Downsizing my Digital Camcorder captured recording to a manageable size(?)

[Hal05154]

Hey gang,

Just realized this should be in another forum. Sorry!

I sure hope someone can help me, or at least give me the url to the thread that can.

I've captured the recordings off my camcorder using WINDV. Uber cool for me, I've been trying forever to get the family recordings to dvd. Yeah! THEN I figured out how to capture off my DVR to my camcorder. Double cool. Yeah, extra steps, but get the job done.

HOWEVER, and this is where I need some help please, those capture files are HUGE! I can use moviemaker or something else (if you have a suggestion of a program that will run on WIN2000, please let me know!) stitch the files togather, but HOW DO I DOWNSIZE THEM??? I've seen long program and hour plus long at 6 - 700 mb, but my freakin' 45 minute of tape are GIGS.

If you can tell me how to downsize, and in batch, I would be extremely grateful.

Thank you,

Hal

[gadgetguy]

There are many options but if your destination is DVD you will follow these basic steps:
1. Capture (which you've done).
2. Edit
3. Encode
4. Author
5. Burn
There are several guides on this site using different tools. Go to "How To - Convert" on the left and search for DV to DVD.

[redwudz]

Hal05154, one post per topic is enough. Please don't double post. If you wish a topic moved, PM a Mod. I have deleted the other topic.

Moderator redwudz

[Hal05154]

Sorry about the double post, thought I could go back and delete the first when I thought the other forum was more appropriate, but then I realized I couldn't delete it, and I was stuck. Never meatn for there to be two in the end. Sorry.

btw, gadgetguy, I watch a lot of diy shows and whatnot, and would like to downsize my recorded show so I can put them on a vcd or even my hd so I can take my old laptop it the shop and watch the demo as I am working on a project. I was thinking if I could get an hours worth of shows on a CD ( is that possible??? ) I'd be doing good, and I wouldn't need DVD quality.

This is legal, right? Personal use?

Thanks for the help!

[aedipuss]

look for any of the tools that convert to divx or xvid. they can encode your multi gig DVs down to cd size. mpeg4 and wmv are also possible. vcd quality is a big step down.

[thecoalman]

hd so I can take my old laptop it the shop and watch the demo as I am working on a project.

Drop them into Windows Movie Maker, you can edit any stuff you don't want if you wish. Choose the "Save to my Computer" option. When you get to the Movie Settings dialog box select "show more settings" Put a check next to "other settings" . From the drop down box make selection, everyone of these will produce a relatively small file except the DV-AVI selection. The two on the very bottom will produce very high quality video, the 2.1kbps will produce a file about 1 gig per hour. If you want tp ut them on CD use the "best fit to file size" option. Select a file size that will fit on the disc, then burn the file to disc when your done. Note that these files will only play from your PC or from a CD in PC.

If you want to create CD's that play in a standard DVD player you need to create a VCD, this has a specific file format and structure and is limited to about 80 minutes. VCDeasy has a free version for this.

For high quality compressed files playable on standalone DVD payer you can use Divx but that requires a Divx compatible DVD player. Also note you can use Divx the same way I described above using Windows Maker but you'll need a application that supports divx like virtualdub .

For normal DVD you need DVD authoring software like Ulead Movie Factory.

None of these methods should be used for material you want to keep. e.g Camcorder footage of your kids. The original tapes and preferably a copy of the DV-AVI(captured file from winDV) on a external drive for backup.


Think that about covers it.

This is legal, right? Personal use?

Not a lawyer but fr4om my understanding you can record a TV braodcast and view it once. You're not supposed to build a library of material from copyrighted material.

[Bjs]

Well , what dosent run under win nt 2000 ... windows movie maker of all things .

But everything else dose just about .

Dv avi will need to be dv avi type 2 for vdub not to complain ... grab the conversion tool form tools section .
Then you can use almost anything , except windows movie maker to edit , convert , burn to media .

All the tools you need are here , and so are the guides ... but its your chioce as to final output required .

There is also autopatcher 2k , but you run the risk of installing it ... comes with movie maker 2.1 .

[thecoalman]

Windows Media encoder will but no editng capabilities: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/encoder/default.mspx

Lots more encoding options but a little more complicated.

[gadgetguy]

Dv avi will need to be dv avi type 2 for vdub not to complain ... grab the conversion tool form tools section .

This is no longer true. Vdub 1.6 and up have no problem with Type1. (Note that VdubMod still has the problem because it is still based on Vdub 1.5)

[Hal05154]

Anyone have any idea then what avi converts to the easiest and fastest? WMV? MPEG2? This conversion stuff is taking FOREVER.

Thanks.

[gadgetguy]

If you're going to be watching on your laptop, then WMV should be fine, xvid/divx might be better, but encoding does take a long time no matter what you use. I usually set up for the encode then start it just before I go to bed so it's all done in the morning.

[thecoalman]

MPEG2 will be faster but it also requires about 4X the bitrate for comparable quality which menas 4X the file size.