How can I put burn the video from my DV camcorder to a DVDR?

[coolmk20x]

ok, I know the video from the camcorder is DV-AVI, and I know that video for DVD is MPEG-2. So how can I get this DV-AVI video to MPEG-2 video, without quality loss? Or is there a way I caputure MPEG-2 directly from the DV camcorder, again without much loss of quality? thanks

[Petco]

The best software for this and easy to learn is Ulead DVD Workshop. This is how I did European Vacation. I used Video Wave to capture to AVI (I did all my editing which includes adding music, etc). I used to take the AVI into TMPGEnc to convert to MPEG2 but always had motion lines (lines when fast movement occurred - I could never figure out the settings and I played with it a lot).

Anyhow, I just drag the AVI Videos directly into Ulead DVD Workshop and let Ulead DVD Workshop create the DVD files. Then I use Prassi Primo to burn into a DVD. I prefer Primo over Nero because I use cheap media. It seems like Primo works better for that. I tried both software using the same cheap media. The dvd that was burned with Primo has a tendency to work on more DVD players than the DVD that was burned with Nero. Nero is great for CD's but not for DVD's.

If you don't have much editing on your Videos Ulead DVD Workshop can also capture video. I just prefer Video Wave because I know the functions on it already.

I'm not trying sell DVD Workshop (you can download the trial for free), but it is the easiest software out there! I have menus with music etc like a real professional DVD!

[new2echo]

I like Adobe Premiere 6.5. You can capture, edit and convert to mpeg within this program. Very powerful editing tools and mpeg encoder is one of the best.

[yg1968]

These programs are fairly expensive. More afordable programs are Dazzle DVD complete and Ulead DVD Movie Factory 2. I use Dazzle DVD complte and I like it better than anything else than I have tried. Both have trial versions. However, for either programs, you are better off encoding with TMPGEnc.

[ImaWeTodd]

Quality and/or Easy ?
- I believe the only effect on quality would be converting from DV compression to mpeg2 compression. If you don't care about how much space the video takes on your dvd, quality is not a problem. When you convert/encode/compress (pick a word) the video to mpeg2, if you choose a high enough bitrate the quality will look quite close to the origional. (use clean source and a good encoder)

How do you do this? Generically you:
- Get the DV to your pc (Capture How To)
- Tweek, Cut, Edit, fix all of your camera work (Edit How To)
- Encode to Mpeg2 (Convert How To)
- Author/Burn it to the DVD standards (Author)

As stated, Adobe does all (but the last step i think). If you use the CCE plugin, I'm sure your quality would be fine.

You can also do all of this with free programs at great quality.

Here is a link to a guy who knows his camera. http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/DVD/authoring.html

Check out what he says under "DVD Quality. How good is it, really? ".

[Petco]

Adobe Premiere is not user friendly!!! Powerful, but not friendly!! Skip all the TMPGEnc BS conversion. Drag raw AVI (highest quality) directly into Ulead DVD Workshop and create the cool menus and music. BAM!! you have a DVD!!

[ktnwin]

Well, there are two more ways:

1) the easiest: buy a stand alone DVD recorder (such as Panasonic DMR-E30), connect your camcorder to it, hit play then hit record on the DVD recorder (obviously you need to put in a blank DVD-R. Once the movie plays to the end, hit TOP on the DVD recorder. You have one "title" on your DVD-R. Repeat the same for each movie clip or until the DVD-R is almost full (your DVD recorder will tell you how much room left). Finalize the DVD-R (a function of the DVD recorder). DONE (so easy, no fun)
Your video source can be anything: TV antenna, VCR, analog camcorder, digital camcorder). A stand alone DVD recorder cost about 500$ these days.
pro: fast, easy, anyone can do it even a kid or housewife
con: no fancy menu, no editing possible.
I have tried this method, created 10 DVDs in 12 hours total, but not happy because there are no chapters, and menu is dumb and crude. It's very good for a quick job.

2) a cheaper solution: go get Studio DV 8 package (software and Firewire card included, about 100$) and you also need a DVD writer. Studio DV 8 can capture video from digital camcorder only, it let you edit, add transitions, music back ground, menu, chapters, etc... To create DVD, use MAKE DISC function in Studio 8 and just go to sleep, the next day your DVD is ready. Don't forget to put a blank DVD-R in your DVD writer.
pro: very flexible with lots of editing feature, ONE SOFTWARE DOES IT ALL.
con: take much longer to produce a DVD
The cost of this entire package (not including a fairly powerful PC with large hard drives) is about 100$ + 280$ = 380$.

I prefer this approach for making long lasting DVD (I know all DVD are long lasting) but the ones made with this method look much more "professional". Plus , I may make only 1 DVD / week average.

[arcorob]

I have all of the purchased software products listed above except Pinnacle /Dazzle ?

Anyway, I like the Sonic Foundry Video Factory the best. EAsy to use, full featured ...with ULEAD a close second. ADobe premier may be great but I cant stand the interface.....

for about 59 bucks, Video Factory will do you well....

[troyvcd1]

I have to say that the ulead dvd workshop encoder sucks. It is a good program but I encoded some vcds using dvd workshop and not good. Maybe if you increase the bitrate up enough to do a dvd it is better but why not just use tmpgenc. The authoring parts of dvdworkshop are good though.

[darkmark]

This is one thing the guides don't tell you... you can't use virtualdub with your firewire card (unless it somehow has vfw drivers). I downloaded the trial version of videostudio 6.0, and used that to capture about thirty minutes off of my dvcam and export it to and dvd udf iso image. Then I just loaded that up in Nero and burned it. Works in my player at home, hopefully, the copies that are on the way to the relatives will work there as well.

Video studio 6 is about $99.00 and they recently released a new mpeg encoder for it in their update section that's supposed to be 40% faster.. They also have a seperate Pentium IV hyperthreading compile of the encoder as well. Seems to work really well.

I bought VS6 after some hard learning on my own...
I tried to just edit and dump the avi and use TPMGenc, but TMPGenc failed to demultiplex the audio (it crashed).. I exported the PCM audio in VS 6.0, but it was obvious that I needed to go PCM->mp2 before ifoedit was going to let me generate a vob that synced correctly. I didn't find any good tools or info on that end, so I went back to VS6, which worked right and looked great the first time.

good luck!

[yg1968]

darkmark,

VS7 is coming out in late february 2003:

http://www.ulead.com/aboutulead/press/pr01-23-03.htm

[troyvcd1]

I wonder if the new mediastudio is going to have a decent mpeg encoder. The ligos one they used to have was decent. The new mpeg.now encoder sucks.