best capture format and software

[boots]

I just obtained a ADVC-110 to capture video from my camcorder and DISH Network PVR. I am new to all of this so please be patient. I want to save the output to my new home theater PC and then watch it on a plasma flat panel. What is the best format in which to capture the recordings and what would be the best software program? And, to watch on a large screen plasma or LCD (42"-50") what would be the best capture software? Would I have to capture in AVI and then transcode (is that the proper term) to another format to watch on plasma/LCD? Thanks.

[thecoalman]

The canopus is a DV-AVI capture device, you really have no choice but to capture to DV-AVI*. Anything will work as long as it's DV-AVI, all the encoding is done by the device, your computer simply records what it sends to it. This produces about a 14 gig per hour file. WinDV is a free application, you can use windows movie maker too.

From there it depends on what you want to do with it? DVD? Just leave it on the HD as a file? you can reduce this 14gig file quite a bit.

*You can use software like Ulead's Video Studio or Movie Factory for encoding to MPEG on the fly or others to other formats but this pretty much negates the benefits of having a ADVC in the first place.

[redwudz]

If you are using a ADVC-110, you don't have any choice in the matter. It is a hardware DV-AVI converter and that's all it outputs. But for a transfer program, I use WinDV. ScenalyzerLive is also popular.

Once you have the DV on your computer hard drive, then you can edit it, then encode to whatever format you want. You can use Window Movie Maker to transfer and edit, as long as you set it to output DV-AVI. I use VirtualDub Mod, along with a DV codec. There are also some pay all-in-one programs that you can use for the transfer, edit and authoring to a DVD format. Others can probably give you suggestions for those.

I use the individual tools. WinDV>VirtualDub Mod>TMPGEnc encoder>TMPGEnc DVD Author>ImgBurn for DVD.

Other DV tools: https://www.videohelp.com/tools/sections/dv

If your computer can feed output to your plasma set, you can probably view the DV directly. But most of us probably convert to DVD format.

DV uses about 13GB/Hour of hard drive space, so you want a lot of space available. You should be able to get about an hour of good quality video on a DVD after encoding it to the MPEG-2, DVD format. See 'WHAT IS' DVD to the upper left on this page to see the DVD format and specification.

[boots]

So, do you have any idea what a DV-AVI file will look like on a plasma screen? Thanks for the help.

[TBoneit]

It should look exctly like what your source looks like. However it will eat up hard disc space. 20 hours will more than fill a 250Gig hard disc drive.

That is why it was suggested you convert to DVD for example. Or if you have a Divx/DVD player you could convert to divx.

[boots]

It should look exctly like what your source looks like. However it will eat up hard disc space. 20 hours will more than fill a 250Gig hard disc drive.

That is why it was suggested you convert to DVD for example. Or if you have a Divx/DVD player you could convert to divx.

I do have a stand alone DVD recorder, the Panasonic DMR E80H, but after amassing about 250 DVD's, I decided I would prefer to have everything on one or more hard drives (RAID?) and be able to visualize my entire library on the hard drive rather than having DVD discs scattered about. And speaking of Divx, could I save the recorded AVI program as Divx to save space and still have the same quality?

[edDV]

What is your camcorder model number?
What is your display/HDTV model number?

How to you define your "Home Theater PC"?

[edDV]

I do have a stand alone DVD recorder, the Panasonic DMR E80H, but after amassing about 250 DVD's, I decided I would prefer to have everything on one or more hard drives (RAID?) and be able to visualize my entire library on the hard drive rather than having DVD discs scattered about. And speaking of Divx, could I save the recorded AVI program as Divx to save space and still have the same quality?

To convert 250 DVD to a server of some kind will take ~ 500Hours of paying attention. Are you up for that?

RAID is not necessary buy for capacity not speed. Don't go too large. If you loose a 500GB drive, you just lost 250hrs of labor unless you backed up your work to another 500GB drive.

I bought a 500GB drive for ~$110. For 250 hrs of work. That backup insurance cost $ 0.44 per hr of work.


BTW: 250 hrs of labor at 40hrs/week will take 12.5 weeks of paying attention. Is this project worth 12. 5 weeks of your life to get random access to DVD that are 95% not worth watching twice? I am not getting it.

[boots]

What is your camcorder model number?
What is your display/HDTV model number?

How to you define your "Home Theater PC"?

My camcorder is a Sony VX 2000, my display is a Pioneer 5060HD, and I define a "Home Theater PC" as one that can store videos, audios, has a whopping amount of storage, and also has a tuner. Right?

[edDV]

So I hope you know enough not to capture your VX2000 through an ADVC-110.

If you can afford a Pioneer 5060HD I assume you are asking about hiring illegals or teenagers to dub your 250 ($3500) DVD collection to a server?

I hope you know enough to instruct them.

Spend a few bucks first on a consultant.

[boots]

So I hope you know enough not to capture your VX2000 through an ADVC-110.

If you can afford a Pioneer 5060HD I assume you are asking about hiring illegals or teenagers to dub your 250 ($3500) DVD collection to a server?

I hope you know enough to instruct them.

Spend a few bucks first on a consultant.

Very funny. Remind me to laugh. And no, I wouldn't trust illegals or teenagers around my toys. And no, I am not planning on dubbing my entire DVD collection to a server. What I am planning on doing is to store all of my future camcorder and PVR recordings onto a server and not DVD's. And where did the $3500 DVD collection come from? I only paid about 50 cents per DVD blank, making my DVD collection only $125.

[edDV]

Roger Wilco and Out.
http://www.dyerlabs.com/communications/procedural_codes.html