DVD conversion step alone
> took 10 hours for a full 34Gbyte avi file of my home movie, so I gave
> up after just converting a couple of VHS movies.
>
> Is the state of affairs in freeware & computing better nowadays?
> That is, can I simplify this horrendously long and complex task
> nowadays? I know I have to start with a huge AVI file but can I
> simplify the rest of the steps.
The state of affairs in computing is that a new computer will run about
three times faster than the one you have and do the conversion faster.
>
> a) If I don't wish to edit, is there freeware that can convert the
> incoming AVI file to DVD in a single pass?
It's not free, but ConvertXtoDVD will do this quickly and simply. I don't
think you will find a free program to do this since the software companies
must pay to license the MPEG2 codec.
>
> b) If I wish to edit, is there newer freeware that replaces my old
> Pinnacle Studio 9?
VirtualDub will do simple AVI editing and compress your giant file into an
AVI that is a more manageable size.
>
> c) If I buy a VHS/DVD dual unit, how does it know how LARGE the
> incoming data is (I don't get how it knows how much to compress if it
> does it in real time).
It knows how much to compress because you manually set the compression
beforehand. They have settings for high, medium, low quality or 1, 2, 4
hours. These are really approximations because the complexity of frame
images and amount of motion are the real determinants.
>
> Please help me!
Tia B. McMahon
> You wouldn't need a "dual format" recorder, a regular
> DVD Recorder would do. That's assuming that you have
> an acceptable means of playing the media you have. You
> can probably do all the editing for a "home movie" using
> an inexpensive MPEG capable editing package like those
> offered by Ulead or Magix. There isn't much in the way of
> free MPEG capable editing programs out there.
I'm confused. Wouldn't I edit using the uncompressed AVI file and not the
MPEG file? Wouldn't I need a freeware AVI editor?
And, I'm confused about the "regular DVD recorder". Are you suggesting I
can output from my regular VHS player directly into a regular DVD recorder?
I didn't know that was possible. Is it?
How do most of YOU convert your VHS home video tapes to DVD using freeware?
Ken Maltby
> On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:05:52 -0500, Ken Maltby wrote:
>> You wouldn't need a "dual format" recorder, a regular
>> DVD Recorder would do. That's assuming that you have
>> an acceptable means of playing the media you have. You
>> can probably do all the editing for a "home movie" using
>> an inexpensive MPEG capable editing package like those
>> offered by Ulead or Magix. There isn't much in the way of
>> free MPEG capable editing programs out there.
>
> I'm confused. Wouldn't I edit using the uncompressed AVI file and not the
> MPEG file? Wouldn't I need a freeware AVI editor?
>
Your post indicated that you were wishing to go from
VHS and other Analog video sources to edited DVD
compliant MPEG as it would exist in a DVD made on
your PC. You said that your main problem was the
great deal of time it took to convert (encode) your AVI
file to a DVD compliant MPEG file.
There are now inexpensive MPEG capable Editing
programs.
You mention buying a DVD Recorder that is a VHS
Recorder as well. The DVD Recorder can use some
form of DVD-RW or DVD-RAM disk to bring the
DVD Compliant MPEG (in the DVD .vob files) to
your PC for editing. There would be no lengthy
conversion required for the edited DVD Compliant
MPEG. You would just author your new movie(s)
into a DVD.
> And, I'm confused about the "regular DVD recorder". Are you suggesting I
> can output from my regular VHS player directly into a regular DVD
> recorder?
> I didn't know that was possible. Is it?
>
Yes, especially for your unencrypted/ copy protected
video. Also, I posted regular "DVD Recorder", the kind
of thing you put in your livingroom and connect to your TV.
They are very often connected to a VCR, as well.
> How do most of YOU convert your VHS home video tapes to DVD using
freeware?
I do the following: Play the tape in my VCR providing a
composite video signal to my RCA DRC8000N DVD
Recorder (where the signal is processed by a TBC and
NR circuitry before it is output as S-Video) this I feed
through 4 R6 coax cables (2 audio and the 2 for the
S-Video) to a capture card in one of my PCs. I then
use software that I've paid for to edit the video, author
a DVD, and burn it to a blank disk. In some cases I
record to a DVD+RW disk and bring that to a PC,
for editing.
If you must have freeware DVD Authoring you can
check the "Tool" listings at
www.videohelp.com for the few that are available.
So of the options you presented, you have (1) letting
a DVD Recorder encode your VCR's output to DVD
Compliant MPEG and being able to quickly edit and
author to a new DVD, or (2) using your old method
and editing in DV25 AVI then encoding to DVD
Compliant MPEG (which on a 1.2 Ghz PC, will take
quite a long time), before you can author a new DVD.
Luck;
Ken
miskairal
pjp
"-Lost" <maventhee...@techie.com> wrote in message
news:Xns99D8E44882...@216.196.97.136...
> Response from AlleyCat <a...@aohell.com>:
>
> > In article <291020071857434118%r...@nospam.techline.com>,
> > r...@nospam.techline.com says...
> >> In article <FZvVi.15850$lD6....@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net>,
> >> Tia B. McMahon <mcma...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> > A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a
> >> > horrendously difficult and long process that took days - but
> >> > worked. Is there a better (freeware?) method today?
PC with video capture card. In my case an early ATI 7200 with composite in.
Start capture mode on PC, play movie on TV/VCR/DVD sending signal to pc. (as
my capture card is only composite-in rather than TV tuner type means sound
is routed thru sound card's line in).
End of movie use Nero, select saved capture file and burn to DVD. Nero
recodes original file, creating proper DVD layout and all as neccessary.
Have done and continue to do this often. Last time just last week for friend
had old Island Of Dr. Moruea VHS tape.
Two very simple steps. Capture takes as long as original takes to play and
Nero (P2.8, gig ram, XP Pro) recodes and burns in under 2 hours.
******* rest of response(s) not required *******
TrevM
"Tia B. McMahon" <mcma...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:FZvVi.15850$lD6....@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net...
> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
> freeware?
>
> A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a horrendously
> difficult and long process that took days - but worked. Is there a better
> (freeware?) method today?
>
> Here's what I did then.
> * I played the tape in my VHS machine
> * The VHS player analog out (red/white/yellow) went to my dv camcorder
> * The firewire out of the camcorder went into my 1.2 Ghz PC
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 created a huuuuuuuge avi file (17Gbytes/hour)
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 allowed me to edit scenes, add menus, etc.
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 converted to an MPEG file
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 authored a DVD image (VIDEO_TS) directory
> * My DVD burner program burned the DVD
That's still what you have to do, starting from an analogue source like VHS,
though a 3 GHz PC will do parts of it somewhat quicker. Any free software
such as the neoDVDPlus that came with my PC DVD burner a few years back is
likely to be clunky to use and more limited in features than payware like
Pinnacle. You may also get sound sync problems at the DVD burning stage
which would need you to run yet another "re-muxing" program like
PVAStrumento (which may or may not work - and you don't find out until you
play the DVD!). There is an excellent cheap program - VideoReDo Plus -
which can edit and make perfect DVDs from a digital TV source, but it
doesn't handle analogue.
My advice would be to get a DVD recorder with a built in hard drive. That
will digitize the output from your VHS player "on the fly", and if you
record to the hard drive you can edit the file by cutting bits out with
single frame accuracy, and then burn a DVD with a choice of quality
settings. I have a Panasonic DMR-EX75 which can record from its own digital
and analogue off-air TV tuners, or any other analogue source via SCART / RCA
phono / S-VHS inputs. It will also take a Firewire stream from a camcorder.
Far quicker and easier than using a PC, in my experience!
>
> The problem with this method was time. [snip]
Damn right!
TrevM
rich
> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
> freeware?
>
> A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a horrendously
> difficult and long process that took days - but worked. Is there a better
> (freeware?) method today?
Things have moved on since video was captured in some sort of uncompressed
avi format, edited and then rerendered. In 1999 on a 600 Mz pentium, it
was an overnight job for perhaps 30 minutes of video.
For VHS to DVD there are 3 issues
Capturing the VHS signal. You used a video camera as the device. A better
method now is either a capture card in your computer or a stand-alone DVD
recorder. That way you get straight to .mpg or .vob format without any
rendering.
Macro encoding of VHS. If the VHS is commercial it is probably macro
encoded as well. AFAIK modern capture cards have built in copy protection
and will not capture. Like your video camera, *a few* DVD recorders can
bypass macro-encoding. Usually the cheaper variety, eg rebadged Sampo
models. Forget Sony, Panasonic etc.
Editing the resulting mpg file. Gone are the days (for amateurs anyway) of
enormous avi files. It is now possible to edit mpeg and save without
re-rendering and losing quality. Then you have to author and burn your DVD.
<snip>
> Is the state of affairs in freeware & computing better nowadays?
> That is, can I simplify this horrendously long and complex task nowadays?
> I know I have to start with a huge AVI file but can I simplify the rest of
> the steps.
> a) If I don't wish to edit, is there freeware that can convert the incoming
> AVI file to DVD in a single pass?
You should try Super(c) from eRightSoft, might do them straight off.
Remember these days an .avi file can be several different formats.
http://www.erightsoft.com
and if you are really interested Super(c) will accept Avisynth scripts as
input for conversion and effects see:
http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/Main_Page
Not for the faint hearted however.
> b) If I wish to edit, is there newer freeware that replaces my old
> Pinnacle Studio 9?
All the older stuff and even bloatware like Premiere Elements somewhere
along the line re-renders to the final DVD and this takes the time.
The only freeware I know that does a 'streaming' edit without having to
demux is Mpeg2Cut2. Also opens .vob files directly which is useful.
http://www.geocities.com/rocketjet4/
*OT* - there is good cheap payware out there. In particular womble mpg2vcr
is good value. See the mpeg editor page in the tools section at
www.videohelp.com
Next problem is authoring the mpg to a dvd. I have to confess that I use
a commercial app for this, for me none of the free stuff is adequate.
Still, a lot of effort is put into some of the freeware stuff so I can't
knock it. See:
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/sections/authoring-dvd
and
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/DVDStyler
>
> c) If I buy a VHS/DVD dual unit, how does it know how LARGE the incoming
> data is (I don't get how it knows how much to compress if it does it in
> real time).
>
All recording will of course be in real time. A regular recordable DVD+
disc will record 1 hour at top quality (bitrate around 8000 bps) or 2
hours 'standard quality' (5000 bps) Longer durations and lower qualities
usually involve 'half-DVD' format. Its not worth recording at top quality
as the input from a VHS is 'average' at the best. If you are interested
see http://www.videohelp.com/dvd
> Please help me!
best of luck
--
rich
John Corliss
> (big snip)
> End of movie use Nero,(snip)
>
> ******* rest of response(s) not required *******
I didn't know that Nero is now freeware.
--
John Corliss BS206. I try not to reply to trolls like Andy Mabbett,
Hummingbird or proteanthread.
Because of Googlespam, I use NFilter to block all Google Groups
posts from being displayed in my news reader.
No ad, cd, commercial, cripple, demo, dotnet, nag, share, spy,
time-limited, trial or web wares OR warez for me, please.
John Corliss
> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
Just thought other people would like to know that you cross-posted your
original post into their groups. This is not a good idea.
Daniel Mandic
> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
> freeware?
Hello!
Why would you do that? Your Tapes will surely last longer ;-)
Best regards,
Daniel Mandic
George Kerby
On 10/29/07 9:13 PM, in article
MPG.21904f51d...@newsgroups.comcast.net, "AlleyCat"
BillyGraham
>
>Just thought other people would like to know that you cross-posted your
>original post into their groups. This is not a good idea.
It is a good idea if all those cross-posted groups are appropriate to the
subject. Cross-posting isn't a bad idea. The ability to do so was created
because it is a good idea.
Get a clue, you fucked-up, idiotic, inexperienced, control-freak.
He's So Funny!
>Then began 'He's So Funny! <spam...@antispam.gov>' to curse and to swear:
>
>Note: Vulgar posting not quoted.
>
>This is a family news group in which children and young adults read. It is *your* social responsibility as an adult to demonstrate proper Usenet etiquette.
>
>Please refrain from cursing and swearing.
Oh look! An emotionally stunted control-freak that's insecure about "scary"
words and likes to call them "curse words" to manipulate others to its level of
insecurity and immaturity.
What a fucked up person!
I bet you're the same kind of person that doesn't mind seeing someone's fuckin'
brains being blown away on a movie screen, but ... don't say FUCK YOU! while it
happens, right?
What a total asswipe.
Take your fucked up "family values" and shove them up your stinkin' wife's cunt.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One more thing. I don't babysit your fucked up brats unless you pay me for it.
If YOU want people to babysit for you PAY THEM. If YOU don't want your fucked up
spawn reading these words then YOU turn off YOUR fuckin' computer!
You fuckin' loser!
If you want to pop out useless brats then YOU take responsibility for them. Quit
pawning off YOUR JOB on everyone else you useless ASSWIPE BREEDER!
He's So Funny!
He's So Funny!
He's So Funny!
Dave Martindale
>Here's what I did then.
>* I played the tape in my VHS machine
>* The VHS player analog out (red/white/yellow) went to my dv camcorder
>* The firewire out of the camcorder went into my 1.2 Ghz PC
>* Pinnacle Studio 9 created a huuuuuuuge avi file (17Gbytes/hour)
>* Pinnacle Studio 9 allowed me to edit scenes, add menus, etc.
>* Pinnacle Studio 9 converted to an MPEG file
>* Pinnacle Studio 9 authored a DVD image (VIDEO_TS) directory
>* My DVD burner program burned the DVD
That's still approximately the best way to do this process. You don't
have to use Pinnacle Studio 9; there are other editors that do the same
thing. There are multiple choices for software to do the MPEG-2
conversion step, depending on how much time you want to spend and what
quality you want.
>The problem with this method was time. The DVD conversion step alone took
>10 hours for a full 34Gbyte avi file of my home movie, so I gave up after
>just converting a couple of VHS movies.
A 1.2 GHz CPU is pretty ancient by today's standards. Even the
lowest-end PC you can buy new now ought to be substantially faster.
>Is the state of affairs in freeware & computing better nowadays?
>That is, can I simplify this horrendously long and complex task nowadays?
>I know I have to start with a huge AVI file but can I simplify the rest of
>the steps.
>a) If I don't wish to edit, is there freeware that can convert the incoming
>AVI file to DVD in a single pass?
There is hardware that will convert analog video directly to MPEG-2 at a
data rate suitable for DVD mastering. This will save the encoding step,
and also save most of the disk space. However, the quality will not be
as good, since the single-pass real-time MPEG encoding done by this
hardware simply can't equal what a multi-pass non-real-time encoder can
achieve. But you may not care.
I don't know if there is any software that will do DV to MPEG-2 in real
time, during the capture. That's a lot of computation, and you would
still have lower quality (again, it's necessarily single-pass real-time
encoding).
>c) If I buy a VHS/DVD dual unit, how does it know how LARGE the incoming
>data is (I don't get how it knows how much to compress if it does it in
>real time).
Unlike JPEG compression, where you specify a "quality" and the file size
varies according to picture content, video compression is generally done
by specifying an average and a maximum bit rate, and the image quality
varies to fit inside that bit rate budget. You can probably set these
rates. Thus, you know low large the output is going to be, but quality
depends on how complex and difficult to compress the content is.
Dave
John Corliss
OOOOOO! Boy, you sure told me off. Is that how they talk in the high
school you're attending?
The problem with crossposting stuff like this into the alt.comp.freeware
group is that discussion of commercial software is introduced.
Over and out. Talk to the finger.
John McWilliams
> BillyGraham wrote:
>> On Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:56:50 -0700, John Corliss
>> <jcor...@fake.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> Just thought other people would like to know that you cross-posted
>>> your original post into their groups. This is not a good idea.
>>
>> It is a good idea if all those cross-posted groups are appropriate to the
>> subject. Cross-posting isn't a bad idea. The ability to do so was created
>> because it is a good idea.
>>
>> Get a clue, you fucked-up, idiotic, inexperienced, control-freak.
>
> OOOOOO! Boy, you sure told me off. Is that how they talk in the high
> school you're attending?
>
> The problem with crossposting stuff like this into the alt.comp.freeware
> group is that discussion of commercial software is introduced.
>
> Over and out. Talk to the finger.
>
Quite right, but when groups are no longer relevant, they can be
trimmed. So done.
--
john mcwilliams
sandy58
So what's the big deal about cross posting? If it can be done, do it.
You don't like it...use killfile then YOU want have to read it. 2007,
old son. Get used to it.
sandy58
Poor old Auntie Ken Maltby. Our resident "Guardian of Poster Morals !"
aka "Do it MY way or I'll never speak to you again Ken"
aka "I know more about authoring than you do Ken"
Typical Ken-Kwotez:
"I then use software that I've paid for to edit the video"
"PAY-for-your-software-like-I-DO KEN-baby"
Use the proper terminology...."convert (encode)"
"You would just "author" your new movie(s)"
.......like I TELL you to.
Pompous asshole.
Tia B. McMahon, you want freebees....
jump into alt.cracks, alt.2600.cracks, alt.2600.crack
apart from getting what you want you'll freak our old Auntie Ken.
ATB
sandy58
John McWilliams
Telstar
"Mr. Strat" <r...@nospam.techline.com> wrote in message
news:291020071857434118%r...@nospam.techline.com...
> In article <FZvVi.15850$lD6....@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net>, Tia B.
> McMahon <mcma...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a horrendously
>> difficult and long process that took days - but worked. Is there a better
>> (freeware?) method today?
>
> you need to make DVDs is included...and you don't need an instruction
> book or 15 steps.
Nonsense. You better read what he says carefully. I have both an iMac and
PC and the process is the same.
Telstar
"pjp" <pjpoirier_is_located_at_@_hotmail_._com> wrote in message
news:4726f934$0$14880$9a56...@news.aliant.net...
A $55 (Amazon.com) white box Hauppauge 150 will do this with hardware Mpeg2
conversion. I recommended this route.
John Corliss
> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
> freeware?
>
Note that this request for help has been crossposted into other groups
where the message may be off-topic.
To the OP, if you question is about freeware, you would have done better
not to have cross-posted it into other groups.
Over and out. You'll get no help from me.
Ken Maltby
"sandy58" <Alec...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1193907829....@d55g2000hsg.googlegroups.com...
To: "Sandy of the 58 IQ";
Your juvenile rant would have made more sense if you
had included my reply instead of the OP.
It is become totally obvious that you want to
promote theft and the piracy that leaves software
programmers out of work, when their companies fold.
Or is it that you are providing jobs to those who keep
coming up with annoying copy protection schemes?
Are you just our resident Pirate, or do you have
anything else to offer?
Luck;
Ken
Anonymous Sender
NOT done.
John McWilliams
Telstar
"Tia B. McMahon" <mcma...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:FZvVi.15850$lD6....@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net...
Many people have tried. Where is your response or thanks?
Telstar
"Dave Martindale" <da...@cs.ubc.ca> wrote in message
news:fg8kkd$5gq$1...@swain.cs.ubc.ca...
There is the Canopus Edius series...but this has hardware and software both
and costs real money ($2,000). We do it all of the time.