Combining and editing scenes on DVDs

[ErikJan]

I'm going to capture old video-tapes on several DVDs (highest quality setting). (I know how to get from video >> DVD: I'm just going to couple a video-player and a DVD/HD recorder, no computer here...)

Next I want to copy all DVD-files (from VIDEO_TS I guess) to my hard drive and want to cut out individual scenes, reorder them chronologically (even deleting some scenes I don't like) and then (if needed) edit individual scenes a bit more (many are quite dark and mostly I want to lighten them a bit).
Now I know who do do things with pictures but all of this is completely new to me... it this all possible? Can I do all that without (too much) loss of original quality? What tools do I use. I'm not -by definition- looking for fancy, commercial stuff... wouldn't there be simple freeware or shareware that allows me to preview and cut? Organize pieces? Edit pieces? Re-assemble the pieces to one or more DVDs?

Hope my questions are not tooo simple

Thanks already for any help you can give!

[yoda313]

Hello,

For simple reediting you could use dvd shrink in reauthor mode and choose the start end button.

For much more complex editing programs like:

tmpgenc dvd author

ulead dvd movie factory

dvdlab

dvdremake

and many more can do video editing.

Even tmpgenc can do some editing.

Kevin

--check out the tools link on the left --

[bugster]

The main problem you will have is the fact that your videos will be in mpeg-2 format. This is not ideal for editing. For simple cut and splice it should not be too much of a problem, but when it comes to filters (such as brightening a dark scene) or transitions it get more difficult. A lot of posters here reccomend Womble for editing mpegs so maybe you could give that a try.
If you captured avi in the 1st place your options would be much greater.

[Baldrick]

https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?guideid=638&howtoselect=3;29#638

[ErikJan]

Thanks for all the replies so far!

So, if I still have to capture my video tapes, would there be a better way to do that then (like right in AVI format?). Are there HD/DVD recorders out there that would support that or would I require a PC-based video-acquisition board for this? Would the latter not negatively impact the quality of the stuff I capture when compared with a direct link from Video---> SCART-cable --> DVD HD-recorder (these recorders are said to have digital filters to further improve quality of the original material).

(Don't forget... I'm very much new to all of this...)

The main problem you will have is the fact that your videos will be in mpeg-2 format. This is not ideal for editing. For simple cut and splice it should not be too much of a problem, but when it comes to filters (such as brightening a dark scene) or transitions it get more difficult. A lot of posters here reccomend Womble for editing mpegs so maybe you could give that a try.
If you captured avi in the 1st place your options would be much greater.

[bugster]

It all depends how complex your editing is going to be. If you are happy with the caps on a standalone player and all you want to do is cut and splice, then mpeg will be fine. If however you want to add transitions or effects to your video, mpeg starts to become a problem and capturing via a PC to avi becomes attractive. It all depends on your needs.

[ErikJan]

My edits would be contrast/lightness enhancements mostly (many scenes are somewhat dark).
Is capturing in AVI lossless? Should I do that? Or capture (conveniently) in MPEG on a DVD recorder and convert later to AVI. The material is VHS video standard but I'd like to start from a master copy that is as best as possible of course.

It all depends how complex your editing is going to be. If you are happy with the caps on a standalone player and all you want to do is cut and splice, then mpeg will be fine. If however you want to add transitions or effects to your video, mpeg starts to become a problem and capturing via a PC to avi becomes attractive. It all depends on your needs.

[bugster]

Capturing in avi can be lossless, but the files will be HUGE if not compressed. I would suggest using huffy or mjpeg (huffy is lossless compression). Then you can filter to remove noise as well as lighten the video as you require. Edit and then encode to mpeg for your final output. That is of course if you want absolut best possible quality. Capturing via standalone DVD recorder and then editing is possible but applying filters such as making a scene lighter is more compex with mpeg and you may end up converting it to avi anyway in order to do this. This is an extra conversion step which really should be avoided if at all possible.

[ErikJan]

OK... some months ahead I'm a little further down the track and hitting my next (last?) major hurdle... [plse cross post if this is now belonging in a different thread...]

For a variety of reasons I ended up using a DVD recorder and had my video tapes recorded onto DVD's (in highest = 1hr mode).

Now I've been advised by friends to consider using Pinnacle Studio (and have tried that with version 9 -latest patch-). What I found out is that -to date- I have problems getting the DVD VOB-files read-in into Studio...
Certainly as VOB's they don't work. When I rename them to MPG (or MP2), my WIndows Media Player can play them (with sound). Studio now reads them and can even split into scenes however... there is NO sound and no pictures visible (other than in the thumbnails).
I tried to 'clean-up' the VOB's by using DVDShrink, eliminating all crap (I think), like menu's and sub-pictures and combining the 4 1Gb-VOB's into one 4Gb VOB on my HD. Using that however also didn't make a difference.
Now I believe there are tools to convert to AVI but that would require many GB's. I'm still confused here... as mentioned, when renamed to MPG the thing does play in WMP...
What do I do to this VOB/MPG/MP2 file to:
(*) NOT (!!) loose any features and/or quality (so some DEcoding, DEmuxing is OK but NO (lossy) encoding)
(*) Turn this into something I can pickup in Studio9

Any suggestions??? I'm a newby (but with some background).

Appreciate your tips / suggestions...

Erik Jan

Capturing in avi can be lossless, but the files will be HUGE if not compressed. I would suggest using huffy or mjpeg (huffy is lossless compression). Then you can filter to remove noise as well as lighten the video as you require. Edit and then encode to mpeg for your final output. That is of course if you want absolut best possible quality. Capturing via standalone DVD recorder and then editing is possible but applying filters such as making a scene lighter is more compex with mpeg and you may end up converting it to avi anyway in order to do this. This is an extra conversion step which really should be avoided if at all possible.

[bugster]

Let me see if I have got this straight. You have a DVD (or several) from a DVD recorder (what make/model, might be important) and have copie the files to your HD. They will not play in WMP unless you rename them to MPG, right?

If so, can you play them in PowerDvd or WinDVD. I suggest these as they are proper software DVD players, not general purpose media players. Make sure you open them as DVD by selecting the VIDEO_TS directory, don't simply try to open individual VOB files.

If this works, and what you want to do is simple cuts and splices, the using DVDshrink in re-author mode will probably do what you need.

[ErikJan]

All true; I can play them in PowerDVD too and as DVD, that's all not the issue. What I want is to get them into a "format" (without loosing quality) that can be read-in by Pinnacle Studio 9 so I can do some editing...

Let me see if I have got this straight. You have a DVD (or several) from a DVD recorder (what make/model, might be important) and have copie the files to your HD. They will not play in WMP unless you rename them to MPG, right?

If so, can you play them in PowerDvd or WinDVD. I suggest these as they are proper software DVD players, not general purpose media players. Make sure you open them as DVD by selecting the VIDEO_TS directory, don't simply try to open individual VOB files.

If this works, and what you want to do is simple cuts and splices, the using DVDshrink in re-author mode will probably do what you need.

[Epicurus8a]

I'm not up on the latest version of Pinnacle, but I'll bet it doesn't support AC3 audio that is most likely part the files you have ripped from DVD. So, you'll either need to re-encode them, or use an editor like Womble MPEG VIDEO WIZARD that works with AC3 audio, and more importantly; without re-encoding. MPEG VIDEO WIZARD offers a 30 day free trial. WIZARD is nifty program.

[bugster]

Editing mpegs can be tricky, which is why avi capture was suggested in the start of this thread, but you have decided to go the standalone recorder route. Thats fine, you just need to work out how to edit them!

I don't know about Pinnacle either, it may well not support Ac3 audio. But probably the best way of getting your files into an editor is to demultiplex them 1st. You can do this with TmpGenc, mpeg tools. The free version will be fine for this.

Once you have the seperate video and audio files you can do what you like with them. I would suggest the possibility of converting the audio to wav using BeSweet or Headac3he (somewhat easier to use IMHO). Then import the audio seperateley from the video.

Lots of forum members will reccomend Womble for editing mpegs. I have never used it myself (I don't edit mpegs!) but it is almost certainly worth trying.