Help me transfer VHS to DV?

[junkmalle]

It's best to capture video to a secondary drive to reduce the possibility of dropped frames. Windows may sometimes need to access the main drive (C even if you're not using the computer for anything else. That said, capturing DV is pretty robust, even to drive C, and even if you do some other light stuff (web browsing!) while capturing.

I'm not sure what you mean by "store the Canopus 100 output directly". You have to run some kind of capture program to get the DV video from the ADVC 100 to your computer. Maybe it comes with it's own capture program? (I don't have one, I only know it by reputation.) Use whichever one you find easiest to use. I don't really like the Video Capture portion of Media Studio Pro. I don't find it as intuitive as some others.

JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. They defined the JPEG compression standard for PHOTOGRAPHS.

MJPEG stands for Motion JPEG. Since movies are essentially a series of photographs, you can just glue a whole bunch of JPEG images together to make a movie.

MPEG is the Motion Picture Expert Group. They developed a series of standards for compressing movies. They started with techniques very similar to JPEG. But often, parts of the picture don't change from frame to frame, so they added features that allowed only the differences between frames to be encoded. That leads to even better compression. Just use the DVD template in Media Studio Pro to create DVD compatible MPEG files.

The overall process will look like this:

1) Capture DV AVI files from the Canopus ADVC 100 using whichever program you find most suitable.

2) Use Media Studio Pro to edit them (order, cut, transitions, etc) and produce an DVD compatible MPEG2 file. MSP isn't the most intuitive program for this but it is powerful and has pretty much all the features you'll probably need. If you don't need/want any fancy editing you can go directly to step 3 -- most DVD mastering programs can convert from DV to MPEG2.

3) Finally, use a DVD mastering program to put those MPEG2 files onto a DVD R/RW with nice menus, chapter stops, etc.

[JFrancisco]

Thank you ever so much Junkmalle. I also don't "own" a Canopus 100 yet. It's supposed to be waiting for me when I get back to Miami (I ordered it last Friday). From the advertisement promos, I had assumed the video conversion - to MPEG,etc. formats - took place right inside the box, and you just directed the output to files
in your hard drive (silly amateur me). Right now, after spending mucho $$$ on the Canopus unit and the Ulead software, I'm in no position to get/sample another video editing program, so I'm kind of obliged to use the MSP7, at least for a while. Other than it not being as "intuitive" as you'd like it to be, are there any other problms or shortcomings I should watch out for? I'm just begining, so I don't think anything about all this will seem at all natural, let alone "intuitive" to me just yet. Thanks again for all your help/advice; I'll be sure to post you a copy of my very first video clip the minute I finally produce it!
Saludos de
JFrancisco

[junkmalle]

I think my objectsions to MSP7's capture module had to do with my TV card, not DV. I took another look and it seems pretty straight forward with DV captures.

The only option you may need help with is the Type 1 vs Type 2 file settings for DV. DV includes audio as part of the video stream. Type 1 DV AVI files contain only this DV stream. Type 2 files contain the regular DV stream but also an extra stream with just the audio -- for programs that can't extract the audio from the DV stream. If you plan to use your DV AVI files with any other program you may need to use type 2 files. The disadvantage to type 2 is the slightly larger (~5 percent) files. I suppose it's a little more work to do at capture time too so underpowered computers might have more problems with dropped frames. Any modern computer shouldn't have problems.

[JFrancisco]

Hi Junkmalle, how are you doing today? You've provided me with good, problem-solving info so far; may I ask you some more basic questions? Video Cards: I'm not sure I understand the exact role a video graphics accelerator card plays in all this. With the ADVC 100 unit, I believe the unit itself takes care of converting the VHS video data into DV data; what the Canopus unit feeds into my PC is already digitized video (AVI, MPEG, etc.) and the video card in my PC just allows me to observe and monitor the quality and the content, but it doesn't actually participate in the conversion work.
Am I right so far? I'm asking because my video accelerator card, a Matrox G400 I'm extremely unhappy with out of it's inability to help me convert my VHS tapes to DV files to burn into DVDs but otherwise content with it's display characteristics, only has 64MB of onboard video memory (it may only have 32MB, I'm not sure) and I read in the Media Studio Pro manual that in the process of encoding VD to MPEG format (prior to "rendering" and before the files are "burned" into a DVD) is helped by "the additional video memory onboard the video card". If all that is true, I'm trying to decide between the Nvidea 5200 ($99.00) and the ATI Radeon 9600XT ($199.00). They both have 128MBs, but the ATI is much faster (and newer, more recent technology) than the Nvidea card. If you answer my first question above, and provide me with some sound logic arguments to help me choose between the two cards I'm looking into, I will be very grateful.
Saludos de
JFrancisco

[junkmalle]

JFrancisco,

Sure, I'd be happy to help you out a bit more.

With the ADVC 100 unit, I believe the unit itself takes care of converting the VHS video data into DV data; what the Canopus unit feeds into my PC is already digitized video (AVI, MPEG, etc.) and the video card in my PC just allows me to observe and monitor the quality and the content, but it doesn't actually participate in the conversion work. Am I right so far?

Yes, that is correct. To reiterate:

The ADVC 100 "digitizes" the analog signal from the VCR into a DV data stream. Don't confuse DV with "digital video". Digital video is a generic term for video that has been digitized. DV refers to a specific format -- most often used by digital camcorders.

The DV data is then transfered from the ADVC 100 to your computer via the firewire cable. Capture software that does this usually shows you the video while it's being captured. But note that the DV that comes via the firewire cable is a compressed format. It first has to be decompressed into a format that can be sent to your graphics card for display.

I'm asking because my video accelerator card, a Matrox G400 I'm extremely unhappy with out of it's inability to help me convert my VHS tapes to DV files to burn into DVDs but otherwise content with it's display characteristics, only has 64MB of onboard video memory (it may only have 32MB, I'm not sure) and I read in the Media Studio Pro manual that in the process of encoding VD to MPEG format (prior to "rendering" and before the files are "burned" into a DVD) is helped by "the additional video memory onboard the video card".

Some graphics cards do have the ability to assist in the conversion of video from one format to another. But what they do is usually a very minor part of the process. Usually it's only a color space conversion. This gets quite technical and I don't think you want all the details of that. In short, a Matrox G400 is quite old has none of the hardware assist feature that will help you in your DV to MPEG (DVD) conversion. But even with cards that have some assist, the amount of memory doesn't have much to do with it. All that additional memory is pretty much used only by 3D Games to hold texture maps. I believe that quote from the MSP manual in inaccurate in most cases.

If all that is true, I'm trying to decide between the Nvidea 5200 ($99.00) and the ATI Radeon 9600XT ($199.00). They both have 128MBs, but the ATI is much faster (and newer, more recent technology) than the Nvidea card. If you answer my first question above, and provide me with some sound logic arguments to help me choose between the two cards

I'm pretty sure you will not see any significant (more than a few percent) increase in performance using either of those cards. The CPU does almost all the work of convering DV to MPG. If you have a slow CPU upgrading to a faster one will probably make a much bigger difference. But upgrading your CPU will probably not be simply a matter of buying a new one an plopping into your motherboard.

I guess by now you already have the ADVC 100. It is definitely one of the highest quality ways to go. But if you're looking to speed up and simplify the process, and don't expect to do a lot of editing, you might consider a capture device that captures directly in MPEG format -- ready to be sent to a DVD. Something like the Hauppauge WinTV PVR 250 (~US$150). Or you could even buy a standalone DVD recorder ($300 and up). Some of them work pretty well from what I hear.

I highly recommend http://www.videohelp.com for information on what you're doing. They have lots of guides and lots of helpful people in their forums. A quick tip before posting there: read some of the guides first then try to ask specific questions. There are some annoying people there who will jump all over you if you just ask "What's the best way to convert VHS to DVD?"!

[Brian Ellis]

A Matrox G-400 is perfectly adequate for working with DV. If you have an ADVC-100, an IEEE-1394 card and a G-400, you are already set up to edit your videos. The graphics card plays no role in rendering and changing it would be a waste of money, unless you are going to multiple screens.

[JFrancisco]

Thanks a million Junkmalle; you too Brian. Your comments/advice sure provide relief, to both my mind and my wallet. Just a few more questions: The Video Capture program in my MSP7 allows me to capture from the IEEE-1394 card in my PC in a variety of formats (MPEG, AVI, etc). Is that the process you (Junkmalle) refered to in your statement "It first has to be decompressed into a format that can be sent to your graphics card for display" to me above? I ask because the video stream I see appearing in my display screen looks pretty good, while I'm capturing with my new Canopus AVDC-100 (thanks again!). The only problem I've seen so far is that the quality looks great in the MSP7 Capture window (a very small 3"x4" inset) but when I play the files again, using Windows Media 9 (at full screen), the immage "depixelates" (I can see the individual squre pixels that make up the image). Is that normal and will it correct itself after I burn the files to DVD and play them on my big-screen TV?
Saludos de
JFrancisco

[junkmalle]

when I play the files again, using Windows Media 9 (at full screen), the immage "depixelates" (I can see the individual squre pixels that make up the image). Is that normal and will it correct itself after I burn the files to DVD and play them on my big-screen TV?

The problem will probably fix itself once burned to DVD. You didn't spell out exactly what you are doing so here's what's going on:

When MSP7 receives data from the ADVC 100 it is in DV format. It then does two things: First it decompresses the DV data into (probably) a raw RGB frame for display on the screen (so you can see the picture). Secondly, if you are saving in DV format, it copies the DV data to the AVI file (adding a little extra information for AVI players). If you elected to save in MPEG it has to decompress the DV data (it probably uses the same decompressed image from step 1 so it doesn't have to decompress twice) and then compress the image to MPEG format to be saved in the file.

All of this has to happen in less than 1/30 of a second or the program will fall behind the camera and lose frames. Because of this, most MPEG compressors have two modes of operation -- a fast dirty mode, and a slow clean mode. The fast mode is used for realtime captures, the slow mode for non-realtime conversions. At high bit rates (say, 8000 Kbit/sec) the difference between the two modes isn't usually noticable. At lower bitrates the slow mode can do a much better job since it can take its time to find what works best for any particular frame.

You didn't specify whether you saved in DV format or MPEG. If you saved in DV (AVI) format then the pixelations you see are most likely due to the way the Matrox card handles enlarging the 720x480 image to the full size of your display. If you saved in MPEG mode with a low bitrate you may start seeing macro-block artifacts.

Your recommend you just run some experiments for yourself. Capture some short representative scenes from your VHS tapes. Try capturing some to DV and some directly to MPEG with MSP7. Burn them to DVD RW media (so you don't waste a bunch or write once media) and see how the results look. If done properly, the image quality from the DVD should be about as good as the VHS tapes.

[nunchalnaomi]

Hi,
I usually capture to avi, edit avi in premeire 6.5, then use the adobe mpeg encoder to make a mpeg2 file. I use the Dvdit PE to author the mpeg2 file. You can go straight to mpeg2. But you can't edit mpeg2. So if you capture too much footage or want to edit out comercials. Use avi . The mpeg2 is the format for dvd's. It is also called Mv2 or m2v. You should capture the video to your second drive. Nunchal

my method.
hook up svhs to matrox breakout box,I launch premeire 6.5, under file I go to capture, I set the location and choose avi. I co some sound tests to get the correct levels. I then hit play and start recording. I get the sloopy start if the program starts immediatly. At end of program I hit stop and label file. I then use premeire to trim the rough beginning, delete comercials, or edit footage. I go to file and hit export . I use the adobe mpeg encoder. I set the settings for mpeg2 vbr . I set different settings for the length of footage. ( better rates for short, lower for longer )
I then put the mpeg2 files into DVDIT pe and make the chapters, menus, and intro bit. I then burn it to dvd or as a disc image. I check it and then back up or delete big avi files for they take up lots of room. Hope that helps. Keep organized. Nunchal

[junkmalle]

I just wanted to point out that Ulead Media Studio Pro 7 can edit MPEG files. It's even smart enough not to re-encode sections that don't change as a result of editing.

[Brian Ellis]

Editing MPEG files CAN be done, especially if it's only cuts, but the quality deteriorates with filters, transitions, titles and other effects. I strongly recommend editing AVI and converting to MPEG ONLY at the very end.

It is normal that the appearance on a computer monitor is not good: standard DV AVIs for final use on a TV should be edited etc. with the project settings on field A first. If you want to view ONLY on a monitor, then the settings should be frame based.

[JFrancisco]

OK. Im capturing (AVI) from my Canopus ADVC-100, fed to my secondary hard drive through a "Fire Wire" (IEEE 1394) portal using Ulead Media Studio Pro7. A few questions: What is the diference between MS 1394 Device Control and TI 1394 Device Control? There are several "Capture Plug-in" selections as well, and I don't know which to choose (Ulead DirectShow Capture Plug-in?) I don't have Direct Show: I use Microsoft's Media9 for looking at video (AVI) clips on their own. The reson I ask all this is because I can't set up things like it tells me in the Ulead Manual and I don't know if it's because I haven't selected the right combination of choices. Anyone out there familiar with Ulead's Media Studio Pro 7? I'd appreciate any help you can give me!
Saludos de
JFrancisco

[junkmalle]

If you don't have multiple cameras Media Studio probably picked the right plugins.

What exactly isn't working? When the camcorder is playing do you see the picture capture program's window? Can you operate the camcorder from the video capture program?

[JFrancisco]

Hi Junkmalle, thanks for replying to my query. I don't have/use a camborder; I have the ADVC-100 output connected directly into the IEEE1394 input port and I believe MSP7 "thinks" there is a camcorder connected there. What is happening is that I cannot set my capture/video source options to anything other than what the program has initially set. When I feed VHS video into the Fire Wire port, most of the options in the Capture video tab are inactive (luckily the Frame Rate is set @ 29.97), but the Video Format, Audio Format, Video Source, Settings,Â_and the Batch Options are all inactive (greyed-out/deselected) so I cannot change anything. On the Set-Up options, Video Source, Video and Audio Formats, MPEG Settings, Video Compression, Display, Input Source, and even Color Calibration are all inactive. I cannot set anything diferent in any of them.Â_ What is happening?Â_ Did I install the program the wrong way?
Saludos de
JFranciscoÂ_Â_

[Brian Ellis]

Use the MS-1394 Device Control and Ulead Direct Show Plug-in, straight out of MSP7. If you set up with these, you will see "unknown device" from your ADVC-100. Select this in MSP Capture. After that, everything's straightforward. There are no options other than NTSC/PAL All the greyed-out things are normal when you are "capturing" DV simply because this is exactly what you are not doing. You don't capture in DV, you copy the data stream directly to disc in the form of an AVI file, so you cannot modify it. What you do with that later is your choice.

There is an option allowing you to capture directly from DV to MPEG, but ignore this until you are entirely comfortable with AVI capture and editing.