Capturing video to PC, burning it to DVD

[Guest DVD Spree]

Okay, I've got a shitload of VHS tapes of various things that I want to put on DVD at some stage, but the most pressing issue right now is transferring a couple of... home movies to DVD.

 

If you've followed the site for a little while you might remember that I used to do vodeogame and DVD reviews here, for which I used the Belkin USB video capture device to get screenshots. That can grab video, pictures and audio, but the software that comes bundled with it takes video at such a ridiculously large size (something totally stupid like 17 meg for a 14-second clip). Can I use the device with another program to capture my video, or do I need to buy a card? It's got composite and s-video inputs, if that helps.

 

Assuming I need a capture card, I'd appreciate a little advice on what I need and what to look for. Also, if there are any appropriate programs or packages, that would be good to know too.

 

Thanks as always, guys.

[JJMc 0]

You should either:

 

1) Get a standalone DVD recorder. They're more expensive, but they're easier to work with if you're just doing tape conversions.

 

2) Get a Mac to edit on if you want to do computer editing.

 

Editing/capturing video on a PC is (to me) very inefficient and not worth the time and effort it takes.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Try using VirtualDub to capture video with that device if you can.

 

If you want to make Divxes and stuff, the best route is to capture the video into a lossless codec like the free codec called Huffyuv. (google for more.) This records nearly flawless video at extremely huge file sizes. Back when I used Huffy as my recording codec, 30 minute programs were nearly 7GB in size. This requires having a big hard drive and more free space than you can find to fill up, but that's the way it is.

 

Once you have the lossless file encoded, you can compress it into Xvid/Divx or whatever. Using these codecs while encoding is a bad idea, since I'd bet dollars to doughnuts your computer won't be able to compress as fast as it's recording, and the end result is a file with a lot of jumping due to missed frames.

[Guest DVD Spree]

Thanks to both of you, that's really helpful – much appreciated!

 

I'm sure capturing to a PC is a pain in the ass, but I thought it a necessity if I wanted to do groovy menus and the like (we've got about two hundred Macs at work, but I'm buggered if I'm lugging all my crap in or buying one to use at home). Would you be able to recommend a decent prog for creating menus and the like?

 

Thanks again guys.

[MrRant 0]

You could pic up a Mac Mini with a Super drive for relatively cheap (about $600) and then just use your existing keyboard and mouse for your PC via like KVM switch or something.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Yes, but if you're cheap enough to buy a Mac Mini, there's no way in hell you can afford DVD Studio Pro, which is another $500.

 

Aw, shit. I just figured it out. I forgot you wanted to make DVDs, because I always make Xvids and burn them to data DVDRs.

 

Make the Huffyuv AVI, and then get TMPGenc Pro and DVD author. TMPGenc Pro will convert your file into a DVD-compatable MPEG, and DVD Author will add menus and burn it to DVD.

[Guest DVD Spree]

Thanks again, one and all.

 

I'll take a shot at this and if (read: when) I get stuck, I'll be sure to come back for more help.

 

Cheers everybody, much appreciated.