I wish I knew then...

Masonrybiz wrote on 1/23/2005, 3:32 PM
Being a newbie, I am having to learn the hard way. I bought the Sony Handycam DCR-DVD301 thinking that it would be in a "digital" format that would be real easy to edit if I decided I needed to. Since then I have discovered an addiction to video editing and see it as a great way to take an hour of "raw" video and making a great story out of it! I tried a number of the editing software programs and I have decided I LOVE the Vegas Movie Studio. My questions are as follows:
1. My intention is to edit a lot of the videos I take, so if I decided to "Ebay" the Handycam what are 2 or 3 of the best sub $1000 (Mini?)DV cameras? I know this is often subjective so I will research (some more!) any suggestions. I might add that I plan to record 2 hr training sessions and then edit in my PowerPoint slides throughout the video.
2. I bought a Sony DVD/CD RW (DRX-710UL) which is a Double layer DVD RW burner that I had intended to burn my edited videos to. Please tell me that this is a decent DVD burner. What is the best DVD recordable format when I am finished editing (-R, +R, etc.)?
3. I have 3 (1hr.) mini-dvd's (mpeg2) recorded on the Sony Handycam that I had already imported into VMS 4.0a and edited (down to 2hr 19 min project)when I started discovering these issues of editing mpeg2's. I HAVE to get this project burned to DVD what is the best way to do this with what I have right now (mpeg2 files, AC3 audio, VMS 4.0, P4/3.0 Ghz w/HT, 512mb RAM, 60GB HD, Sony DVD DL burner)?
I have downloaded programs that I have seen elswhere in these forums (Smartripper, DVD2AVI, Graphedit, BeSweet) but I have yet to use them since I decided I better post and get a plan together. Which of these programs will I be using to accomplish Question #3?
Sorry this post is so long, but I have been reading throughout the forums and I guess I just have "partial information overload"!
Thanks in advance!
Jason Moore

Comments

hornsmoker wrote on 1/23/2005, 5:54 PM
Does your camcorder have an ilink / firewire port? What about your pc? If so, you may be able to hookup to your pc and have Windows see it as a capture device. Have you tried that?

hornsmoker -

Masonrybiz wrote on 1/23/2005, 6:55 PM
PC has an ilink connection, the DVD Handycam connects by USB.
hornsmoker wrote on 1/23/2005, 8:26 PM
Okay, that narrows it down a bit. Bottom line is the ac3 is the biggest problem [you need PCM]....but there are a few ways to get around it. There are a lot less expensive solutions other than selling your camcorder and getting a new one. I would only do that as a last resort. Being in a similar situation as yourself where I started with 20+ hours of video dubbed from VHS to DVD, no doubt you feel like beating your head on the wall asking yourself; why does all this have to be so dang complicated! I know I have. Save yourself a whole lot of time and headaches - if your dvd-cam won't be seen a capture device, then get a pci video capture card, hook your cam up to that and recapture as some form of avi. My biggest stumbling block [a mental one] was the going from digital to analog back to digital one.

If you want to go the software transcoding route you need DVDDecrypter [IFO Mode] to rip, ffmpeggui [convert ac3 to wav/pcm and TMGEnc-2.5 [freeware] to multiplex streams back together again. Cuttermaran if you want a frame accurate mpeg2 editor for rough edits. It all works, but is tedious...easier just to capture all over again.

FWIW, Ulead Video Studio have what's called a DVD-VR capture plugin that allows you to capture straight from DVD's - you can export captures to mpeg2/pcm for editing in MS+DVD, Roxio Easy Media Creator [retail] will also work. Good luck!

hornsmoker -
gogiants wrote on 1/23/2005, 10:17 PM
Or, another way to look at it: Since DVD-based camcorders are occupying the high end of the price range these days, you can get a very good DV based camcorder for not a lot of money.

One thing that intrigued me lately are the 3-video-chip Panasonics. They're supposed to have noticeably better image quality. Look up the "State of the Art" columns in the New York Times technology section for a story on them recently.
Masonrybiz wrote on 1/24/2005, 1:01 PM
I just recalled that this camcorder has a proprietary connection on the front of the camcorder(under a hidden door!) and the other end has RCA audio and S-video connections...So will a device (like Dazzle) that has RCA/S-video inputs and then a USB connector (hooked to the laptop) work? Since the Handycam has no Firewire/ilink connection on it would this work as you suggested in your previous post? Is it the software that tells the capture device to convert it to analog?
Thanks for your patience...
hornsmoker wrote on 1/24/2005, 3:07 PM
You have S-video out and L/R audio out and that's what you need to hook up to a capture device...either internal or external. Most MiniDV camcorders have a 4 pin female 1394 / firewire. Are you sure what your looking at is proprietary? There are two kinds of firewire cards - a 1394a and a 1394b. You want the "a" cause the "b" cards are still very expensive. You can get a decent 1394a firewire card with cable for less than 12 bucks. USB 2.0 is 480 mb/s and 1394a is 400 mb/s. My understanding is that in real life, 1394a is much faster than USB 2.0 and most external USB capture devices can lead to dropped frames. ..most experts [and I'm not one] say if you go with external device, go firewire.

Your camcorder will output analog thru the S-video and RCA jacks. When you capture, it will be in digital avi. If you have a desktop, go with pci capture card. and may as well add a 1394a while your at it. This is what I have in my box:

http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=15-124-005&depa=0
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=14-160-017&depa=0

I just hookup my DVD player to the capture card. I use the firewire card for my MiniDV camcorder.

PS: the 3in1 Panasonic MiniDV camcorders [japan made] are very cool - I keep trying to talk my Dad into getting one. I have a Samsung SDC86 [korean made] and it works well.

hornsmoker -
ronatsony wrote on 1/25/2005, 8:06 AM
I have a Panny GS400 i bot in Sept. it is a very nice camcorder. it has USB and 1394, AND a true widesceen. it has some "i wish it had this" but overall it's pretty nice for me. i captures fairly low light shots--inside a horse barn with no lights on, just fiberglass above the 12 ft high walls.

i would caution a bit---there have been reports of "noisy" transports in certain serial number ranges. for more info--visit the 3CCD forum:
http://www.pana3ccduser.com/forumdisplay.php?f=6

ron
Masonrybiz wrote on 1/27/2005, 9:13 PM
OK...I bought the Dazzle Digital Video Creator 80 (capture device) which came with Pinnacle 9.0 software. It has actually made life much easier! I am able to capture directly from the Handycam to AVI format. I also bought an external 250 Gig HD so that I don't eat up my laptop HD. I have run a few test video edits with this new set up (which also converts the AC3 audio to PCM!) and everything seems to work much better! I have yet to burn a DVD with this new setup. Which is the best DVD format (-R, +R, etc.)?
Thanks for all of your help!!
Jason
IanG wrote on 1/28/2005, 12:36 AM
>Which is the best DVD format (-R, +R, etc.)?

DVD+R is more likely to be compatible with a standalone player. It's worth getting a few RWs as well while you're still experimenting.

Ian G.