DCS* 200 Capture

[DCS 200]

I am new to the capturing thing, but this site has helped A LOT!! Here are my questions:

I just purchased the DCS 200. I have been using the Moviestar v5 to capture my videos. What I want to do with this thing is to capture (mostly home movies/professinally recorded movies) these movies to HD in MPEG2. Now, when the capture gets over about 1:45min (Or 3.36GB) it spilts the MEPEG2 into two separate files...

1) How do I get it to just make one big file? (Or what software do I need to start using)

Next, I want to take each movie one by one and record them to (1) one DVD+R.

2) Does this MPEG2 that I have just created need to be re-encoded (To make it smaller) and if so what do I use to make it smaller?

3) Would it be better to just capture these movies in a different fomat (SVCD/ VCD) And burn them as VCD's or SVCD's.

4) Finally- Can I put a large movie in VCD format onto a DVD (Since VCD's take less room)

Basically I just want to get rid of my old VHS tapes. What is the simpliest, and quickest way to do this? I don't expect better quality, I just want it as good as what it came off of..

[SodGawd]

dcs200

Ok.. I'll give this a shot. First and foremost, what OS are you using? Win9X, ME, 2000, or XP? The last 2, with the NTFS file system, allow you to have ANY file size. Win9x and ME use the FAT32or FAT16 file system which limit file sizes to 4Gigs. That might be your underlying problem.

1) How do I get it to just make one big file? (Or what software do I need to start using)

You'll need to use a "MPEG2VCR" proggy or you can download TMPGEnc and use it's MPEG tools to CUT/MERGE the files.

2) Does this MPEG2 that I have just created need to be re-encoded (To make it smaller) and if so what do I use to make it smaller?

Yes. Since you cannot specify certain resolutions in MovieStar (I.E 352x480 NTSC) you'll need to re-encode them using an encoder. There are many guides for this on this site. Just click on the Guides on the home page of this site or on the index of this forum. Personally, I would use TMPGEnc for this. Offers A LOT of options and settings to obtain your target filesizes. While CCE 2.50 is better with MPEG-2 files, it is very expensive hence out of the wallets of most of us.

To get 2 (and possibly 3) movies on one DVD-R(or +R), take a look at Baker's guide for CVD. Which is basically SVCD w/ a rez of 352x480. That rez is DVD compliant and you can lower your bitrates and hence get more on your DVD-R(or +R). This help you? If not you can directly email me and I'll attempt to walk you through it. I can relate to the confusion that I know that I must have just bestowed upon you. I was there when I first stumbled upon this great site.

Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy soloution to everything especially when you're trying to push the envelope a tad.

What USB ports do you have? USB 2.0 or 1.1? Was just curious as to how it functions under 1.1...

Sod Out

[DCS 200]

What USB ports do you have? USB 2.0 or 1.1? Was just curious as to how it functions under 1.1...

I have a standard 1.1 USB and the capture seems to be going well. (Although I do not like Moviestar) I believe I understand what you are saying as far as needing to use TMPGENc. My questions mostly come from the settings in side of this program.

CVD is become of interest to me. I will look at the guide you recommend, if I need help I might take you up on your offer, Thanks!

Oh, and BTW - NTFS Win XP Pro. I have been told that the automatic splitting of the files is done "automatically" by Moviestar. Someone suggested one of the Ulead programs to capture with, but eveytime I try to capture with this it crashes, I guess I'm stuck with Moviestar.

Brian[/quote]

[SodGawd]

Hmm... That sounds like a bug in MovieStar. I am gonna email tech support and ask them about a work around. Merging files all the time seems like it would be a pain..

How is the quality of your captures? Can you max out your settings without losing frames?


Sod out...