What's the best method for my video process

[livnlrg8ez]

Hello, I'm using eyetv 200 (firewire) to capture video in mpeg2 (720x480 @29.97fps Audio 48.0khz, 224 kbs) I want to be able to put a few 30min videos on a dvd-r with a menu screen. What is the best method and least time consuming way to do this. I have dvd pro 2, final cut 4 and adobe premiere 6.5 None of those can open the mpeg2 file. The only way I found is to let eyetv export the mpeg2 to a quicktime movie and open the QT movies in dvd pro. I can join and create menus that way, but it takes forever. Is there any other way to do it w/o converting the mpeg2 file..

Thanks,

[srobart]

If you have the QT MPEG2 codec, that might be your easiest way to do it. If you have a dual CPU powermac, that is by FAR the best way because QT takes advantage of both of your CPUs. Just open the file from eyetv w/QT and have QT export it to mpeg2. Then open up DVDSP (dvd studio pro) and put the tracks together with a menu.
If you're not really concerned about how the menus look, you could always just drop the mpeg2's in Toast in Video DVD mode and let it convert it for you. That might be the FASTEST way to do it.
If this doesn't sound feasable, I'm sure i can come up with some other suggestions. Let me know if these work for you.

[livnlrg8ez]

sorbart, What's the difference in the file that eyetv saves it? Isn't it already mpeg2? I don't have the QT codec, I guess I could DL it. I tried this once; I let eyetv export the file for me to a QT.mov file and opened it up in DVDSP and it worked fine like that..took some time but worked. I was wondering if the exsisting saved file from eyetv untouched could be imported and joined together w/menus w/o converting it first. Do you have the Apple QT codec or the freeware version?

Thanks

[srobart]

I'm really not sure what format eyetv saves in. It could be standard mpeg2, or some other type of mpeg2 transport stream that isn't necessarily readable by normal means.
The QT codec is relatively cheap, you can get it from apple's website. I'm sure there are "other" ways to get it, but obviously that's not something that should be discussed here. It's cheap enough that if you're going to use it often, you should probably buy it anyway. It's a good investment and it helps out the greatest computer company ever.
I am pretty sure you could easily do all this in Toast. Just try dropping the files that eyetv makes directly into toast Video DVD mode. Tell it to make the menus and go ahead and burn it to a DVD +/- RW, that way you can see the menus and what everything looks like before you waste a +/- R.
Toast seems to be the easiest way to do this and it should meet all your requirements (menus, conversions, quality, etc).

[Frobozz]

This is from the ElGato FAQ for your EyeTV:

Q: Can I export EyeTV movies to a video DVD?

A: If you have Toast 6 Titanium, the process is quite simple. Using EyeTV software version 1.6 or higher, just export your recordings as MPEG Program Stream files (or by using the "Toast" preset), and then drag them to the Toast Video window. Select Video CD, Super Video CD, or DVD-Video, press Burn, and your disk is automatically authored. Menus with buttons for each recording can also be generated.

[srobart]

Hehe, thanks Frobozz, that's exactly what I was trying to say. I just didn't think to check eyeTV's website for the answer. I had the right idea, just wrong wording.

I've converted so many files to DVD like that, I am certain that I could do it in my sleep. Fortunately, I bought a DivX player now so I don't have to do that anymore...that's one of my BEST electronic investments. Everyone should have a divx player!

[russurquhart1]

Hi,

I am using EyeTV200 and also have DVDSP. If you have the latest software, you can have EyeTV convert the MPEG2 files to a format that DVDSP can use. In my case, that produces a .mpa and .mpv. I give the .mpv file a ,mp2 extension and then it is automatically recognized by DVDSP. For the audio, i give it an .mp3 extension, and then convert it to a .aac file using ffmpegx (sp?) but you could use the audio as is, in DVDSP, i was just trying to save space!

Hope this helps!


Russ

[sjk]

MPEG Streamclip is one of the few Mac applications I know of that's capable of handling native, unexported EyeTV (200) MPEG-2 files directly (besides EyeTV software, of course). QuickTime (and apps that use it) handle older EyeTV USB MPEG-1 files directly but crashes trying to play EyeTV 200 MPEG-1s, which I assume is because of differences in their hardware encoders.

It would be very convenient if EyeTV had the option to save recordings directly to a QuickTime-usable format, eliminating the time-consuming exporting (or conversion with MPEG Streamclip). Or, for QuickTime to properly process them. Since neither are possible (yet) I may try learning enough AppleScript for batch exporting since doing it manually from the EyeTV GUI is a hassle for more than a couple files. Maybe Elgato Systems could kindly include scripts for that sort of functionality in a future release (hint, hint ).