17 replies to this topic

[way2muchtodo]

I bought this program when my son was born... TWO YEARS AGO.  I am just finding time to explore it now!  I was hoping to get some of his baby footage burned to DVDs before the next baby arrives this summer, and I find I have many questions that I can't find simple answers to.  I'd appreciate any help with the following:

1. Is there any way to make different size/color fonts for different lines on the same panel in the text editor?

2. When working on your video in Timeline, is there any way to  jump to the next split or file without scrolling through the whole thing?  I tried using the TAB button, because it seemed like a possibility, but nope!

3. Is there any way to apply a slow motion effect to video clips?

4. Is there a way to put a text caption over video in motion?

5. What the heck happens when I accidentally drag the timeline??  I see lots of movement and panic before heading for UNDO because I have no idea what I've done!  Is it just changing the view like the zoom in/out button?

6. Other than hitting UNDO immediately afterwards, is there any way to later Un-split a file?

7. Are there any other options for buying individual songs online?  To pay a monthly fee like Napster requires would not be worth the money for the number of times I plan to use it.

8. FINALLY (for now, at least!) what is going on when I make an adjustment to my video file and any sound tracks I've added for the whole project shift?  For example, I shorten the duration of a solid color panel and the sound that goes with it is off, as well as any other sounds in that line of the timeline editor.  I think I may be adding them in the wrong place.  Maybe I  need to add them in the editor for the specific item, instead of just tacking them on the timeline?

I'm just starting to get on my feet with this program and they email me with a chance to upgrade!  Is there anything in version 8 that would make it worthwhile for an amateur like myself to start from scratch?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Joanne

[ml]

Congratulations! This is an easy program to learn compared to most, but the first movie is always the hardest.

I wouldn't upgrade now. Most of the video editing is the same and you don't have a lot of time to work with. Two children under 3 is going to keep you busy.

1. Not in the same text box, but you can apply multiple text boxes.
2. There's an orange vertical bar that you can drag along the timeline to move quickly to the next split.
3. Yes. Right click on the clip where you want to apply slow/fast motion and choose Edit\ Adjust
4. Yes. Just add text to the video clip.
5. I'm not exactly sure what you're doing, but I suspect that you're using the option to expand or shrink the timeline. That just makes it easier or harder to see your video clips depending on their length. It won't affect your production.
6. Not really. However, your original video is never changed, so you can just drag another copy of the file to the storyline and delete the splits you don't want anymore.
7. I buy prepaid Napster cards at a local electronic store. I do that for the teenager in my house. You can buy a card for 10 songs for $10 and you don't have to pay a monthly fee. There is also a lot of free music on the net, but I find it easier just to buy the song that I need.
8. This one is a little trickier. You can add music to the INTERNAL track of the program and the song will stay with the individual clip. That won't help if the music is over several different video/pictures though.

You might be better off making separate 'productions' in VideoWave for each music track. Then you can assemble them into one long storyline in DVD Builder. For example, if you have some video that you want specifically to play while a song is being played.... ie. a birthday party to 'happy birthday', make a production just of that video, pictures, and music. Do the same with each song that you have.

Then you have two options.
If you want to have all the productions in one file on the DVD menu, you'll have to do  a File\ Output production to... and choose Video File\ DVD authoring\ best for each of the productions.   Then you can assemble them on the DVD Builder storyline.   Since the files are now ready for a DVD, rendering it will not take a lot of time.

If you want each of the productions to appear as a separate item on the menu, choose Add to title and add the .dmsm VideoWave production files to the DVD Builder menu.   Rendering will be done when you go to actually burn the DVD.

Hope that wasnt' too confusing.

Edited by mlpasley, 12 June 2006 - 08:54 PM.

[way2muchtodo]

WOW,
That was all great information and in a fraction of the time it took me to try and track down one or two of the answers in the Help files.  I really appreciate it!  I hope you don't mind if I take advantage to ask a few more:

I did most of my editing internally this time and it solved the problem of the sound track being off.  If I make separate productions for each music track, will they play consecutively as one video or will I have to go back to the menu between each?

Since reading about it in the forums, I've been using WinDV to get separate clips off my camcorder, because the capture just didn't seem to get them right.  Is WinDV really the best way to do that?  And what causes it to drop frames?

Does a 120 minute production really fit on one DVD?

Oh, and I thought I might be able to do more than one text box, but can't seem to figure out how to add it!

Thanks again!

Edited by way2muchtodo, 13 June 2006 - 01:14 PM.

[ml]

No problem.  I hang out here because I like helping people get their video onto DVDs.

If you make separate productions for each music track, you'll have to do the File\ Output production as... and make a Video File for DVD authoring, best.   That will make new movies that you can add to the same storyline in DVD Builder.

However, if editing them on an internal track works, then do that because it's easier and takes less time.

You can add separate productions to the DVD Builder menu and if you've got the update to EMC 7.0 or EMC 7.5, there is an option in the DVD Builder\ Burn\ Advanced settings that allows you to set the option to Play the Next Title rather than returning to the main menu after a title is done playing.

I don't use WinDV so I don't know why it would be dropping frames.   Almost all capture programs drop a few frames because you're depending on the speed of different parts of the computer.   Capturing in DV AVI is usually smoother because it is uncompressed video and the computer doesn't have to encode it to mpeg2 while it is capturing.   We'd need a bit more information about your computer specifications and what you're using to capture to see if we can spot a problem.

You're only going to get around ONE HOUR of best quality video onto a 4.7 GB DVD.  You can get around 2 hours onto a dual layer DVD, but some DVD players won't play them.

To get two text boxes on one video, switch to the storyline view.   Drag text onto the video.    That will put the text onto the Internal track.   Now switch back to the timeline view and drag another text box onto the video.   You'll need to move one of them because otherwise one will cover the other one up.

And, of course, you can split the video into tiny pieces and put the text on the video so that you have changing text.    Special effects like fade in/out can make the transition seamless.

If you think of anything else, please ask.   Someone else will benefit from your questions.

Edited by mlpasley, 13 June 2006 - 05:09 PM.

[way2muchtodo]

Thanks again.  I'm just finishing up and going to try and burn my first project tomorrow.  I have a feeling it's going to take a while, and I don't have the energy left to see it out tonight!  I'm hoping it looks better in the finished project than does in the preview.  It seems a little grainy and transitions are a little jerky looking.  One quick question:  what is the story with saving the image file?  I honestly looked this up in Help and still don't understand if I need to do it or not.

[ml]

Don't judge your final production by the preview.  If you want to test the final production, burn it to a DVD-RW to see if the transitions smooth out.  The picture in the preview is also pretty grainy, but that's not what you'll see on the DVD.

Depending on the speed of your computer, you might want to consider a round of golf while it's rendering.   It will take some time, so it's best to let the computer do ONLY rendering while you do something else (not on the computer.)

As far as the image file, you need to understand that video editing is a very cpu intensive process.  In laymans terms, that means that the computer works very hard when it goes to render the video and burn it to a DVD.

By burning to an image file, the computer will encode to a file on your computer.   Then when you go to burn the image file to a DVD, the computer will take that encoded file and burn it to a DVD.   By separating the process into two separate  tasks, the chances are that you'll get a better burn to the DVD.

However, a lot depends on your computer.   Some people burn directly to a DVD with no problems.

I use 'image files' because I usually burn multiple copies and it's much faster to do that with Disk Copier and an 'image file.

[sknis]

mlpasley, on Jun 17 2006, 12:21 AM, said:

Depending on the speed of your computer, you might want to consider a round of golf while it's rendering. It will take some time, so it's best to let the computer do ONLY rendering while you do something else (not on the computer.)

Round of golf with a 2 year old and very pregnant?   Actually, with my old computer I found that a good night's sleep while the file was being rendered was a good way of doing it.  

Good luck with the kids and the program.

[way2muchtodo]

Yeah, I had trouble with golf BEFORE my belly got in the way.  Sleep is definitely the activity of choice, here.  Okay, so I'm going to set this DVD a burnin' and go pick up the three rooms that my son has strewn with toys while I've been getting this ready.  Yikes, looks like he got into the DVD drawer again and took out all the discs and inserts... I knew he was being too quiet.  This is the price I pay for some computer time!  I"m going to try burning directly to a DVD, but also save an image file, since they give me the option to do so.  This way, if it actually comes out good, I can make copies for the grandparents later!

One more thing... is there any way to know the finished size of the titles before getting to DVD builder?  When I orignally finished this project, it was too big for the DVD!  I had to remove some of the video and save it for The Sequel.  That freed up more room than I needed, so I was able to include a slide show of photos, but it took a lot of trial and error, going back and forth to DVD builder to see what would fit, and what would put me over again.  When I tried to see the size of the production files outside of DVD BUilder, it gave me a small number which I can only conclude did not include the actual images!

Okay, I'm off to burn!
Thanks again!

[sknis]

You are much better off to just make the iso file and then copy it to a DVD disc.  It seems that better DVDs are produced when separating the rendering from the burning.  They play on more DVD players.  

Also you can get one hour of best quality DVD on a disc so don't be too fast in deleting the extra shows.  You can get almost 2 hours on a DVD with reduced quality.  To play it safe, don't go over about 1 1/2 hours.  Create the iso file at best quality,  not fit to disc.  After the iso file is completed and you go to copy the iso to the disc, you will be told if it is large, just continue and disc copier will automatically set the quality to fit.

way2muchtodo, on Jun 17 2006, 09:23 AM, said:

Yeah, I had trouble with golf BEFORE my belly got in the way. Sleep is definitely the activity of choice, here. Okay, so I'm going to set this DVD a burnin' and go pick up the three rooms that my son has strewn with toys while I've been getting this ready. Yikes, looks like he got into the DVD drawer again and took out all the discs and inserts... I knew he was being too quiet. This is the price I pay for some computer time! I"m going to try burning directly to a DVD, but also save an image file, since they give me the option to do so. This way, if it actually comes out good, I can make copies for the grandparents later!

One more thing... is there any way to know the finished size of the titles before getting to DVD builder? When I orignally finished this project, it was too big for the DVD! I had to remove some of the video and save it for The Sequel. That freed up more room than I needed, so I was able to include a slide show of photos, but it took a lot of trial and error, going back and forth to DVD builder to see what would fit, and what would put me over again. When I tried to see the size of the production files outside of DVD BUilder, it gave me a small number which I can only conclude did not include the actual images!

Okay, I'm off to burn!
Thanks again!

[way2muchtodo]

sknis, on Jun 17 2006, 07:44 AM, said:

You are much better off to just make the iso file and then copy it to a DVD disc.  It seems that better DVDs are produced when separating the rendering from the burning.  They play on more DVD players.  

Also you can get one hour of best quality DVD on a disc so don't be too fast in deleting the extra shows.  You can get almost 2 hours on a DVD with reduced quality.  To play it safe, don't go over about 1 1/2 hours.  Create the iso file at best quality,  not fit to disc.  After the iso file is completed and you go to copy the iso to the disc, you will be told if it is large, just continue and disc copier will automatically set the quality to fit.

okay,
I can see where I can save the file as an iso, but how do I do it without also burning the disc?  Do I uncheck the box where it says "save original images to disc"?  Is that code for "Burn the CD"? Because I wasn't sure just what they were asking me there...!

If I go the iso file route and it turns out I'm over, can I go back and delete/edit to reduce the ISO file size (in case I don't want to reduce the quality of the video to fit the disc)?  I'm not sure just how much quality I'm sacrificing by chosing that.  Does quality decline proportionally to how much time I'm over, or is it just BEST quality or LESS THAN BEST?

When I go to burn the ISO to a DVD, is it as simple as just opening it and burning it?  Do I have to make sure I have any data CDs (such as one with music or photos) that I used to make the project inserted, or is all that stuff already in the file?  For example, I found that when I was burning a project to disc directly from DVD Builder, I had to browse for a bunch of missing files because the CD I got some of my pictures from had been in the DVD+RW drive when I was building, but when I burned, it had to be moved to a different drive.  Also, if all that info is already in the ISO file, once I have it saved, can I delete the files from my computer and still burn a complete project from that file later on?  Can I also delete the collections that were created for those projcets?  

I have to tell you, I find the program itself pretty easy to use, and I love the professional-looking DVDs I'm getting using it, but the more creative I try to get, the more questions I have!  I haven't even tried using Story Builder or Cinemagic... if I had, we'd all be spending less time on my posts!  

I also feel like I'm overwhelmed with trying to organize the process.  Am I making extra steps for myself?  FIrst I capture the video using WinDV (because I couldn't get the scene dectection to work for me with Roxio's capture).  I save it all to my hard drive, and copy it to DVD as is, JUST IN CASE.  Then I use videowave to assemble a production from the scenes on my hard drive, (editing out big, boring chunks as I go!) with the music, etc., before putting together the DVD.  When it's all done, I plan to start deleting the files from my hard drive, and keep the initial DVDs in case I ever want to access one of the scenes for something else.  Can I do that from the ISO file??  If so, that's what I'll save and archive on DVD.

WHEW...Sorry, I know I'm rambling.  It's just that naptime is almost over, which means mommy's computer time is up!!!  I wanted to try and get it all in so I can continue on my quest to convert all these little miniDV tapes to lovely home movies before I'm swamped with new footage of the newest arrival.... heaven help me then!!!  I'll have to hire someone to do the next 3 or 4 years of home movies for me or wait til they both go off to college!!!

Thanks again, oh Benevolent, Patient Gurus!  

[Beerman]

To save the ISO file, check Save Image File and uncheck, Burn to Disc.  Select Best Quality and uncheck Fit to Disc.  Let the ISO file be as long as it needs to then when you burn the ISO to disc with Disc Copier, it iwll transcode to fit at the best quality possible.  I've successfully burned up to 7.2 gb with very acceptable quality.

[ml]

First, DO NOT DELETE ANYTHING UNTIL YOU'RE CERTAIN THAT YOU WON'T NEED IT AGAIN.   (This from someone who learned the hard way.)

You're burning a DVD with EMC 7+, correct?   I only ask because that's what these answers are for.

Let me see if I can explain the process to you and you can make decisions based on the information.

You've already discovered that you need to have all the files necessary on your hard drive and linked to burn the DVD.

The VideoWave and DVD Builder productions are linked back to the original video and pictures which are not changed.   When you go to burn the DVD ( or .iso file), the video and pictures are combined into a NEW movie.

Having your pictures on a CD or data DVD for backup is recommended because when you make the movie, the new pictures contained in the movie will probably have a lower resolution than the original photos.    

When you select to have the original photos stored on the DVD, it will store them in a separate folder on the DVD and it will take up space that you probably need for your movie.  You don't need to do this since you already have the pictures stored on a CD.

If you're using a 4.7 GB DVD, put ONE HOUR TOTAL into the movie and select BEST quality.   The storyline will tell you how much total time you have in the production.

The only extra step you're taking is burning the original video to a Data DVD.  However, while that step may take a few minutes, it will save you hours of time if the original file accidentally gets deleted from your hard drive.

Now to the actual burning.....
Uncheck 'the save original images to disk'
Check the 'image file'  ( You could just burn the DVD, but if you need additional copies, and image file will be quicker)
Uncheck the DVD.
Burn the image file (make certain you know where it's stored.).  

When it's done, double click on the image file (.iso) and it will automatically open Disk Copier to burn the DVD.   If it's over an hour, it will automatically shrink the file to fit on the DVD, but you will lose some quality.   If it's under an hour, it won't shrink the file and you'll get the original quality.

Since you're dealing with family memories, I'd suggest that you save one of the dvds in a safe place and also burn the .iso file to a Data DVD.   That's 2 separate DVDs that I recommend you keep in a safe place, and you might get a relative to store a second copy of each, just in case.  

You can always burn more DVDs from the .iso file and you can always 'capture' the movie back from a DVD to edit it in the future.   You won't be able to edit the movie from the .iso file, but you can burn a DVD from the .iso file, you can capture the movie back from that DVD.   If you have a lot of hard drive space, you could also burn the DVD (or .iso) to the hard drive for storage in a folder.   DVDs can become unreadable over time, so if you can store a copy of the DVD or .iso file on your hard drive that would be a good idea.

Once you've got your production onto a DVD and have made sure that you're satisfied with the final product, you can delete all the original files and EMC7 productions off your hard drive.  Deleting collections won't delete the original files, unless you select the option to delete the original files from the hard drive.

And I'd suggest that you keep those original DV tapes.   I know it's tempting to tape over them, but I've had limited success taping over them and that's your best quality video if you need it in the future.

[way2muchtodo]

pcostanza, on Jun 19 2006, 12:50 PM, said:

To save the ISO file, check Save Image File and uncheck, Burn to Disc.  Select Best Quality and uncheck Fit to Disc.  Let the ISO file be as long as it needs to then when you burn the ISO to disc with Disc Copier, it iwll transcode to fit at the best quality possible.  I've successfully burned up to 7.2 gb with very acceptable quality.

WOW.  That's good to know.  I was stressing out about going a couple hundred MB over!  How many MB in a GB anyway???  I never was any good at math....

[ogdens]

way2muchtodo, on Jun 19 2006, 04:50 PM, said:

WOW.  That's good to know.  I was stressing out about going a couple hundred MB over!  How many MB in a GB anyway???  I never was any good at math....

Just go into google and type in "mb to gb" (without the quotes) and do some reading.

[way2muchtodo]

mlpasley, on Jun 19 2006, 01:43 PM, said:

First, DO NOT DELETE ANYTHING UNTIL YOU'RE CERTAIN THAT YOU WON'T NEED IT AGAIN.   (This from someone who learned the hard way.)

You're burning a DVD with EMC 7+, correct?   I only ask because that's what these answers are for.

Let me see if I can explain the process to you and you can make decisions based on the information.

You've already discovered that you need to have all the files necessary on your hard drive and linked to burn the DVD.

The VideoWave and DVD Builder productions are linked back to the original video and pictures which are not changed.   When you go to burn the DVD ( or .iso file), the video and pictures are combined into a NEW movie.

Having your pictures on a CD or data DVD for backup is recommended because when you make the movie, the new pictures contained in the movie will probably have a lower resolution than the original photos.    

When you select to have the original photos stored on the DVD, it will store them in a separate folder on the DVD and it will take up space that you probably need for your movie.  You don't need to do this since you already have the pictures stored on a CD.

If you're using a 4.7 GB DVD, put ONE HOUR TOTAL into the movie and select BEST quality.   The storyline will tell you how much total time you have in the production.

The only extra step you're taking is burning the original video to a Data DVD.  However, while that step may take a few minutes, it will save you hours of time if the original file accidentally gets deleted from your hard drive.

Trust me, I am SO paranoid about deleting/losing things that I will always have backups of the backups I backed up from the original backups.  This is why I need more storage space

The only things I really considered deleting were the video files from my hard drive once they were backed up to DVD.  I figured once I had the DVD burned, I'd burn a backup copy to use to burn another useable copy only if the original ever became compromised.  I'm not sure how fast these things deteriorate or if it depends on how many times you watch them, but I figure if a 2 year-old gets hold of one and uses it as a teething ring, I'd better have a plan B.  If the backup sits in a fire safe for 20 years, never seeing the light of day, does it still deteriorate over time?  The thought of keeping ten years worth of video files on my hard drive is daunting!

I am using EMC7.  I understand about the ISO/DVD being a new movie.  Any editing I do to the titles in DVD Builder does change the productions (right?), though it doesn't change the original video and pictures.  So once I have an ISO file burned from DVD Builder, it sounds like I won't be able to open it up in DVD builder and edit the titles again, correct?  

I've already kept all the original movie files and pictures on CDs and DVDs

mlpasley, on Jun 19 2006, 01:43 PM, said:

Now to the actual burning.....
Uncheck 'the save original images to disk'
Check the 'image file'  ( You could just burn the DVD, but if you need additional copies, and image file will be quicker)
Uncheck the DVD.
Burn the image file (make certain you know where it's stored.).  

When it's done, double click on the image file (.iso) and it will automatically open Disk Copier to burn the DVD.   If it's over an hour, it will automatically shrink the file to fit on the DVD, but you will lose some quality.   If it's under an hour, it won't shrink the file and you'll get the original quality.

Okay, that was one of my first mistakes... I was saving all the images again, thinking I needed to do it to have the movie play properly.  

mlpasley, on Jun 19 2006, 01:43 PM, said:

Since you're dealing with family memories, I'd suggest that you save one of the dvds in a safe place and also burn the .iso file to a Data DVD.   That's 2 separate DVDs that I recommend you keep in a safe place, and you might get a relative to store a second copy of each, just in case.

When I burn the ISO file to a data DVD, it's just a file and not a movie?  Is the file smaller?

mlpasley, on Jun 19 2006, 01:43 PM, said:

You can always burn more DVDs from the .iso file and you can always 'capture' the movie back from a DVD to edit it in the future.   You won't be able to edit the movie from the .iso file, but you can burn a DVD from the .iso file, you can capture the movie back from that DVD.   If you have a lot of hard drive space, you could also burn the DVD (or .iso) to the hard drive for storage in a folder.   DVDs can become unreadable over time, so if you can store a copy of the DVD or .iso file on your hard drive that would be a good idea.

Once you've got your production onto a DVD and have made sure that you're satisfied with the final product, you can delete all the original files and EMC7 productions off your hard drive.  Deleting collections won't delete the original files, unless you select the option to delete the original files from the hard drive.

And I'd suggest that you keep those original DV tapes.   I know it's tempting to tape over them, but I've had limited success taping over them and that's your best quality video if you need it in the future.

I did NOT know that I could capture back from a DVD.  Again, before I burn anything to the hard drive for storage, is there a difference in size from the ISO file to the DVD?  Is ISO compressed or anything?  
Finally, even if I don't tape over the DV tapes, and unless they are less likely to deteriorate than DVDs, can't I just rely on the backup DVD of the original video files and at least free up some drawer space where the DV tapes are steadily accumulating??  

My goodness, you'd think what I had on video, I'm so concerned about losing it!  It's just that I don't want my kids to have the equivalent of a box of rotting 8mm tapes that are barely viewable as the only evidence of their childhood, like I ended up with!  

[golinux]

I also suffer a certain backup paranoia so can sympathize.  But in the end, everything and everyone will turn to dust so why worry.  I try to do my best and save the anxiety.  If it's there when I need it, great!  If not, that's got to be OK too.  You can't take it with you, you know . . .  

[ml]

1,000 MB = 1 GB,   and just to make things interesting 1,000 GB = 1 Terabyte.

I guess I didn't explain 'image files' very well.   Everything that is going on the DVD is stored in the image file.   It's exactly the same size as the files that will be burned to the DVD.  It's literally what the name says.... it's an 'image' of the DVD.   The advantages to using image files are that the burns seem to be more reliable and it's good for burning multiple copies.  The only time the file would be compressed would be if you tried to put more than one hour onto a 4.7 GB DVD and you'd see it compressing the file.

As long as you don't get rid of your original files or productions, you can reopen a DVD Builder project and change the titles or edit the video after you've burned the image file.   For example, if you burn the DVD and don't like something on the DVD, just reedit it, make another image file and burn that one (just delete the original image file)

Once you've burned the DVD and gotten rid of the original files to free up hard disk space, you can 'Capture' the movie files from the DVD or a DVD burned to your hard drive and edit them in VideoWave or DVD Builder.   You'll have to start a new production, but that's pretty easy.

No one can guarantee how long these DVDs are going to last. Most of the failures on DVDs are from the dye layer failing, not 2 year olds. Although they can be pretty energetic.


As far as storage on your hard drive, you can store the .iso or burn the DVD to the hard drive and you'll only need less than 4.7 GB for each hour of finished DVD ( or 8 Gb for a dual layer DVD.)  Of course, since you've got the original video on DVDs and CDs, this might be overkill.   You're going to have to decide if it's worth storing it on your hard drive.

I'm paranoid too.  So I do a File\ Output production to.... DV Camcorder and export the finished movie to one of those tapes that are accumulating in drawers.   That way, I can either tape over or throw out all the tapes that are taking up space and keep only the finished movie on tape.  True, the tapes will deteriorate over time, but in case DVD standards change in the next few years (which I think they will), I'll be able to easily import my finished movies to the computer and make new DVDs even if the original DVDs fail or cannot be read by the 'newer' computer programs.

Since you found our first hand how tapes deteriorate over time, you're unlikely to let that happen to your children's videos.   Just try to find some time to keep on top of the technology while raising children.  

There are companies that can help recover those deterioting tapes.   Unfortunately, when your parents made those tapes, they were supposed to last forever.   ( sound familiar? )

[way2muchtodo]

mlpasley, on Jun 19 2006, 06:11 PM, said:

1,000 MB = 1 GB,   and just to make things interesting 1,000 GB = 1 Terabyte.

I guess I didn't explain 'image files' very well.   Everything that is going on the DVD is stored in the image file.   It's exactly the same size as the files that will be burned to the DVD.  It's literally what the name says.... it's an 'image' of the DVD.   The advantages to using image files are that the burns seem to be more reliable and it's good for burning multiple copies.  The only time the file would be compressed would be if you tried to put more than one hour onto a 4.7 GB DVD and you'd see it compressing the file.

As long as you don't get rid of your original files or productions, you can reopen a DVD Builder project and change the titles or edit the video after you've burned the image file.   For example, if you burn the DVD and don't like something on the DVD, just reedit it, make another image file and burn that one (just delete the original image file)

Once you've burned the DVD and gotten rid of the original files to free up hard disk space, you can 'Capture' the movie files from the DVD or a DVD burned to your hard drive and edit them in VideoWave or DVD Builder.   You'll have to start a new production, but that's pretty easy.

No one can guarantee how long these DVDs are going to last. Most of the failures on DVDs are from the dye layer failing, not 2 year olds. Although they can be pretty energetic.
As far as storage on your hard drive, you can store the .iso or burn the DVD to the hard drive and you'll only need less than 4.7 GB for each hour of finished DVD ( or 8 Gb for a dual layer DVD.)  Of course, since you've got the original video on DVDs and CDs, this might be overkill.   You're going to have to decide if it's worth storing it on your hard drive.

I'm paranoid too.  So I do a File\ Output production to.... DV Camcorder and export the finished movie to one of those tapes that are accumulating in drawers.   That way, I can either tape over or throw out all the tapes that are taking up space and keep only the finished movie on tape.  True, the tapes will deteriorate over time, but in case DVD standards change in the next few years (which I think they will), I'll be able to easily import my finished movies to the computer and make new DVDs even if the original DVDs fail or cannot be read by the 'newer' computer programs.

Since you found our first hand how tapes deteriorate over time, you're unlikely to let that happen to your children's videos.   Just try to find some time to keep on top of the technology while raising children.  

There are companies that can help recover those deterioting tapes.   Unfortunately, when your parents made those tapes, they were supposed to last forever.   ( sound familiar? )

Actually, you did a much better job explaining it than the Help that came with the program did!  It's just taking my sleep-deprived brain time to wrap itself around all this info.  It's working at about the same speed as my computer does while rendering video.   I can even hear the whirring of the motor as I try to process it all....  Now that I have the blocks in place, all I have to do is run out and buy all new recording media, since I just read in another topic how Memorex media stinks... who knew???  

In any case, be it 8mm, VHS, Memorex or Verbatim... NOTHING lasts forever!  
I think I'm going to have to go out and find me some additional Terabytes of memory to store all this stuff!

Thanks again!