4 HR VHS to 1 DVD? HOW should i do this?

[ridergroov]

Hi guys,

I was wondering if and how to go about converting 4 hours worth of vhs tape to a 4.7GB DVD. Can someone recommend how to do this and what programs to use?? Thanks!

[ZippyP.]

You need to capture, convert, author and then burn to dvd. Luckily these topics are covered nicely in the green sections on the left side of this web page. Good luck!

[MrKGB]

ZippyP,
I guess he was asking how to convert 4 hours VHS even though DVD can fit only about 2 hours.

The answer is: use 1/2 DVD and good encoder like CCE or Tmpgenc or Mainconcept. Most likely it will be possible to fit about 6 hours on DVD with good quality.

[twodogs]

capture: virtual vcr
convert: virtualdub and tmpgenc
author: dvd-lab

use half d1 (352x576/480) resolution and a bitrate of somewhere around 2344 (according to this site's bitrate calculator, assuming 192k bitrate for audio)

[SatStorm]

You capture with Virtualdub or (if this wonder doesn't capture in your system) with virtual vcr.
If you use PAL, capture at 352 x 576 framesize.

Then, you load this captured avi to Virtualdub and you filter it! I suggest: rmPAL and Temporal smoother (value:6) if your VHS has a good quality picture. If not, you need more filters (Start from here to read about them:www.lukesvideo.com)
You save to a new avi your proccessed file.

Now you frameserve it, using again virtualdub (or if you know how to do it: avisynth) to TMPGEnc encoder (or CCE, or whatever).

Now you download this bitrate calcultor https://www.videohelp.com/BitrateCalc.zip and you calculate your average bitrate.
You set on TMPGenc this bitrate and you set the output at 352 x 576 (among others, you know of course. If not, read the guides)

Hit encode and wait....

When finished, you load your final mpeg 2 to an authoring program. I suggest TMPGenc Author. You set menus, chapters, etc. You export your job.
You burn with nero or whatever you wish.

That's it.

With an athlon xp 2600, you need about 10 - 11 hours for all this.

[andydd]

Ok..Heres what I do.

1. Set Panasonic DMR E30 recorder to SP (ie 4 Hours)
2. Put VHS tape in VHS player
3. Press Play on VHS Player
4. Press Record on Panasonic DMRE30

Easy

[bugster]

ZippyP,
I guess he was asking how to convert 4 hours VHS even though DVD can fit only about 2 hours.

That is a very misleading statement to make. It is simply untrue.

The answer is: use 1/2 DVD and good encoder like CCE or Tmpgenc or Mainconcept. Most likely it will be possible to fit about 6 hours on DVD with good quality.

You have just cotradicted your 1st statement.


@ridergroov, the playing time available on a DVD is down to one thing only, bitrate. Lower bitrate means longer playing time for a given amount of data. True it means lower quality too. This is where using 1/2D1 resolution comes in. It provides better quality at low bitrates (in most cases) than full D1. I would suggest using it if your average bitrate drops much below 3.5Mbits

To determine what bitrate you should encode at to fit a particular movie length on a DVD, use a bitrate calculator. There are several in the tools section.

[hoho]

Ok..Heres what I do.

1. Set Panasonic DMR E30 recorder to SP (ie 4 Hours)
2. Put VHS tape in VHS player
3. Press Play on VHS Player
4. Press Record on Panasonic DMRE30

Easy

That's my method, but I'm using Sony RDR-GX7......simple and can't go wrong.

[volwrath]

The way I typically do it is capture, use tmpgenc to encode (halfd1) at a high bitrate/CQ setting, author the dvd no matter how big it is.

Then I use DVDShrink to make it fit.

I wish I knew how DVDShrink worked.....

[andkiich]

The easiest way to answer this question was with ZippyP.'s answer.

[ridergroov]

wow, okay guys, really really appreciate all this information...but i'm a little confused still. i'm capturing with WINDVR, which seems to be the only damn program that works with my capture card, the adaptec avc-2410. I've tried a ton of other programs but none are compatible with this hardware that i have found. Now, since you mentioned TMPGE, i'd like to use that since i have some experience with that. When i use WINDVR, it produces a big MPEG file, now, i'm not really understanding where in the program bitrates and that DVD1/2 thing you guys mentioned, so if someone would be so kind to walk me through, in relative briefness, from the beginning of importing the MPEG into TMPGE to the end of burning with NERO. just as far as where i put the settings into TMPGE and things like that. Thanks to all for the info.

[ridergroov]

or better yet, can i just import the large MPEG into DVDSHRINK?? i love that program, but i didnt' know you could put an MPEG right into it...is this possible?

[Gees]

walk me through, in relative briefness, from the beginning of importing the MPEG into TMPGE to the end of burning with NERO.

:cO

All of that info is right in the Guides. :c* Just a little bit of reading required and re-read all of the good advice you were given and you can do it all by yourself.

You'll be so proud.

[ridergroov]

as helpful as the last comment was, i still can't find a guide that says VHS to DVD, which one do i look at?

[housepig]

rider -

if you capture direct to mpeg, you need to find your settings in your capture program and reduce the bitrate.

D1 & 1/2 D1 (or dvd and 1/2 dvd) refer to resolution of the final footage - 1/2 D1 has 1/2 the vertical resolution of full D1 (352 vs 720)

if you cannot manually adjust your bitrate, you are going to have to get another, more robust capture application.

part of why you are finding some of this advice confusing is that some of the information given refers to capturing as an avi and encoding to mpeg after the fact, and you are capturing direct to mpeg.

[Gees]

Well, it's a multiple step process, so there's multiple guides.

That's why it's unreasonable to ask someone to walk you through step-by-step. That's like asking them to type out 3 or 4 guides.


I'd start in TOOLS - Tmpgenc. - read appropriate guides for that.

(A good link from there is: http://dvd-hq.info/Compression.html )

Also read through Capture that matches your needs best.

Then move on to Author.

When you hit a snag with any step, it's fine to come back and ask a question, but it were easy enough to type out "in relative briefness" start to finish, this board would be a lot less busy. :c)

[volwrath]

You should set WinDVR to encode mpg2 at 1/2d1 setting. You then bypass the need to re-encode the mpg. You can then use tmpgenc dvd author or equivalent to author it to disk, dvd shrink to resize it, if its still too big. Then burn it with nero or equivelent

[Laddydaddy]

ridergroov
I think the DVD1/2 thing means to put 1/2 of your video (2 hours worth) on one DVD, and the other 1/2 on another DVD. You can get an excellent quality DVD with only 2 hours of video. If you try to fit 4 hours worth of film on one DVD the quality won't be very good at all. If your capture is already DVD compliant you only need to split the film into 2 parts. TMPG's "mpeg tools" can do that for you. You then need to author each part and then burn them to separate DVDs. If the your capture is not DVD compliant, you will then need to reauthor it to DVD standards before you can author and burn it.

[ridergroov]

Volwrath,

can you set WINDVR to encode to mpeg2? It's not a very good program but i really can't find anything else that will capture from the card i have. it came with the hardware so i pretty much have to stick to that. How about if i just capture the 4 hours then i put the file into dvdshrink. will that do the trick?

[Gees]

capture the 4 hours then i put the file into dvdshrink. will that do the trick?

That's a viable solution. Capture as high bitrate as you want (or are limited to), knowing you can shrink after.

But... you are missing an integral part there. You need to AUTHOR those files first, before you can consider using DVDShrink or another transcoder.

Any shrinking will decrease the quality to fit, same as what would result if you captured at a low enough bitrate to fit.

Also, you'll find DVDr, despite what is emblazened on them, do not hold 4.7 gig. It is more like 4.38.

You many think I'm picking on you - but for someone who's listed their profession as "IT" you seem very opposed to re-reading what's above and making use of the info here. :c*

You are skipping over huge chunks of info.

That's what really surprised me in your request for a step-by-step walk-through. :c*

[volwrath]

I went to WinDVRs website and looked at the features. The web page indicated that it would encode at different resolutions in mpeg2 format. You must author it before you dvd shrink it.

[ridergroov]

well actually yes i'm going to school for IT related things but the reason i don't have time to read through a bunch of guides is because this is only like someting i do when i have time which is rare because i'm going to school for IT stuff, and tha'ts what i spend the majority of my time doing. This is just a fun thing, it doesn't really interest me enough to read throuhg tons and tons of things. Just looking for a quick and easy way to burn a couple dvds from vhs stuff i have. Nothing more...you can pick on me though, i am looking for the lazy way to do this cause i really don't have time to learn a bunch of stuff. I"m just new to this stuff. I borrowed someone's capture card, just to convert some stuff. Let me see if i have these terms right and the process. First i want to convert with WINDVR. Then i want to use TMPGE i would assume to compress the video and convert to MPEG 2, then i want to author it with Ulead DVD movie factory, that's what i've been using with success. Is this right guys? You can pick on me for asking tons of questions if you would like. Thanks.

[Gees]

i don't have time to read through a bunch of guides

If that's the case, all I can say is this: You've picked the wrong hobby. :c)

[ridergroov]

wait wait, okay my last statement was false.....capture with WINDVR, author with Ulead, then DVD shrink it. How does that sound?

[jgandara]

You can't burn low quality DVD with movie factory!. I burn videos in a DVD in DVD low quality (352x240 - or something like that, with CBR 1850). I use Ulead DVD workshop to burn it. You should do it with another DVD authoring program

[ridergroov]

i'm not going to burn the dvd with ulead dvd movie factory.....and yes, i think you are right, this is a bad hobby if you dont' have much free time...

[ridergroov]

okay, what is the difference between ulead dvd movie factor and dvd workshop?

[jgandara]

The options, you don't have the low DVD quality option in DVD movie factory. You have it in DVD workshop. That's one of many differences. I haven't seen DVD MF 2, I don't know if its available in there.

I did mean to author the DVD , I usually burn it with the same program.

The DVD low quality is comparable to VCD, it's CBR 1850, and 352x240. I think you can burn like 4 or 5 hours (usually like 2 2 hours movies). A good DVD quality is about 2 hrs

I usually use Tmpgenc to convert it to DVD low quality (prev. version had the template, otherwise you have to put the settings yourself) and author/burn it using DVD workshop.

Note that DVD low quality is not compatible with some DVD players. I have a philips 720 and I have problems w/ the menus, sometimes it would get stuck in a menu and I have to turn it off and on to make it work.

[volwrath]

The thing is he has a capture card that can save to mpg2. I'd set the windvr settings to 352x480 ~3500, 48khz sound. After this, no re-encode should be necessary. I DO NOT know if dvdmf will author a 1/2d1 mpeg file if no encoding is required. I would think that it would burn what it thought was a non-compliant .mpeg2. But then Im probably wrong.

I semi-object to you calling it the low quality option however. You should call it the low-rez DVD option The quality is pretty good!

I'm pretty new to all this too, so don't give up...it hasn't been too steep a learning curve so far!

[ktnwin]

Half D1 is my preferred method for converting long VHS tapes to DVD
1) capture in DV format (I use digcam as passthru)
2) encode to half D1 using TMPGenc, to .mv2 and .mp2 (separate audio/video)
3) convert audio to 48Khz (mp2 to mpa)
4) use ReelDVD to author the .mv2 and .mpa file , result is VIDEO_TS folder
5) use Nero to burn VIDEO_TS to DVD
This yield very decent quality DVD.