DVD editing software

[Mike_EH]

Hi, I'm still trying to get my head around DVD editing/authoring.
Am I permitted to ask if anyone can recommend a simple DVD editing software.
I'm transferring VHS to DVD and what I need to accomplish after transferring is as follows:
1. I want to be able to highlight a section of the MPEG file and save as or delete. Just as I would in for example, Soundforge when editing audio files. As simple as that!
2. Say part of my holiday is on the the last half an hour of one VHS cassette and part is on the first half hour of a second VHS cassette. I need to select each part and save as, then re-open both and join.
3. When "authoring" I only require a top menu title page. I don't want a second page where the tracks are listed.
I have TMPGEnc DVD Authoring software but cannot just create a single title page - it also creates a page 1 where the tracks/chapters are listed/selected. This page 1 cannot be deleted. I don't want it!
Any advice would be extremely welcome as the above software is driving me up the wall!!
Thanks in anticipation,
Mike

[guns1inger]

Womble Mpeg Video Wizard DVD does all that you are asking is a simple time line interface

[Noahtuck]

3. When "authoring" I only require a top menu title page. I don't want a second page where the tracks are listed.
I have TMPGEnc DVD Authoring software but cannot just create a single title page - it also creates a page 1 where the tracks/chapters are listed/selected. This page 1 cannot be deleted. I don't want it!

Sure it can....

You just need to go through when creating a menu and set it up the way you want.

[Mike_EH]

HI, yes, you are right, it can create a single top page. Just had email from Pegasys-inc explaining how to do it. I was struggling for nearly 2 hours trying to achieve that.
However TMPGEnc DVD Authoring still won't let me edit movie files, ie. extract clips from different mpeg files and save in order to join later into one single file to burn. I can select clips but cannot save them as individual files. There's no "File>Save As" command.
I'll get the Womble software and give it a try.
Thanks.
Just as a matter of interest, would Vegas Video do everything I want? I was talking to someone who uses it and thought very highly of it.

[nic2k4]

HI, yes, you are right, it can create a single top page. Just had email from Pegasys-inc explaining how to do it. I was struggling for nearly 2 hours trying to achieve that.
However TMPGEnc DVD Authoring still won't let me edit movie files, ie. extract clips from different mpeg files and save in order to join later into one single file to burn. I can select clips but cannot save them as individual files. There's no "File>Save As" command.
I'll get the Womble software and give it a try.
Thanks.
Just as a matter of interest, would Vegas Video do everything I want? I was talking to someone who uses it and thought very highly of it.

Heck, you already paid for TDA you should take the time to learn it; you sure won't find anything else that can do as much as easily. There's no save as for clips 'cause it's an authoring app that happens to edit MPEG2 video, all you need to do is output the resulting DVD without menu. It can then be re-used in another project, but it's just as simple to just keep everything in the same project and add chapters or tracks as desired, then just save the project.

Combined with other free programs you can extend the functionnality. Using PGCEdit I was able to create DVD's with a clip that plays only when you first insert the disc and then goes to the menu. With IFOEdit I managed to make a disc with different length animated menus. I've never used any of the supplied templates, I start with a custom template and then edit it to change sizes and positions to what I want.

If you want to play several clips in one sequence, place them on the same track. To have clips play and then go back to the menu, place them on different tracks. Chapter points are used to skip from one clip to another in the same track. Every clip you add to a track will add at least one chapter. If you don't want any chapters output the DVD with no menu and re-import, then you can delete the chapter points.

[guns1inger]

Vegas is a great editor, but it is not suited to what you are doing. While it can edit mpeg-2 video, most of the time this will require a complete re-encode of the video, which is something you want to avoid if possible. For the simple work you are doing, simple tools will be better.

Personally, not a big fan of TDA. I prefer Womble because it does edit, as well as do simple authoring. However if someone can instruct you in using TDA to do what you want, go for it.

[Mike_EH]

Thanks for all the advice.
The problem is I'm new to working with video. I'm used to working with audio and expected to edit video in the same easy way as audio.
For example, I expected to "open" one of 3 video files I'd converted from VHS video cassettes that contained such varying subjects as family holidays, steam trains, stock car racing, etc. and to be able to highlight say the first holiday clip and save it to a Holiday Folder. Then highlight a steam train clip and save it to a Steam Train Folder. Then highlight another holiday clip and save it to the Holiday Folder, and so on thru the 3 converted VHS videos. Then I expected to join all the clips in the individual folders and burn to separate DVDs with just a single title page for each DVD. I also expected drop-down menus with a choice of options - editing or otherwise.
I, unfortunately, find TDA really un-intuitive with a lack of options available for dealing with a highlighted clip, and the delete command unavailable, especially if I've selected the wrong menu and wish to re-select a new one. For anyone familiar with audio and Soundforge, you will understand what I mean.
Perhaps I'm wrong in assuming editing video is as simple as editing audio, but I don't think my first foray into video has been helped by my choosing TDA as the editing/authoring software.

[nic2k4]

TDA is a DVD authoring program that happens to edit MPEG2 video, what you're looking for is an NLE. Vegas is one you should be familiar with, but as Guns mentioned you will end up having to re-encode and that's not a good thing when you start with compressed video. If you can, try to re-capture all your clips in Vegas instead of importing them. Alternately, you can capture to un-compressed AVI and import to Vegas. Once the video is to your liking, you'll still need to author the DVD. I don't know what Vegas offers for that, you might still want to use TDA for that. I should mention you really need a software DVD player that can play DVD off the hard drive like PowerDVD or VLC, to test the DVD you create before burning it. You can also use it to capture frames for background images in your menus.

[lordsmurf]

Is TDA truly frame accurate?

Womble is worth the few bucks for what it does, and quite well.
- MPEG-VCR is $19 here.
- Older MPEG Video Wizard v4 trial here (cannot buy anymore, but trial version works for 30 days).
- MPEG Video Wizard DVD v5 here ($99, a bit high but excellent).

[hddvdrebel]

The easiest way to edit a dvd is to use DVDShrink. You will not have be able to add menus, but you didn't have that in your original VHS tape. What I like about the DVDShrink editor is that it is easy, accurate, and does not require recoding. The only problem is that you end up with multiple titles, but who cares. DVDShrink will not decrypt new movies, but I frequently use DVDFAB to decrypt and then DVDShrink to edit. And you can't beat free.

[lordsmurf]

But is DVD Shrink frame accurate?
I don't think it is. Correct me if I'm wrong, however.

[TimA-C]

You can achieve your DVDs using TDA but it's not as straight forward as you'd like. As you add each clip to the track, go into the cut - edit section and "cut" out the bits you don't want (It doesn't cut them from the video, just means they won't be included in your DVD.) add chapter points etc. Add the next clip and repeat. TDA appears to be frame accurate but I have no idea if it actually is.

VideoStudio, formerly from Ulead but now from Corel, has (or at least Version X2 had) editing capabilities, fairly basic authoring, transitions, special FX, encoding in various audio and video formats, and a clips library. Not sure if I'd recommend it but you may want to have a look at the trial version and see how you get on. I started with VideoStudio version 5 or 6 which came with my TNT2 ViVo graphics card many years ago. Now I use VideoRedo for my editing and TDA for most of my authoring. VRD does have basic authoring, and I do mean BASIC! VRD also has a free trial version but I think you have to register (free) the trial version to get all the features unlocked. As you've already paid for TDA you'll probably want to find a free (or cheap) editor and use TDA for your authoring. Have a look at the Tools page, look at the guides that are linked to on each tool's page, and see what others have said about each tool.

Have fun!

[davexnet]

Nobody mentioned Avidemux. I used it to trim some captured MPEG-2 files of my own.
As long as you start on an I frame, it works great.

Leave audio and video as "copy", set the pointers and save to a new file.

[nic2k4]

Is TDA truly frame accurate?

TDA only cuts on I frames, but that's just fine most of the time 'cause that's where scene changes happen.