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  1. Newbie is right. Here goes. I got a Samsung HD H300 camcorder for a gift. I recorded the family opening Xmas gifts etc. I can't for the life of me figure out how to burn the video to a dvd. I have ZERO knowledge about any of this so if you can explain it to me like I'm a 3rd grader it would help.
    -I might return camera due to focus issues, and buy a Sony but I have a few questions.
    #1 Can I skip the computer process and just buy a external burner? Will if burn in HD and play on BR and DVD?
    #2 Does the quality of a SD camera fail to even come close to HD? (Not looking to film wildlife stuff but like the video quality of HD)
    Sorry for not knowing, but all of this is overwhelming to me since I am replacing a video camera with mini tapes.

    Thanks to all !!
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  2. You may run into some resistance to providing the level of help for which you're asking: It's a little like a first-grader asking for an explanation of algebra without knowing any of the earlier fundamentals.

    On the upper left of every Videohelp page is a section on "How To." For "3d grade explanations," you might want to start at

    https://www.videohelp.com/convert#4;62

    You first need to educate yourself on the fundamentals of DVD file formats, how to convert from MP4 (which seems to be the format your camera uses) to DVD format, how to author a DVD (including recommended software to use), and how to burn your resulting files to a recordable DVD in a DVD-ROM-compatible format.

    Once you've got the fundamentals and perhaps tried out what you've learned, then it's more likely you'll get answers to specific questions and problems you face, rather than an "I need someone to teach me everything I need to know" request.
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  3. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    To go a little deeper than cobrapilot - SD will not look as good as hd. Period.

    You can certainly make a sd dvd from your hd material. It will still be widescreen but no longer hd. However it will be playable on normal dvd players.

    Your other option is to buy a bluray burner on your computer and bluray authoring software. THan you can make a true high def disc from your source material. Of course you will need a bluray player to play it naturally.

    One other option is to get a settop media player that reads files from a harddrive like a wdtv or one of its competitors. Load your videos onto the harddrive and play through your media player. However please note as there are so many cameras out there with slightly different recording formats not all media players will play them perfectly the first time without some type of manipulation.

    Yet another option is realtime capturing with either a settop dvd recorder or if your really old school your ye olde vcr will still work in a pinch though definitely not recommended. You just hook the outputs of the camera to the inputs of the recorder, insert blank media into the recorder, press record on the recorder, press play on the camera and once its done playing the video you are all set. ---------------BIG FYI HERE -------------- This depends on the camera having an old sd output - the rca red/white/yellow cables that is - if it only has hdmi output you are out of luck on this old realtime dubbing method. You would be left to resorting to software solutions. - Edit - you can capture unencrypted hdmi with capture cards like the blackmagic intensity but something tells me that might be a bit out of your league right now experience wise.

    You will need to sift through what your technical comfort level is and your available equipment is to decide what your best approach should be.

    Also seek out a neighbor or acquaintance who has more computer tech experience than you who might be willing to lend a hand to get you started. Forums are the right place to get started online but sometimes a literal helping hand can go a long way toward getting you going in the right direction.

    Good luck.

    Edit simply burning a .mp4 or whatever file the camera creates to a disc will not automatically make it playable on any given player. It most likely won't ever be recognized on even the fanciest dvd player since its high def material. Your specific camera MIGHT have files that are playable on a given bluray player but will not be playable on EVERY bluray player out there. that is almost a 100% guarantee.

    Edit 2 - converting from hd to sd CAN look decent to good if done properly. However don't expect it to still look like its original hd form. It will lose quality as you go from 1080p/720p to 480p. No way around that if you are converting. But done properly it can be fairly good just not the same as the original.
    Last edited by yoda313; 26th Dec 2011 at 18:57.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
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  4. I'm a Super Moderator johns0's Avatar
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    MikeN-in the future please use a more descriptive subject title in your posts to allow others to search for similar topics. I will change yours this time.
    I think,therefore i am a hamster.
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  5. Thank you all. I was trying not to get angry at the process and as stated above I need to take the time to LEARN the terms and how they work. Thanks again.
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  6. Member ranchhand's Avatar
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    What is the file extension that it creates? It will be either AVCHD or mpeg4 if you are shooting HD. Then I think you can get some solid answers to your questions. Generically, there probably was some kind of extremely basic video editing/manipulation software that came with it; truthfully, most of that stuff is mostly useless but it is worth a shot to get some experience. I am pretty sure that somewhere in your handbook that came with the camera is information for creating DVD disks. What does it say?
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  7. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    Thanks for mentioning that ranchhand - I forgot to mention avchd as a possibility.

    Most but I guess not all bluray players will play avchd from dvd discs. That is high def on a dvd disc. Its not a true bluray mode but keeps the high def content. Its a hybrid to be sure. Chances are your camera probably came with avchd creation software. You would just load your video file into and make the menu and burn to disc.

    Of course you have limitations. I don't believe you can get the same max bitrate as a true bluray disc but I could be wrong. Also depending on bitrate you might not be able to fit all on a single layer. You would need a dual layer disc (and of course a dual layer burner which I think has been standard on desktop systems for a few years now - anyhow only 20-30 new online for an internal dual layer burner - more for a usb model of course). - edit and if we are talking a lot of time you might not be able to fit on a dual layer without lowering the bitrate thus sacrificing quality - or split the project to more than one disc to use a higher bitrate and keep a better picture.

    But avchd like I said isn't a 100% certain on all bluray players so far as I know. But it is another option to consider.

    multiavchd is an excellent tool for avchd creation. Though it might be a bit intimidating for newbies who haven't done much authoring before - but there is documentation available.

    Edit -

    One other thing you didn't mention your computer specs. You should realistically have at least a dual core pc to have decent encoding times. Of course you can just let the thing sit and encode on its own. But if you want to do fancy editing and seek while playing the video or whatever you will need a relatively beefy system to handle high def video for editing purposes. If you can play the files ok without stuttering issues you might be ok for editing if you are doing fancy stuff to it.
    Last edited by yoda313; 27th Dec 2011 at 14:42.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
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