vhs to dvd - problems in premiere - avi has no picture

[woodentom]

i am trying to convert and edit my vhs tapes then put onto dvd.

i am using mainconcept MPEG Encoder to capture which seems to work now and i have an mpg at 704v576 (that was the size a tutorial recommended).

i then import the mpg into premiere and export as an avi (i have not edited yet and i am testing the software). the resultant avi has sound but no images.

any suggestions as to why this happens and is there any other software that someone could recomend.

cheers

[guns1inger]

Which version of Premiere ?

If you want to edit your tapes, I would not compress to mpeg until the very last stage in the process. Mpeg is designed for playback, not editing. The way it is compressed makes it difficult to edit with frame accuracy without specialised software. Mpeg does not compress well, and does not like being compressed multiple times. It shows damage very quickly, often on the second encode.

I have heard that Premiere Pro 2 can edit mpeg. Versions prior to that needed the mainconcept mpeg editing plugin. There is dedicated mpeg editing software, such as videoredo and mpeg-vcr. They aren't as fully featured as the better DV editors, but mpeg is what they do, and they do it well.

I would, if possible, rethink the whole mpeg capture process before auditioning an editing application.

[edDV]

Best way to edit VHS in Premiere would be to cap to DV or Huffyuv, edit, then encode MPeg2.

Importing MPeg2 into Premiere (including v2) causes every frame to be decompressed into huge raw tmp files. Better to just cap that way.

[mikiem]

" i am testing the software " Cool
"i am using mainconcept MPEG Encoder to capture which seems to work now and i have an mpg at 704v576"

Assume capture file works/plays.

"i then import the mpg into premiere and export as an avi "

Again, assume the video plays from the timeline -- meaning prem understands and accepts the video & decodes it properly.

"the resultant avi has sound but no images"

If you import that video into a new prem project, does it play? If so, perhaps you exported into a format the player you're using does not understand? Might need a codec or new player or have other prob. related to playback.

If the exported video is junk, then it's seems likely the problem was in the way you exported it. As gunslinger posted, additional info would be helpful.

"is there any other software that someone could recomend."

Besides not using prem? :P Probably get a few coments on this but google and make up your own mind. :P

Some NLEs handle mpg1/2 import well, many (most?) don't. Importing the files using frameserving passes the burden of decoding the video on to other software so the NLE can do it's job, editing. You avoid the temp file prob edDV posted, & you can even boost quality a very slight bit. You might check out DGIndex, Avisynth, VFAPI, versions of Virtual Dub etc. Doing this you'll also increase the performance of those NLEs that don't like mpg1/2 to something close to regular avi support. No need "perhaps" for plugins.

Mpg2, wmv, mpg4, mjpeg, DV, all work well as initial capture formats *IF* you have enough bitrate, meaning low compression, & all have advantages & disadvantages. The newer the format, the more efficient it is. Totally uncompressed video is extremely rare (even with HD cinema), so you're going to use something.

Beyond that, an awful lot has to do with your circumstances (disc space, cpu horsepower, how the final video is used...). Personally I've found that if the final format is DVD, *Hi bit rate* mpg2 capture works *maybe* a little better because you're avoiding any colorspace changes between formats.

If the final destination is one of what I loosely call mp4 varieties, & if the source is poor (VHS), capturing directly into the destination format can look better then converting something else because you don't have any color transforms between codecs. Filtering another fomat then converting works, but then sometimes you loose more in the conversion then you've ever gained by filtering.

Adam Wilt's site is great not just re: DV, so might want to check it out.

[edDV]

Zooming back a bit

woodentom has VHS and seems to want the editing or filtering capabilities of Premiere for some undescribed purpose. He is then exporting in an avi container. It's not clear whether it is DV-avi or uncompressed YUV or something else.

woodentom hasn't told us what he wants to do next but we can assume he has an encoder in mind. Perhaps the Mainconcept MPeg2 to DVD?

A better way?

If Premiere is needed, better to capture to uncompressed YUV, huffyuv (lossless compression) or DV. Then do your thing in Premiere and use the bundled Mainconcept MPeg2 encoder (aka "Adobe MPeg2 Encoder") to encode for DVD.

Alternatively, you can export as AVI (either DV or uncompressed) and take that to an external encoder.

Or, you can frameserve from Premiere to an external encoder and avoid some HDD usage.