Answer found: VHS conversion bare basics Dazzle/TMPGEnc

[Cole]

Newbie!

I have just started to convert some old VHS tapes to VCD using a Dazzle Digital Video Creator, and then Easy CD to author the VCD itself.

The editing software (Dazzle Ver .0.60) that came with the Dazzle is poor to say the least, as if I try to edit the start and end of my recorded clip with it, it takes several (aprox six or seven) other frames with it. The very same happens with joining clips. The ending result has frames missing from each joined clip at the join.

I then discovered TMPGEnc, and its ability to clip the start and end of a clip to be converted, but what concerns me here is that the original MPEG file will be compressed further. Is this correct?

The quality that I am getting from the resulting VCD - played on a Toshiba SD-220E is watchable - well it is from VHS after all - but should the original file be recorded in AVI and then run through TMPGEnc to compress to get better results? Dazzle records the video straight to MPEG1.

For my editing, I am using Windows Movie Maker (Dazzle does not work with XP and I have to pick up the file to edit by rebooting from 98 to XP ), as yet I have not been brave enough to shell out £80 odd quid for an editing package which may proove to be useless. I already got burned on Magix

Currently I have no ability to create SVCD.

Any help on the above would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Edited Post script: I have just found the page where the Dazzle capture card instructions are explained, which is one of those situations where the answer was so obvious it is slap own forehead time! Still if there are any comments about the above, they would be very welcome.

[bapski]

i too am using dazzles DVC 2.. can you be more specific as to which version of moviestar you are using? maybe i can share horrible experiences of mine with you (hopefully not to get you dismayed as i am)and perhaps we can learn in the process...

[Cole]

Hi Babski

I am using Multimedia version 3.62.

The actual authoring of my VHS conversion is not that bad, but titles (if there is no background image or a light/pale one) tend to look like over optimized jpeg pictures. Normal action is alright, but is nowhere near DVD quality. But then as a VHS conversion I wouldn't expect it to be. As I said it is watchable.

The thing is, the editing part of the software with Dazzle lets it all down.

A little while back, I made a small clip of the five goals England scored against Germany last September. The goal clips were joined up using the join facitly, and the joining process had actually shaved off the end of each clip.

I also discovered that when editing clips, the higher the bitrate, the more frames were removed. VCD bitrate = aprox 7 frames, TV quality = aprox 15 frames etc. If I wanted to take out two or three frames from a clip it won't do it at all!

What problems have you had?