VHS to DVD/complete capture to edit to menu creation to DVDr

[pixel]

Sorry, I didn't make the last post very clear.

Get to the stage where you still have .AVI files.

Use TMPGEnc Plus to encode the .AVI files to .MPG files.

Open the created .MPG files in TMPGEnc DVD Author to create all your menu's, chapter points etc. This will then create the Video_TS folder with all the relevant files.

Use Nero to burn all the files in the newly created Video_TS folder.

Hope this is what you need.

[gee69]

As I have read in some posts in this forum, some say that the editing (chapters, menus, titles, transitions and others) is much easier done while it is still .avi file rather than an mpeg/mpeg2 file. How true is this and what are the pros and cons...

Thanks for all the clarification...

[overloaded_ide]

pixel

If you are TMPGEnc DVD Author (not PLUS) will encode AND create the Video_TS folder containing all the vobs etc.

(Remember an encoding program just converts a file from one format to another.
An authoring program creates the menus, Video_TS folder and vobs etc.)

No, DVD Author does not encode, it AUTHORS. You use Tmpgenc Plus (an encoder) or other program of your choise to encode.
I am not positive what all files types Tmpgenc DVD Author will open, but I THINK it's just mpegs and DVD files. They need to already be DVD compliant and AVI is not! Also an encoder like Tmpgenc does alot more than converting, like filtering, de-interlacing, resizing etc... it you want it to!
I have not opened any DVD files, but you are supposed to be able to use existing files also like for re-authoring or add parts to a new DVD.
If you don't already have mpeg2 files, then you need to encode your AVI or what ever you do have into mpeg2 files. THEN open that mpeg2 file with DVD Author and create your DVD.

This is when you get the VIDEO_TS folder and .ifo .bup .vob files! AFTER you open an Mpeg2 with DVD Author and it creates them!

gee69,
To get from .avi file you first encode with Tmpgenc plus to a mpeg2 file.
Then open that mpeg2 file with Tmpgenc DVD Author to create the actuall DVD files that you will be burning to a disk. VIDEO_TS folder .ifo .bup .vob files!
Tmpgenc DVD Author also now has burning built in, once you create the folder and files onto the Hard drive you can point the burning program to theo folder and burn the disk.

I myself have been capturing straight to Mpeg2 files, so I don't have to use an encoder. There might be something you'll have to do before tmpgenc plus will read the .avi file, that I don't know. Look in the guides section to the left.

[pixel]

As I have read in some posts in this forum, some say that the editing (chapters, menus, titles, transitions and others) is much easier done while it is still .avi file rather than an mpeg/mpeg2 file. How true is this and what are the pros and cons...

Thanks for all the clarification...

It is easier to filter and apply noise reduction to .AVI than .MPG
It is just as easy to cut .MPG as it is to cut .AVI
It is easier to add chapter points to .AVI files
I think it is slightly easier to add transitions to .AVI files.

If the program you choose to use can work with .AVI files, then this is the better choice.

[jdizzy40]

Your new company will be bankrupt within the first month. Rule number 2 of starting up a company: "Make sure the service or product you are selling will be viable, and the procedures to produce the product, tried and tested". You are doomed!

[overloaded_ide]

Hello again guys

We seem to be posting at the same time, so we are saying the same things sometimes it looks like. Sorry Pixel, you said I said while I was saying and we posted over each other saying the same thing.

Anway, last thing I read so far...

As I have read in some posts in this forum, some say that the editing (chapters, menus, titles, transitions and others) is much easier done while it is still .avi file rather than an mpeg/mpeg2 file. How true is this and what are the pros and cons...

I know nothing about that, but personally don't see how it could work? Keep in mind I am THINKING basic beginer stuff here, not advanced profesional!
Chapters and menus I am pretty sure are seperate files created durring authoring. I don't think you can do any of that in avi files. Durring Authoring I beleave you would just have a picture of a menu at the begining of your movie, not a menu
Also chapters are just marking points basically, and I don't think you can do it in AVI or it would get lost along the way, like durring encoding to mpeg2. Remember, if the program your using on an AVI file also can author a DVD, then some things you do might not effect the AVI, it might just be a setting in the program. Kinda like a template for what it should do latter.
Very easy to do in Tmpgenc DVD Author anyway.

"titles, transitions and others", yes those would probably be easier as .AVI files. Basically what you are doing is creating one long movie! SO if you want a fancy title as the movie opens, other sound tracks, transitions from one scene to another like fade out fade in, then those you do as part of the movie.

Basically, figure your Avi is one long movie like a vhs tape. It should play as you want it from start to finish just like a video tape. When you have that exactly as you want it, then you encode it to an mpeg2. You have the same movie, but now in a format ready to author. You open your movie with an Authoring program and then set chapters. Chapters are points in the moive. You can use these points to jump forward with the remote and skip parts, you can use the chapters in the menus for starting points in various places durring the moive. Like if you want to watch one part where the car blows up, you can start right there
When you create your menus, you can show all chapters, just some, or none. I often set mine every 5 minutes, then Only select certian points to show in the menus. This way I can start the movie in various places with the chapter menu, or durring the movie skip forward 5 minutes at a time if I want.

Pixel, just saw you had another post right as I started this one. It wasn't there to begin with

It is easier to filter and apply noise reduction to .AVI than .MPG
It is just as easy to cut .MPG as it is to cut .AVI
It is easier to add chapter points to .AVI files
I think it is slightly easier to add transitions to .AVI files.

As I mentioned above, I didn't think you could do chapter points in an AVI.
Unless we are thinking different things on those. It's just pont and click where ever you want a chapter point, or like I do just set to 5 mintutes and let the program do it automatically.

For simple cutting only, Mpeg durring authoring might actually be easier. Been along time since I created an AVI movie, but as I recall after I did the cutting the program had to re-write the entire file, leaving out the deleted parts. When authoring (at least with this program) the mpeg2 file is untouched, but the parts are removed from the DVD durring authoring. This way it does not re-write the entire file to save changes. This is good also so if you change your mind and decide you did not want to cut it latter, it is still there! And you only have one copy of the Avi, not an original and a SAVE AS version after editing.
Course if your doing alot of other changes and editing to the Avi file anyway then it makes no difference.

[overloaded_ide]

jdizzy40,

If that was rule #2, then what is rule #1 ??

[pixel]

As I mentioned above, I didn't think you could do chapter points in an AVI.
Unless we are thinking different things on those. It's just pont and click where ever you want a chapter point, or like I do just set to 5 mintutes and let the program do it automatically.

For simple cutting only, Mpeg durring authoring might actually be easier. Been along time since I created an AVI movie, but as I recall after I did the cutting the program had to re-write the entire file, leaving out the deleted parts. When authoring (at least with this program) the mpeg2 file is untouched, but the parts are removed from the DVD durring authoring. This way it does not re-write the entire file to save changes. This is good also so if you change your mind and decide you did not want to cut it latter, it is still there! And you only have one copy of the Avi, not an original and a SAVE AS version after editing.
Course if your doing alot of other changes and editing to the Avi file anyway then it makes no difference.

It is possible to create the chapter points with an .AVI file in Ulead DVDWS which I use. With this it is faster to set chapter points with .AVI files than .MPG. It is also more accurate to add chapter points with .AVI than .MPG because with .MPG you can only insert a chapter point at an I frame (well, at least only in DVDWS you can).

I usually just do DVD compliant captures now and author using Ulead DVDWS. For cutting I use Womble MPEG VCR as it is accurate (unlike TMPGEnc) and it lets you cut in the middle of a GOP.

What program do you use to auto insert chapter points at a set time? This would be very useful to me because currently, I just insert chapter points where I have cut out commercial breaks, and with the slowness of working with mpgs in DVDWS, it would take almost forever to manually insert a point every 5 mins.

[jdizzy40]

Okay Rule # 1 "Decide that you want to start a company and that you have a product that is marketable". Bottom line, you don't want to start out beta testing your product to the consumer. One bad reference or dissatisfied customer can do more harm than good.

[pixel]

Just one other thing, womble vcr also has demultplex functions etc, and it also lets you insert transition during cutting.

[FOO]

It is just as easy to cut .MPG as it is to cut .AVI

Whoever said that is seriously confused.

[pixel]

It is just as easy to cut .MPG as it is to cut .AVI

Whoever said that is seriously confused.

I said it and it is true.

You can easily cut .AVI in VDub, just as well as you can easily cut .MPG in Womble Mpeg VCR.

[gee69]

overloaded...

Like pixel does in Ulead, I think you can add menus and chapters in an avi file using Studio 8. Frankly, I was just reading the manual and haven't really tried doing it. Maybe, when I start the actual work of doing it, then I might not be coming up with these questions. But, I am gathering information so that I would have an idea on how to proceed and what programs to use.

anyway, thanks for all the help, advise, suggestions and explanations.

[FOO]

Pixel,
Since you are in a PAL place, you may not deal with
24 fps video with pulldown flags in it very much.
Have you ever tried to edit MPEG video from a NTSC DVD rip
or a capture that has been run through an IVTC ?

I agree that Womble edits 30 fps or 25 fps video perfectly.

The editing comment was about NTSC FILM video. It
gets A/V sync problems in every case I have tried.

[pixel]

Pixel,
Since you are in a PAL place, you may not deal with
24 fps video with pulldown flags in it very much.
Have you ever tried to edit MPEG video from a NTSC DVD rip
or a capture that has been run through an IVTC ?

I agree that Womble edits 30 fps or 25 fps video perfectly.

The editing comment was about NTSC FILM video. It
gets A/V sync problems in every case I have tried.

I get ya FOO, I have only ever worked with 25fps so have never had any problems.

I guess it was just made for working with 29.97fps and 25fps, so it has trouble cutting 24fps.

[overloaded_ide]

jdizzy40,

Bottom line, you don't want to start out beta testing your product to the consumer

Are you sure about that? MS did and still does and look how big they got!
Someday they may actually get out of the BETA stage and have a REAL working product you can install and forget about!! I just read a headline today of another security problem anounced by MS!

Pixel,

It is possible to create the chapter points with an .AVI file in Ulead DVDWS which I use. With this it is faster to set chapter points with .AVI files than .MPG. It is also more accurate to add chapter points with .AVI than .MPG because with .MPG you can only insert a chapter point at an I frame (well, at least only in DVDWS you can).

Yes, but does that program also encode to mpeg2 or Author DVDs, and if so have you tried those AVI files with some other program? I don't know, but I suspect the program remembers where the points are supposed to be, but doesn't really put them in the file itself. I could be wrong, but I bet if you used the AVI in a different program those points would be gone. Like use an encoder such as Tmpgenc to convert to an mpeg2 then open in a DVD authoring program.

What program do you use to auto insert chapter points at a set time? This would be very useful to me because currently, I just insert chapter points where I have cut out commercial breaks, and with the slowness of working with mpgs in DVDWS, it would take almost forever to manually insert a point every 5 mins.

Tmpgenc DVD Author
Open mpeg2 file (one or several if you want) click the edit button for the file, on the right side near the bottom I think it says something about inserting chapters. Click button, type your time in, click ok, and bingo 2 seconds latter you got them! I use 5 minutes or 10 mostly, though I guess you could do 3 or 7 if your wierd about it
Setting them manually is just as easy, just drag the scroll bar to where you want one, click the button to insert it.
For cutting it fast and easy too. Drag to desired point, click start frame, drag to desired point click end frame, click cut. Part is gone!
Been using other stuff too, so on this "MAYBE" When you click cut I "think" it gives you the option to cut selection or cut everythng NOT selected. This way you can cut the comercail selected, OR if you have a part in the middle you want to keep you can select that and delete the rest, like both ends at once.
Also you can play the file with sound in the preview window! This is handy for that stuff where maybe the screen is still black but the narrator is talking and you don't want to cut him. Without previewing with sound, how would you know where to cut that? Or the end of a movie with jokes, music, actors still talking after the screen goes dark? I had a few of those.

If your doing DVD compliant captures directly to Mpeg2 like I am, I definatley recommend trying Tmpgenc DVD Author! Since it's free for 30 days you have nothing to lose! There is nothng slow about this program! You will spend more time figuring out what YOU want to do than what it takes the program to do it! Like you have to decide where you want to cut, 3 or 4 clicks it's gone!
Not counting the time I am thinking about what colors to use for menus and such or looking for just the right cut spots, I think I can make a mpeg2 into DVD files in about 15 minutes, full disk! Then I just have to burn it!

The only hard part is getting the mpeg2 file to begin with. I just capture to one directly with my ATI AIW 7500 radeon, using MMC 7.7 (I think it is)
Open that and author!
2hr movie = 2hrs to capture + 15minutes to author + 1hr to burn at 1x!
Add 10-20minutes if I want to cut stuff, make a fast menu, add chapters.

If I decide to get real fancy and really look at the program and try new things, well then add up to 8 hrs or so for me playing around

[pixel]

overloaded_ide DVDWS does just create chapter points and save them in the program without changing the original AVI.

TMPGEnc DVD Author does seem to do the exact same as I do with DVDWS, and then some. I will download the trial and mess about with it.

Earlier you talked about creating animated menus in it. I have never made animated menus before, but I have a collection of VHS cassettes of a no longer run TV program, and I really want to create an animated menu for them. I will try it once I download the program and maybe post how I get on.

(This is the second time I had to type this post out, since the site went down after I hit the reply button first time round.)

[overloaded_ide]

Yep, the site seemed to have problems while I was using it too

I haven't tried the motion menu's yet myself, but looks easy enough depending what you want to do with em.

I'll probably try them on my next project. Or my magic video

[donpedro]

There is a lot of options how you can mix and match different programs for different tasks. One of the way can be found in the link in my signature.