TDK DVD-RW 4x 4.7GB

[Caius]

Hello. I have 7 of these TDKs, one I've formatted 12 times and I'm still capturing VHS videos with it. How many more times can I format and continue recording lossless videos?


[Attachment 65045 - Click to enlarge]

[ConsumerDV]

Google is your friend.

[Caius]

Google is your friend.

Yes, I did it, but a guy from another forum said that I can only record 15 times over, formatting and continue recording these videos. If it really is about 1000 times, it would be really good.

[betwixt]

The limit isn't set in physics. firmware or software but there is a slight degradation of the writable layer each time it is written to and to a much lesser degree read from. As such, the number can't be predicted with any accuracy but if the optimum (= minimum needed to do the job) laser power is used you should get hundreds if not thousands of cycles.

Brian.

[victoriabears]

I have to ask, why not use a hard drive? Oh I suppose you are using a DVD recorder? That was my preferred method, could never get on with computer capture, long past memories of vhs I am pleased to say.A lot faster and easier then burn final result to a dvd?, what's your work flow and reasons?

[johns0]

If the op is using a dvd recorder to capture then it might only have a disc recorder and no hdd.

[Caius]

I have to ask, why not use a hard drive? Oh I suppose you are using a DVD recorder? That was my preferred method, could never get on with computer capture, long past memories of vhs I am pleased to say.A lot faster and easier then burn final result to a dvd?, what's your work flow and reasons?

Yes, I use a DVD recorder, desk one. I used the computer before, but I put everything on maximum, it gave me a very large file. On the DVD recorder, I can leave the computer free to do other things. And on the DVD recorder the file is not that big, and it's practically the same quality as the conversion made on the computer by the pinnacle pci 700 card

I convert VHS, Mini DVs, Hi8 to peoples in my city, Amazon, Brazil!

[Skiller]

... and continue recording lossless videos?

It's not lossless, not even close.
Also, hardware MPEG2 encoders in DVD-recorders are inferior compared to software encoding. And that's not just due to bitrate distribution constraints. I tried the highest quality setting on my Panasonic (1 hour, DVD bitrate maxed out) and it is still full of bad motion estimation artefacts that a good software encoder would rarely if ever produce. Once you know where to look and know they are there you cannot unsee them.

[ConsumerDV]

... and continue recording lossless videos?

It's not lossless, not even close.
Also, hardware MPEG2 encoders in DVD-recorders are inferior compared to software encoding. And that's not just due to bitrate distribution constraints. I tried the highest quality setting on my Panasonic (1 hour, DVD bitrate maxed out) and it is still full of bad motion estimation artefacts that a good software encoder would rarely if ever produce. Once you know where to look and know they are there you cannot unsee them.

Image yourself digitizing videos for customers. What format you will be using? Codec? Bitrate? What if a customer wants a particular combination of codec/bitrate/media? What if the customer does not know anything about codecs and simply wants his VHS in digital form?

Using a ready-made box from a well-known brand like Panasonic makes the whole thing much simpler, just tell your customer that you are using a Panasonic DVR, and that is it. If they don't like the result, you can always tell them that it was not your fault, but Panasonic's. Case closed.

So, I did imagine myself digitizing old tapes for my friends, but figured that I still want to remain friends with them.

[Caius]

... and continue recording lossless videos?

It's not lossless, not even close.
Also, hardware MPEG2 encoders in DVD-recorders are inferior compared to software encoding. And that's not just due to bitrate distribution constraints. I tried the highest quality setting on my Panasonic (1 hour, DVD bitrate maxed out) and it is still full of bad motion estimation artefacts that a good software encoder would rarely if ever produce. Once you know where to look and know they are there you cannot unsee them.

Yes, you're right, capturing with a good capture card and all codecs maxed out, it gets better, but not that much better, I'd say between 5 to 7 percent. Capturing on the DVD recorder I have a very good result and not a very good one with a huge file.

I have a D-vhs (JVC HM-DH30000U). I haven't used its i-link output yet, but it should be about 7 percent better capturing over firewire, I just have to get the card for that, my pinnacle doesn't seem to support it and neither do the DVD recorders

[Caius]

... and continue recording lossless videos?

It's not lossless, not even close.
Also, hardware MPEG2 encoders in DVD-recorders are inferior compared to software encoding. And that's not just due to bitrate distribution constraints. I tried the highest quality setting on my Panasonic (1 hour, DVD bitrate maxed out) and it is still full of bad motion estimation artefacts that a good software encoder would rarely if ever produce. Once you know where to look and know they are there you cannot unsee them.

Image yourself digitizing videos for customers. What format you will be using? Codec? Bitrate? What if a customer wants a particular combination of codec/bitrate/media? What if the customer does not know anything about codecs and simply wants his VHS in digital form?

Using a ready-made box from a well-known brand like Panasonic makes the whole thing much simpler, just tell your customer that you are using a Panasonic DVR, and that is it. If they don't like the result, you can always tell them that it was not your fault, but Panasonic's. Case closed.

So, I did imagine myself digitizing old tapes for my friends, but figured that I still want to remain friends with them.

As I put everything at maximum on DVD recorders and as I have good vhs players, no one has ever complained about the quality, even if there is a certain small loss in the conversion.