Capturing Question

[clothesburner626]

I have two ways of capturing video: Adobe Premiere 6.5 and NeroVisionExpress. To my understanding, NeroVisionExpress records directly to MPEG2 which is fine when I’m only recording an hour or so of footage and only need to crop the beginning and end. But when I’m recording more than an hour and need to edit - not just crop the beginning and end - it’s no good.

So, being that I am stuck with Adobe Premiere as my only means for capturing the longer stuff, what is the correct way to capture that footage and burn it to a DVD that is playable on most DVD players?

I know to export it to DVDit 2.5, which I also have, but… how do I make 2 hours of captured footage totaling 5GBs fit onto a DVD that plays in most DVD players?

Is there another piece of software I can export to besides DVDit? I’m looking for an easier way to add chapters.

[northcat_8]

If you need to edit the video, do not capture directly to MPEG-2. Capture to DV-AVI.

On this site you will find several people with "audio sync" issues or other video issues who are trying to edit a MPEG-2 file.

MPEG-2 is a compress format and is a format ready to be put to DVD. AVI is not.

The way I do my video stuff is I capture it as a DV-AVI file, 720x480, 29.97 fps, yada, yada. I edit it. No matter what I need to do, even if it is to clip 20 seconds off the end of it. I still capture to DV-AVI. Once I am done editing the video, I use TMPGenc Plus 2.5 to encode the DV-AVI files to MPEG-2 format (.m2v & .wav) and then I use TMPGenc DVD Author 1.5 to author the DVD.

I have never once had an audio sync problem in over 10,000 DVD produced.

That's just my 2 cents. I would definitely get rid of DVDit. I've tried that, I didn't like that at all. Ulead's DVD Workshop is a very easy software to use, TMPGenc DVD Author is Super easy to use and if you use TMPGenc Plus to encode they work together great.

Capturing with Premiere sucks I know, I don't like to capture with Premiere either but it can be done and done well.

How the video is captured doesn't make it any more or less compatible to a standalone DVD player.

[FulciLives]

@clothesburner626

I see you have a Canopus ADVC-100

Popular free programs for capturing include:

1.) DVIO
2.) WinDV

Another very popular capture app for DV capture is ScenalyzerLive but this one will cost you a few bucks BUT it is very popular and seems to work best when sometimes (very rare) the other 2 do not work for you.

- John Coleman

[clothesburner626]

How about Virtual Dub?

[clothesburner626]

The way I do my video stuff is I capture it as a DV-AVI file, 720x480, 29.97 fps, yada, yada. I edit it. No matter what I need to do, even if it is to clip 20 seconds off the end of it. I still capture to DV-AVI. Once I am done editing the video, I use TMPGenc Plus 2.5 to encode the DV-AVI files to MPEG-2 format (.m2v & .wav) and then I use TMPGenc DVD Author 1.5 to author the DVD.

northcat_8, where does DVD Shrink fit into this?

Is there freeware available for encoding and authoring?

[FulciLives]

The way I do my video stuff is I capture it as a DV-AVI file, 720x480, 29.97 fps, yada, yada. I edit it. No matter what I need to do, even if it is to clip 20 seconds off the end of it. I still capture to DV-AVI. Once I am done editing the video, I use TMPGenc Plus 2.5 to encode the DV-AVI files to MPEG-2 format (.m2v & .wav) and then I use TMPGenc DVD Author 1.5 to author the DVD.

northcat_8, where does DVD Shrink fit into this?

Is there freeware available for encoding and authoring?

DVDShrink does not fit into this at all. DVDShrink is for making back-up copies of a dual layer DVD to a single layer DVD recordable. It does not apply here to your situation.

As for freeware ... there are really no good options for software MPEG encoding. The two best though are also not that expensive. You want to look into CCE BASIC and TMPGEnc Plus. Either one will do although some like CCE BASIC better but other people like TMPGEnc Plus better. It's just one of those things. Either way you go they cost about $60.00 each.

As for DVD Authoring there is a free program (look in the tools section) but I only tried it once and it really requires a lot of work, at least if you want to create some menu designs. So you are looking at another $50 to $100 for a decent authoring program and I am with northcat_8 here as far as using TMPGEnc DVD Author for your authoring program. In fact I suggest you get it and the AC-3 plug-in that will convert your captured audio from PCM WAV format to AC-3 format. It is a very nice but additional feature of TMPGEnc DVD Author (additional as in it is an optional plug-in you have to purchase). All in all I think TMPGEnc DVD Author with the AC-3 plug-in is only about $100 or so.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[FulciLives]

How about Virtual Dub?

You don't want to use VirtualDub to capture DV AVI. VirtualDub is better at capture with old PCI type capture cards.

Fact is DV AVI is the easiest thing to capture. You are lucky there.

So try the 2 freeware programs I mentioned and if you still have trouble ... well ... like I said those that DO encounter trouble with other programs that capture DV AVI claim ScenalyzerLive is the holy grail.

But forget using VirtualDub.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman