Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows..

"Tia B. McMahon" <mcmahon4 RemoveThis @sbcglobal.net> writes:
>Here's what I did then.
>* I played the tape in my VHS machine
>* The VHS player analog out (red/white/yellow) went to my dv camcorder
>* The firewire out of the camcorder went into my 1.2 Ghz PC
>* Pinnacle Studio 9 created a huuuuuuuge avi file (17Gbytes/hour)
>* Pinnacle Studio 9 allowed me to edit scenes, add menus, etc.
>* Pinnacle Studio 9 converted to an MPEG file
>* Pinnacle Studio 9 authored a DVD image (VIDEO_TS) directory
>* My DVD burner program burned the DVD

That's still approximately the best way to do this process. You don't
have to use Pinnacle Studio 9; there are other editors that do the same
thing. There are multiple choices for software to do the MPEG-2
conversion step, depending on how much time you want to spend and what
quality you want.

>The problem with this method was time. The DVD conversion step alone took
>10 hours for a full 34Gbyte avi file of my home movie, so I gave up after
>just converting a couple of VHS movies.

A 1.2 GHz CPU is pretty ancient by today's standards. Even the
lowest-end PC you can buy new now ought to be substantially faster.

>Is the state of affairs in freeware & computing better nowadays?
>That is, can I simplify this horrendously long and complex task nowadays?
>I know I have to start with a huge AVI file but can I simplify the rest of
>the steps.

>a) If I don't wish to edit, is there freeware that can convert the incoming
>AVI file to DVD in a single pass?

There is hardware that will convert analog video directly to MPEG-2 at a
data rate suitable for DVD mastering. This will save the encoding step,
and also save most of the disk space. However, the quality will not be
as good, since the single-pass real-time MPEG encoding done by this
hardware simply can't equal what a multi-pass non-real-time encoder can
achieve. But you may not care.

I don't know if there is any software that will do DV to MPEG-2 in real
time, during the capture. That's a lot of computation, and you would
still have lower quality (again, it's necessarily single-pass real-time
encoding).

>c) If I buy a VHS/DVD dual unit, how does it know how LARGE the incoming
>data is (I don't get how it knows how much to compress if it does it in
>real time).

Unlike JPEG compression, where you specify a "quality" and the file size
varies according to picture content, video compression is generally done
by specifying an average and a maximum bit rate, and the image quality
varies to fit inside that bit rate budget. You can probably set these
rates. Thus, you know low large the output is going to be, but quality
depends on how complex and difficult to compress the content is.

Dave
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows.. 

On Oct 30, 9:56 am, John Corliss <jcorl... DeleteThis @fake.invalid> wrote:
> Tia B. McMahon wrote:
> > Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
> > freeware? (big snip)
>
> Just thought other people would like to know that you cross-posted your
> original post into their groups. This is not a good idea.
>
> --
> John Corliss BS206. I try not to reply to trolls like Andy Mabbett,
> Hummingbird or proteanthread.
> Because of Googlespam, I use NFilter to block all Google Groups
> posts from being displayed in my news reader.
> No ad, cd, commercial, cripple, demo, dotnet, nag, share, spy,
> time-limited, trial or web wares OR warez for me, please.

So what's the big deal about cross posting? If it can be done, do it.
You don't like it...use killfile then YOU want have to read it. 2007,
old son. Get used to it.
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows.. 

sandy58 wrote:
> On Oct 30, 9:56 am, John Corliss <jcorl....DeleteThis@fake.invalid> wrote:
>> Tia B. McMahon wrote:
>>> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
>>> freeware? (big snip)
>> Just thought other people would like to know that you cross-posted your
>> original post into their groups. This is not a good idea.
>>
>> --
>> John Corliss BS206. I try not to reply to trolls like Andy Mabbett,
>> Hummingbird or proteanthread.
>> Because of Googlespam, I use NFilter to block all Google Groups
>> posts from being displayed in my news reader.
>> No ad, cd, commercial, cripple, demo, dotnet, nag, share, spy,
>> time-limited, trial or web wares OR warez for me, please.
>
> So what's the big deal about cross posting? If it can be done, do it.
> You don't like it...use killfile then YOU want have to read it. 2007,
> old son. Get used to it.
>
or set followups. done
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows.. 

"Mr. Strat" <rag.RemoveThis@nospam.techline.com> wrote in message
news:291020071857434118%rag@nospam.techline.com...
> In article <FZvVi.15850$lD6.15497@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net>, Tia B.
> McMahon <mcmahon4.RemoveThis@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a horrendously
>> difficult and long process that took days - but worked. Is there a better
>> (freeware?) method today?
>
> Your life would have been simpler if you'd used a Mac. All the software
> you need to make DVDs is included...and you don't need an instruction
> book or 15 steps.

Nonsense. You better read what he says carefully. I have both an iMac and
PC and the process is the same.
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows.. 

"pjp" <pjpoirier_is_located_at_.TakeThisOut@_hotmail_._com> wrote in message
news:4726f934$0$14880$9a566e8b@news.aliant.net...
>
> "-Lost" <maventheextrawords.TakeThisOut@techie.com> wrote in message
> news:Xns99D8E4488202Clostthreads@216.196.97.136...
>> Response from AlleyCat <al.TakeThisOut@aohell.com>:
>>
>> > In article <291020071857434118%rag@nospam.techline.com>,
>> > rag.TakeThisOut@nospam.techline.com says...
>> >> In article <FZvVi.15850$lD6.15497@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net>,
>> >> Tia B. McMahon <mcmahon4.TakeThisOut@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a
>> >> > horrendously difficult and long process that took days - but
>> >> > worked. Is there a better (freeware?) method today?
>
> PC with video capture card. In my case an early ATI 7200 with composite
> in.
>
> Start capture mode on PC, play movie on TV/VCR/DVD sending signal to pc.
> (as
> my capture card is only composite-in rather than TV tuner type means sound
> is routed thru sound card's line in).
>
> End of movie use Nero, select saved capture file and burn to DVD. Nero
> recodes original file, creating proper DVD layout and all as neccessary.
>
> Have done and continue to do this often. Last time just last week for
> friend
> had old Island Of Dr. Moruea VHS tape.
>
> Two very simple steps. Capture takes as long as original takes to play and
> Nero (P2.8, gig ram, XP Pro) recodes and burns in under 2 hours.
>
> ******* rest of response(s) not required *******
>
>
>

A $55 (Amazon.com) white box Hauppauge 150 will do this with hardware Mpeg2
conversion. I recommended this route.
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows.. 

Tia B. McMahon wrote:
> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
> freeware?
>
> Please help me!

Note that this request for help has been crossposted into other groups
where the message may be off-topic.

To the OP, if you question is about freeware, you would have done better
not to have cross-posted it into other groups.

Over and out. You'll get no help from me.

--
John Corliss BS206. I try not to reply to trolls like Andy Mabbett,
Hummingbird or proteanthread.
Because of Googlespam, I use NFilter to block all Google Groups
posts from being displayed in my news reader.
No ad, cd, commercial, cripple, demo, dotnet, nag, share, spy,
time-limited, trial or web wares OR warez for me, please.
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows.. 

Anonymous Sender wrote:
> John McWilliams wrote:
>
>> sandy58 wrote:
>>> On Oct 30, 9:56 am, John Corliss <jcorl....DeleteThis@fake.invalid> wrote:
>>>> Tia B. McMahon wrote:
>>>>> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD
>>>>> with freeware? (big snip)
>>>> Just thought other people would like to know that you cross-posted
>>>> your original post into their groups. This is not a good idea.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> John Corliss BS206. I try not to reply to trolls like Andy Mabbett,
>>>> Hummingbird or proteanthread.
>>>> Because of Googlespam, I use NFilter to block all Google Groups
>>>> posts from being displayed in my news reader.
>>>> No ad, cd, commercial, cripple, demo, dotnet, nag, share, spy,
>>>> time-limited, trial or web wares OR warez for me, please.
>>> So what's the big deal about cross posting? If it can be done, do
>>> it. You don't like it...use killfile then YOU want have to read it.
>>> 2007, old son. Get used to it.
>>>
>> or set followups. done
>
> NOT done.
>
wombat.
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows.. 

"Tia B. McMahon" <mcmahon4.DeleteThis@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:FZvVi.15850$lD6.15497@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net...
> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD with
> freeware?
>
> A few years ago, I converted a VHS tape to DVD using a horrendously
> difficult and long process that took days - but worked. Is there a better
> (freeware?) method today?
>
> Here's what I did then.
> * I played the tape in my VHS machine
> * The VHS player analog out (red/white/yellow) went to my dv camcorder
> * The firewire out of the camcorder went into my 1.2 Ghz PC
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 created a huuuuuuuge avi file (17Gbytes/hour)
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 allowed me to edit scenes, add menus, etc.
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 converted to an MPEG file
> * Pinnacle Studio 9 authored a DVD image (VIDEO_TS) directory
> * My DVD burner program burned the DVD
>
> The problem with this method was time. The DVD conversion step alone took
> 10 hours for a full 34Gbyte avi file of my home movie, so I gave up after
> just converting a couple of VHS movies.
>
> Is the state of affairs in freeware & computing better nowadays?
> That is, can I simplify this horrendously long and complex task nowadays?
> I know I have to start with a huge AVI file but can I simplify the rest of
> the steps.
>
> a) If I don't wish to edit, is there freeware that can convert the
> incoming
> AVI file to DVD in a single pass?
>
> b) If I wish to edit, is there newer freeware that replaces my old
> Pinnacle
> Studio 9?
>
> c) If I buy a VHS/DVD dual unit, how does it know how LARGE the incoming
> data is (I don't get how it knows how much to compress if it does it in
> real time).
>
> Please help me!

Many people have tried. Where is your response or thanks?
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows.. 

John McWilliams wrote:

> sandy58 wrote:
> > On Oct 30, 9:56 am, John Corliss <jcorl... RemoveThis @fake.invalid> wrote:
> >> Tia B. McMahon wrote:
> >>> Can I simply convert home VHS tapes & 8mm & DV home movies to DVD
> >>> with freeware? (big snip)
> >> Just thought other people would like to know that you cross-posted
> >> your original post into their groups. This is not a good idea.
> >>
> >> --
> >> John Corliss BS206. I try not to reply to trolls like Andy Mabbett,
> >> Hummingbird or proteanthread.
> >> Because of Googlespam, I use NFilter to block all Google Groups
> >> posts from being displayed in my news reader.
> >> No ad, cd, commercial, cripple, demo, dotnet, nag, share, spy,
> >> time-limited, trial or web wares OR warez for me, please.
> >
> > So what's the big deal about cross posting? If it can be done, do
> > it. You don't like it...use killfile then YOU want have to read it.
> > 2007, old son. Get used to it.
> >
> or set followups. done

NOT done.
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows.. 

"Dave Martindale" <davem RemoveThis @cs.ubc.ca> wrote in message
news:fg8kkd$5gq$1@swain.cs.ubc.ca...
> "Tia B. McMahon" <mcmahon4 RemoveThis @sbcglobal.net> writes:
>>Here's what I did then.
>>* I played the tape in my VHS machine
>>* The VHS player analog out (red/white/yellow) went to my dv camcorder
>>* The firewire out of the camcorder went into my 1.2 Ghz PC
>>* Pinnacle Studio 9 created a huuuuuuuge avi file (17Gbytes/hour)
>>* Pinnacle Studio 9 allowed me to edit scenes, add menus, etc.
>>* Pinnacle Studio 9 converted to an MPEG file
>>* Pinnacle Studio 9 authored a DVD image (VIDEO_TS) directory
>>* My DVD burner program burned the DVD
>
> That's still approximately the best way to do this process. You don't
> have to use Pinnacle Studio 9; there are other editors that do the same
> thing. There are multiple choices for software to do the MPEG-2
> conversion step, depending on how much time you want to spend and what
> quality you want.
>
>>The problem with this method was time. The DVD conversion step alone took
>>10 hours for a full 34Gbyte avi file of my home movie, so I gave up after
>>just converting a couple of VHS movies.
>
> A 1.2 GHz CPU is pretty ancient by today's standards. Even the
> lowest-end PC you can buy new now ought to be substantially faster.
>
>>Is the state of affairs in freeware & computing better nowadays?
>>That is, can I simplify this horrendously long and complex task nowadays?
>>I know I have to start with a huge AVI file but can I simplify the rest of
>>the steps.
>
>>a) If I don't wish to edit, is there freeware that can convert the
>>incoming
>>AVI file to DVD in a single pass?
>
> There is hardware that will convert analog video directly to MPEG-2 at a
> data rate suitable for DVD mastering. This will save the encoding step,
> and also save most of the disk space. However, the quality will not be
> as good, since the single-pass real-time MPEG encoding done by this
> hardware simply can't equal what a multi-pass non-real-time encoder can
> achieve. But you may not care.
>
> I don't know if there is any software that will do DV to MPEG-2 in real
> time, during the capture. That's a lot of computation, and you would
> still have lower quality (again, it's necessarily single-pass real-time
> encoding).

There is the Canopus Edius series...but this has hardware and software both
and costs real money ($2,000). We do it all of the time.


>
>>c) If I buy a VHS/DVD dual unit, how does it know how LARGE the incoming
>>data is (I don't get how it knows how much to compress if it does it in
>>real time).
>
> Unlike JPEG compression, where you specify a "quality" and the file size
> varies according to picture content, video compression is generally done
> by specifying an average and a maximum bit rate, and the image quality
> varies to fit inside that bit rate budget. You can probably set these
> rates. Thus, you know low large the output is going to be, but quality
> depends on how complex and difficult to compress the content is.
>
> Dave
 >> Stay informed about: Convert VHS home movies to DVD using freeware on a Windows..