Advice please for newbie on processing/editing DVD archived TV programmes

[iansport]

Hi, first I've taken some time to read the FAQ and forum pages on this site and on AV Forums. As you might understand, as a newbie I'm overwhelmed by the plethora of software options for various video applications, and by the technical issues involved with the use of such software.

My goal is to be able to edit DVD's that contain archived TV programmes in the .vob format, e.g. trimming and cutting. And then to back them up to a hard drive in a format that they can be burned to dvd, if necessary. I had Nero software installed (Nero 7, I think) and when trying to use Nero Recode I was having the problem that I didn't have visibility of the archived video, only the titles.

Because of this and the fact that some consider Nero to be 'bloatware' I uninstalled it and started looking at other freeware/software solutions. Up to this point I've downloaded Amok DVD Shrinker, Amok DVD Burner, VOB2MPG, and Any Video Converter. However, a lot of the posters in these forums recommend Virtualdubmod as a suite of video applications that does most of what I require. And a quick look seems to bear that out.

So please could you advise me on the necessary stages to process my DVD's so that they a) are in a format that I can edit the footage, and b) are also in a format that allows them to be played universally on any DVD player, after editing. And of course advise me on the most intuitive/easy to use software I could use for those processes.

Many thanks, Ian

[Baldrick]

I use Tmpgenc DVD Author to edit DVDS. You can import directly from the dvd and do basic editing, cutting and joining, make new menus and burn.

Other good dvd/mpeg2 editors are VideoRedo and MPEG Video Wizard.

If you prefer free solutions you can use dvd shrink in the reauthoring mode but you can't make any menus. Or vob2mpg and then mpg2cut2 and author with free authoring tools like guifordvdauthor.

[iansport]

Baldrick, thanks for your very quick response to my questions. When using Tmpgenc DVD Author and the other editing applications you mention, are the .vob files converted to another format such as MPEG2 or AVI?

Also, what is the usefulness/importance of menus?

[guns1inger]

Tmgenc DVD Author can be used to create new menus and produce a DVD structure ready for burning. Both Womble Mpeg Wizard DVD and Videoredo TV Suite can also edit the files and output a DVD with menus. Tmgpenc DVD Author probably has the better designer, but all of them are pretty limited IMO.

I often work with material either recorded on my DVD recorder or captured from FTA digital streams. I use Videoredo for most commercial removal, and then output to either mpg program streams for encoding to Xvid with AutoGK, or as elementary streams for authoring to DVD with DVD Lab Pro.

For TV programs I tend to favour Xvid at around 10MB per minute simply because I can fit a whole season on one or two discs, instead of being limited to only a few episodes. I can get comparable quality at these bitrates as well.

If I am putting a single title on an authored DVD I usually forgo the menu if it is for me. I will put chapter stops in, but even with multiple audio or subtitle tracks, a menu is usually un-necessary. If I am doing the disc for someone else however, I will generally do menus for chapters as well as language and subtitle selection. For DVDs with multiple titles I will generally create at least a basic menu for title selection.

[iansport]

Hi guns1linger, thanks for your very helpful reply I'm now going to read up on all these app's and see which combination of them to use. A lot of people recommend VirtualDubMod as a good suite of video processing app's and as it's freeware I'll use that. Video redo looks simpler and easier to use as an editing application, however. So I might buy that in the future.

BTW, which application do you use to rip the dvd to disk?

Thanks again, Ian

[guns1inger]

If it is a disc from my DVD Recorder I use VOB2MPG to extract the titles I need directly to mpg files on the HDD, and edit from there. The advantage VideoRedo has over virtualdub is that it can edit mpeg-2 footage without having to re-encode the footage. If you use Virtualdub, even for simple edits, you must re-encode as it doesn't work natively with mpeg-2. As I record the output from a HD digital box via s-video, the results rarely, if ever, need any processing.

If I am working from VHS source I capture directly to the PC using lossless copmpression or DV and work on it from there.

[iansport]

That's great to know about VideoRedo and I'll now definitely be using that. I'm also recording to dissc from my PVR, using the archive function, but via Scart. So in comparison to S-Video would my recordings need any additional processing?

[guns1inger]

The difference isn't likely to be huge.

[iansport]

Hi guns1inger, you said in an earlier post that VideoRedo will author DVD's also and before I go ahead and make my purchase. Like youo I will be creating and editing DVD's for my own use but also for friends who have missed important TV series/epsidoes of the their favourite programmes etc.

You mention that you : 'output to either mpg program streams for encoding to Xvid with AutoGK, or as elementary streams for authoring to DVD with DVD Lab Pro.' Is this simply for compression/file size reasons as in the example you mentioned of fitting whole series' onto a single disc?

I'm assuming that if I simply wanted to remove commercials from a single disc for my own use I don't need to do the above, unless I want to save on HD space, and that I can just output a new DVD using VideoRedo or VideoRedo TV Suite.

[iansport]

Sorry about the grammar/punctuation in the previous post!

[guns1inger]

VideoRedo TV Suite has the authoring component. I don't believe the basic VideoRedo package does.

There is no different in compression or size between program streams and the combined size of the elementary streams. The difference is in the use of them. it is simpler to use program streams when converting mpg files to other formats, but the best DVD authoring tools prefer elementary streams. Even those that will accept program streams often prefer to either demux them in the background, or suggest strongly that you demux when you begin.

For simple commercial removal and outputting back to DVD, VideoRedo TV Suite will do fine.

[iansport]

Thanks for all your help . I've downloaded a trial version of Video TV Suite and had a play with it. I'm sure you'll see posts from me in the future!

I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon digesting stuff from the Help pages before I do my first project.