analog video to digital using digital camcorder and windows movie maker

[bbrule7]

At present I run my vhs/beta/hi8 through my digital camcorder and with movie maker end up with a wmv file on my hard drive then I would use dvdsanta to convert the wmv file to one that I could burn to a dvd. Worked fine. Had a problem and lost my paid for copy of dvdsanta.
Impossible to get any reply from dvdsanta, so I downloaded another copy of the prgram but it has the watermark on it. So now my questions.........Is there any other program that will convert wmv files to dvd?
Also, not earthshattering but I can't understand how I'm bypassing the macrovision or whatever copy protection is on the vhs or beta tapes.

[edDV]

At present I run my vhs/beta/hi8 through my digital camcorder and with movie maker end up with a wmv file on my hard drive then I would use dvdsanta to convert the wmv file to one that I could burn to a dvd. Worked fine. Had a problem and lost my paid for copy of dvdsanta.
Impossible to get any reply from dvdsanta, so I downloaded another copy of the prgram but it has the watermark on it. So now my questions.........Is there any other program that will convert wmv files to dvd?
Also, not earthshattering but I can't understand how I'm bypassing the macrovision or whatever copy protection is on the vhs or beta tapes.

Why go to wmv and then to DVD? That is like taking audio to MP3 on the way to CD.

Movie Maker or WinDV (better) can capture DV to a DV-AVI file before the MPeg2 encode. Won't your DVDsanta take DV-AVI?

[redwudz]

If you are using WMM for editing, output as DV instead. They have cleverly 'hidden' that option. (It's the 'DV camera' location) No reason to do a conversion to WMV if your final destination is DVD. DV is lower loss than WMV.

And if you are not editing, I would use WinDV to transfer instead and a different converter. ConvertXToDVD can do DV to DVD very well. Or try the older freeware DivxToDVD.

Or use WinDV to transfer and a separate encoder like TMPGEnc encoder and a separate authoring program. This will give you a lot better control and better quality. Freeware encoders, HC and QuEnc are two. Freeware authoring, DVD Authorgui or GUI for dvdauthor.

If you are bypassing Macrovision on commercial tapes, good deal. Some setup combinations will work that way.