Software/Hardware Selection Help

[FightingSiouxFan]

Greetings All! Pretty Exciting...first post here.

As I am sure you can guess from the topic title, I am looking for some help in selcting the proper hardware/software for my desired tasks. I suppose some background may be in order so as to better describe my situation.

Prior to my wedding during the summer of 2002, my wife and I purchased a new DV Camcorder (Sony DCR PC-110) to record all of the memories of the wedding as well as future events with the overall intent to move them on to DVDs. Now, three and one half years later, I have about two dozeen DV tapes (wedding plus friends wedding+etc) that I desperately want to utilize to make a lasting DVD memories for my family, but have had such poor luck and misunderstanding that I have been, quite frankly, reticent to go back. Well, after reading these boards, all of your knowledge and enthusiasm for this "hobby" has rejuvanted me.

Allow me to describe my present computer (and other) configuration:

-Feel free to critique any/all items that may be problem areas-

P4 2.26Ghz
MSI N65PE motherboard
1 GB Ram
2 HD (1 40, 1 80GB 7200-both Western Digital)
Philips DVD+RW
LiteOn 48XCD
GeForce 6600GT (don't know if you needed to know that)
Pinnacle AVDV package (Capture Card, breakout box and Studio)
DVR - Pioneer DVR-220
DVC - Sony DCR PC-110
VCR - Only basics...no SVHS

One thing that I have learned from reading as much of these boards as possible is that there is certainly no love lost for any of the Pinnacle products so I am ready to part with that, especially considering the challenge that I had in moving all of my existing footage on to the computer. Think I set a new record for crashes. With that being said, here are my questions trying to follow the 5 basic steps of DVD authoring:

1) Capture

-What would be the best capture card/device to acquire? As I said, I have DV that I want to convert to authored DVDs. Additionally, I have a somewhat extensive video collection (many of them home movies) that I would like to convert as well. After reading several reviews, I was leaning towards the Canopus 110 although the 300 intrigued me as well. Is that the sort of thing I should be looking at or is that the wrong product for me?

2) Convert

- Seems to me after reading through all of these posts, the best conversion utility to get is something along the lines of TMPGEnc Plus. Again, does this sound correct and necessary?

3) Author
- So, everyone seems to agree that it is out the door with the Pinnacle...so be it. However, I can't seem to find a consensus on the best authoring/editing programs to get. Speaking of which, Videohelp.com, in their lists, describe DVD Authoring programs and Video editing programs. Is there a difference and do I need both? (Sorry if this is a rudimentary question but, hey, that is why I am amongst the newbies)

A buddy of mine has a small home based DVD business and he swears by Vegas. Is that the sort of thing I should be looking at or something less advanced? I would like to do some decent editing and customizing to my creations so the most basic program does not really interest me, but I would love to have something I can "grow in to," so to speak.

4) Burn

-Not sure I have too many questions here as I anticipate taht teh authoring program that I select is also my burning program. COuld be wrong on this so feel free to correct.

Perhaps the only question I have is about my DVD drive. As an older DVD drive, it is tied to the DVD+RW technology. Should I be looking to get a newer drive that is more universal?

5) Playback

No real questions here.

A few more particulars:

1) While a newbie to video editing, am not an overall technology newbie. Built the existing computer that I have from parts from several other computers so am quite comfortable with any potential changes that you may suggest.

2) Cost---ah yes, the inevitable question. While I don't want to break the bank on building this capture/edit home system, I certainly want to try and get it as user friendly and quality oriented as possible. With that being siad, if I was to resign my self to the fact that I need the Canopus 300 and Vegas 6, that would be about $900 right there. Again, have no idea if those are right for me, but that is hopefully my worse case scenario for lack of a better word. Would like to stay under $1000 and lower if possible.

Whew, I know I have provided a lot of information, perhaps too much, but I am anxious to get started and wanted to hear some feedback.

Thanks for taking the time (lots of it) to read the post and I welcome any reccomendation and advice, even beyond what I have asked.

Dave

[redwudz]

A lot of info, but that's good.

The Canopus products are good. Even the 110 would suit your needs. And a lot cheaper than the 300.

I use WinDV for transfers from a camcorder to the PC. Then VirtualDub Mod for rough edits and filtering. Then I frameserve the output to TMPGEnc encoder. This saves disk space.

I normally use TMPGEnc DVD Author. It's fairly simple, but good for most users. If you want a higher end product, maybe DVD Lab Pro.

[kschang]

DV Camcorder (Sony DCR PC-110)

P4 2.26Ghz
MSI N65PE motherboard
1 GB Ram
2 HD (1 40, 1 80GB 7200-both Western Digital)
Philips DVD+RW
LiteOn 48XCD
GeForce 6600GT (don't know if you needed to know that)
Pinnacle AVDV package (Capture Card, breakout box and Studio)
DVR - Pioneer DVR-220
VCR - Only basics...no SVHS

1) Capture

You don't need a capture device. You just need a Firewire port on your PC and the appropriate cable to your PC, then you can dump the video to the PC in PURE DIGITIAL GLORY. Your DVC has a Firewire port (Sony calls it iLink)

2) Convert

Not necessary, but you will need to... edit before you author.

3) Author
DVD Authoring programs and Video editing programs. Is there a difference and do I need both?

You'll need both.

DVD Authoring is basically putting all the media that you want in the proper format for a Video DVD, more of lining up the ducks together. Video editing is picking and choosing which ducks to use and in what order.

4) Burn
-Not sure I have too many questions here as I anticipate taht teh authoring program that I select is also my burning program.

It could be, but it also could be separate. Separate gives you a bit more flexibility as you can test and "fix" the result without wasting any DVD media.

Perhaps the only question I have is about my DVD drive. As an older DVD drive, it is tied to the DVD+RW technology. Should I be looking to get a newer drive that is more universal?

Not really, there's no.... practical, shall we say, difference between the dash vs. the plus camps.

[harley2ride]

Have you tried using your pinnacle setup? If not, try capturing in DV-AVI mode via firewire. As long as you aren't getting a lot of dropped frames, and your audio and video stay in sync, your Pinnacle setup may be fine for what you want it to do. If not, and you are having issues, then start looking for something that locks the audio and video during capture. If you are only doing this for a few videos, try capturing the video first, then do another capture to get only the audio, and combine the two in Pinnacle studio. If you don't like the pinnacle studio, look into programs like Ulead Studio 9, Adobe Premiere Elements, or Sony Movie Studio.

[ozymango]

First, what everybody else said.

Second, it sounds like you've got a lot on your plate to start with and I'm a big fan of taking things slowly, so let's see what we can do with what you've already got.

Being you've already got a copy of Pinnacle Studio (I've got version 9, though I hardly ever use it because I'm a Premiere fan, more on that in a minute), it can work just fine for both editing and encoding. You mention crashes while using Pinnacle? I'd check to see if you've got the latest updates for whatever version of Studio you're running, it can definitely be buggy software but if you keep it patched it's pretty decent.

And definitely you can just plug the DV output ("firewire") from your camcorder to a firewire input on your computer -- doesn't the AVDV card from Pinnacle have a direct firewire connection? If not, you can pick up a firewire card for under $40, a deal.

As for editing ... is there a chance your friend with Vegas could let you sit down for a few hours and experiment with some editing? Or have him show you? I seriously think it would be worth paying him for this time in letting you do this to see how you like it.

Everybody's got a different editing style, and what works great for some people isn't everybody else's cup of tea. I know that there are numerous fans for Vegas here on this board, and I think it's an excellent program technically, but to be bluntly honest I just don't like it very much myself. I don't find the controls intuitive, I frankly cannot get "comfortable" with the way it works. What do I use? I use Adobe Premiere and I love it. Why? Because it just fits my "brain" in ways I can't really put into words. Maybe because I'm pretty fluent in Photoshop? Maybe. But I don't really think so, I don't think the controls are that similar. There's just something about Premiere that had me editing in about five minutes after I first opened it up, with no tutorials. So I'm very, very happy with it.

I say this not to trash Vegas but to show that each person really does need to play around with various software to see what works best for them, and don't sweat what anybody else says is "best." Ya gotta do what you gotta do!

So if you try updating Pinnacle and you still find it behaves badly and/or you just don't like editing with it, I would see if you could try some time with your friend's computer and Vegas. Plus check out the demos of Ulead Media Studio or Video Studio, they're free for trial and they're pretty darn good, too.

Basically I'd try using what I've already got, and then see what it is that you do or don't like about whatever programs you've got -- then let us know what you like and don't like and we can give a lot more specific advice about what might work best for your particular needs.

Good luck and have fun!

[xxiangg]

I believe AVDV can capture both analogy and DV signal. So you do not
need extra capture device. I had a similar card DC10 several years ago.
As long as the quality of your video signal is good, the card is OK. The
only reason that I switched to ADVC100 is that I need to capture some
poor VHS tapes. If this is also that case for you, then Canopus is a good
choice.

Talking about Pinnacle Studio, have you ever tried it? Many people had
bad experience with it. But also many people are happy about it. I am one
who used Studio7/8/9 for years and feel OK for the product. Actually,
I bought Vegas (for free after 2 rebate) months ago, but I still have not
opened the box yet. Because I do not feel I really need it. If you have
an AMD CPU, I will not recommonend Studio. Because it looks like
people with AMD machines are easy getting problems with Studio.

[FightingSiouxFan]

Wow...Thanks to all of you who replied. I really appreciate the advice.

just a few more comments and perhaps a question or two...


ozymango...

doesn't the AVDV card from Pinnacle have a direct firewire connection?

Yes it does...I just wasn't sure if the fact that that is a multipurpose card hampers the firewire aspect of it. From what I am hearing, sounds as though a firewire card is a frewire card so I will stick with that one.

is there a chance your friend with Vegas could let you sit down for a few hours and experiment with some editing?

That is a GREAT idea, unfortunately, we live about 12 hours away from each other. He has actually offered to show me some things when we are together but things just have always gotten in the way. I am in the process of trying to get in touch with him as he started off with Pinnacle as well and switched to Vegas so maybe he can provide some insight even over the phone.

One of the issues that was frustrating me most with Pinnacle, outside of the quality of the capture, was that I was only able to fit about 20 minutes worth of video on a DVD. I am thinking that that may have been operator error.

xxiangg

I need to capture some
poor VHS tapes. If this is also that case for you, then Canopus is a good
choice.

Hit the nail on the head there as that is exactly what I am doing. As a matter of fact, some of the footage from our wedding was from an older VHS camcorder thus leading me to look at the Canopus products. The quality that I was getting was not where I thought it should be (and was dropping frames) thus my search for a different capture device.

QUESTION: Not that I am interested in spending a lot of money, but most people have indicated that the Canopus 110 would suit my needs just fine. Is there any benefit to the Canopus 300 with the indicated LTBC?

Thanks again everyone...I am still not sure what I am going to do as far as authoring/editing goes. I am thinking that I may give Pinnacle one more shot or utilize some of the free/lower priced software that redwudz mentioned and go from there.

I am sure you will here a lot more from me as the process continues!

[rkr1958]

One of the issues that was frustrating me most with Pinnacle, outside of the quality of the capture, was that I was only able to fit about 20 minutes worth of video on a DVD.

Capture of DV via firewire takes ~15GB of disk space per hour. When you say that you can fit only about 20 minutes of video on a DVD this implies to me that you're writing ~4.3 GB (or ~1/3 of an hour) of a capture to DVD. Is this correct? If so, there are a couple of steps you're missing. After editing of you're capture AVI (if desired) you need to encode that AVI to MPEG-2. If you wish to get 3-hours on a single DVD you could encode your footage using 2-pass VBR with an average bit rate of 3158 and a maximum bit rate of 9000. Since it's DV footage two hours per DVD would be my preference and I'd use an avearge bit rate of 4850 and a max of 9000. Anyway, I'd use a program like TMPGEnc Plus, (or CCE-Basic) (both have free 30-day trials) to encode the edited AVI. Next I'd author with TMPGEnc DVD-Author (TDA) (which comes with a 30-day free trial) to author. Next burn, using the TDA burning engine.

A couple of comments on your PC setup. You might consider adding an additional harddrive. If I read your specs correct you have a 40-GB & 80-GB drive ... working with DV captures and eventually VHS captures will eat up a lot of disk space fast.

Another thing, you might consider getting a DVD writer that supports both dash and plus (DVD+/-RW). Unless your Philips DVD+RW supports bitsetting to DVD-ROM then I think you'll find that DVD-R(W)s are more compatible with settop DVD players (We'll that's my experience at least).

Also, if your DV camera has DV passthrough then you'll should be able to hook you VHS camera to your DV camera and passthrough that to your PC via firewire. In effect your DV camera is doing the analogy to digital conversion. If this were me I'd try this first (it's free) before buying a new capture card.

One thing I've noticed about Pinnacle (I have Studio & Studio 7) is that the audio and video from a capture noticablely starts to lose sync after 30-minutes or so. There are ways to fix this but since your just starting out one easy fix to this is to limit your captures to 20 or 30 minute segments.

Good luck.

[dkb69me]

can anyone help me please ,,,moves I have on my comp. all sort of kinds ,,, BUT (especially ones I have downloaded) they run fine for a few then the are very choppy is there a way to fix this (not backup DVD s) ,,,maybe writing at a slower speed ,or are they not clear enough ? look and play fine on my comp. but when I play them (several different kinds and models of TV table top players) they seem to run choppy tried different software but still have the same problem some TV tabletop players are new and old but if any one has an ideal please help
Thank you
Dan
dkb69me@gmail.com

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