How to record dvd recorder then edit on computer

[CaptainChaos]

Hi
I've just got a LG RH266 HDD dvd recorder & have transferred a load of camcorder footage onto the hard drive of the recorder.
What I want to do now is transfer the footage onto a DVD+r disc, then onto my computer, where I can edit it to my hearts desire!
Unfortunately, my first attempt was a failure.
It seemed to dub from the HDD to the DVD disc, but when I put the disc in the computer to copy the file across, it didn't even recognised there was a file there!
What did I do wrong?
The only thing I think I might have done wrong is NOT finalize the disc ... It didn't seem to give me the option.
Any advice/help/etc will be greatfully received.
Ian

[KBeee]

Can't you just copy directly from your camcorder to your computer?

[CaptainChaos]

Yeah - I tried that with ADS Instant DVD and it was a complete failure - dropouts, audi/video sync etc etc
So, I thought I'd take the easier option & record it directly to the dvd recorder, put it on a disc, copy it to the computer & then play around with it (titles menus chapters etc) to put on dvd.
I must be doing something utterly basic wrong, but unfortunately I haven't got a clue what!

[tomlee59]

Dropouts, etc. can occur very easily if you do not follow the rules of realtime capture:

1) Disable all apps that compete with the capture box for attention of the CPU and hard disk. That includes things like networking (especially, but not limited to, wireless), as well as indexing routines from the OS, auto-update features, network time synchronizers, etc. Treat the vidcap box as a narcissistic relative -- "it's all about me!"

2) It's best to capture to a clean, empty partition on the hard drive. If the drive is significantly fragmented, it will force new bits from your vidcap box to be shoehorned randomly into the non-contiguous spaces that are left.

3) The interface speed makes a great difference, too. If you are connecting to a USB1.1 port, for instance, you will need to dial back the bitrate, or you will lose packets. If you are using USB2.0 or firewire, make sure that you have the latest port drivers, to make sure that they are actually running at advertised speeds.

4) Make sure that you don't have other devices connected to those ports (or at least make sure that these other devices aren't periodically hogging the port).

5) Disable any power-saving features that may cause CPU clock speeds to throttle down, hard disks to stop spinning, etc., during the time you're trying to capture.

These are just some of the more common things you have to worry about if you want to get trouble-free capture. You see that it isn't quite as simple as "plug and play." It's more like "plug, fiddle, and pray."

[guns1inger]

If your camera supports DV transfer then this would be the prefered method. You would need a DV (firewire) port on your PC, and approx 13 GB space per hour of footage, plus room to edit and render. DV is designed for editing and is by far the easiest format to work in for the home user.

If you cannot transfer via DV, then make sure you set your DVD recorder up correctly. Record to the HDD first. Make sure you set the compression levels to something suitable. How you do this, and how much freedom you have, varies from machine to machine, so consult your manual. My Pioneer, for example, allows for 5 minute increments. Others only allow for 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours etc.

When you transfer from the HDD to DVD RW, use Video mode, not VR mode. Video mode will give you a standard DVD Video_TS format, so it is easy to copy to your HDD. I use VOB2MPG to extract the titles directly fromt he DVD RW to mpg files on the HDD.

Use a dedicated mpeg editor. Good ones include VideoRedo, and the Womble Mpeg Wizrd family. There are different variations that have different capabilites. Pick one that suits you. Mpeg editors are deisgned to minimise the need for re-encoding, which reduces quality loss. Mpg suffers very quickly when it is re-encoded.

[CaptainChaos]

Blimey, thanks guys ....
I've sorted out the dvd+r disc thing - I was stupid enough not to finalize it, so now I've got the discs with all the camcorder stuff on it.
Now, its all on the disc as bups, vobs & ifos ... How do I edit that so I can add my own titles/chapters/menus etc?
I've got TMPGenc which I use for avi's to convert to dvd format, but I've not done it the "other way round" so to speak.
Can I do anything with the DVD I've got now to add chapters etc.?
Cheers
Ian

[mpack]

Now, its all on the disc as bups, vobs & ifos ... How do I edit that so I can add my own titles/chapters/menus etc?

Use VobEdit to extract the elementary streams, this can then be imported into most DVD authoring tools, though I've never used TMPGEnc for authoring.

[borax]

Freeware solution:
To 'work' with mpeg (vob is kind of a container for mpeg) files these should be demultiplexed to elementary streams (separate video and audio). This can be done with vobedit or pgcdemux. If no cut/join/rearrange is required you can directly import the elementary streams in any dvd authoring program (see my signature for a free one, or have a look to the tools section). If you want to cut/join/rearrange the footage, you need a mpeg cutter. Freeware: mpeg2schnitt or cuttermaran. Both will not reencode your video. Afterwards you can import the output from these programs (as elementary video + audio again) in your dvd authoring program. There you can add/create your titles/chapters/menus...

[CaptainChaos]

Thanks everyone - all sussed & sorted now - cheers!