VHS to DVD Transfer

[Richard S.]

As suggested in articles here, I would like to use my (not new) Sony DCR-TRV 103 digital camcorder as a pass-through converter of VHS “home movie” videos from a VCR, either to my pc hard drive or preferably directly to a DVD.

My system -- P-4, 1.7GHZ, 768MB RAM, 80GB HD – is probably OK -- I can use Nero 6.0 or Sonic “My DVD” burning software (which has a camcorder direct to DVD transfer choice).

So I’m Not TOTALLY stymied -- With a 2 or 3 step process I’m able to copy from VCR to Camcorder Digital8 tape , via RCA cables… and then burn to a DVD from camcorder or hard drive via Firewire cable. But not both simultaneously.

Because I have 35 years of accumulated home movies (various media & formats, from super-8 FILM to Digital8 video), I’d like to get a one-step process, if I can maintain quality.

But when I try to record “on the fly,” direct from VCR, thru Camcorder, to PC/DVD, with RCA-AV and Firewire cables connected, the signal doesn’t seem to make it to the DVD.

Is this possible with my gear? …Does the Sony TRV103 have this pass-through conversion capability, and how do I connect it? Should I give up?

Thanks,
Richard Schultz

Which forum group should this be in?

[rixware]

Your camcorder has the capability to digitize footage, but not to create files in the format which can go directly onto a DVD. The camcorder will deliver uncompressed AVI to your computer (via FireWire) which then must do the conversion to MPEG2 (required by DVDs). This conversion process has to happen somewhere, and none of the hardware pieces in your picture perform that function.

I assume you've set it up this way:

VCR --RCA--> Camcorder --FireWire--> Computer

The analog signal goes into your camcorder. The camcorder digitizes it and sends it to the computer in uncompressed form. The next step is the tricky one. The software must bridge the gap between uncompressed footage and DVD-formatted compressed footage. It's a lot to ask of any one piece of software. And though there are plenty of off-the-shelf packages which claim to do this, they are notoriously unreliable. I gave that up a long time ago.

If it helps, think of the conversion process as five steps:

1. Digitize and capture footage
2. Edit
3. Convert to MPEG2
4. Author (to DVD specs)
5. Burn

Even leaving out #2 (which you sound like you don't want to do), there are two holes in your setup (#3 and #4). I eliminate step #3 by going directly from analog VHS to a hardware encoder (Hauppauge WinTV PVR250) instead of going through a digitizing camcorder. But I still have to author the discs as a separate step (using DVDLab). Then I burn with NeroExpress.

To get to a one-step process, you will probably need to skip the camcorder/computer altogether and go with a stand-alone DVD recorder. You lose a lot of flexibility (and potentially quality) but it's very easy and quick.

Hope this helps.

Rick
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[gshelley61]

If you have lots of VHS to DVD backups to do, consider buying a standalone DVD recorder. This will accomplish what you want very easily with really outstanding results. The process you are describing is going to be cumbersome and very time consuming if all you want to do is archive family video footage to DVD. Visit this forum:

https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=28

The DVD recorder everyone is talking about now is the JVC DR-M10SL bt there are many others that can do the job.

[Richard S.]

Thanks guys -- Good advice. As usual, things are more complicated than I expected -- I'd better study this before spending much more time & money. Can you recommend a basic training starting point? Then I'll probably be back in here with more questions.

For example, Rick – what is “authoring” as opposed to converting & burning? Nero can’t do that?

And gshelley61, does a stand alone DVD recorder give you any editing control over the final DVD content ?

Richard

[rixware]

Authoring is the process of taking your converted footage (in MPEG2 format) and adding chapter points and menus. This can be a bit misleading because menus are not technically required (well, there has to be at least one, but it does not have to appear). In your case, you might be creating DVDs that don't have any menus or any chapter points, but even so you have to go through the authoring process.

The off-the-shelf products like Sonic MyDVD use templates and do the authoring for you without offering any options (or offering only limited ones). Nero by itself cannot do the authoring, but the free companion program NeroVision can.

What comes out of the authoring process is the set of files (IFO, VOB, et. al.) which will actually be written to the DVD.

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