Captured VHS to MPEG2 with ATI card problem, DVDWS question

[Scuda]

Greetings,
I’m trying to cut out some scenes of my nieces wedding that I recorded on VHS before I burn it to a DVD. I captured it to MPEG2 using LordSmurf’s “Capturing MPEG with an ATI card” guide and that worked fine. I cut out scenes using TMPGENC PLUS. So far, so good. I tried to open the file in DVD Workshop to put in the menus and it said that there was an error in the file. Also, when I captured it there was audio but there wasn’t any during preview? Can anyone point out where I went wrong? Did I miss a step? I would appreciate any help offered. I have a 2.8 GHz P4PE Motherboard, 9700 Raedon video card. This is the farthest I’ve gotten in the process and anxious to finish the project. Thanks!

[Tommyknocker]

When you encoded the video with TMPGEncl, did you use a template? You did not mention it in your post.

[Scuda]

Please excuse my ignorance, what do you mean by a template? I do not believe I encoded it. I thought (incorrectly I suppose) that if it was captured in MPEG2, it did not need to be encoded. I’m unsure how to use TMPGENC PLUS properly. After cutting out the unwanted scenes, what’s the next step using TMPGENC PLUS? Encoding? Do you save it first using a .tpr extension then encode it? Sorry for all of the questions, it’s just getting very frustrating trying to finish my first project. Now that it’s cold outside, I have an excuse to spend some time to get it done. Thanks for the help.

[bottle-necked]

Scuda
Some here might disagree, but I suggest you download and try Ulead VideoStudio V7.0 free trial. I don't suggest this program because I think it's so great or because I own stock in the company, but I suggest it because of its ease of use. Someone just starting out with video can learn alot with the program and will soon be able to try more difficult applications and techniques like many written at this site. This software, however strange it might be, becomes easy to understand and use in a very short time. It is designed in a way that will help keep a newbie from quitting video before he gets the hang of it, and it gives him the ability to actually finish a project. Something not many other applications offer.

Like cropping out portions of captured video files. Just import the video and drag it onto the timeline, Ulead with ask to change the project template to match the clip. You just scan to the desired 'in point' click a button, scan to the 'out point' and click a button. Drag the clip into the next available spot on the timeline, scan to the next 'in point' click IN, then to the 'out point' then click 'out'. etc to the end of the project. You can keep dragging that clip onto the timeline as many times as necessary and crop out all you want (like taking out commercials). The first clip would be the movie up to the first commercial then end point. THe next clip would be the same movie with different in and out point. etc. Easy. If the project properties matches the clips properties then no reencoding will be preformed, just a direct stream copy to a new file. Fast, simple and clean.

Good luck.

[presto]

I agree with bottleneck, almost. Ulead Video Studio is great but I like Tmpgenc DVD Author (Not to be confused with Tmpgenc or Tmpgenc Plus) even more. There is no faster, easier way to cut a few scenes out of a video and create a DVD. (IMHO)

When you say you used Tmpgenc Plus, you are using the MPEG Tool that is built in, right? In that case there is no reencoding/template issue. I think someone thought you were just using the main interface of Tmpgenc Plus to cut your mpg file, which I'm not even sure is possible.

If you do make your cuts with the mpg tool they will not be nearly as clean as when you use Tmpgenc DVD author.

[lordsmurf]

@ Scuda I dumped DVD Workshop because it was fussy.

Following the "commercial removal" guide and "ATI MPEG capture" guides will get you the files you want. Then just find a cooperative authoring application. If you have DVDWS 1.2 or earlier, this would explain some of your problems. I'd look at anything else.

Click the last link in my signature to learn how I make video, from source to final DVD.

@ Tommyknocker Cutting/splicing scenes in TMPGEnc MPEG TOOLS requires no re-encoding.

[Scuda]

Thank you all for your help. Yes, I used the MPEG tool in Tmpgenc Plus to edit the video. So, let me get this straight, I was actually doing it the right way; capture in MPEG2 using ATI, cut using Tmpgenc Plus, then I should have been able to do the menus? Is there anything I can do so I can use DVDWS? My wife would be very upset if I spend another couple hundred on additional software and not use the software I all ready spent $250? Any suggestions?

[lordsmurf]

Which version of DVDWS ?

[Scuda]

I bought it a few months ago and upgraded to 1.2

[Scuda]

Sorry, I upgraded it to 1.3