Pioneer A04/104

[huntr]

I would like to buy Pioneer DVD writer but before I make a purchase, will it do the work using my cpu which is a PIII 600, 384 mb ram, ATI all-in-wonder video card, 20 gb hard drive?

I want to transfer all my VHS tapes into DVD and probably do some editing.

Let me know if the dvd writer will do it.

Thanks, Bob

P.S. should I wait for faster writer such as 4x? Will it be available soon?

[Eug]

4X may be available in a few months, but first in Japan from Sanyo, and 4X media is gonna be $$$$$. No word from Pioneer yet if 4X Pioneer writers will be out any time soon.

A PIII 600 is no speed demon for encoding DVD, but it will work just fine for burning with the Pioneer.

[huntr]

Thanks Eug for the information. I have one question. Do you know how long it take for DVR 04/104 to burn 3 hours worth of tape using the PIII cpu?

Thanks, Bob

[mikerios]

it's not a question of how long it will take the A04/104 to burn, but rather how long it will take to capture the vhs streams, covert ect... burning is a fixed issue with 2x media and 1x depending on how full the DVD is going to be , usually a 4.3Gb ( full ) DVD-R burn with Apple Media on my A03 is going to be 35 mins ro so, 55 for 1x rated media. A full dvd will take 2 hours of good mpeg2 quality, though with optimization you can even push that.

[thegig]

A full dvd will take 2 hours of good mpeg2 quality, though with optimization you can even push that.

True, if it's standard full DVD res/bitrate. I find there is no reason to cap at greater than 352x480 for VHS. Still a valid resolution for DVD. I fit 3.5 to 4 hours on a DVD using this(Spruceup). But, you might want to think about a stabilizer to clean the video. Without it, you'll only get about 3 hours max.

[Greg12]

what kind of audio are you using?

PCM, Dolby, MPEG,

[thegig]

Since it's just VHS home movies, it's mono. But DVD expects 224 48k stereo so that's what I use. Keep in mind it's MPEG1 with bitrate avg around 2400

[ChrisX]

I too, considering a purchase of a Pioneer DVD Writer, however I am not rushing into it yet. It is still too slow too burn and too expensive. At 2x and 4x not yet available, better to wait for a suitable time to get one.

When will the 8x DVD Writer be available? Who knows when.

At the meantime, I'll stick to the CD Writer just for now.

[mpb]

Wow, is 352x480 at mpeg2 actually a valid resolution for dvd? I know it's one of the "Standards" but I didn't see it as an option under tmpeg. (except for svcd). What bitrates are acceptable? I have a ton of vhs stuff and in some cases the tapes are nice enough to do better than VCD. Can I take a 352x480 mp2 video and feed it into UDF? I guess I'll try tonight!!

-Mike

[thegig]

I digress, I actually used the regular DVD template in TMPGEnc (which is MPEG2) then change the resolution to 352x480 then set the bitrate so i average around 3800. Comes to just over three hours. I got mixed up with the previous post. That was a VCD -> DVD(MPEG1). I held four hours, at 352x240 with the bitrate at 2400, pretty good either way, as long as the source is CLEAN.

[scissors]

Wow, is 352x480 at mpeg2 actually a valid resolution for dvd? I know it's one of the "Standards" but I didn't see it as an option under tmpeg. (except for svcd). What bitrates are acceptable? I have a ton of vhs stuff and in some cases the tapes are nice enough to do better than VCD. Can I take a 352x480 mp2 video and feed it into UDF? I guess I'll try tonight!!

-Mike

yes, just do audio at 48khz also and import into authoring software.
works great.

[sdenvers]

I held four hours, at 352x240 with the bitrate at 2400, pretty good either way, as long as the source is CLEAN.

You mentioned a stabiliser in an earlier post - any one you recommend? I have a lot (1500 hours) of ropey VHS to transfer and want to squeeze as much as possible onto each DVD.

[thegig]

I use the Sima SCC. It costs about $50(US). Works pretty good. I got mine from Bust Buy, but Sima also has a web site you can go to for other products.

[sdenvers]

I'm in the UK and that device is NTSC only but there are similar devices, e.g. Lektropacks seems to do it as the CopyMate deluxe, or ACE Electronics do an expensive version. I was actually looking for a software solution, but on second thoughts hardware will probably do a better job quicker.

[Bic]

About that stabilizer... I used to copy my vhs tapes form one vcr to the other. I have a box that I went through . On the label it says digital video stabilizer intended to stabilize and restore picture quality for private home use.. Would this be what you guys are talking about? If it is then I should go through this box and into my capture card when I capture to make a vcd of my vhs tapes, correct?

[sdenvers]

Yes.