Better than Windows Movie Maker?

[freak_in_cage_10k]

Hi All,

i have a friend who is filming her friend in a pantomime and wants to put the film onto a VCD. She is currently using windows movie maker (shes using xp) but it produces low quality windows movie files, but i need it to make mpeg files. i know this can be done with Adobe Premier, but this is too expensive and FAR to complex for her. does anyone know of any other more suitable software for a notice user?

(i know to burn it with nero etc)

cheers everyone

[Poppa_Meth]

you could try Ulead Movie Factory II. its a fairly simple all in one tool and costs $50. definitely not the best piece of software but its cheap and easy to use. there are various freeware tools you could use instead but they get a little more complicated since you usually need to use more than one tool.

[Tommyknocker]

To capture the video from her camera to her computer - Virtual Dub -- free

To convert the captured video into VCD MPEG-1 -- TMPGEnc Free -- Free

To burn the VCD -- VCDEasy 1.1.5.2 -- free

[housepig]

I would add - for non linear editing of the video, Zwei-Stein, Aist MovieXone, or ABC VideoRoll ... all freeware.

MovieXone & VideoRoll are abandonware, MovieXone Free is no longer available from AIST, and ABC Videoroll is out of business. But if you are diligent with Google and search for both of them, you will find them, they are out there... you just have to go digging.

Or check at your local MicroCenter on the discount racks... I got a copy of Ulead VideoStudio 5 new in the box for $10.

[freak_in_cage_10k]

kool- thanks a lot guys! one other thing- am i right in thinking that windows movie maker wont allow you to produce mpeg files? also, she is using a USB lead to take the video from the camera to the PC, if that helps!

[andkiich]

Windows Movie Maker has a DV AVI output option. The friend could output that and have TMPGENc convert it to VCD. Might get better results that way.

[Tommyknocker]

But the friend is using USB.

[FOO]

My experience with getting video out of cameras through USB
has been very poor quality. I capture analog out of the camera with
a capture card and it works Much better.

I have a Sony Hi8
low rate Mpeg1 seems to be what comes out of it on the USB

[Tommyknocker]

Capture card? Hmmm. If she needs an equipment upgrade she may want to see if the campera has a fire wire port. If it does, then it should be the way to go.

[jdizzy40]

The best thing Creative (Sound Blaster) ever did was to add firwire support to their Audigy series of sound cards. CompUSA has the Audigy for $59.00. It has a firewire port. I use this to capture from my Sony camcorder. And the sound card rocks.

[FOO]

Yeah but your camera spits out DV on a firewire.
Mine doesn't and I bet freaks friend doesn't either

[jdizzy40]

I can capture in any format I want AVI, MPEG-2 etc. The software does the rest.

[freak_in_cage_10k]

kool- thanks a lot guys, shes using a laptop so she cant upgrade hardware/buy a capture card??

i guess i will have to convert it to avi and then convert it from there,

thanks a lot everyone!