Recommendations for burning home video???

[Sumdumguy]

Hello,
I picked up my first DVD burner yesterday(Pacific Digital 8x @ Office Max $79). I am totally new to this and would love any recommendations. I have lots of home video from a Canon digital camcorder that I would like to put on DVD's, but I am not sure of the best programs to use. Currently, I have a Digital Origin Intro DVD program that can be used to get the video onto my computer. I also have Easy CD Creator 5, but I am not sure that will help with DVD. Are there programs out there that you would recommend to help me with my project? All comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[rcb]

Lessee here...

First and most important, take note of all the help guides/tools/etc. over on the l/h column of this page. Spending quality time over there will most likely help you avoid spending yer hard-earned cash. Just as important, take note of the Glossary - gotta know some of the terminology.

yer lookin at a project that can be broken down into the following categories:

1) Capture
2) Edit
3) Convert
4) Author
5) Burn

Capture - you will be transferring DV from yer vidcam to yer puter via Firewire and related s/w... what you already have may work, may not.
If not, time for a capture guide research session. Look for freeware that will give you type 2 dv. The transferred file will be shown by your puter with an avi extension. Be aware that this files can get big in a hurry, so have plenty of free HD space available.

Edit - where you will be cutting/grooming/joining your raw footage - TMPGenc Plus (payware) can do much of that and also can do the Convert
catagory stuff.

Convert - where you change your avi file into a DVD compliant mpeg file.
If you choose TMPGenc Plus, see the guides for detailed info on how to best use.

Author - Where you compile the mpeg file(s) along with creating menus, chapters,etc. into a stsandard structure that all DVD players can reead/play. TMPGenc DVD Author (payware) can do this step and also has a built-in burning feature. Needless to say, it also very much likes the mpeg files produced by TMPGenc Plus.

Burn - TMPGenc DVD Author, Nero 6 and other apps can do the burning.
Your copy of Easy CD Creator 5 won't... sorry. Burning media (DVD blank disks) selection is also important - has to be the type your burner can handle and of a "quality" that won't get you a pile of expensive, unusable coasters. Again, do your homework over in the l/h column in the "DVD Media" section. And, get at least several r/w type disks - as they can be re-used - can save you money whilst experimenting/learning.

As to "reccomended" software, there are a number of other apps out there - and some can do all the above steps in one package. But, prices/features/performance/headaches can range all over the map. The two I've mentioned both have a rep of being rock-solid.

this little essay doesn't hardly scratch the surface of the subject at hand so dont take it to the bank. Hopefully, you'll get other/better replies. But, do use those guides to the left.

Enjoy the hobby, weather the frustrations. Good Luck.

[Sumdumguy]

Thank you for your helful advice and suggestions. This all seems a bit confusing. I have looked at some of the other topics here, and I have found that it can be hard to understand all the "lingo". Anyhow, you have been kind enough to give me something to start with, and I appreciate your help. Thanks!!

[Augster]

It is confusing FOR SURE. I've been reading and experimenting for a week and everything rcb posted is all good info.

For a TON of guides hit either to the left or lordsmurf.com. He tells you what's what.

Here is what I have been doing, with OK results. Just a matter of tweaking now.

I have Premiere 6.5 for editing. This is great editing software, and if you can get it cheap, get it. I capture into .avi in Premiere. Then I edit in Premiere. Finally, I export to file. It is now a usable, edited, BIG .avi file.

I then bring it into TMPGenc PLUS! I convert it to MPEG-2, the DVD standard. TMPG also separates the audio. That is a sticking point for me right now. I have to change the audio to AC3 or something. I don't know. Right now though, I just leave the audio the way TMPG separated it.

Next, I open TMPG Author DVD, and find the file I just exported from TMPGenc. TMPG Author is VERY easy to use. MINUTES for the learning curve. I make my menu's and such, then mux the audio,video, and menus together into a VIDEO_TS file.

I then open NERO 5.10 or whatever the STABLE one with DVD is and burn the contents of the VIDEO_TS file to DVD.

As I read elsewhere, if you don't want to shell for Premiere just yet, use Windows Movie Maker. It's free on XP. Go download the latest version from MS. Both of the TMPG's mentioned have free trials and are inexpensive anyway.

Once you realize there are MANY steps to the process, and NO ONE way is best, it makes it easier to get a handle on it. Not ONE program will do it all. Just remember to capture in AVI, edit in AVI, then compress from there.

[Sumdumguy]

Thanks Augster!
Man, the more I read, the more confused I get. I don't know if I will ever figure this out. Good suggestion on the Lord Smurf site, BTW. I was reading other posts and stubled across it. There definitely is no shortage of reading material. Now, it is just getting my brain to process and use it.

One of the things that I find confusing is all the different steps, and also, the different formats and file extensions, ie: AVI, MPEG2, etc. I have a LOT of reading to do.

Thanks so much for trying to help me out. I appreciate your help, and your post provides me with some great starts. Looks as if I need to acquire some new software before I can get too far. Thanks again!!

[Tommyknocker]

Remember to start out using DVD±RWs. Keeps the overhead down, as they are reuseable.

[steve h]

I am on a similar track as 'Sumdumguy' but little ahead of him. I have already gone thru the 'DV to DVD Guide' I found here and found it very confusing. But after reading the responses from you guys it has made things simpler now. Please accept my thanks too.
I have a couple of questions of my own:
1. Can you capture the video from a DV camcorder in MPEG2 format straight or you only have the option of capturing it in AVI format. Becuase I remember capturing some video last year in MPEG format (not MPEG2) using windows movie maker.
2. When you convert the video from AVI to MPEG2 and ready to burn it with nero, do you simply ADD the MPEG2 file in VIDEO_TS folder in Nero. What about the audio file. Don't you have to add that in AUDIO_TS folder.

[Tommyknocker]

Many programs can capture in MPEG-2. My MPEG-2 captures are done with Video Studio 7. If you are burning with Nero, take the DVD formatted MPEG-2 file, demux it using TMPGEnc (Merge & Cut), into m2v and mp2 or mpa. Load Ifo Edit, select DVD Author-->Author new DVD. Load the m2v file as video, and the mp2 (mpa) file as audio. The resultant files are your DVD files (BUPs, IFOs, etc.). These files you load into Nero in the VIDEO_TS folder and burn to DVD.

[steve h]

That seems lot simpler than what it says in the guide. I'll try to create my first home DVD this weekend and post my experiences.
Thx.