making chapters on dvd recorders

[bulldog2108]

can anyone recommend a stand alone dvd recorder that will allow me to mark permanent chapters on a disc.....i want to convert my music video tapes to dvd but i need to mark the start of each track to allow me to forward to a particular track if required. Most of my tapes are live shows so i do not want the chapter to cause a 2 second gap or anything but just play thru the chapter normally.......i want to be able to take the dvd out of one machine and play it in another retaining the chapters....does a machine exist that can do this??

thanx in advance

[thoots]

bulldog,

You could achieve what you want on a Panasonic DMR-E80H or a DMR-E100H. You would record your video onto the hard drive, then "divide" the video into segments. Presuming you're in DVD-R compatibility mode, these segments could go to a DVD-R as not only separate "chapters," but also as separate "menu items" on the main menu, and you could give them names, too.

The video shouldn't really "glitch" at all, but there would be a little second-or-two muting of the sound.

So, your move. My bet is that this is about as good as you'll get on a stand-alone....

thoots

[Mediaman2000]

The Cyberhome DVR-1500 will automatically create chapters at 5 minute inteverals. After the recording is complete you can then go and edit the locations of the chapters if desired or add and remove chapters where desired.

[qpskfec]

Philips +R/RW recorders can do exactly what you want if you use a +RW disc. Some of the other brand +RW recorders will also do this.

After recording, delete all current chapter marks. Then add chapter marks wherever you want. Then in the edit menu select "make edits compatible". The chapter marks will be recognized by other dvd players.

[bulldog2108]

thanx for your help.....i'm really looking to make permanent copirs on -r or +r........my cd copier has a track increment button which you push while recording and it inserts a track number......this is the feature i really want

[Roll Tide]

Bulldog,

Along the lines of what thoots said, you can do this on the Panasonics without dividing the programs. What you do is record to the hard drive, then go to each point you want a chapter mark, and press the Marker button on the remote (you can pause if you want to be very accurate about where you place the marker). This will create a chapter point you can access with the Skip Forward or Backward button. To retain these markers on the finished DVD-R, you have to dub in High Speed mode (the player also needs to be set to DVD-R compatibility mode). The finished DVD-R will have the chapter marks you designated and no others. I did this for the first time the other day - works very well.

One caveat to this is that if you dub the program on the hard drive to DVD-R in a different speed in which it was originally recorded, you will lose the chapter marks and the recorder will place chapter marks approximately 5 minutes apart.

Hope this helps.

[BobK]

thanx for your help.....i'm really looking to make permanent copirs on -r or +r

You could use a RW and then copy it to a -R or +R if you have a DVD writer.

[thoots]

Just a quick mention to clarify that the "Marker" approach on the Panasonic hard drive models that Roll Tide describes won't give you "menu items" for each chapter -- just "chapter marks" you can navigate to with the "next" and the "back" buttons. On the other hand, the "markers" won't disturb the audio or the video in any way. So, if you can live without the chapters showing up in the DVD menu, this indeed would be an excellent solution!

thoots

[Roll Tide]

Thanks, thoots, I forgot to mention that. You are correct, they won't show up as menu items. Only separate programs (recorded seperately or divided after initial recording) will show up on the menu itself. The markers only provide quick access points.

[wonderuss]

The Phillips recorders do exactly what you are asking, all you need to do is in the record menu select no automatic chapter marking, then when you are recording you just have to press the edit button everytime you want to place a chapter. Works with +r and +rw.

[bulldog2108]

........so i just press the edit button and a new chapter is made without the dvd stopping, freezing or the sound muting??

[wonderuss]

Yes, it just adds the chapter marker and doesn't affect anything.

[Roll Tide]

bulldog,
Same goes for the Panasonics, except you press the "marker" button.

[thoots]

Yes, it just adds the chapter marker and doesn't affect anything.

Let's get really, really, really very specific with one question:

On your Philips machine, does this process just give you a "chapter mark" (i.e., you can skip to the next mark, or back, with the "next" or "back" buttons on your remote control), or does this also create a separate item that shows up in the resulting DVD's menu, which you can save a name for and navigate to before the DVD actually stars playing?

Thanks!

thoots

[wonderuss]

It just gives a simple chapter mark like on a dvd film you buy, the menu shows as one title, the only way you would have seperate titles would be to stop recording and start again.

[quasar1963]

Hello all,

I am new here and looking for a bit of advice/info on several aspects of the Philips' stand alone dvd recording units and also one of the Panasonic models (especially the DMR-E100H) if by some chance someone has any knowledge of that one.

Here is my scenario: Like many people, I have hundreds of VHS tapes I would like to transfer to DVD. A lot of these are music/concert type videos. I have been reading the dvdr help forum for many months and with great info from everyone (especially "thoots") have narrowed down my choices (as far as buying a recorder) to either
the:

Panasonic DMR-E100H with the 120GB HD
-OR-
the Philips DVDR75 or Philips LX9000R (a nice dvd recorder is the central piece here of this "theater in a box" type system still unreleased here in the States)

Things to consider:


I like the idea of being able to select thumbnail visual scene images to correspond with recordings or chapter markings (or is it title markings more precisely, still a little confused) I make manually. The new Panasonic above supposedly allows for this to a certain extent but I know the Philips definately does. Anyone with experience doing so with either? My main question is as follows:

Which unit allows for easier editing and insertion of said chapter markings and which one will allow those scene images to show up in the menu of subsequently created dvd-r's or dvd+r's (depending on which unit I go with)?

Once these chapter points are manually marked, am I going to be able to add thumbnail images to represent them that are viewable in the DVD menu to me (and others if I make copies for them) on either of these machines?

That's a big question as I really would like to be able to go right to a certain segment or song (by simply clicking on a thumbnail image) that I have created to corresond with the chapter markings. And for other people to be able to do so as well. Is this in fact possible with either of these units?

Finally, I know all of these recorders have digital filters and tbc's and such to slightly improve the picture/image quality when transferring VHS to a DVD disc but has
anyone had a chance to compare how well they do overall in this capacity?


Any comments, personal experience, or information appreciated. I am also open to other units WITH Hard Drives if anyone has one they really like. New Sony or JVC?

Thanks!

[qpskfec]

On Philips, when using +RW discs, you can add chapter points wherever you want. You can divide any title into 2 titles. (You can add new chapter points after recording using +RW, but only during the recording with +R)

There is a difference between chapters and titiles. For example, if you have 1 title with 2 songs and you want to see 2 index pictures in the menu to select either song, you would go to the end of the first song and divide the title, creating 2 titles on the menu.

You can then go into each title and pick any scene within that title and make that scene the index picture.

If you want 1 title with many songs, then insert a chapter point between each song. The next button will skip to the next song.

I've done this with several concerts I recorded from TV.

[bulldog2108]

Thank for all your help so far guys....but i really want to record onto -R or +R and keep the disc......using +rw/-rw would be too expensive plus there are more compatability issues......basically as i am recording i wish to insert a permanent marker which will allow me on playback to skip between songs easily just like a normal music dvd......

[qpskfec]

Good quality +R or -R are about $1.20 per disc. I paid $1.60 per +RW disc the last time I bought 25. If you are worried about 40 cents per disc, you really shouldn't be spending several hundred $$ on a dvd recorder.

+RW discs play fine in every player I've tried so far. If you are not sure of a particular model, see the compatibilty list on www.dvdplusrw.org.

[quasar1963]

So, to try to get this straight, one CAN make title & chapter menus with selectable thumbnails (on the Philips DVDR80 for instance or Toshiba DR-1) and those will be retained and viewable on other people's machines when they are played back (provided their DVD units play +R and +RW)
-BUT-
only if they are +RW as opposed to finalized +R ?

Very confused on this aspect

[qpskfec]

On Philips, there are index pictures for titles only, not chapters. Titles can be renamed.

On +RW, you can go back and divide titles and insert/remove chapter points whenever you want after making the recording.

On +R, you cannot divide titles after recording and you can only insert chapter points in real time during the actual recording.

The finalised +R or +RW disc will play back identically on other dvd players the same way it plays on the recorder. (In +RW, make sure to "make edits compatible" when done editng)

I generally use +RW in the recorder. If there's something I want to keep long term, I'll copy it to a +/-R on the PC.

[bulldog2108]

Good quality +R or -R are about $1.20 per disc. I paid $1.60 per +RW disc the last time I bought 25. If you are worried about 40 cents per disc, you really shouldn't be spending several hundred $$ on a dvd recorder.

+RW discs play fine in every player I've tried so far. If you are not sure of a particular model, see the compatibilty list on www.dvdplusrw.org.

i hadnt realised that the media had dropped in price so much....the last time i looked a few months ago +rw disc were a lot more expensive.....

[thoots]

+RW discs play fine in every player I've tried so far. If you are not sure of a particular model, see the compatibilty list on www.dvdplusrw.org.

On the other hand......

+RW discs wouldn't play in four out of the five DVD players I tried them in.

I sure wouldn't bet my video on an assumption that I'll have anything that'll play a +RW disc X-number of years down the road. In my experience with +RW -- and I had a first-generation computer burner -- I really haven't seen a "widening" of +RW playback capability among home DVD players.

If I want to preserve my video "for posterity," I sure won't be doing so on a "rewritable" format!

thoots