Capture, Edit, Back up

[anoraknophobe]

Dear Forum Members, I hope you can help and shed some much needed clarity on my plight

I want to capture DV from my Sony, onto my PC. I don't have a firewire connection on the Cam, but can capture via USB. I have successfully captured onto AVI via the Arcsoft Video Impression (I got with my camera), and I've used Virtual Dub (I used the option to compress using DIVX, but I'm not sure what file format this has saved in - it doesn't seem to be the DIVX logo beside the file name).

However, here's what I want:
1 to be able to capture the DV onto the hard drive, one tape at a time (I have 60 minute tapes)
2 to then edit out all the bits I dont want
3 to compress the resulting file (or files) for storage on the PC, so I can use to stream via MCE type software (at a later date!). I have DIVX loaded, and this would seem to be the best option as it seems to be the most compatable for future streaming (right/wrong?)
4 to back up the edited file (files) onto DVD for sharing with family/firends. I'd like this DVD to be playable on most machines, and have a menu of each of the main clips, and possibly chapters.

I don't want/need to be able to edit the audio or provide fancy backing tracks or visual effects etc.

I've studied various websites (videohelp, afterdawn to name but 2) which all provide oodles of info, but if anything, it's just left me confused over all the bits of software I need etc. etc.

Is there such a thing as one bit of software that will do all this for me? Is Nero 7 such a thing, and if so is it any good? Should I go down the route of getting all the free bits of software out there? Is there a single guide I could use??

You'll gather I'm in need of help.

Cheers.

[guns1inger]

Get a firewire card. They are cheap, and they will improve the quality of your video out of sight. USB interfaces for DV cameras are for passing still photos or low quality AVIs for emailing. You will find that they are probably around a quarter the resolution that you will get from firewire.

If you want DVD, then you will have to encoe and author the disc, especially if compatability across the majority of machines is required. Some machines can plat divx, but you forego compatability with the majority, as well as the nicities of menus etc.

Always leave compression to delivery formats (such as mpeg2, divx/xvid/mpeg4 or wmv) until that last thing. None of these formats are good for editing, and divx is one of the worst. The DV format was designed for editing, and is the most compatible with desktop editors. Again, get a firewire card. And a lot more HDD space. DV requires approx. 13gb per hour of footage.

[anoraknophobe]

is an i-link or DV out, the same as firewire? the cam seems to have this as an option, but no cable, but I assume I would get cable with a card? any card recommendations?

[guns1inger]

They are pretty generic and standard. Try to get one that has a Texas Instruments chipset, otherwise it doesn't matter much.

[harley2ride]

Since nobody answered your question about all in one softwares, I would look into Ulead Studio 9 (even the se edition), or Ulead DVD Movie Factory 5, Adobe Premiere Elements, or Sony Movie Studio. Those are the better ones for the all in ones, unless you want the more semi profession stuff. There are also numerous free softwares which all do excellent work, but each one is specific to a function. IE: HuffyUV to capture, Virtualdub to edit, TMPGENC to encode, then you may or may not need an authoring software, depending on which encoding solution you choose. If you browse the forums for Capture, Authoring, Editing, you will see various softwares used. There are many differnt soltuions that will work well. Best thing is just to find something that works well for you, that you can understand how to use, then get comfortable using it. I spent weeks trying to use Adobe Premiere 6.5, and while I could get a great end result, it was always a struggle and very time consuming. I picked up Vegas 5, spent about 30hrs doing tutorials, and I can capture, edit, encode and author in about 1/3 of the time it was taking me before, and getting much better results.
Do some reading, download some trials, and play. That is the best way to learn and find what you are comfortable with.

[redwudz]

If you plan on converting the DV to Divx or Xvid, the newest version of VirtualDub can do that. It will input DV directly from a Firewire card. It's also a good DV editor and has many filters available. If you wanted to convert your DV to MPEG for DVD, it also frameserves directly to MPEG encoders like TMPGEnc, eliminating the extra edited file. I use it extensively for DV editing and filtering. Many guides available. And it's freeware.

[anoraknophobe]

Guys. thanks for the info.

I'm on my way to getting a firewire card for the PC, and I've also downloaded a trial of nero 7 (just 'cos it was the first one I recalled). I know exactly what you mean about trying different types of software, and I'll do that before committing. I like the idea of using all the free stuff for doing the different functions, but I'm not confident yet about using/understanding them all, so I think meantime, I'll try the 'one-box' solutions.

Cheers!