How to get Digital Video from Camcorder to HardDrive to VCD?

[WiseMagic]

I have a Sony digital camcorder and a new Compaq computer with the standard software that most come with. I want to capture or whatever the correct term is to get some digital video footage from Camcorder either to hard drive and/or then to Cd burner for VCD or directly from Camcorder to CD Burner. What software should I buy to do this; Nero Burning Rom 5.5.9, InterDVD, WinDVD 4?

The Camcorder came with PIXELA software. Will that let me transfer the digital video to hard drive in a viewable format?

[Kingnog]

Do you have a video capture card, or a cable that connects the camera to the computer? If you dont, the software will not matter....

[yg1968]

It is better to import DV through the firewire port. If you don't have a firewire port, you will need to get one (with a firewire cable). The pyro ADS card comes with Ulead VS 6.0 SE (useful to capture and edit DV).

You can use Windows Movie Maker (or DVapp) to capture DV, TMPGenc. to convert to mpeg and nero to burn VCD. DV takes 12-13 gig per hour.

A practical all in one solution is Ulead VS 7.0. It allows you to capture, edit, convert to mpeg and burn to VCD, SVCD or DVD. They have a trial version.

[Rondo]

Wisemagic,

The Pixela software will only transfer material in MPEG format via a USB port, limiting the quality (tho' as you will have one of those on your PC you can be sure you can manage it with the materials you already have). Several people have problems with this software according to the net.

Better to go Firewire & Capture in DV format, if your Sony is Firewire capable.

If your Sony is firewire capable, it will have a port marked DV Out (& if you're lucky also In). If that is the case, you can go for the solution suggested by yg1968. You can probably get a firewire/Ulead combo fairly cheaply - that's what I did.

If not, then you're stuck with Pixela, OR you could get an analogue capture card & use the camcorder's analogue out ports. I'm not sure about those as I've not had to use them.

Hope this helps
Chris

[WiseMagic]

Yes my camcorder has Ilink or firewire and my Compaq has USB and firewrie. Its a fairly new Compaq model with Geforce4 64 mb video card. 2.5 GHZ 120 Gig and 512 Ram. I still don't understand the step by step process. I turn my camcorder on and play the tape in VCR mode but what am i doing on the computer's end. I start some application that somehow records the tape that I'm playing?

[yg1968]

1- you must enable DV out in the camcorder's menu.
2- You must buy a firewire cable (if you don't have one) and connect it from your digital camcorder to your computer. Windows should detect your camcorder.
3- Use DVapp or Windows Movie Maker to capture (choose DV avi). The program will control your camcorder. So you can press play from the program or from the camcorder. You will see a preview of the video.
4- the capture button is usually the record button in the software. Press on this button.
5- Once you have the DV file on your hard disk, open the file in TMPGEnc
6- encode using the VCD template
7- import the mpeg file in Nero to burn the VCD

Anyways, there is beginner's guide that will help you and give you the step by step with pictures, etc.

https://www.videohelp.com/capture
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/userguides/94288.php

[MpegEncoder]

WiseMagic,

Here's how I do it.

1) Capture with DVIO, it's simple and free.

2) Convert to mpeg-1 with TMPGEnc (it's free for mpeg-1 and the quality is excellent).

3) Author VCD disk image (bin/cue) with VCDEasy (this program is simply outstanding and free).

4) You can burn the bin/cue with Nero or CDRDAO (which comes with VCDEasy).

That's it!

[sandipdas]

Hi All,

After doing all those you suggested still not happy.

What will be best method to capture and convert from Sony TRV50 to make a XVCD. I don't have DVD writer so I will go for a XVCD. My Sony DVD player support this.

Please see my computer configuaration.

I have Ulead 7 Basic SE came with the Firewire. When I see pictures from the camcorder into my TV looks great. But whenever I capture and convert and see in the TV it looks awefull. Only when I pan my camcorder picture gets destorted until I fix the focus on something. If I don't move my camcorder picture looks great.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Sandip

[MpegEncoder]

Clearly sounds like an encoding problem. What are you using to do your encoding?

[sandipdas]

Hi,

Initially I was to capture in mpeg format directly from the camcorder but when I saw in this forum that it will degrade the picture quality then I tried to capture in DV NTSC AVI format through the firewire. And then I convert to mpeg using TMPGEnc. Still same problem.

I don't know may be I will have use the special encoder. I have the "Nimo Codec pack", DirectX 9.0, DivX5.0 installed in my machine.

Anything else you need to know regarding my machine.

Any idea.

Thanks in advance.