Q: VHS to DVD - What do I need?

[Umfriend]

We have a Hi-8 video camera (analog) and a VHS videorecorder, which is what we use to tape family, kids and other nightmares

What I want to do is:
1. Purchase a DVD-(re)writer (due anyway)
2. COnvert all these tapes to DVD (then can the CD and the VID player and buy a SACD/DVD player etc).

What would it take to do that? I am completly ignorant on this.

I assume an ATi AIW card would do it? But I don't need a TV tuner or anything, so it might be overkill? What else?

I need little editing functionality I think, I guess perhaps cutting out some scenes (or parts so that that last bit that need not be on can be deleted) and I guess on a DVD I can make some sort of TOC so we can skip easily when we play it on a regular DVD player?!?

What kind of card do I need, and would software be included for amateur purposes like ours?

Love to hear from ya,
Kind rgds,
Umf.

[Umfriend]

Sorry, I think this is the wrong Forum (given the description, although ppl here might be best). Could someone please move this to the General Hard/Software Forum (if needed)?

Apologies.
Umf

[Dr Mordrid]

It's a video related question in the Digital Video forum, so what's the problem?

First of all what are your system specs? Include cpu, mainboard, memory, how many hard drives, operating system etc. etc. including the display and capture cards if any.

Basically if your system is capture capable you then would need a DVD burner and authoring software. Having a video editor as well would allow you to manipulate the footage more and make for a better result.

Burner wise I have a favorite: the Panasonic SW-9571-CYY DVD-R/RW/RAM, which you can get for about $140 or so (sometimes with free shipping). It's solid, tracks better than most and can handle both "normal" and DVD-RAM media, which is very useful for archiving since DVD-RAM disks can work like removable hard drives.

Software wise VideoStudio7 would give you both editing capability and a basic DVD authoring tool, but specific software recommendations will depend on those hardware & OS specs.

Dr. Mordrid

[Umfriend]

Thx. Uhm, HW will be all new, but not high-end, sorta Athlon XP2000+ range, 1 HD 120gb 7200rpm, 512Mb Mem.

I guess that the only thing I don;t know is what kind of device I need to capture analog input (SCART I guess) to digital files on HD.

This forum is for: "Video editing with the Rainbow Runner, Marvel and RT2000 hardware. Covers all issues both hardware and software related.", but I wasn't sure if that was strictly applied or not. Happy as it is.

[Dr Mordrid]

Well....I'm the moderator here so if I say your questions appropriate....

Personally I'd go for something along the lines of a Canopus DV bridge device. These can capture from either analog or IEEE-1394 sources, giving you a DV file on the disk for editing. Their big advantage is construction quality and the excellent Canopus DV codec chip inside. Most people that get these just love 'em.

The top of the line is the Canopus ADVC-100. Canopus also makes a couple of other similar products, but IMO I'd choose between the ADVC-100 and the ADVC-50.

http://www.canopus.us/US/Products/index/products_advc.asp

Most editing software work great with these boxes, including the packages I mentioned above.

Analog capture cards tend to be more troublesome in that they are more prone to frame drops and configuration problems.

In terms of a display card for editing this depends on your budget. In any case a dualhead card is best since they will give you a high quality TV output. The best are the Matorx dualhead cards because of their high quality 2D and excellent TV outputs (good for recording to VHS/SVHS).

At the lower end are the G450 and G-550 in the $100-130 range. In the middle is the Millennium P-750 (excellent editing card!) at about $220 and at the top is the Parhelia.

Tip one: avoid a mainboard that has a VIA chipset. Intel, SiS, 100% AMD (no VIA southbridge chip) or nVidia chipsets are fine on most editing systems, but avoid VIA like the plague.

Tip two: reconsider the use of 1 HDD. You need to have two HDD's; one for the operating system and one for your video files. Otherwise you will run into problems. Trust me.

Dr. Mordrid

[Brian Ellis]

I second every word that Doc says.

I use a Canopus ADVC-100, a Matrox G-550, an Intel chipset and a plurality of HDDs. I also agree that Ulead VideoStudio is a good entry-level system, although I use the Ulead MediaStudio Pro, which is considerably up-market. This also allows me to use the ADVC-100 to have a TV monitor, so that the 2nd G-550 head can be used to extend the editing features (3 screens for the price of 2!!!). However, I don't think this feature may be available in VideoStudio (subject to correction).

[Dr Mordrid]

Ahh...but the P-750 or Parhelia can give you FOUR displays: 3 computer screens plus the analog output of the ADVC-100

This is something like my rig where the RT.X100's analog output goes to the preview monitor and the 3 heads of the P-750 to 19" screens in triplehead spanned at 3840x1280.

God do I love the P-750/Parhelia for editing

Dr. Mordrid

[Umfriend]

Thx Mod!

More than one HDD is no prob. That's not like 2 partitions on one disk right, you really mean 2 HDDs?.

Now, I am not on a tight budget, but as we will harldy use this PC to do video stuff, a P-750, 4 screens, canopes 100 etc. will be a bit too much. I have two more questions (for now, gotta attend my kids fast....):
1. I assume a digital camera well be able to send its recordings to the PC without a card in between, right?
2. What risk do I have if I would simply buy a Radeon 9000AIW, doesnit it to some extent do the same?

Umf

[UtwigMU]

AIW is not a serious/semi pro capture card.

Secondly it's better to buy separate capture card, even if not semi-pro for the sake of upgrading.

As I heard AIW and Ati TV wonder have driver quirks.

Hauppage, Terratec or Leadtek are better in that range.

[KRSESQ]

Definitely two hard drives.

The hard drive with the operating system on it is constantly active with OS activity i.e. writing to the swap file and such. This detracts badly from video playback when trying to use just one drive.

A dedicated capture drive (at least 60 GB) is a must. Lots of folks use Maxtor's DiamondMax Plus line, and Seagate Barracudas are good too.

If you're using Windows 2000/XP, format the capture drive in NTFS.

Kevin

[Dr Mordrid]

If you upgrade to a DV camcorder with analog inputs you can bypass the Canopus box. Then all you need is something like an ADS Pyro IEEE-1394 card and can usually capture analong by passing it throughy the camcorder.

If you're talking a pro/semi-pro rig then you're talking about a Matrox RT.X10 or RT.X100 (the BIG dawg!), which comes with Premiere and DVD authoring software. These are realtime cards that have built-in DV bridges along with YUV and RGB capture.

Definitely steps up, esp. the RT.X100.

Dr. Mordrid

[Umfriend]

Thx for this sofar. In the little time I've had I tried some fact-finding research, just to get to know something (and failed ).

To make sure, If I understand correctly:
1. To get VHS and Hi-8 to the PC, it will need to be digitalised. I'll need a DA converter for this. This is what the canopus for instance does, correct? (Is it like a "genlock" you had with an Amiga?)
2. Radeon AIW and other ViVo cards can do it as well, but are prone to dropping frames and having driver quircks, right?
3. Moreover, them ViVo cards capture to MPGE-1 or MPEG-2, wheras the Canopus captures to DV?
4. DV is a standard digital movie format, as are MPEG-1 and 2 etc, but higehr quality (and bitrate), and is the format to use for editing video?

5. The Canopes ADVC50 (lloking for the cheap option) will caputre to a DV file, for which I do not need any other card?
6. I would then want to be able to things like:
- Cleaning up scenes (removing beginnings and./or endings and stuff
- Perhaps insert some text (date/or event data, either before the scene(s) or within the scene
I guess for this I need editing software?
7. Then I want to be able do burn it to DVD such that it will play with any (new to buy) DVD player and that it has a TOC etc. to jump to different parts, just liek with a normal DVD (and as I don;t have one, I don;t really know hoiw this works. But I imagine I could burn DVD's and at playback have a list of dates that are on the DVD... Is this what I need "authoring software" for?

Finally, I am on the cheap with respect to hard/software for this video as this is about, say, 40 VHS tapes (and another 50 VHS tapes with movies on them so I can get them bulky disney VHS tapes out of the living room). It's not like I am really interested in actually starting to do video stuff as a hoby (let alone profession).

Love to hear what you think.

[Brian Ellis]

On the general lines, you are correct. HOWEVER, do not expect to copy your commercial VHS tapes: they will be copy-protected. I doubt whether the ADVC-50 can be persuaded to ignore this (some early ADVC-100s could, but I've been told that this is no longer the case).

A simple entry-level editing software which is often bundled for free is ULead VideoStudio - this will do all you need. It will also author your DVDs.

[Umfriend]

Thx. Copy protection, really? How if I use the cable that would go out of my video to my TV would copy protewction work

I'm sure you are right, but haven't got the foggiest how such a thing could be accomplished....

Another prob is I'll need to keep them commercial tapes so as to prove I do own the right to it.... (I think we can copy this material if we own a copy for own use over here.)