VHS to DVD conversion

[gallootjs]

I have some old VHS footage that I would like to edit and burn to a DVD using iMovie/iDVD. To do this I copied the footage using a VHS to DVD converter and then ripped the DVD using MacTheRipper. I then converted the .vob files to an .avi format using ffmpegX. I got all the footage from the VHS tape, but I can only see a certain part of the video. It's as though the conversion process cropped the frame. Does anyone have any suggestions? Let me know if this issue has already been addressed. Thanks in advance for your help.

[jman98]

Welcome to the forums. I'm sorry, but I can't help you as your post is too Mac specific. However, thank you for posting the info you did and it is correct to post in the Capturing forum. I've got a feeling that your problem may be too specific for most of us. If you don't get help in a few more days, say by Thursday, either post again in the Mac forums or ask a moderator to move this post for you to the Mac forums. I just wanted to warn you that you might need to post in the Mac forum if you don't get help here as I'd hate for you not to get help just because of the Mac specific nature of your post. It's nice to see a new member trying to do the right thing. We get enough posts in extremely wrong forums and non-informative posts from new people that I'd hate for you to not get help on this one since you're obviously trying to do the right thing in terms of posting.

By the way, we do NOT encourage cross posting, so if you only posted here, that's the right thing to do. Wait a few days and if nobody with Mac skills can help you here, then try posting in the Mac forum.

[dadrab]

While your post may be Mac based, I think maybe you're making this harder than it ought to be.

gallootjs wrote:

To do this I copied the footage using a VHS to DVD converter and then ripped the DVD using MacTheRipper.

Ok. This part I understand.

gallootjs wrote:

I then converted the .vob files to an .avi format using ffmpegX.

Here's where you got me. Standard DVD format video is MPEG2. That should have been what you had in the .VOB files. Why did you convert to .AVI?

As jman98 said, this may be too Mac specific for many of us PC guys, but I would think (dangerous precedent) you'd still want to work with MPEG2 files instead of .AVI. Perhaps I missed something.

Have you tried to view those .VOBs to see if the video therein was correct?

[terryj]

First, hello and welcome to the Mac Forum, our corner of the universe.....

I have some old VHS footage that I would like to edit and burn to a DVD using iMovie/iDVD.

Here is the simplest way to get footage to do what you want.

1. Get a VCR.

2. Get a Digitizing box that will convert analog video to Digital Video (DV)the format
perferred by iMovie. The Canopus ADVC-110 is great for this.

3.Insert tape into VCR, push play.

4. Start up iMovie, it finds the Digitizing Box, and inputs footage.

To do this I copied the footage using a VHS to DVD converter and then ripped the DVD using MacTheRipper. I then converted the .vob files to an .avi format using ffmpegX. I got all the footage from the VHS tape, but I can only see a certain part of the video. It's as though the conversion process cropped the frame. Does anyone have any suggestions? Let me know if this issue has already been addressed. Thanks in advance for your help.

If you cannot do the above I suggested, here is what you could do using your DVD Converter:

1. go VHS to DVD Converter.

2. Files are unprotected or should be, so copy DVD to HD (desktop) in Finder.
if not, then use MTR(Mac The Ripper).

3. With DVD on Desktop of HD, use MpegStreamclip to open the .VOB files.
( Be sure to get the QT MPeg-2 Component for MpegStreamclip so you can do this)

4. in MpegStreamclip, fix the timecode breaks.

5. Export out of MpegStreamclip into DV Stream files.

6. Import DV Steam files into iMovie.

7. Edit in iMovie, then export to iDVD to make a DVD.

that's it.... 8)

[albloom]

There is no reason to use MacTheRipper. MTR removes commercial
copy protection and "zone" restrictions. If you want the movie on
your hard drive, just drag the VIDEO_TS folder from the DVD onto it.
I don't know why you'd do that for this project.

Use MPEG StreamClip (free from versiontracker.com) to file/open DVD.
It's a good idea to "fix timecode breaks" whatever they are before doing
anything else. You can edit in the app. When done, save or export to a
variety of formats.

[gallootjs]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! I will try them and post the results by tonight.

[gallootjs]

Success!! The MPEG Streamclip did the trick. I am pretty new at the intricacies involved in video editing, so I appreciate the simple process you all provided. Thanks again for all your advice!

-Johnny

[terryj]

u r welcome!