Q: editing standalone DVD recorder files

[broadway]

If I were to buy a standalone DVD recorder and use it to capture video from a VCR, what tools will I need to be able to edit the file(s) on the DVD?

I want to grab segments not the whole thing (ie in 2 hour tape, there may be 10-15 minutes of video I want to keep), save the segments as MPEG2, and then burn to DVD when I have captured enough material to fill one DVD.

Also, since a DVD is 4.7GB, and I am on a WindowsME, will I be able to get a full 2 hour on a DVD?

[Ejoc]

Can be done, I know I read here somewhere about someone who does this exact thing. But all you need to do, it take the DVD thats made and pop it in your Computer, if all you want are little clips of it, use a program that can deal with VOBs directly. You could use something like TMPGEnc DVD Author, or DVD Shrink.

[qpskfec]

You can define chapters on the set top dvdr, then rip only the chapters you want on the PC. Then load the vob(s) into your authoring program.

If you want to edit, try mpeg2vcr. Free trial available.

[Specialist]

If I were to buy a standalone DVD recorder and use it to capture video from a VCR, what tools will I need to be able to edit the file(s) on the DVD?

Ulead's MediaStudio Pro 7 features a DVD-VR plug-in that allows you to specify a target destination on your hard drive and "copy" video recorded by a DVD recorder from disc to hard drive.

I've posted a tutorial explaining how to do this in connection with the Panasonic VDR-M30 DVD disc camcorder:

http://www.jonesgroup.net/vdrm30stepone.htm

These same steps can be used to extract the raw MPEGs from DVD-RAM discs recorded in Panasonic player/recorders.

I know the difference between the Panasonic player/recorders and the Panasonic DVD disc camcorder can be seen in the specific properties of the captured files:

1. Panasonic DVD Camcorder (VDR-M30):

NTSC drop frame (29.97 fps)
MPEG files
24 Bits, 704 x 480, 29.97 fps
Field Order B
(DVD-NTSC), 4 : 3
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 8800 kbps)
Audio data rate: 256 kbps
MPEG audio layer 2, 48 KHz, Stereo

2. Panasonic player/recorder (DMR-E50):

NTSC drop frame (29.97 fps)
MPEG files
24 Bits, 704 x 480, 29.97 fps
Field Order B
(DVD-NTSC), 4 : 3
Video data rate: Variable (Max. 9558 kbps)
Audio data rate: 256 kbps
AC-3 Audio, 48 KHz, 2/0(L,R)

Note the player/recorder utilizes AC-3 audio and records the video at a higher bitrate than does the camcorder.

I am very pleased with the quality of the Panasonic VDR-M30's images when set to record at the highest (Xtra) quality.

What surprises me is that a single chip camcorder can generate such vivid color.

These files can be edited in MediaStudio Pro, but you should use a pretty fast processor and plenty of ram because MPEG editing seems to cause the program to behave in a more sluggish fashion than DV .avi editing.

When exporting my edited video back out to a disc, I have found that the sure way to maintain audio/video synchronization is to make certain my DVD authoring module's project settings precisely match the properties of my video and that I specify AC-3 audio for my finished disc.

To accomplish this, I uncheck the DO NOT CONVERT COMPLIANT FILES box so that Ulead DVD Workshop will re-encode the MPEG audio (and only the audio - not the video) recorded by the Panasonic VDR-M30 to AC-3.

It seems to work fine so far.

I still prefer DV .avi editing because the Video Editor seems to perform much more nimbly.

If you want to test prior to purchase, you can download the FREE trial here:

http://www.ulead.com/msp/trial.htm

Hope this gives you some helpful info.

Jerry Jones
http://www.jonesgroup.net