New to creating dvds - advice on required software

[sleazy_frank]

Hi there - I am setting up a new system with the intention of creating a DV editing suite for burning onto DVD (I have a Sony -/+ RW drive.) and I just wanted some advice on what further hardware and software is recommended for this? See my profile for full details of my current hardware. I'll also be taking a look at https://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/179038.php for more info.

many thanks!

frank

[Gees]

I'll also be taking a look at https://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/179038.php for more info.

That's an excellent start.

If you also do searches* for "best software"/"best hardware" you will see the responses are numerous and opinions very varied. (*in the box at the upper right of this page)

Your choice, of course, will come down to your requirements and preferences and budget.

But those existing threads will get you started on seeing what's available and why people like or dislike them.

Good luck - have fun.

[sleazy_frank]

Thanks Gees - had a look at the document and it gives a great deal of information, especially on capturing DV and encoding into MPEG-2 which is great. I'm going to be setting up an editing service in my home for working on DV and analogue files - the guide was specific to capturing, editing and encoding DV to MPEG2 and then onto DVD. Are there any other similar guides for analogue capture? If I captured and encoded normal vhs and vhs-c to mpeg-1, how much video can I get onto a normal single sided dvd-r/dvd+r? From the help file I saw I can get about 2 hours of DV, so hopefully I can get a lot more MPEG1.

Also with regards to the software I require - I suppose my budget is an importnant factor - probably I'd say with 3 kids at around the £100 mark. I want a program that will capture DV and analogue, can edit and record to DVD (Plus allow me to create menus). Asking for the mpeg encoding would probably be too much for that budget so a separate program will have to be used as well. Does this bring anything to mind?? Sorry for the lack of clarity, but I'm a bit inexperienced in this area as you can see!

cheers

frank

[The village idiot]

You could look at it the other way around. Get some software that lets you edit and encode to mpeg, and then get software to author and burn. I say it that way because there are a few free tools to author and burn, but not to edit and encode. For DV work I like EditStudio (just click the link) and their mpegXS pluggin to encode. Then you could use some of the free authoring tools that can be found in the tools section of this website. Or you could buy something like DVD Movie Factory to author your disks. Since you are going to be using some analog video, you should consider one of these: Datavideo DAC-100 or Canopus ADVC-100, ADVC-1394, ADVC-50 analog to DV converters.

[Gees]

OK, like most everyone else here, I'd say the first thing you should get is Tempgenc.

After that, just do a search within this site as I wrote before and read through everything in TOOLS and GUIDES relative to what you want to learn that day.

£100.00* is very slim to even consider setting up an editing service. Perhaps that's not what you meant? I think you'll eventually find that you need a variety of programs to be able to do anything on a professional level. I have not found a magical single program that can do everything - and do it well. (Although they probably do exist in the £2,000+ range)

Even if you are thinking about doing this only as a hobby, there are weeks, and weeks worth of reading to be done.

Download any programs that look interesting and offer trial periods. Use them and learn them and find which you like best that work well for you.

* right now I own close to £1,000 worth of software and would need more before considering doing this professionally.

[The village idiot]

I just looked at your system specs. That should work very well. Only thing I don't see is if you have a firewire connection for use with the Dv camera/deck that you will be using. Also would need this for one of the external analog to DV converters.

[Will Hay]

Thanks Gees - had a look at the document and it gives a great deal of information, especially on capturing DV and encoding into MPEG-2 which is great. I'm going to be setting up an editing service in my home for working on DV and analogue files - the guide was specific to capturing, editing and encoding DV to MPEG2 and then onto DVD. Are there any other similar guides for analogue capture? If I captured and encoded normal vhs and vhs-c to mpeg-1, how much video can I get onto a normal single sided dvd-r/dvd+r? From the help file I saw I can get about 2 hours of DV, so hopefully I can get a lot more MPEG1.

Also with regards to the software I require - I suppose my budget is an importnant factor - probably I'd say with 3 kids at around the £100 mark. I want a program that will capture DV and analogue, can edit and record to DVD (Plus allow me to create menus). Asking for the mpeg encoding would probably be too much for that budget so a separate program will have to be used as well. Does this bring anything to mind?? Sorry for the lack of clarity, but I'm a bit inexperienced in this area as you can see!

cheers

frank

I'm a year into dvdrhelp.com and my hobby of doing analogue and DV to dvd for family and friends only has only just gone live.
Assuming you have the correct hardware, the software I use is as follows...
Virtualdub (free) to capture analogue footage and Pinnacle Studio 8.5 to capture DV.
I then edit and add transitions with Studio, export as an avi and encode with TMPGEnc.
I then use Ulead Movie Factory 1.0 to author (menus etc) although Studio can do this, I prefer MF 1.0.
I then use RecordNowMax to burn to DVDr.
There are many reports on thsi site that Studio is shite, it's buggy and unreliable (for anaolgue capture yes, it is) but for me it's superb.
Oh, and be prepared to read, a lot.
The guides here are great, as are the forums.
Good luck
Will

[housepig]

I say it ..because there are a few free tools to author and burn, but not to edit and encode.

linear edit: Virtualdub
non-linear edit : Zwei-Stein, AIST MovieXone, ABC VideoRoll
encoding : bbmpeg

all freeware. not the easiest or fastest to use, not the easiest to find in the case of MovieXone or ABC Videoroll, but if you want free over easy, here you go.

[The village idiot]

OK, you got me. Somewhere I have abc video roll, didn't like it. Also had some thing odd about it but I can't remember. I know I didn't use it very long because of some kind of limitation or another.

[housepig]

OK, you got me. Somewhere I have abc video roll, didn't like it.

oh, I fully agree - I dug up MovieXone, it was okay but a little Fisher-Price style. ABC Videoroll was weird, and Zwei-Stein confuses the hell out of me. That's why I use Vegas

I never said they were good or easy - just free.....