capturing film from DVD or DVD Recorder

[cleveleyspete]

I want to capture some film that was taken on a Sony handycam - the type that has mini DVDs.

So far I have downloaded the disks to my DVD recorder, which has a hard drive, but I now want to get the films onto my PC so that I can edit them.

I have burnt one short film to DVD (DVD+) and then gone into ULEAD Video Studio 10. where there is an option in the capture tab to import from DVD, however this won't let me capture the film.

Does anybody know how I can capture the film on my PC so that I can edit it in ULEAD or Windows movie maker?

There are two options - either a way of downloading the information via ULEAD from the DVD+, or alternatively does anybody know how I can play the info via my DVD recorder (which has all the sockets i.e. Firewire, scart, RGB) and capture. Is there such a thing as a cable with RGB at one end and Firewire at the other and if so can I play from the recorder and attach the firewire cable into my PC and capture it that way?

Any help will be gratefully received.

[Baldrick]

why wont ulead import the dvd(if it really supports it then)? any error? can you copy the content from the dvd to your harddrive without any problem?

[cleveleyspete]

Thanks for replying Baldrick.

My problem is that i am indeed a relative Newby to this. That really is my question i.e. How do I transfer and capture a film from my harddrive (DVD Recorder) and get this onto my PC in a format that I can then edit.

Alternatively how do I capture the information from a DVD onto my PC in a format that I can then edit?

[handyguy]

What kind of dvd recorder do you have?

[cleveleyspete]

It's a Yakumo Record Master HDD with a 250 gig hard drive

[mats.hogberg]

Why not "rip" the mini DVDs on your computer directly? I see no need for taking a detour over a DVD recorder.

/Mats

[Nelson37]

Going from memory, the files on the mini-DVD from the camera are MPG, NOT repeat NOT standard DVD format, ie VOB and IFO files. These are DATA files, NOT a DVD as most video programs would interpret it.

The Sony conversion software sucks. Am reasonably certain you can just copy the files, then bring them into an authoring prog for conversion to DVD format.

Capturing the file a second time to DVD recorder just degrades quality, not necessary.

[mats.hogberg]

the files on the mini-DVD from the camera are MPG

Then it's even easier. Just pop the mini DVD in the DVD reader i the computer, copy the mpg over to HDD, and load it up in WMM.

/Mats

[cleveleyspete]

Thanks everybody - I seem to have sorted it.

I have managed to import the video from my DVD into ULEAD - it seems that it must just be temperamental.

This now means I have it as a ULEAD file which isn't ideal as I wanted to edit in Windows Movie Maker and it won't let me. Still, life's never perfect and i'll just have to do my editing in ULEAD.

(The files from the mini DVDs were IFO files)

Thanks again

[ZAPPER]

What model cam?

Could the cam put out to your PC via Firewire, as DV or its native format. Shouldn't the Sony software have an option to convert to a more common format?

Could the cam put out to your PC (Capture card/device) via composite or S-Video

Just kicking around some thoughts

[mats.hogberg]

The files from the mini DVDs were IFO files

If it's not a really proprietary format, that indicates it's a std Video DVD (in mini size). In that case, it's just to copy it to computer DVD and get the mpg out of it with vob2mpg, then load the mpg in WMM or anything that accepts mpeg2 as input (which should be most editors).

/Mats