Hi8/Video8 to DVD...to editable format...back to a DVD with a menu!

[lornarose]

Ok, so before I get into all the details, this is what I'm trying to do:

I have about 25 Hi8/Video8 tapes that I want to put onto DVDs - in chronological order, complete with menus. The problem is, I can't just record the tape to a DVD and be done, since the tapes are out of order. I need to be able to put them into a format I can edit the videos with, and put them all in chronological order with a DVD menu so they're easy to watch.

I have the original Video8 camcorder (Sony Handycam Video8 CCD-TR64 NTSC) that plays back the tapes just fine. I currently have it hooked up to my DVD Recorder (Sony RDR-VX525) and I just set it to record onto a DVD. (I do have a DV camcorder, but it doesn't have an audio/video input in order for my Video8 camcorder to connect through.) I've then taken that DVD and put it in my computer. Now, I'm not a complete newbie on this stuff, but there are a lot of things I don't know. Since I can't edit the VOB file directly, I assume I need to convert it to another format. I've tried AVI, but I can't find a good program out there that allows me to do this well. Every time I use freeware (AutoGK, Super, etc), the audio and video are out of sync by the end of the video. I've also tried trial versions of a couple of programs - Sony Vegas, TMPGEnc, Corel VideoStudio X2. I can't seem to do what I need to do with Corel or TMPG...maybe I'm not using them correctly...and I like the interface of Sony Vegas, but there's no option to create a menu. I'm willing to spend up to $100 to buy a good program that allows me to do everything all in one.

Space is not an issue - I have a 250GB hard drive on my computer and a 1TB external hard drive I can use.

So I guess my questions are:
- Is this the right way for me to do this without buying any extra hardware?
- What is a good software in my budget to help me with this?

I hope I'm posting in the right place...I've searched around the forums and can't quite find the answers I need.
Any other info would be VERY helpful!! Thanks!!

[ofbarea]

I do this with TMPGEnc DVD Author. I import my recorded DVDs into TDA, then I arrange the movies in the order I need, a quick menu and done.

I do this for my quick conversions.

[filmboss80]

You are blurring the lines between video editing, format encoding, and DVD authoring, which is why you are having difficulties with various software options. AutoGK and Super are encoders, and should not be used at any point for your applications. Vegas (like Premiere) is a video editor. (Look at all the video editing programs under the Tools section of this site.) You need to capture your footage to DV-AVI (not divx or xvid avi) to edit on Vegas. Once your editing project is finished, output as an MPEG-2 file for DVD authoring. (Vegas should do this, but if not, you can always use an MPEG-2 encoder. Again, see Tools.) Then, you will author to DVD with all your navigation menus and such. There are many DVD authoring programs listed in the Tools section of this site.

Your only problem lies in capturing analog video9/Hi-8 footage. You would need an analog-to-digital capture device like an ADS Pyro adapter. Check out this link:

http://www.adstech.com/products/API-557-EFS/intro/api557_intro.asp?pid=API-557-EFS

That includes everything you'll need.

[yoda313]

I'd like to amend ofbarea's suggestion of using tda for making a dvd menu. You can use the program mpg2cut2 to edit vobs and export as mpg files. From there you can import them into any dvd authoring application or back into tda if you have it.

With mpg2cut2 you can edit out the clips you want to use directly from the vobs without converting.

Also programs like ulead and pinnacle have editing suites that also include dvd authoring ability. With those you can add things like title screens, background music, voice over tracks and more.

It all depends on how much you want to invest in the project. Pinnacle has a studio program starting at 50.00 USD and I'm sure ULEAD has a similar entry level program at a competitive price.

[lornarose]

Your only problem lies in capturing analog video9/Hi-8 footage. You would need an analog-to-digital capture device like an ADS Pyro adapter. Check out this link:

http://www.adstech.com/products/API-557-EFS/intro/api557_intro.asp?pid=API-557-EFS

That includes everything you'll need.

I'm trying to do this with the equipment I already have - is recording the tapes to a DVD via DVD Recorder not sufficient? I know it's an extra step, but it saves me having to buy an adapter.

Thanks for the replies. Another question regarding your posts - how does the quality of mpg compare to avi? If I'm not going to lose much quality with an mpg, then I'll try that route.

I'll check out Ulead and Pinnacle as well...I'd rather be able to use just one program.

[filmboss80]

In my earlier post, I mentioned "Video9," but hit the wrong number key. Video8 is what I intended...

If you want to avoid spending money, then by all means copy the 8mm video footage to your DVD recorder, load the VOB files in the computer and use a demuxing utility to get it down to an MPEG-2 file. Vegas, Premiere, and other editors can load MPEG-2, but have to do a bit of re-encoding for transitions and effects. If you want to do cuts-only edits, give Mpg2cut2 a try. The only problem with not capturing to DV avi first is that you won't get frame-accurate cuts without a reencode.

Once your edit is finished, use a DVD authoring program to link your navigation points to the appropriate menu buttons.

There is a lot of freeware available to help you. There are a lot of guides, too. Just look to the left column of this site.

[tinker]

Only to add to what filmboss80 forgot.
If you try to edit mpeg2 file it is already highly compressed file and cuts can be done on I frames only.
DV-AVI is almost lossless file and can be cut on any frame, so editing is much better. Resulting mpeg will be also better since you have all the info for proper compression there.
That is why everyone suggest DV-AVI first.
Other software good for mpeg editing, if you want to go that route, is Mpeg Video Wizard DVD.
You can make cuts and transitions and export DVD with menus.
They have 30 day trail.

[greymalkin]

if you are using a dvd recorder, then you've essentially converted the file to MPG.. VOB's are basically mpg files with additional information.

not sure if anyone else mentioned this..but the programs like mpeg video wizard will slice and dice your vob files up and will not re-encode so the quality you see once you get it to DVD should be the quality you see after all is said and done. If you're just re-arranging things then it should be pretty straight forward.

for the dvd recorder use the best cables your playback device and dvd recorder allows...s-video would be good and dv cable would be better, but you probably won't be able to tell the difference. I would avoid the composite (red, white, yellow) cables unless it were your only option. Make sure you tweak the recording settings on your dvd recorder as well to give you a balance between file size/quality you are comfortable with.

[lornarose]

Ok, I was able to demux the file into an mpeg and ac3 audio. But I'm still having audio/video sync problems. I thought it was just the software I was using before, but apparently it's the DVD itself. The delay is -244ms. I'll try the suggested programs you all suggested (mpeg video wizard sounds promising) and check the guides to see how to fix the audio delay.

I don't think that this problem is related to this forum anymore, as the initial problem lies before I even try to author the DVD. I've been searching other forums but can't get a straight answer on how to do this a simple, free way. I'm starting to get overwhelmed!

Thanks everyone for all your help!

[slacker]

1. Record the video to dvd with your dvd recorder
2. Convert the vob to mpeg using vob2mpg (which is free from this site)
3. Use Sony Movie Studio v9.0 to edit and author the mpeg files (inexpensive BUT does everything well)
4. Enjoy!

[greymalkin]

so the audio is in sync when you play it from the camcorder and out of sync after it's been recorded to the dvd?

If you can get it recorded in sync to the DVD then there's no reasum to demux the video unless you plan on editing the audio (other than the slicing and dicing mentioned earlier)

[lornarose]

1. Record the video to dvd with your dvd recorder
2. Convert the vob to mpeg using vob2mpg (which is free from this site)
3. Use Sony Movie Studio v9.0 to edit and author the mpeg files (inexpensive BUT does everything well)
4. Enjoy!

Sounds simple enough - trying it now...

so the audio is in sync when you play it from the camcorder and out of sync after it's been recorded to the dvd?

If you can get it recorded in sync to the DVD then there's no reasum to demux the video unless you plan on editing the audio (other than the slicing and dicing mentioned earlier)

The audio is in sync when played from the camcorder AND the DVD - both on the DVD player and on my computer (even after copying the Video_TS folder to my hard drive). I didn't think I needed to demux the video, but assumed I did since I'm just a beginner. Whenever I try to convert it to a different file type - or even import it directly into the trial versions I have, it gets out of sync, or I can't import it because the format isn't compatible (which it why I've been trying to convert to AVI). I'll double check on that one after VOB2MPG finishes.

Seems like this should have a simple answer... and maybe it does, I'm just not getting it...

[greymalkin]

ok..well I know that the mpeg video wizard will chop up the VOB files with the Dolby Digital track included and stream copy to an .mpg, so no demux or additional conversion to .mpg is necessary.

[slacker]

There is a File / Import / DVD option in Sony Vegas Movie Studio which should transfer the vob files directly. If you use this, I think you can bypass the VOB2MPEG program altogether.

[lordsmurf]

I'm trying to do this with the equipment I already have - is recording the tapes to a DVD via DVD Recorder not sufficient? I know it's an extra step, but it saves me having to buy an adapter.

Yes, we can work with your existing tools.
Go from your tapes to an XP mode (1-hour mode) capture. We can either convert this to uncompressed AVI in freeware, or use something that natively works fine with MPEG-2.

how does the quality of mpg compare to avi? If I'm not going to lose much quality with an mpg, then I'll try that route.

Quality is always relative to the source, the compression (bitrates, primarily), and the desired output. High-bitrate MPEG-2 from your 8mm-based tapes, edited then re-encoded to a "final" verion MPEG-2, will be fine. You can do it, and quality loss can be quite negligible.

.I'd rather be able to use just one program.

This is not the right way to approach video. Drop that line of thought now, or you'll run into more problems.

Seems like this should have a simple answer... and maybe it does, I'm just not getting it...

VideoHelp is a great site, lots of information -- but you're going to end up with so many answers that you'll end up more confused than you started. It's one reason I post less in public forums, and have gone the one-on-one consulting route. In the end, I feel like I'm doing more good this way. More of a guide, and less of just another noise-maker in a crowd. It's a service, I charge a small fee, hence I don't really advertise it here, I respect what this site's owner is trying to do.