Any DVD Authoring software w Flexible Recording VBR Capture?

[DannyDVD]

Does anyone know of a DVD authoring software that will offer a capture option with VBR to allow optimized quality for the length of your DVD disk, similar to what Panasonic calls the Flexible Recording in lets say their popular DMR-E50, and it will also have some sort of auto chaptering feature?

To elaborate further, I have a lot of video tapes with odd lengths between 1hr 10 min to 2 hrs. I am trying to capture them into 4.7GB DVD-R or +R, to fit for example a 1 hr and 20 minutes tape into the DVD using all available space. I don’t want extra unused DVD space and I don’t want to loose too much quality by going to fixed lower bit rates.

I have used the latest Sonic MYDVD 5 as well as Roxio’s latest EZ CD/DVD Creator 6.0 DVD authoring software, but neither allows for the “VBR to Fit length” i.e. “Flexible Recording”. In MYDVD5 you can pick “Best” capture quality (8Mbps), but can only record 1 hr into a 4.7GB disk, and with the “Better” capture quality (4Mbps), it allows for a 2.5 hr to fit in a 4.7GB DVD. So if I use the “Better” setting, then for a 1hr 20 minute tape I am sacrificing quality, where there is disk space available to go to a higher bit rate and still fit the media.

I understand that Nero 6 (NeroVision Express 2) has the custom bit rate for capturing, but it does not allow for auto chapter points every so many minutes (or auto scene selection marker like MYDVD 5).
Danny DVDo

[andkiich]

It's probably best to get the specific tool for the job instead of the all-in-one dvd "authoring" tools.

Look at specific capture programs in the TOOLS section.

[DannyDVD]

There are bazillion of capturing tools out there. I have messed around with a few of them, but have not come across one that does the job. Can someone be a bit more specific on a suggestion that would have the "Flexible Recording" plus auto chaptering? I have about 100 VHS tapes that I need to convert to DVD, so I am looking at the easiest way to do this. Sonic MYDVD 5 is the closest I have come to what I am looking for...

Suggestions are very much appreciated.

[gmatov]

Are you actually asking for a program that will sense the content of an unplayed, uncaptured tape and assign bitrates for each frame while you are capturing it?

VBR encoders do 1 to X passes over a ripped to drive or a DVD and do just that.

To expect it to predict what is on a tape is asking too much.

You are going to have to cap, then use an encoder to do VBR and set the size of the finished product.

My own cap program, MSIPVS, came with my MSI tv@nywhere card allows custom bitrare, if you want to call it that, but it will never tell you that an uncapped tape will be X megabytes long.

Just how the hell is it supposed to know that? Intuitively?

[ZippyP.]

Just how the hell is it supposed to know that? Intuitively?

Don't be too hard on him, it's just an idealistic newbie running smack into cold, hard reality.

The only way to get predictable file size using VBR is to use 2-pass (or more) while encoding from your already captured material.

[Tommyknocker]

Well, it seems to me if he knows how long his video is (1 hour 20 minutes), what format's the final video is to be in (DVD), the rest, as they say, is history:



Now, while it's true bit rate calculators do not capture, but since he already will know what bit rate to set once he does, he only needs to plug these numbers into TMPGEnc once he captures with another application.

[DannyDVD]

Tommyknocker,

As you mentioned, I already know my video source lengths. Now this brings up a new question. I see that you used the default audio bitrate
(224kbps) in the bitrate calculator. What bitrate would you use for PCM audio? If that is a dependable number, then let me ask the question this way: If you have a DVD vob file, how can you tell at what bitrate the audio has been transcoded? I am trying to allow enough room for the audio that NeroExpress 2 produces for DVD.

File properties of mplayer2.exe (along with AC3Filter ver 0.68b) tells me 192Kbps for the audio in question. If I use that in the bitrate calculator the resultant video bitrate makes a DVD that is larger than it will fit the media.

[spiderman2k1]

Some thing you have to look at sync problem's. ATI AIW are very good and get a world wide VCR if you have any problem's and get the ATI AIW patch for macrovision and a sima copy master then record at 8000 CBR push no more then 2 and a half hour or may be three hour's on a DVD the authorive it. Then use OC8 to make it fit on a DVD-R.

If you do not want to do it this way get your self a DVD recorder for the home.