I would like to transfer a couple dozen Mini DV digital video tapes to DVD so I can reuse them. Anyone know what the best, and easiest, hardware/software is for this task? I'm Googling products, but, not getting any solid feeling for what's what in this category. I would prefer a USB device if there's a good one available at a reasonable price. Thanx, in advance, for any suggestions.

EDIT: Weird! I thought I had posted this hours ago (I DID), but, there have been no responses---nor does it appear in the forum. Soooo, I'm editing this to see if that triggers it to pop up in the forum.

I use my DV camera to transfer the video from my mini dv tapes to PC using IEEE 1394 cable(also known as i-link cable) and then burn the same to CD/DVD.You need a Firewire card ,a firewire cable and a firewire connection in yr Camera(which will definitely be there)

Some use USB2.

Thanks.I do not have any USB slot in my Video camera and hence I use IEEE 1394 for transferring mini DV tapes to my PC.

Chari and Bob, I'm looking for a way to bypass the need to first upload the tapes to my pc---I would like to find software/hardware that permits the video transfer to go directly to DVD. You guys know of anything that'll do that? My camera has USB 2.

EDIT: If I am reading you correctly, the only hardware your are using is the firewire connection. What software do you use and what procedure do you follow? Thanx.

http://www.plextor.com/english/products/product_dvc.html

Those converters aren't necessary with a DV camera. Sid just needs to determine what connections are available on his camera to connect to the PC. He may need some video editing software if he doesn't have any.

I don't think going straight from a DV tape to a DVD can be done. The source needs to be static, not dynamic.

Bill, by 'static' do you mean the source has to be something like an SD card (flash memory stuff) as opposed to, as in my case, tape?

Sid,
How about telling us what model camera you have. Maybe that will help clear up some of the "static".

Also tell us if you got any software with the camera.

>How about telling us what model camera you have.

Sorry, Martin, should have done that to begin with. The camera is a Canon ZR65MC. It has S-video output to connect to a tv, vcr, or what they call a 'digital video device' (would the lattter include a dvd recorder); USB for still image file transfer from SD memory card to PC; and DV (IEEE 1394) for transferring video to a 'digital video device'.

>Also tell us if you got any software with the camera.

The Canon software has only one mention of recording to a vcr (no cable type specified), but, there's a diagram of the camera attached to another video camera (the 'digital video device' ???) using the firewire cable.

I just started reading the manual for a dvd recorder/player that I recently purchased for use with our Sony Grand WEGA HDTV and there are steps for recording from a digital camera via the S-video input. This may be the answer I've been looking for. I'll explore this avenue as soon as time permits. Some time ago, I had no trouble using the S-video input to play tapes back directly from the camera.

Will the quality of the transfer be degraded using an S-video connection rather than firewire? There's no firewire input on the dvd recorder.

Thanx, guys and gals, for all the input and ideas. I'll be back with the results of having digested all your suggestions. Don't anyone go away ;)

So your camera does have Firewire. If your PC doesn't have Firewire, you can get a PCI Firewire card from NewEgg.

S-video is analog. I can't tell you how much degradation you will have in the video, but there will be some because of the conversion from digital to analog and back to digital. If you don't think that you will ever want to edit or splice or make any changes to the raw video from you tapes, and the video quality is acceptable to you, then just hook the camera to your DVD recorder via S-video. If you think there is even a remote chance that you would want to edit your videos or add music or titles or whatever, then I suggest that you copy the digital data from the camera to your PC for storage. That way you have the data stored with the best possible quality, and it can be readily edited on the PC.

>Bill, by 'static' do you mean the source has to be something
>like an SD card (flash memory stuff) as opposed to, as in my
>case, tape?

By static, I am referring to data that is just sitting there, ready to be sent to the DVD burner. A video file, stored on a hard drive, a previously burnt DVD, memory card, flash drive is static. This entire file is available immediately and is in a format that the burner can use.

Dynamic: Video data on tape must be read start to finish before it becomes a video file. Of course, you can decide how much of the tape you want to convert to a video file. But whether it is a ten second clip or a half hour long, the video from the tape is not a DVD burner usable file until the capture is complete.

Bill, the Plextor AV100U converter looks very interesting for what I need. The specs seem to fit with those needs: http://www.plextor.com/english/products/pdfs/AV100U.v12_FINAL.pdf

Do you have experience with this product? Does anyone else have experience with it?

>Bill, the Plextor AV100U converter looks very interesting for
>what I need. The specs seem to fit with those needs:
>http://www.plextor.com/english/products/pdfs/AV100U.v12_FINAL.pdf
>
>Do you have experience with this product? Does anyone else
>have experience with it?
>
No, but I do like Plextors drives and would lean towards one. My daughter uses a similar device to capture VHS and DV. The brand escapes me at the moment, not Plextor for sure.

You might look at the user comments on various capture devices here:
http://www.videohelp.com/capturecards.php?CaptureCard=&searchconnection=USB2&price=&orderby=Name&hits=50&Submit=Search&Search=Search

Quote:

If I am reading you correctly, the only hardware your are using is the firewire connection. What software do you use and what procedure do you follow? Thanx.

Windows moviemaker software (part of Win XP) pops up and does the job for me

Windows Movie maker-How to?

There's lots of good info in that link, Chari.

Thanks for reading

A "converter" is necessary. Digital is simply that -digital. If you want a DVD disk that will auto-start when inserted into a TV, you will need something to set it up for you. The fastest and best-quality way is a dedicated video card. I use the Hauppauge 250PVR which captures to MPEG2 files. Then I fire up Pinnacle 10.7 and edit, insert menus, author, insert fades and background music, etc. and Pinnacle then converts to DVD format and burns to disk. I am currently converting all my old, analog tapes to DVD disks. Works a treat, once you get everything set up and tweaked.

Pinnacle, Ulead Video Editor, Adobe Premier and many others will also claim to do this through software, not a dedicated card, with varying results. Be aware that these editors are notorious for not recognizing video cameras as claimed. That's why I must use a capture card. By the way - Nero 7 Ultra will do that, but the quality is very poor; at least that was my experience with it.

If memory serves me correctly, you can download the Ulead Video Editor Home trial and test it out to see if it will work for you.

I'm ot sure about using tape, but our Canon uses Windows Movie Maker to capture from a SD card.

There is a lot of confusion and confusing information in this thread. Chari has the right answers.

Sid,
Your initial questions make it sound like you want a one-step process or a stand-alone device that will transfer from your mini DV tapes to DVD. I don't think the stand-alone device exists, and the process will require more than one step, but it's easy. You will transfer the digital video files from the camera to the hard drive in your PC. Then you can edit the files if you want, or you can just burn them to DVD. On the link that Chari provided, you have to click on "Get Started". Then you will find the following items and more.

What you need to make movies with Windows XP and Movie Maker
Connect your camera to your computer
Download movies from your camera to your computer

A converter box is not used with a digital camcorder. It could be used, but you would be degrading the quality of the video because the camcorder would be converting the digital signal to analog, then the converter box would convert the analog signal back to digital. If you study the comparison chart that nightlyreader linked to, you will see that none of the devices support DV/Firewire input.

If you study the comparison chart that nightlyreader linked to, you will see that none of the devices support DV/Firewire input.

The search feature does not allow USB and Firewire at the same time.
Here is Firewire:

http://www.videohelp.com/capturecards.php?CaptureCard=&searchconnection=Firewire&price=&orderby=Name&hits=50&Submit=Search&Search=Search

What TTech said! I happen to use Adobe Premiere Elements 3, because I'm familiar with it and prior versions, but Windows Movie Maker does the job very well also. Just plug firewire cable from camera to PC, and turn on the camera to "play".

One interesting difference between the programs. WMM captures the tape as one big .wmv file, while Adobe captures each film segment as a separate .avi file. Either program is a simple two step; one to transfer the data to your computer, and one to burn the DVD. (Three steps if you edit the data before burning the DVD).

Unless you a much better "shooter" than I, I recommend the editing process to eliminate the wasted images that you (I) shot. Its fun to add titles, fade-ins and outs, sound track, special effects, etc.

You can use either program to burn a DVD, they both make it easy, or use any other burner program.

Ray

WOW!! What a treasure trove of good stuff you guys have pointed my blunt nose to! Special thanks to Chari for the dynamite link and to Martin for clarifying and adding more great ideas and links. And, same for Bob, Bill, and Ray.

I definitely see that the only way to do the job right is to move the files to a hard drive where they can be organized, edited, titled, and all the other good stuff that you guys have talked about in this post, all in digital format w/o conversion degradation.

See that---in just two days, the good people of PCQ&A have made my latest monetary contribution worth every penny! It's a virtual free ride for me 'til Jason's next fund raiser in six months.

Okay, here's the current situation:

I have things set up for making DVDs from my digital video tapes. I have Pinnacle Studio 8 up and running and have transferred my first tape to a new WD USB external hard drive via firewire. At this point, I am confused about a couple of things. Would you guys be so kind as to help me with the following:

1) I seem to recall that an AVI file comes before the final, edited, file is burned, in MPEG-2, as a working DVD that'll play on a t.v. AND a computer? Is that still the SOP?

2) During editing, I didn't get consistent audio, though there were spurts of sound during the process. As I am understanding it, a firewire transfer does both the video AND the audio. Is that correct? And, if so, can I expect the finished result to have proper audio even though I haven't figured out how to control audio during the editing process? That is, so much stuff is done automatically using firewire that I'm wondering if I need to worry about it.

Quote:

As I am understanding it, a firewire transfer does both the video AND the audio. Is that correct?

Yes

Thanx, Chari. That being so (firewire transferring audio as well as video) why is there no soundtrack in the mpeg file I built from the tape? Or, if there IS a soundtrack, why can't I hear it in Windows Media Player (version 9)?

Also, if I burn the mpeg file to a DVD disk, will it play on a properly connected television set as well as another computer?

I am really impressed with the resolution of the mpeg video as viewed on my computer. Awesome is about the only word for it.

I have transferred DV tape's video number of times to my PC using firewire and Window movie maker and experienced no sound problem.If I remember correctly Window Movie maker creates wmv file.I think you need to encode/software to convert wmv file to MPEG.Check it out

Check whether you can hear sound when you play the wmv file created by Window movie maker?If yes,the problem is due to encoding software

Edit: Found this in Google search now.See whether your problem is similar
A Similar problem

This is the file structure of a video DVD:

Quote:

VIDEO_TS\
VIDEO_TS.BUP 4/22/2005 09:32 24,576
VIDEO_TS.IFO 4/22/2005 09:32 24,576
VIDEO_TS.VOB 4/22/2005 09:32 29,220,864
VTS_01_0.BUP 4/22/2005 09:32 110,592
VTS_01_0.IFO 4/22/2005 09:32 110,592
VTS_01_1.VOB 4/22/2005 09:32 1,024,251,904
VTS_01_2.VOB 4/22/2005 09:37 1,024,174,080
VTS_01_3.VOB 4/22/2005 09:41 1,024,018,432
VTS_01_4.VOB 4/22/2005 09:44 990,681,088

Ignoring DVD+ and DVD- incompatibilities, this is what you want on a DVD that will play on any DVD player.

>This is the file structure of a video DVD:

Bill, this info is available only after a DVD is burned, isn't it? Where does one access this information?

This is weird: I am able to capture the DV video via firewire in both Pinnacle Studio 8 and Windows Movie Maker 5.1, but, don't get a soundtrack in either program. Does this make sense?

I always create the mentioned file structure on my hard drive before I even think about burning. That way, you can view to make sure all is well. Having those files on your hard drive comes in handy if you want a second copy. There should be a check box option to create these files, instead of burning to disc.

Update:

It's been a couple of weeks since I started this thread and I am pleased to say that I have finally got the sound problem solved and I'm ready to burn the edited computer file to DVD. Here's how I worked around my absence of audio in both Pinnacle Studio 8 and Windows Movie Maker:

I found that audio was no problem when using my wife's computer's firewire port, so, I bought a firewire card for my second computer and, happily, it, too, had no problem with the audio. So, I think the problem with the other computer has to do with the way I have the Microsoft Digital Sound System configured---the other computer which works just has on-board audio, as does my wife's computer.

Now that I'm ready to burn, I'm unsure how to proceed. Please take a look at my post #24, above. I still haven't resolved my question 1) in that post regarding getting the proper file format during the burn phase so that the disk will play in a DVD player attached to a t.v. (Chari, heeeeellllppp!!!!)

EDIT: Also, does it matter if I use DVD-R or DVD+R? Do both work okay?

Studio 8 will take the video files and convert them into a compliant format. Again I would suggest you create these on the hard drive first, instead of burning immediately.

Some DVD players are picky about reading DVD+R or DVD-R. One may read both, while another will read only one.

Check your DVD player.Some players play only original DVDs and not DVDR/RW.

Chari, the deal is that I'm missing one, or more, steps (authoring????) on the road to burning. At this point all I have are several avi files and an mpg file---see the attached screenshot. These files represent several attempts to get this to work. At least the mpg file runs on my computer in Windows Media Player. I'm sure I need to run this file through some process to turn it into a form suitable for burning a DVD that will play on a t.v.---so far, I'm finding NOTHING in PS8 that'll do this--- Any more ideas?

Use Nero if you have it. My burner came with Nero 6 Suite. I have used NeroVision Express to make a DVD that plays on player attached to my TV.

Martin, I tried Nero 7 and got all the way up to the final step and the 'burn' button was grayed out. The program had recognized my burner, but, something made it balk at that last step.

Did you exceed the capacity of the media?

No, Martin, my problem is not being able to burn, at all.

I think I may be one step closer to solving the problem in that I have determined that my burner seems NOT to be recognized by either PS8 or WMP. In PS8, all the burn options are grayed out, and, in WMP the burner is not listed in the drop-down of places to copy/send the file (I know this won't make a disk that'll play on anything but another computer). And, in Windows Explorer, when I click on the burner in the left hand column, I get an error message saying the drive 'is not accessible-incorrect function'. This is when there is a blank DVD disk in the drive. When there's a written disk in there (as, say, a program installation disk) it acts normally. This burner is an external USB Pacific Digital that I've never burned a DVD from before.

Does this new wrinkle suggest anything to all your fertile minds? I hope so :( :-) :(

Quote:

Does this new wrinkle suggest anything to all your fertile minds?

Yep. Sure sounds mighty similar to this:

"DVD rewriter drive"
http://www.pcqanda.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=2&topic_id=439744

I guarantee it is there. I currently do not have Studio loaded, so I can not post a screen shot of it. It is not buried, just keep looking.

Okay, William, I'll retrace the steps and see where I'm going astray. As soon as I succeed, if I do, I'll post back.

Since it takes a bit of time for the software to do it's thing with large files, practice with a very small video file. The program will still create the proper file structure but it will be much faster.

Good idea, William.

>Since it takes a bit of time for the software to do it's
>thing with large files, practice with a very small video file.
>The program will still create the proper file structure but it
>will be much faster.

This is well said Sid. I should add that while you are in the learning stage, be sure to use DVD RW Media so you don't lose $$$ on coasters.

Also to run your PC real lean, offline, minus A/V, and firewalls etc while you are doing Video work because most of the software really uses up resources. (I use task manager to find out when)

Lots of great advice in this thread!

By the way, My Camera allows me to hook up a VCR to it so I can
1: record to the camera from a VHS tape.
2: I can also connect the camera as you have, via firewire to a PC so I can capture/view contents on the PC. (Don't even think of using USB for this part)
3: There is a setting on the camera, that allows the VHS data to transfer directly through the camera and is captured on the PC by your Video software as digital files(.AVI) The manual will explain this step and where it is set.
The camera actually does the work of the card you were initially searching for.

My disclaimer here is that my camera is a Sony but I believe they all possess this ability.

I hope this bit helps you out a little.

Pacific

I am giving up on this---too many pressing matters to attend to. I have given much thought and action to all the great suggestions you guys have given me and nothing is working.

The drive is recognized as a reader with no problem. I think, for some reason, Windows isn't seeing it as a recorder---all DVD buttons in PS8 are grayed out.

BTW, Windows Movie Maker doesn't mention DVD, at all---only CD. What gives with that????

What DVD player do you have, & is it also a DVD burner?

"incorrect function"


Info Tool will let you know what functions are supported on your DVD.
http://www.nero.com/nero7/eng/Info_Tool.html

From #43.

> This burner is an external USB Pacific Digital that I've never burned a DVD from before.

But it could be a CDRW, but only a DVD reader.
Or even if it is a DVD writer, the DVD end could be bad?

>But it could be a CDRW, but only a DVD reader.
>Or even if it is a DVD writer, the DVD end could be bad?

No, Steven, it is definitely a DVD burner as well as reader. As I say, it's supposed to do everything. Device Manager lists it as a (EDIT: add DVD here) burner, as well.

You could be right about the burner part not being up to snuff. Do you know a way to test that---a simple way to burn something to check its functionality?

Sid,
Try burning some data to a DVD with Nero. Just burn your My Documents, or part of that folder to a DVD. If that doesn't work, try burning some files to a CD.

Also, can you post a Pacific Digital model number for the unit you have?

You can also use Nero Info Tool to find the exact model of the drive that is in the external enclosure. The actual drive probably wasn't made by Pacific Digital, they just put it in the enclosure.

>Try burning some data to a DVD with Nero. Just burn your My
>Documents, or part of that folder to a DVD.

Martin, that worked perfectly. I just burned a bunch of wmv files to a DVD+R disk and they play from the disk just fine.

>Also, can you post a Pacific Digital model number for the unit
>you have?

Device Manager identifies it as_"NEC DVD_RW ND-2500A USB Device"

Is NeroVision supposed to be a part of the Nero 7 Ultra Edition suite? I don't see it anywhere in there.

I am coming in very late to this thread and I know that you have already spent time and money on this project, but another answer is to just use a transfer service. If someone queries the forum with the same question you have, then they might find the transfer service solution preferrable.

I have used this service before I began doing it myself - they do a good job and they are located in most Targets and Best Buys: http://www.yesvideo.com/

If you look in the FAQ section, you can submit up to two sources for a 2-hour DVD as long as it is in the same format. Now it would be quite expensive for the 24 source tapes you have. But for someone that doesn't want to spend the money on hardware and software or want to learn the software, it might be a solution.

Here is another place, but I have not used them: http://www.vhsconversion.com/dvd.html

Priscilla L.

>What DVD player do you have, & is it also a DVD
>burner?

Steven, it's a Pacific Digital external USB DVD R-RW/CD R-RW (it should do it all, though I have not yet burned a DVD on this unit).

Incidentally, the drive is fully recognized in Device Manager and is listed as working properly. And, as I previously mentioned, the drive shows up in Windows Explorer when there is a pre-recorded disk inserted. It reads DVDs with no problem. Oh, and I checked as suggested by you, or someone else, and the checkbox to make the drive recordable was not checked. I checked it, but, still nada.

After all of this and since you've never burned a disk with it, I'd lean towards the unit being defective.

Bob, please see #53, above. I just don't get why PS8 and WMM don't see the drive.

>Bob, please see #53, above. I just don't get why PS8 and WMM
>don't see the drive.


http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=DE1491AC-0AB6-4990-943D-627E6ADE9FCB&displaylang=en

Sid, maybe if you download the file in the above link, you may get a better idea of what is happening.

Good luck,

Pacific

Pacific, I did as you suggested. The utility found 'CyberLink Video/SP Decoder (file name CLVSD.ax v. 6.0.0.1402) and listed it as the Preferred Encoder, both MP 10 and MCE compatible. For what that's worth.

So Nero was able to see & successfully write to a DVD+R disk.

Is this the same type of disk, DVD+R, that you had been try to use before with PS8 & WMM?

If you were attempting to use a DVD+RW, did you format it first? Hmmm. Does that apply? If you were using packet writing software, then it would need to be formated. Otherwise, RW media should look like a single write type of media if using (software like Roxio) Creator, or the standard Nero program.

Some softwares need to be updated - with burner drive database updates. I.e., it could be that the particular program, say PS8, does not support your particular drive? Or needs an update for it?

>So Nero was able to see & successfully write to a DVD+R
>disk.

Yes.

>Is this the same type of disk, DVD+R, that you had been try to
>use before with PS8 & WMM?

I had tried both minus and plus, Steven.

>If you were attempting to use a DVD+RW, did you format it
>first? Hmmm. Does that apply?

No, didn't need to format it to do the successful direct burn.

>it could be that the particular program, say
>PS8, does not support your particular drive? Or needs an
>update for it?

Hmmm, that's a thought, but, for both PS8 and WMM to not recognize the drive is not likely, is it, especially since the drive is an NEC plain vanilla variety drive (an assumption, of course).

Likely?
I know nothing of WMM, so you'll have to tell me.

Quote:

Current versions of Windows Movie Maker also only allow the burning of Video CDs; that is, they do not support DVD burning directly.

http://www.answers.com/topic/windows-movie-maker

MS says this ...

Quote:

Windows Movie Maker: Save your movie to a DVD

Burn your movie to a DVD

To burn a DVD that you can play in a video DVD player, you need to have a DVD burner and video DVD burning software on your computer.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/create/savetodvd.mspx

So if you need DVD burning software, then that seems to indicate that something more then Windows Movie Maker is needed - like Nero, or similar.


PS: What is PS8? Is that a Broderbund product? Do they have a tech support website?

I think PS8 is Pinnacle Studio, currently at version 10.5.

"Studio 8 does not detect my CD or DVD burner."
http://pinnacle.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/pinnacle.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1593

"Knowledge Base"
http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Products/Consumer+Products/?viewRN=rnanswer

Thanx for all the links, Steven (and Priscilla). I'll get to those later today, I hope.

That's right, Martin. I spelled it out in #24, above.

Well, I've been doing some thinking (very difficult for me), and, investigating, and have determined that I need an idiot-proof program that'll do it all. This has led me to Ulead's DVD MovieFactory 5 DVD authoring/burning software. The following excerpt is from a review:

Conclusions on Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5

Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 is a very easy-to-use and affordable DVD Burning program for Windows PC users. What sets it apart from other DVD burning apps is its support for High Definition Camcorders and future support for HD DVD and Blu-ray. To get the HD DVD and Blu-ray burning capabilities, you must download a free HD DVD burning pack from the Ulead Web site, and Blu-ray is not yet available according to a recent Ulead press release. However, since HD DVD and Blu-ray burners are not yet available to consumers (as of this writing), not having the HD DVD and Blu-ray functionality built-in to the program isn't a major issue. I enjoyed using this product, and found it easy to use, without having to constantly refer to the manual. I give Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 four out of five stars.

Here's a link to the whole enchilada: http://dvr.about.com/od/productreviews/fr/ulead5_review_2.htm

Now, before I shell out the fifty bucks for this puppy, does anyone say 'nay!!!'???

Okay, no takers/givers, so, here's the latest.

I found a free, thirty day trial, of Ulead MovieMaker 5 and installed it tonight. Imported an edited video file from Windows Movie Maker (avi) and burned it to a DVD+R disk---it plays just fine in our tv's DVD player.

If you want to give it a try, go here for the download: http://www.download.com/3001-7970_4-10516075.html

>Okay, no takers/givers, so, here's the latest.
>
>I found a free, thirty day trial, of Aleda Movie Maker 5 and
>installed it tonight. Imported an edited video file from
>Windows Movie Maker (avi) and burned it to a DVD+R disk---it
>plays just fine in our TV's DVD player.
>
>If you want to give it a try, go here for the download:
>http://www.download.com/3001-7970_4-10516075.html

Sid; It's good to hear you found your problem.........who would have guessed so many broken programs????

I will be interested to hear how it goes with your ULEAD product. A few years ago I decided to go with Roxio for this work. I'm up to EMC 9 now and must tell you it is a bear to figure out. The standard Creator Classic is pretty well straight forward but when you start using the Sonic version of DVD and slide show makers you need to be some kind of geek, or maybe very young to get along with it. If it were not for the forum they provide and a few super people that answer questions for us I don't know what we'd do........go back to version 6 I guess.

Good luck with your new toy, you'll have countless hours of fun with it.

Pacific

My only thought would be (& without reviewing this entire thread), is that you have everything working (?) - either with WMM or SP8, up to the point of it actually burning the DVD.

If that is the case, you might try starting with the results they do give, & then use Nero (which I believe you have) to do the final burning to DVD.

If that works, then just weigh the convenience of an all-in-one $50 solution to using two separate programs.