I Have to make a buying decision...

[Stephenh]

Hi All,

I am new to the video editing and have been spending a lot of time learning the ropes and trialing software such as:

. Ulead Media Studio Pro 7.0 (Liked a lot - trial ran out)
. Adobe Premier 6.0 (like a REAL lot - given to me by a friend)
. TMPGenc (really cool - trial)
. TmpGenc DVD Author (trial)
. MPEG Marvel (trial)

So with the trials run/running out, I need to make a purchasing decision.

In the meantime, I made a bunch of Mpeg1 & Mpeg2 movies when trialing the other products. I have tried to make a DVD out of these while trialing TMPGenc DVD Author and I find that some of the formats I created need to be converted and of course I can't re-open these MPEG's in Premier 6.0.

BTW: I'm fussy about the final quality, I intend capturing from DV to AVI, editing AVI then rendering to DVD.

So, should I:-

A. Buy MPEG Marvel, the TMPGenc stuff and some audio capture & stick with Premier 6.0
B. Buy Media Studio Pro (I can't justify the cost of Adobe although I'd prefere it, since I am only making home movies)
C. Some other option I'm not aware of.

Finally, I know that everyone's needs are different but any advice will help me with my decision. Thanks for your help and advance.

[indolikaa]

Let me tell you what I do with DV.avi, and why I do it this way:

I capture from my DV source with WinDV
* It's free
* It works

I edit the captures in VirtualDub
* It's free
* It works

I export the WAV to ffmpex if I need non-PCM audio
* It's free
* It works

I framserve to TMPGEnc
* It's not free, but it's a superb encoder
* It produces no compliance problems

I author with DVD-lab
* It's not free, but it provides a multitude of options
* It produces no compliance problems
* It burns DVD-R flawlessly

I burn with B's Recorder Gold5
* It was free, it came with my burners
* It supports +R/+RW media better than DVD-lab (in my case, anyway)
* Nero is a great progam, we just don't understand each other well

The ONLY editing I generally do is removing commercials and joining .avi files. I don't think I would have gained any advantage with Ulead or Adobe, since my needs are basic.

Quality is not an issue with TMPGEnc, so rest assured that is a good option. If you want fancy editing, transitions, and such (and with home movies this is a common 'want') I'd probably do with Ulead myself.

[Stephenh]

Thanks indolikaa, I think you might just have saved me a fair bit of cash.

I'll get downloading and try this set of software out - Thanks again.

[sacajaweeda]

Learn how to use AviSynth and take the results you can get with the free/cheap software to another level.

[Stephenh]

I have been trying to get VirtualDub working and it gives me an error
"couldn't locate decompressor for 'dvsd' (unknown)

I imagine this is a codec problem so I took a look at the .avi file in AVICodec and it tells me the following under Video:

935 MB, 28845 Kbps, 25.0 fps, 720*576 (4:3), dvsd = Sony Digital Video

Do I have to associate this file somehow with a different Codec...??

Way out of my depth right now.... (should I have posted this as a separate topic? in another forum?)

[indolikaa]

Don't panic, yet!

You need to 'map' your DV codec, and since you don't have one installed it's time to download the 'Panasonic DV Codec' from the Tools section.

Download, unzip the file, and right-click on both of the files that decompress. I always forget which file it is, but when you right-click on one of them you will see an 'Install' option. Install it, reboot, and continue on your way.

[Stephenh]

Mate,

Worked a treat, you're a legend...

-Stephen