VHS Tapes to DVD

Hi, If you want the Maximum quality possible then you must use VBR, CBR doesn"t Produce the Best Quality and it is extremely wastefull with Bitrate, VBR is the Best Encodeing method, especially Multi-Pass VBR..

As for encoders the One I use Most is CCE SP 2.67 as it is the fastest and the Best quality software encoder there is but it is difficult to use properly because it has no usefull filters so you generally have to Frameserve useing AVISynth or Virtual-Dub...

I have been helping someone who tought how to use AVISynth and he has an ADVC-50 and when useing AVISynth with a couple Noise Filters and a Bob de-interlace filter when frameserveing to CCE and he is getting very Nice quality Encodes....
There are certain filters that should be used and certain Setting that need to be set in CCE when encodeing depending on the Type of Source file you have so you get the Best results.....
I also gotten good results useing Canopus Procoder 1.5 to encode to Mpeg2 useing DV AVI source files, Maybe try a few of the Filters in Procoder to see if they help with the Quality and use a One or Two Pass VBR with the Minimum Bitrate at about 3000kbs and the Average at 5000kbs and the Max at 8000kbs, that will get you close to 2 hours on a DVD if you use Mpeg1 layer 2 audio or AC3 audio.....

 

Minion,
I have a different opionion, but i am newbie so i'll tell you what i think and you tell me where i'm wrong.

- i think CBR is better than VBR, although it takes up more space. CBR encodes the whole video at 9800 kbps (my settings) and VBR encodes some parts at 2000 and some at 6000 and some at 9800 (considering these are my settings). so the scenes that are encoded at 2000 kbps with VBR get encoded at 9800 with CBR. why isn't that better quality?

- still wanting quality, i ask: why deinterlace? why drop a field? i want to encode both fields and have an interlaced mpeg that i will convert to DVD and play on my standalone+TV so i think that's the best quality possible.

tell me if i'm wrong, please.

 

i posted the message twice, so i deleted the double

 

It isn"t the Ammount of Bitrate you use it is how efficeiently the Bitrate is being used,It is a waste to encode CBR because if it only takes 5000kbs to encode the Frame per second why waste 3000kbs with no differance in Quality you are just basicly adding 3000kbs in wasted bits, and if a Frame actually does need 8000kbs to encode it then the encoder will use 8000kbs that is why there is a Max and Min and an average.....Pluss with Multi-Pass the Quality gets better for each pass because the Video gets analized for Complexity in the First Pass which increases the Quality for subsequant Passes and only the Bitrate that is needed is used so there is no waste....Most All DVD"s that you rent at the Store are encoded useing VBR.....
Generally I do not recomend deinterlaceing But on some Non-Pregresive scan DVD Players you can get interlace artifacts especially with some analogue Captures when the Field order can change on you..And not all Deinterlacers Remove one Field, Some Blend both fields together and some only Blend were there are artifacts like some adaptive deinterlacers.....

 

Succorso:

My Sony doesn't have RCAs either. It has an A/V jack (3.5 mm, I think) that uses a cable to expand it to three RCAs. My camera can use the same port for input or output. This was a requirement in my product selection, as were headphone and microphone jacks, firewire I/O, high optical zoom, and a shoe where I could mount a shotgun mike or a wireless mike receiver. I simply wouldn't have bought a camcorder without them.

Does your new camcorder have [bold]any[/bold] analog inputs? S-video I/O can be converted to RCA [bold]video[/bold]I/O (no sound) with a simple cable, and a microphone jack can be used for audio in.

bob

 

I have been researching so much that I haven't seen the light of day for 3 weeks now. I have been trying to get 6 hours (possibly 8) of a VHS tape onto ONE DVD. Im almost positive that it is possible.

Computer Specs.
eMachines 1.10 GHz Intel Celeron (fully updated)
384 MB of RAM
XP Home Edition
USB 1.0
250 (actually 233) GB spare drive

Software/Hardware Specs
Adaptec VideoOh! DVD Media Center (capture device)
Sony DVD-RW DRU-700a
Unlead DVD Movie Factory (demo)
Sonic MyDVD
AcrSoft ShowBiz

If I have left out any details let me know.

I can capture with no problem and I can even get the capture saved on my HD which is about 15 GB for a 6 hour VHS tape, but when I try to transcode (make a dvd folder with menus and chapters) the video, it took about 16 hours to finish and the Sonic software failed at the last second. So I can pretty much do everything but burn my *6 hour VHS tape* onto a DVD+R.

Am I losing my mind or is it first possible, and if it is, how can I get this project done, and if it is not possible then I am seriously obsessed with this. The main reason I bought all of this was too get my home movies onto dvds, and I don’t mean only 2 hours of a VHS like most people. I am not at all concerned on how much time its gonna take (16 hours, please!) and I am not to worried about my quality as long as its not completely distorted or so messed up that I cannot even watch the DVD. Also, I was wondering if there are other programs (free or not) that actually work. Unlead - got too many errors, and Sonic - got and error that said it couldn't finish transcoding because there was a 9 GB limit that I passed by about 6 GB.

So, can anyone please help me?!?!? Its a good thing I don’t have hair

 

To get 6 hours of Video on a DVD you have to use the SIF DVD Format which is Mpeg 1 or mpeg2 at 352+240 NTSC or 352+288 Pal and useing a Video Bitrate of 1500KBS and a mpeg 1 layer 2 or Dolby AC3 audio Bitrate of 192kbs at 48000hz you can get 6 hours on a Single 4.38gb DVD..But if you are Captureing files to put on DVD i suggest you capture at the Highest resolution and Bitrate possible and then re-encode the captured file useing a High Quality encoder to Mpeg2 at 352+240 at 1500kbs ECT ,as opposed to captureing to 352+240 because Mpeg capture programs are not very efficient encoders so you will get better quality doing it this way.....Cheers

 

Couple of dumb questions.
How do I re-encode, esp. with a High quality re-encoder? Can I do this with any of the programs I listed? Thanks for your help.

 

You can use Tmpgenc to encode as there is a free 30 day demo for mpeg2 encodeing available...
You basicly Capture useing the Highest resolution and Bitrate that your Capture software will allow and then Load the captured file into Tmpgenc and go to "settings" and set the Resolution to 352+240 and set the Bitrate to 1500kbs and then click the "Audio" settings and change the audio format to "Mpeg 1 layer 2" and set the Bitrate to 192kbs and set the sample frequency to "48000hz" and then close the settings and Click "Start" and in a while you will have a Mpeg file that you can author to DVD and up to 6 hours of Video in this Format...It isn"t the very best quality but it is watchable.....Cheers

 

Well I did what you told me to do, but now I have only an hour of video to burn because the rest of it was dropped?? It was compressed down to about 8 GB, but missing about 5 hours of video, any suggestions?

 

DaNut:

You need to read my posts from the 29th. I get four movies (6 hours) on a single tape by simply loading and editing in Ulead Video Studio 7 and authoring in Ulead Movie Maker 3--which you have. I don't know if the demo version has the settings, but in the oaid version you have control of the output quality and can burn six hour DVDs with the click of a mouse.

In addition, almost every home DVD video burner I looked at in the stores allowed burning six hour DVDs directly from VHS.

Withthout needing studio quality, it seems that you are going through a lot of effort needlessly. I don't rip, convert, merge, or anything. I simply input, edit, and burn (although I do prefer to burn to .iso files for repeatability.

Also, one of the reasons it takes you so long is that your system is very low in resources. a 512 Mb memory module would do you wonders and it isn't that expensive.

Also look at where your temp files are located. They are probably defaulting to C:--which might be filling up. In any case, defrag both drives before you start the process. (I am assumiing that your large drive is an add-on.)

bob

 

Thanks alot for your help, I will be sure to try your method.

I am on a tight budget, but Ive already upgraded from 128MB to 384MB. Maybe in the near future I can go 512MB, however, my computer can only go up to a 512MB stick.

I have all of my TEMP files going into a seperate folder on my 250GB drive, but it has only been defragged once last month. I usually defrag once a month. Maybe I'll do it every time I burn a VHS tape.

Sorry I didnt see your post before. I stayed up til 3am reading most of this thread (pretty freakin long if you ask me lol), and I skipped over the posts that didnt apply to me. Ive already tried Ulead, and it didnt work so I must have skipped yours too. I will go back and read some more, and then try it again. I'll let ya know how it turns out. Thanks again!

 

Minion,

I've tried encoding both interlaced and progressive from my DV files (captured with ADVC 100). I have a video with scrolling horizontal text (like the news on CNN) and it appears doubled when i keep all frames (interlaced encoding). I encoded this file using the Mainconcept 1.04 HD plugin for Adobe Premiere. What software do the guys at Hollywood use? It's incredible, i've tried EVERY encoding software on the market, and still i get poor results. All i want is to convert my interlaced DVD to interlaced DVD that can be watched properly on my DVD player and my computer (just like the Hollywood DVD's).

I'm sorry i'm always bothering you Minion, and i aprreciate you helping me. You seem to have a lot of knowledge because you have great video experience.

 

Well Actually Hollywood DVD"s are Progressive because Movies are mostly shot on film which is Progressive, and the way they make Hollywoon DVD"s Interlaced is By adding 3:2 Pulldown flags or Teleclineing...When working with 29.976fps DV Files you can"t make DVD"s the way Hollywood DVD"s are made...
And don"t go by what the Video looks like on your PC monitor because Video is displayed totally differently on your TV set than on your TV set....
At my Work we use Hardware Mpeg2 encodeing useing a Very expensive Hardware Mpeg encoder for encodeing any Footage to Mpeg2 for DVD...

You said in your Post that:

Does this mean you are Captureing DVD"s from a DVD Player useing the ADVC-100???
If so then this is not the way to do it..You should Rip DVD"s to your Hard drive as opposed to captureing them...

The reason why you get that Doubling effect when viewing Interlaced footage on your PC is because your Monitor displays Both Fields of a Frame at the Same Time but your TV set will only Display One Field at a Time so you should get that doubleing effect...And when encodeing Interlaced DV Material to Mpeg2 you should allways Make sure you have the Field order set to "Bottom Field First"...If you still get Interlace artifacts when watching Interlaced Content on your TV no matter what Field order you use then you Might Try de-Interlaceing which I usually do not recomend...
I find the Best De-Interlacer is the Smart Bob filter in AVISynth...I have been helping this guy that has an ADVC-50 with Learning how to use AVISynth with CCE SP and his Captures Look great after encodeing to Mpeg2 useing CCE and all Of my encodeing is done useing AVISynth with CCE SP and the Quality is allways Exelent...

So maybe explain exactly what you are Doing and then maybe I"ll have a clearer understanding of what is causeing the Problem and I will be better able to help....Cheers

 

MINION, i will tell you exactly what i do and you please tell me what to do to increase quality.

1. i capture DV-avi through ADVC-100 from VHS tapes (home tapes recorded by me)
2. i edit the DV-avi in Premiere Pro 1.5
3. i export the file to MPEG using the Mainconcept MPEG Pro plugin HD Version 1.0.4 (latest version) with the DVD profile
4. i play the files on a standalone player & TV

I did that and had good quality. I want to ask you some things:

- is CCE SP 2.67.00.27 better than Mainconcept MPEG Pro plugin HD 1.0.4 ? what is THE BEST encoder on the market?
- i found some Quant Matrices settings that they say are better than the default settings (http://www.videohelp.com/forum/archive/t148219.html) should i use those or the default?
- if i choose CCE or Mainconcept or other encoder, is there a Manual or something that i can read to understand some settings (for example, in Mainconcept: P Frame Motion Vectors-> Forward Search Height=63)

I want to tell you that i'm not interested in knowing everything about a program, because it could take YEARS! I only want to know the [bold]best MPEG2/DVD software encoder[/bold] and the [bold]best-quality settings[/bold] for that encoder.

Thanx!

 

Hi Minion.
I am seeking your advice like everyone else on this thread it seems.
Firstly my System.
I have an intel celeron 1.7
running Windows XP.
512mb Ram
1 x 40gb HDD (C)
1 x 120gb HDD (slave)
LG4081 DVDRW
BenQ CDRW
1.4 floppy
Pinnacle PCTV internal capture card. (New)
On Board sound.

I have been very successfuly backing up DVD's .
After trying various s/ware I have settled on "Shrink" for encoding and "Clonedvd" for writing the files to DVD. I have had excellent results.

Now I am getting into the VHS to DVD area and like a million others I seem to be in a big hole

I have read through this thread, from the 27 th Oct up to the latest and there are so many different combinations of gear, that it's easy to get lost.

I have managed to backup to a VCD of reasonable quality, if I choose DVD instead I am able to get as far as pushing the record button and zippo nothing.
Whatever software I have tried always comes up wit different problems.
I have tried Power Director pro, Mydvd, Dvdx something, ulead video studio etc etc.
The only things that seem common to all this are the processor, or the video capture card.

I would appreciate your or anyone elses observations.

Thanks

Wooduck

 

I'm doing it the easy way, bought a standalone DVD recorder about a month ago, and converted all my home vhs videos to dvd.

I started to do my videos that I bought as well, and some of them worked without a problem, but with some of the others I think I ran into the copy protection problem.

When I press the record button on the dvd recorder, a red cp flashes in the bottom right corner of the television, and the dvd recorder does not start recording. Is there a way with a standalone dvd recorder to overcome this problem?

 

Hey dml
How much recording time did you get on your DVD recorder, feeding it VHS tape output? Does the standalone DVD recorder let you choose how much time you put on a DVD?
Just wondering.

As for overcoming the other issue, that's the copyright protection. I know Minion has mentioned an image stabilizer, but I guess you'd have to use it as if you were copying vhs to vhs; meaning, take output of the VCR/VHS tapes, into and through the image stabilizer device, and its output into the recorder, in your case thise being the DVD recorder.
He says they're available cheap on eBay, like ~ 30 bucks?, but i personally never messed with those little devices.
Hope that helps

 

I just bought a Canopus ADVC 300 and was wondering, if anyone knows, if I can disable the Macrovision in the same way you can on the ADVC 100. I'd find out for myself but it's in the mail right now so I figured I'd bother you folks since you seem to know what's going on.

Thanks in advance.

 

I don"t think so, I haven"t heard anything about being able to disable the Macrovision detection on the ADVC-300...I believe the ADVC-100 is the only one of the ADVC"s with that feature as I know the ADVC-50 and ADVC-55 don"t have it...If you are just doing VHS Tapes you can get a $30 Video Stabilizer that will remove the Copy protection......

Cheers ...

Enjoy your New toy!!