Recording back to camcorder--then to DVD Recorder

[beefyJT]

I have a question...
Has anyone recorded an edited "home movie" BACK to their DV camcorder, and then BURNED it to DVD via a stand-alone DVD recorder. It seems to me that this would result in a better end result than going thru the entire encoding and burn process via the PC. Thanks.

[GeorgeW]

This process works, but it doesn't give you as much customization on the Menu Structure -- chapters where you want them instead of every "x" minutes, the menu look and feel, etc...

[non-linear]

I don't unnderstand the reasoning for thinking that you'll achieve better results by editing the video on your PC, then going back to DV and then using a standalone. The video is already on your PC in a digital format, so it makes more sense to me to encode the video using a software based encoder like TMPGEnc, then author with a DVD authoring program. Not to mention the added flexibility you get from doing it PC based than using the limited features of a standalone. Once you've edited the video on your PC, then depending on your software, you can export to avi then do the mpeg encoding of the video, then author and burn.

IMO, standalones are good for recording from VHS or broadcast source, but they kind of suck for final authoring -- unless you don't care about the overall results of the disc (ie, menus, chapter points).

[wwaag]

Another option (which I've used occasionally) is to simply use the DVD recorder for the "encoding" part of the process. My Pioneer has a DV input. Hence you can go directly from either your PC or camcorder and create your DVD files using a rewritable disk. Once completed, you "rip" the resulting DVD back to your PC and create your chapter stops and menus. I use TMPGEnc DVD Author. This process actually works quite well, assuming that your DVD recorder's "encoding" is superior to software-based encoders such as TMPGEnc, CCE, etc. I'ved done it both ways and honestly can't tell the difference in terms of image quality. Hope this helps.

wwaag