VHS Tapes to DVD

Hey Minion,
I today ran a long video capture off my S-VHS (analog, of course) camcorder...1 hour, 36 minutes long, 21.4 GB size. I will use this as my first transfer/encoding/authoring, etc trial file...
1)How long should it take to encode that avi file that size, with the Main Concept Encoder, since that's easier than CCE and almost as fast, and faster than TEMPenc?
2)And about how big will the resulting mpeg file?
3) what do I do with the sound part of the avi (since ACEDVio locks/combines video with audio? How does I get it to ac3: separate encoding? If so, what size will the AC3 file be abouts?
Just want to get idea of sizes and times.
Thanks in advance

 

Hi, Well the speed of the Encodeing depends on the speed of your PC..If you have a PC that is about 2.5ghz it shouldn"t take more than 2 hours to encode a 1.5 hour file..The size of the File has no real effect on how long it takes to encode it is the Length of the File and the Resolution....

To encode the audio to AC3 you are going to need an AC3 encoder which there are not a lot of them...If you use Tmpgenc DVD author to author your DVD"s then you can get an AC3 Plugin for it and it will encode the audio to AC3 before authoring the DVD, the Plugin also works with "Tmpgenc 3.0 Express" so that can also be used to encode the audio to AC3....
What I use is Vegas Video 5 with the AC3 Plugin...
You don"t have to use AC3 you can also use Mpeg 1 Layer 2 audio also called MP2 for createing DVD"s, the file sizes are about the same but AC3 supports Surround sound and MP2 doesn"t and mp2 is a little lower in quality but you wouldn"t really notice it, You can also use Wav audio but it takes up far too much space on the DVD....
A 1.5 hour Sterio AC3 file at 192kbs would be about 150mb ,Mp2 would be about the same size when useing the same bitrate and Wav or LPCM can be up to 1.2gb...

To get the Wav audio out of the DV AVI file you have to either extract the audio or demux the File into seperate audio and Video streams...
If you don"t have an AC3 encoder you might as well use MP2 audio so when encodeing in Mainconcept make sure you choose the "Layer 2" setting and make sure it is at 48000hz and any bitrate between 128kbs and 384kbs, the Higher the better the quality....Cheers

 

Hi mdl3r1
Yes, my standalone dvd recorder allows me to set the recording time from 1hr up to 6hrs.

Minion, can you confirm that the stabilizer will work with a standalone dvd recorder as well? Any particular makes that are good or better than the others?

 

Many months ago, I too asked about how to eliminate Macrovision when copying my VHS movies to my hard drive to place them on DVD - a video stabilizer was recommended on this forum. I ended up buying a "Sima Copy This" (Sima CT-1) stabilizer on the internet (may be cheaper on e-bay). It works great. Cost was about $40- 50 (can't remember). I found it by doing a "Google" search and selected the lowest price one that I could find (range was from $40+/- to $90+/-) - hope this helps.

 

I dont know if this helps, but I copy vhs-movies alot just simply by hooking 2 VCR's together. I rarely have a cpyright issue, and now that I have a dual deck VCR, its even easier.

I would think that if you copy the movie to a normal vhs-tape and then put it on a dvd, you might not have that macrovision problem, but if I am wrong let me know, or someone comment on it, Im still kinda new at this

 

wooduck:

Actually, the only things that are *not* common between successes and failures are the drive/media combination (assuming you are doing your VCDs on CDs) and your "Copy Type" option (ie. VCD vs DVD).

My money is on the drive/media combo. Make sure that your drive has the latest firmware upgrade (you can download patches from the mfg's site) and that your particular media is supported.

Use something like the freeware DvdinfoPro to read what your media *really* is--don't depend upon the packaging or labelling.

http://www.dvdinfopro.com/

Then burn a Data DVD just to make sure that the combo works.

You can eliminate the hardware by simply burning to an ISO file. If that works, then use your CD-burning program (Nero, EZ-CD Creator, etc.) to burn a disk from that.

You will crash if: A) your file is bigger than your media can hold; B) if your system is below specs for your software; C) If the drive(s) YOU ARE USING (not just the one(s) you think you are using) don't have enough room for 1) Your working intermediate files (Video), 2) your scratchpad (temp) files (if different), 3) Windows Virtual paging files and 4) Your final output.

Some programs take several times more space *temporarily* than the output requires.

Also, an overly fragmented drive will often crash a memory-intensive program--like video production. If your drive is fragmented, then your paging files are fragmented and that is *BAD*.

Defrag before rendering and *LOOK* to see where the software is putting its temp files. Just because you have an extra 120 GB drive *available* does not mean that the programs are actually *using* it. They won't unles you reset their defaults to do so.

Burn an ISO image file. If that works, the problem is drive/media related.

Older drives will not only NOT burn newer, faster, media; to attempt to do so will often BURN OUT the DVD head--frequently leaving the CD R/W capability untouched. That recently happened to both a new Polaroid drive of mine--with older firmware--(the factory had to replace it) and an older Pioneer that is out of warranty, so I had to eat it. Needless to say, I've learned my lesson the hard way.

bob

 

Hi Video Bob
Tnx for your reply.
I will go through what you have advised and see if it is one of the problems you mention.
The DVDR is new, the pinacle video in is new.
The PC is old (these days old!!!) 12 months, but I did go for a cheapy, serves me right. A 1.7 celeron has to be old hat now, thinking of upgrading to a 2.4 celeron, (WOW), just so that I don't have to change the mboard. I am not a wealthy guy, so economy is usually a must when you are an oldie of 71.
Once again thanks and I will advise progress.
Wooduck
I do buy low end priced media, but I haven't had any failures copying DVD's with what I am using. But I will get a couple of better quality r/w's to mess about with and start from there.

 

Minion : I am an amateur at video. I do know enough, to know that the help you give on this Board is invaluable. THANKS

My question is : You have said several times that a "$30.00 Video Stabilizer" would work in stripping the macrovison from VHS tapes. I want to preserve the best of the Commercial VHS tapes I have by copying them to a panasonic E55 dvd recorder.

I would like to get a specific brand name to buy. The closest I've seen to the $30.00 mark is the Sima Copy This CT1 at $49.95. I'm not sure it would be right to return a stabilizer if it fails to strip the macrovision, and I hate to waste money. All input will be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi Video Bob

I've attempted to copy my VHS to ISO without much luck. How do you go about that process? I'm using Arcsoft and Sonic with Adeptec Video card and I/O Magic burner. I have had some strange things happen with the video cache the first time I attempted to convert the copied vhs file on my drive to avi. I have DVD Shrink and DVDDecrypter. The million dollar question - how to get the Mpeg file to ISO using what I have? I also am very new at this and trying to figure it out. Any suggestions?

 

Rjxtian: The "Sima Copy This" is a good name Brand Video Stabilizer that should also work with copying from a DVD Player also...They are much better devices than the Cheapo Video stabilizers you can get for $30 and under on ebay so I would go for the Sima unit over the other cheaper units...

Moonstone: You do not have to go from Mpeg to ISO to Make a DVD or VCD/SVCD...
If you are Makeing a DVD you Must use a DVD Authoring program so you can add the Navigation perameters to your Movie like Menu"s and Chapters and the Program will format your File with the menu"s and Chapters to a Video_TS folder and burn it to DVD....

If you are Makeing VCD"s or SVCD"s you can simply Burn the Mpeg files to CD-R useing nero in VCD or SVCD Mode ..There is no need to turn the Files into ISO Images or Bin/Cue files to make a working Disk..

Cheers

 

Hi Minion - Thanks for the reply so quickly. When writing the vhs file to my hard drive both arcsoft and Sonic put the file into their own predefined folder, and it is not the video ts folder. Plus the file is usually too big for the DVD and no matter what attempts I have made at "editing" that doesn't seem to work much either except to put another copy of the file on my hard drive. Sonic has all this mickey mouse stuff that I don't want in my movie, like music and clouds etc when you use their edit feature. How do you tell the sonic and arcsoft software to put the file into the video ts folder? Thanks.

 

You should maybe try useing different capture software , One that will capture the File directly to a Mpeg2 file and then you can use sonic to author the captured file to DVD...
I would suggest useing "WinDVR 3.0" and you should make your own custom Capture profile that way you can adjust the Capture bitrate so that the captured file is small enough to fit on a DVD..
If you post the Length of your VHS Movie I can tell you what bitrate you should use to capture the file so that it isn"t too big for a DVD.....

Cheers

 

Hi Minion - thank you again for your quick response. So far the longest movie I've tried to copy has been 1 hour and 50 minutes. I'll check your recommendation out today. Thank you again.

 

With a 1 hour 50 minute Movie you can Fit it on a DVD if you capture the VHS Tape useing a mpeg2 Video Bitrate of 5350kbs and an audio Bitrate of 192kbs at 48000hz...

If you use a Capture Program Like WinDVR 3.0 and Make a custom Profile useing those bitrate settings then you will be able to fit it on a DVD without haveing to compress it any further......Cheers

PS: if you use a Bitrate calculator then you can calculate what bitrate you should use so you can fit a Movie on a DVD Based on the movies length....

 

Thank you Minion - I will give it a try and let you know how things come out.

 

rjxtian:
I purchased and used the Sima Copy This CT1 stabilizer. I copied all of my store purchased movie VHS with it directly to my hard drive then placed them on DVD and it worked great every time. The only comment that I would have is that the quality was only as good as the VHS tape itself and that the a good VCR should be used. The quality is not as good as a movie DVD made from DVD Shrink (or other) but this is to be expected since the original was from a VHS - the Sima Copy This CT1 did not reduce the quality. Since I am a novice, I don't know any way to enhance the quality of a VHS to DVD video - others in this forum with expertise may know how.

 

hi there.
im a newbie to videography, but to get my old analog vhs taped to my pc i actually capture the vhs tape from my vcr and record them onto mini digital tape using my panasonic gs70 3ccd mini digital camcorder.
(i keep these tapes for archiving and throw the vhs tapes away) from there i then capture the old videos from the dv tape on my camcorder to my pc using a program called SONIC MyDVD, which captures the dv tape in 720x576 (pal) mpeg2 format, and from there i then create my open dvd project and burn the video to ritek G04 dvd-r discs using sonic MyDVD again.
this is also the method i use to capture my new digital videos from my camcorder to pc (using SONIC MyDVD) and the reason i use MyDVD is that my vids are automatically captured in mpeg2 and after i capture the video i can also save the mpeg file for later use, and i can also create a dvd project to burn at the same time.
this way theres no need to convert my vids from one codec to another, it seems pointless to capture in avi or any other format when u have to encode or transcode the file to mpeg2 anyway to get it on a dvd to play on television.
i got my SONIC MyDVD program with my dvd burner, and i can assure you all that for a cheap program like this, its a dam good one for basic dvd creating and dv capture.
btw, i get no frame loss capturing my old analog vids to digital video first, then capture the dv tape to pc, i know you guys maybe think this is a silly way to do it, but its the simplest way to dv tape to mpeg2 then onto dvd without all the fuss.
i have so far captured 80gb of analog video and burned them to dvd, and the quality of the dvd video playback is better than the original vhs on my dvd tv player. i cant explain it, maybe its cos i capture the analog onto dv tape b4 capture it to pc, but all you newbies give it a go, thats if u got a dv camcorder.
now i reduced my vhs storage space down from several shelves to a mere shoebox full of mini dv tapes to archive for the next 10 years till some other video format comes along.
cheers to u all.....GLEN

 

glenpinn:

I too use SONIC. My procedure is a one step process VCR to hard drive (SONIC) & Sonic runs automatically. I simply set up the programming time based on the run time (real time) listed on the VHS then select the time setting to make sure it all fits on 4.7 DVD click "start" and walk away.

My refernce to DVD Shrink was to make the point that the VHS to DVD quality was not as good as a copy of a movie DVD "burned" to DVD from software such as DVD Shrink.

 

HI DVDTD
thanks for reply, didnt know u were onboard.
yeah about sonic mydvd, its a great program for basics, the best ive used, but i know what u mean about 1 step capture, but i capture the vids to mini dv first to keep the tapes for archiving and throw away the old tapes.
it takes the extra time i know, but i got plenty of time, im now a pro videographer (still learning) and using sonic is the best thing i ever did.
all my vids and dvd turn out perfectly, not ever had a fail yet, and the audio/video quality from the mpeg2 file is great.
i use arcsoft showbiz for basic editing, and premier 6.5 for serious editing, so goes to show u even cheap sonic gets my thumbs up against $1200 adobe.
one will never be perfect at the video editing thing, always something else comes along to baffle us all.
regards again m8....GLEN
BTW, i also capture my vids and save the mpeg2 video file to archive as well for later use.
i store all my finished work on a seperate 250gb external firewire storage drive + copy backups onto dvd discs. i do all my capture and editing on a 160gb sata drive, my main drive is a 120gb sata, and i run a sony dru700a dual layer burner + a sep dvd rom.
i also run an identical pc on another desk to get my work done twice as quick (lol)

 

wooduck:

My DVDR was new, too. It was also so many revisions down that trying to burn a high-speed blank burned out the head. When you buy doesn't necessarily reflect when it went into the box. The purpose of upgrading the firmware is to reflect the latest burning algorythms for mew media.

Actually, older media is more likely to work than newer in most drives. There is a better chance that the drive has been updated to use it.

Have you been able to burn any kind of DVDs *after* this problem arose?

Were you able to save an ISO file?

moonstone:

I suggested the .iso file to troubleshoot whether or not wooduck's problem was related to the burner/disk or the software/system. Saving to an ISO cuts the entire DVD burner subsystem out of the picture. It doesn't get you anything special other than the ability to burn more copies quickly using your burner software.

The .iso file is created in your authoring software. When you go to burn a disk, instead of giving it a drive number, most packages allow you to save to .iso instead of--or in addidion to--burning a disk.

bob