Newbie questions on VHS tape to DVD authoring

[gfcatlanta]

I'm using Roxio EMC8 and just getting familiar with it. (By the way, it seems to crash a lot when I try to create a DVD with lots of pictures and video files, but I guess that's a separate post).

 

Anyway, I'd like to create a few DVDs, and want to start by capturing some VHS tapes (and get rid of the bulky old tapes). Will then later capture some Digital-8 and other things and spin them to a DVD.

 

So, after the VHS tape video is captured to an MPEG-2 file on PC, I wondered about the authoring. For VHS tapes, I really just want a good quality move from tape to disc, not an artistic production with lots of features...would seem to take lots of time to add all that. (Although maybe I'll add 2-3 title pages like "1999 in Alaska" then "2000 in Boston" then 2001 in DC", but that's it.)

 

So, what do I do with CHAPTERS to keep it simple (and fast to create the DVD) but still have high quality? Sounds time-consuming to review loads of frames and go through and find a break point (especially in a movie with loads of scenes) to number each scene-change to call that a chapter. So, how can we do a simple version... Do I (or should I, or does the software) create and lead to a "one chapter" DVD?

 

That is, after it's done, it would look like this...

 

>Put DVD in living room Sony player

>MENU with just one button [PLAY] appears

>press Play

>Video plays for about an hour, whole thing is "Chapter 1"

>Video ends, goes back to MENU

 

Anyway, you get the idea, wondered if this is the way others do a basic VHS-to-DVD copy. Just trying to keep it simple and not too time consuming for these first few basic VHS-to-DVD projects. Would appreciate any suggestions/insights

 

Thanks,

George

[james_hardin]

You will need some sort of an Analog to Digital converter to capture with. This can be a Video card (if it supports capture) an external device or some digital camcorders (must support pass-through or at least recording). Camcorders would still need a Firewire (1394) on your PC to capture from. Another option is a DVD Recorder which you hook your VCR to.

 

The final output will be no better than the source as far as quality. A VHS tape is not great quality to start with, but if captured well, it will be at least as good as the original tape.

 

Once captured, you will want to do clean up and edits in VideoWave. Save each one then use the VW Project files as Titles in MyDVD.

 

Each menu button on the DVD interface is a Title. Generally each Title should consist of a subject or groups of clips about the same subject. – The ones you suggested sound like good Titles.

 

Chapters are marks within a Title that allow you to 'jump' to that scene. For example your "2000 Boston" might have chapter marks for Arrival, traffic, hotel, and each particular sight you recorded. – Some might create these Chapters as menu buttons but I find that too tedious just getting off of the Menu page.

 

Get a disc or 2 or RW media so you can use that to practice and test with. RW can be erased and reused but burn you final project to R media.