Good, Reliable PC Capture Software that can record in 4 Hour Mode

[Smack2k]

I have read about a bunch of good JVC DVD Recorders that will record video in 4 hour mode and it still looks really good....

Is there any Capture Software that does as good a job? Hardware specs wouldnt be a big issue as my machine(s) are fast enough and loaded with RAM....

Also, what are good framerate settings and bitrate to capture in 4 Hour DVD Mode? Resolution stays the same I'd assume...

Finally, does the older ATI MMC's still work for this stuff as well? Just curious as i have a few older rigs that I could use as capture only machines...

Thanks for the help..been wondering this for a while...if I can find software or should I just bite the bullet and buy a stand alone recorder.

[aedipuss]

software doesn't need "modes" you simply choose what bitrate you want.

[Bjs]

What lordsmurf says here is close to pc software equivalent

[usually_quiet]

I have read about a bunch of good JVC DVD Recorders that will record video in 4 hour mode and it still looks really good....

Is there any Capture Software that does as good a job? Hardware specs wouldnt be a big issue as my machine(s) are fast enough and loaded with RAM....

Also, what are good framerate settings and bitrate to capture in 4 Hour DVD Mode? Resolution stays the same I'd assume...

Finally, does the older ATI MMC's still work for this stuff as well? Just curious as i have a few older rigs that I could use as capture only machines...

Thanks for the help..been wondering this for a while...if I can find software or should I just bite the bullet and buy a stand alone recorder.

Some capture software has a selection of DVD pre-sets. If you pick one that doesn't, the frame rate would be 29.97. Resolution could be 720 x 480, 704 x 480, or 352 x 480. 352 x 480 is better if capturing fast motion, but 720 x 480 or 704 x 480 can work for capturing relatively static subjects. Look at What is DVD at the top left of VideoHelp pages to find out more about what the DVD standard allows for NTSC DVDs. VideoHelp also has a bitrate calculator: https://www.videohelp.com/calc.htm

What source do you plan to be capturing from, a cable box, satellite receiver or something else? That information could help narrow your choice between software and a stand-alone recorder.

[Smack2k]

I would be recording clips from various DVD's onto one DVD in a compilation form...

Sorry, I didnt mean framerate.....I meant bitrate.....

Thanks for the info..

[usually_quiet]

I would be recording clips from various DVD's onto one DVD in a compilation form...

Sorry, I didnt mean framerate.....I meant bitrate.....

Thanks for the info..

I would use a different process to create a source file to use for making a compilation DVD.

1. Use ripping software to copy the files from DVDs directly to the computer hard drive.
2. Use a free or low-cost MPEG-2 editor to create the clips for the compilation
3. Use AVStoDVD to join the clips into a single .mpg file and re-encode to a smaller size to fit on one DVD.

[Smack2k]

If I just rip it though, I am gonna get the size it is already....and if I try to shrink it, that is when video pixelation and other issues would come up.

I am wanting to record the various DVD Clips, but using a rate and resoution that will allow me to put 4 hours on a DVD and keep it looking rather nice...so to play the DVD through the Capture software (ATI MMC) and re-capture at the 4 hour mode settings....

[usually_quiet]

If I just rip it though, I am gonna get the size it is already....and if I try to shrink it, that is when video pixelation and other issues would come up.

I am wanting to record the various DVD Clips, but using a rate and resoution that will allow me to put 4 hours on a DVD and keep it looking rather nice...so to play the DVD through the Capture software (ATI MMC) and re-capture at the 4 hour mode settings....

A good encoder like HCEnc (AVStoDVD can use HCEnc with two-pass encoding) produces a better result than transcoding with something like DVDShrink if it is configured correctly. If you think that re-encoding analog input using a DVD recorder or capture software will do a better job than two-pass encoding with HCEnc, you are mistaken.

[jman98]

I would use a different process to create a source file to use for making a compilation DVD.

I would too, but when people decide to go this route, almost 100% of the time they don't want to do anything else. I think you're just wasting your time here trying to talk him out of this. I suspect that "ease of use" is the prime consideration here rather than believing that this way is the best possible alternative.

[usually_quiet]

I would use a different process to create a source file to use for making a compilation DVD.

I would too, but when people decide to go this route, almost 100% of the time they don't want to do anything else. I think you're just wasting your time here trying to talk him out of this. I suspect that "ease of use" is the prime consideration here rather than believing that this way is the best possible alternative.

I have captured video with a PC and I have also used AVStoDVD to re-size video. If he thinks PC capture or a capture with DVD recorder is going to be faster or easier than using AVStoDVD to re-encode SD video, he's mistaken about that. ...but if he wants to spend the additional time and effort required to learn to do things his way, he's been given him all the information he needs to use ATI MMC.

[Smack2k]

I would use a different process to create a source file to use for making a compilation DVD.

I would too, but when people decide to go this route, almost 100% of the time they don't want to do anything else. I think you're just wasting your time here trying to talk him out of this. I suspect that "ease of use" is the prime consideration here rather than believing that this way is the best possible alternative.

jman98:

Ease up there dude....just asking some questions and seeing what other routes are......I am not looking for "ease of use"...I am asking questions to find the best answers with what I currently have...

My understanding was if I rip video from a DVD, it will rip at the size it is on teh DVD...so I couldnt take a bunch of clips from 2 HR DVD's and use them on a 4 HR Disc without re capturing them using different settings instead of DVD Shrinking them...which I thought would make them MUCH worse to view..I was wrong and didnt know about other software.

Dont put words in my mouth and figure you know me based on a few posts here...

usually_quite - I had no idea about the encoding differences...thanks very much for hte detail..I can take this now and go a different route to get the end result I want...really appreciate it...will give that a shot to make sure I do it right and let you know the results...any learning curve to the AvStoDVD software?

[usually_quiet]

usually_quite - I had no idea about the encoding differences...thanks very much for hte detail..I can take this now and go a different route to get the end result I want...really appreciate it...will give that a shot to make sure I do it right and let you know the results...any learning curve to the AvStoDVD software?

I set up AVStoDVD quite a while back, but I recall that I used mostly default settings so the learning curve was minimal. The program includes a good help Help section, and there is a "Quick Startup Tutorial" on the menu bar under Tools.

Run the "Quick Startup Tutorial" first. Set the video to NTSC, and set the languages to what you plan to use. Select HCEnc 2 Pass for the Video Encoder. I use AC3 for audio, plus the default audio encoder, Wavi+Aften. I checked both "Keep DVD compliant Video" and "Audio". Click on "Preferences" in the Toolbar and set up your paths, then the click Video tab, then choose the DVD Video Resolution you want to use. Full D1 is 720 x 480 and Half D1 is 352 x 480. Click on DVD Size and select either DVD 5 or DVD 9 depending on the media you want to use. Click "Output" on the toolbar and select "Muxed mpg" if you want to join your clips, and author as one title later. (If each clip is a going to be its own title, you could author a DVD instead using "DVD Folder Structure" instead, and create a simple menu with the Menu Wizard after adding your clips). After that, just add your clips.

[Smack2k]

Appreciate it brotha...

[theewizard]

rip the source ... you have original quality
edit clips with an mpeg2 editor to retain quality

author dvd 'double layer 8.7' disc
double layer holds 4 hrs easily, no re-recording , no quality loss

[usually_quiet]

rip the source ... you have original quality
edit clips with an mpeg2 editor to retain quality

author dvd 'double layer 8.7' disc
double layer holds 4 hrs easily, no re-recording , no quality loss

Maybe not. Remember, XP mode recordings from a DVD recorder use 4.2 GB/hour and commercial pressed discs are mostly dual layer media, but often contain less than than 3 hours worth of video.

[theewizard]

commercial ..yes .. but that is because of the movie, its a THREE hour block buster hit movie and compressing it to fit on a single layer would degrade the quality
so the put it on a dual layer disc and then add the extra's
many 2hr movies come on single layer discs

even if he had to compress/recode, the quality will be much better using a dual layer disc

[usually_quiet]

commercial ..yes .. but that is because of the movie, its a THREE hour block buster hit movie and compressing it to fit on a single layer would degrade the quality
so the put it on a dual layer disc and then add the extra's
many 2hr movies come on single layer discs

even if he had to compress/recode, the quality will be much better using a dual layer disc

Some 2 hour movies were distributed on a single layer discs, but the quality of those releases is poor compared to those released on dual layer pressed media. Most recent DVD releases I have seen that run close to 3 hours, like the LOTR movies, put the extras on one or more separate DVDs. I think the movies themselves span two discs each for the extended editions, which are over 3 hours in length.

Did I not indicate that AVStoDVD gives a users choice between DVD5 or DVD9? LOL

[usually_quiet]

duplicate post

[Smack2k]

The dual layer thing would be nice, but my goal is to get it on a single layer..

I have seen some nice stuff be put in 4 hour mode on a single layer disc......so I am trying that software usually_quiet mentioned and will test it out...