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  1. Hello All,

    I have all but given up on Nero. It takes forever for their "tech" support to respond and they just tell you to re-install Nero. I have re-installed Nero but I still get errors. All I want to do is capture video from my VHS and convert the video to DVD. No fancy editing. Just simple DVDs.

    I do not mind paying for a program that can burn without all the headache. What do you recommend? I can capture using Pro Director with a USB device and the format is MPEG-2 or I also have VirtualDub which captures in AVI format. The video on VHS ranges from 45 minutes to 70 minutes. I did notice that the MPEG-2 captures take up a whole lot less room on my HD than the AVI. I am sure that probably has something to do with compression. As long as I can fit the final product on a standard DVD, I do not care too much about the space used up on my hard disk. I can just delete the file once the DVD is created.

    One last question. Due to all the failed burn attemts with Nero, I am not sure if it ruined the DVD-R discs or not. How can I verify that the DVD-Rs are not ruined? Is there a program that can verify the integrity of the DVD-R disks?

    My DVD player\writer is Lightscribe capable. My PC and all of its components are about 1 year old. Lastly, I am planning to play the DVDs on my DVD player which is connected to my TV.

    Thanks, Bill
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  2. Member
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    Couple of things first

    Upgrade those pc stats, actual cpu used
    Version of nero involved
    Usb device by name

    From here, you'll get an appropriate response

    Try using imgburn to burn, which includes verification, drop nero all together for this part of the process

    Other issues may be brand of media related, firmware on current burner is not actually current (update firmware), burning to fast, using the pc while burn is in progress
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  3. Thanks BJ. I updated my PC stats but I did not re-activate the account so you should see the new stats now. The Capture device I am using is DVD Maker USB 2.0 by Kworld. Here is what I have tried so far:

    1. I use Power Director Version 5 to capture. Power Director captures in MPEG-2 format. I verified the format with Mediainfo.

    2. I use NeroVision (Part of Nero 7 Ultimate) to open the MPEG-2 files, combine the MPEG-2 Files and Burn to DVD

    By using the above process, Nero crashes and I get the 103 error.

    Here is what I just tried:

    I just used Virtualdub which captures in AVI format. I then use NeroVision to burn the AVI file to a DVD and..... it works! Maybe Nero 7\NeroVision cannot work with or recognize MPEG-2 which is the file type that Power Director creates.

    Your thoughts? I am re-capturing the other VHS in AVI as I type this response. The Video I am capturing is 70 minutes of tape vs 45 minutes of tape. I don't think the length of the tape is affecting my ability to create DVD but who knows.

    Your thoughts\suggestions?
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  4. As inexpensive as they are now, I would seriously consider purchasing a DVD recorder for your needs. It would save a lot of grief in the long run.
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  5. I absolutely agree with Captain Satellite, for a project of a few simple direct VHS-to-DVD conversions you should really just go pick up a DVD recorder, they sell for as little as $50 now at Wal*Mart. Going the PC route opens the door to a lot of glitches and issues that simply don't occur when using a standalone DVD recorder. Use of the PC is only necessary if you want to save VHS in different file formats or make elaborate edits and/or submenus on the DVD. The PC encoder/software methods are very versatile but you need to have a good hardware/software matchup and (perhaps most important) a spotless, perfect OS installed for things to work properly.
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  6. I understand your points. However, at this point I don't need another DVD. I already have a player and I do not want a recorder. I would prefer to convert the VHS tapes I have and be done with it. Thanks
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  7. Could you maybe borrow a DVD recorder for a weekend? Unless you're prepared to spend days/weeks playing with hardware, drivers, codecs, software, etc. it really is the easiest solution. You can always rip the recorded DVDs onto your PC and edit and author with menus etc. if you want more professional looking results.
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  8. Just started burning my second DVD and so far so good. I captured with AVI. I might have solved my own problem. Still would like to know if MPEG-2 format is not readable by Nero.
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  9. Member cyflyer's Avatar
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    Why does everyone always blame poor Nero for their woes ? I use nero 6 OEM version (trimmed down to essentials and straight to the point) and never had a problem, even though I have later versions.
    Have to agree with the others, dvd recorder straightforward and no hassles.
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  10. Member dadrab's Avatar
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    bpatters69,

    I do what you want to do all the time - and without as much processor as you've got. The difference is, I chose different tools to do the job.

    I capture with a Hauppauge PVR350 directly to MPEG2; Edit in VideoRedo; author with DVDLabPro; burn with IMGBurn. I mostly use (Verbatim) DL discs and higher bitrates, so I burn slowly - ususally 2.4x. It doesn't pay to get in a hurry with this stuff, so I don't. I tend to play percentages in life and find there is NO percentage in taking shortcuts when dealing with digital video.

    You didn't see Nero mentioned above and there's a reason for that. 'Nuff said on that topic.

    I constantly see posts from folks who have nice computers using less-than-nice software to do the work.

    Perhaps a little re-evaluation in the tools department will help you.
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  11. Dadrab,

    Thanks for the reply. Your feedback is what I have been looking for. As I am still kind of new to video capturing and burning, I really need direction software-wise. I am familiar enough with PCs and software to navigate my way. I really like the external USB device and it was only $40.

    I will probably try out IMGBurn for sure. One of the problems with AVI files (or at least the ones I have created) is that the files are huge - like 80GB. The MPEG-2 files are much smaller so if I can store the files in MPEG-2 format, I can keep a copy on my PC as well as on DVD.

    If you have a suggestion on how to convert AVI files to MPEG-2, please suggest a process and or software.

    Thanks again
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  12. Cyflyer,

    I don't have much experience with any software package. However, I paid $80 or whatever it was for Nero and I expect it to work. I just downloaded IMGBurn and it is simple to use and it works. Not to mention IMGBurn is free. I understand Nero can do a lot more but IMGBurn does what I need.

    Perhaps as I use some of Nero's other features I might like it but for right now, my impression is not good. I have contacted Nero support about Nero's inability to Burn MPEG-2 and they said I needed to reinstall due to bad filters. I have tried reinstall in the past and it still does not work.

    So I guess here is another vote for IMGBurn and another un-Vote to Nero.
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  13. Member dadrab's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by bpatters69
    Cyflyer,

    I understand Nero can do a lot more but IMGBurn does what I need.
    From my perspective, Nero merely advertises it can do a lot. I don't believe much advertising, though. My personal experience, though a few years old now, suggests that Nero is...well...basically...aww Hell. It just sucks.
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  14. Banned
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    You can convert AVI files to MPEG-2 with programs like HCEnc (free), CCE (Cinema Craft Encoder - not free unless you find a, cough cough, "demo" version that doesn't happen to expire) and TMPGenc (not free, but not terribly expensive either). I capture in MPEG-2 with a Hauppauge PVR-350 at high bit rates and then re-encode down to a lower bit rate.

    Nero is a "jack of all trades, master of none" type tool. It could be worse - it could be Roxio. Nero makes their programs for the lowest common denominator - idiots. They work more or less fairly well for people who just want simple, turn off your brain, click once or twice type solutions whose number 1 concern is that it be easy to do, not that it be done well. I use Nero for making data discs, audio CDs and a few hybrid format discs.
    That's all.
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  15. Member dadrab's Avatar
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    I guess my opinion of Roxio meshes pretty well with what jman98 says about Nero. I use Roxio for burning CDs only. It does a pretty good job of that - but not much else (besides, I've been using Roxio for CDs since before it was Roxio ). I use a really old version.
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