VHS to DVD with minimal encoding advice.

[zoink187]

Hello,
I am about 2 months new to video editing. I found a box with old home VHS movies and performances that I recorded. I want to burn these to DVD. These are my tools based on online recommendations:

1. I acquired a Canopus 110, A JVC "Professional Series" SR-V101US VCR, S-video and good RCA cables, and an open firewire port on my computer with 80gbs of hard drive space.

The videos I have range from 20 to 40 mins in length.

2. I have used Enosoft DV processor for the "grabbing" or capture of the video.

3. I have in my arsenal Tmpegenc, which I used for the mpeg coding to 352 x 240 NTSC, and virtualdub which I have not used yet.

4. I also used audacity to edit noise and compress the audio (what a pain in the rear dealing with the "illegal audio" error messages) to merge it back into the video with Tmpegenc.

5. I then used windows movie maker to insert credits and subtitles. I then used windows dvd maker (to which I happen to like their templates) to then burn it to DVD.

6. I play the final product in my Sony BD player, and to my disappointment, the video is blurry and pixelated.

Now, I understand that the source was analog and that I should not expect "better" resolution because I in fact coded it to mpg format using 352 x 240 NTSC spec. But I at least expected it to be like the original recording and not be worse.

Can anyone please offer advice and help? Please tell me what I am doing wrong!
Thanks

[Baldrick]

Use the dv source directly in wmm instead. Export as dv-avi. And last convert to dvd with 720x576/480 pixels.

[zoink187]

Thank you. My apologies, when you say: "use the dv source", Do you mean eliminate the step I used for Tmpegenc? Because I only did that to edit audio then stuck it back in. Thanks again.

[Cornucopia]

Whether using DVProcessor or WMM, when you capture the Firewire stream, you are getting direct DV-PreEncoded video @ 720x480. If you did use WMM, you should NOT export to ANYTHING BUT "DV-AVI". If for some stupid reason that option is no longer available to you in WMM, you should stop using WMM.
Regardless, you will now have DV-quality source/intermediate AVIs on you PC, with which to edit & process. And if you do either of those 2 things, you don't want your resulting file to be anything BUT DV or Uncompressed/LosslesslyCompressed.

Audacity is good for editing audio. Keep using it. For video, I really do not recommend WMM unless it's absolutely necessary. The only GOOD freeware NLE is Lightworks (which has been known to be a little buggy in the past). For your needs, I would recommend a consumer NLE suite like VideoStudioPro, Magix MovieEdit, or Vegas MovieStudio. All ~$50-100, depending.

Just as WMM is a Lowest-Common-Denominator for NLEs, Win DVDMaker is the same for Authoring. Even many FOSS authoring tools with klunky GUIs can often do better. The problem is ENCODING. IIRC, Win DVDMaker does its own encoding. Don't do that. It is FAR from optimal. Use either TMPEGEnc or HCEnc.

And ALWAYS ALWAYS encode to FULL D1 (aka 720x480) - with enough bitrate (~6-8.5Mbps), usually using 2pass VBR - unless you have a VERY STRONG REASON not to, based on heavy size/time constraints. That is probably the PRIMARY reason you current stuff looks so pixillated.

Scott

[Brad]

352x240 is actually half the vertical resolution of VHS (all NTSC video contains 480 separate scanlines).

Better quick steps if you don't want to add additional programs:
1. Enosoft.
2. Audacity. Install the ffmpeg input plugin and just drag-n-drop your captured DV-AVI. Export to the same format as your DV-AVI audio, which should be Windows PCM-WAV.
3. Take your new WAV file and combine (mux) it with your original DV video stream using something like VirtualDub. There are guides everywhere explaining this.
4. Windows Movie Maker. Export as DV-AVI.
5. Windows DVD Maker (assuming it can make a DVD from an AVI?)

[jman98]

Now, I understand that the source was analog and that I should not expect "better" resolution because I in fact coded it to mpg format using 352 x 240 NTSC spec. But I at least expected it to be like the original recording and not be worse.

Can anyone please offer advice and help? Please tell me what I am doing wrong!
Thanks

Did you actually encode to VCD specs using MPEG-1? Your post sounds suspiciously to me like that's what you did. It would explain the poor results you are getting.

[zoink187]

I don't think so. In the output settings, it said DVD low resolution. And thanks for the advice all. I will keep you posted!!!!

[Cornucopia]

That's what VCD resolution IS: DVD low rez (and vice-versa).

Scott

[zoink187]

Hello again. Can anyone help with the acronym NLE?

[manono]

Hello again. Can anyone help with the acronym NLE?

Non Linear Editor

[zoink187]

Hello Again,

I attempted to install Lightworks, and apparently, I don't have enough resources.

I moved my raw AVI into WMM and am able to edit from there.

My problem is that WMM then wants me to save it in a format such as HD, DVD, computer, etc. When I choose DVD, It appears to save in WMV format. (is that the same as AVI?) If so, I suppose I can take that WMV file and "burn" the DVD correct?

And in doing that, doesn't it code again? Specifically, is there no way to avoid coding 3 times? (1. From the canopus 2. In WMM to output of WMV format 3. Again in the DVD burning stage)? Should that matter?

Or should I be looking at other software such as Ulead's Movie factory?

I am currently encoding to mpeg1 from the raw avi in Tmpgenc using Cornucopia's specs.

Again, Thanks for the help.

[manono]

If so, I suppose I can take that WMV file and "burn" the DVD correct?

Yes and no. You can convert it to DVD audio and video, and then author it for DVD, but making the WMV first was a needless waste of time and needlessly degraded the quality of your video further.

[DB83]

In WMM most of the 'save video' options will gove you a WMV file in varying quality levels. But you should have one option to save as DV-avi.

Once you have saved that video to DV, make your dvd in AVStoDVD

[Cornucopia]

I already said you should not even be using WMM if you aren't exporting as DV-AVI, and I N-E-V-E-R said to encode as MPEG1. I specifically said you should be encoding Full D1 (MPEG2)!

If you really want this to work out right, you need to pay better attention.

Scott

[zoink187]

Ummm. Well thank you DB83 for that helpful advice.

I do recall placing this in the newbie section but okay.

[zoink187]

Hey guys. It worked!! Excellent!!! I had to write down these things step by step but the resolution is as the original. Thank You.

[Brad]

I read the topic of this thread as it's written: "VHS to DVD with minimal encoding advice." Apparently what you meant was "VHS to DVD with minimal encoding. Advice?"

[zoink187]

Hello again.
I am looking for software, besides windows movie maker, that will allow me to edit my captured avi video and then save the final edited video to DV-AVI and then author in AVStoDVD.
The latest version of WMM (version 7) has an easier and cleaner interface but they removed the option to save to DV-AVI and version 6 allows it but the interface is terrible and less customizable.
Lightworks isn't able to run on my computer.
Any other economic software suggestions?
Previously mentioned above were Vegas studio and video studio pro and magix. Can these do the trick?

[DB83]

Any NLE - Vegas Studio or Corel Video Studio to name just 2 - can input a DV and output a DV.

However, with these you do not need to export as DV. You can create a dvd-compliant mpeg2 and import that into AVStoDVD. If it is compliant the program should not re-emcode.

Both of these NLE's have trial versions so you can test them for a limited time so see which suits you best.