Saving video files to use later

[Jase]

I record several shows to a disc each week and than burn them to my computer. I'm wanting to know what is the easiest and quickest (I know video editting take a while) way to separate the episodes into their own file so later on when I have enough episodes of one show, I can put them together and burn to disc without have to edit them again.

[Jase]

You posted that you record several shows per week to disc, Jase. You also wrote that you use vob2mpg on your recordings. Does that mean that you use a DVD Recorder to do your recording?

 

If so, then you might find it easier to use Copy to get the recorded mpg2 files on your DVD on your hard drive as individual titles. You might be able to split the recorded DVDs into separate titles, one for each recorded show or episode by recording them separately, but to the same DVD. You might also be able to control the size of the mpg2 files by setting your DVD Recorder -- many have XP SP LP etc... The more (longer time) video you record to a disc, the smaller the individual mpg2 files will be. Once you have your separate titles on your hard drive, then you can bring them into MyDVD and create your DVDs as you like. Note: if you use a DVD Recorder you might find some titles are listed twice (or more) -- you just need to Copy one (not both) duplicate titles.

 

If you aren't using a DVD Recorder, then please post how you are recording... If/when you use vob2mpg, I think you can also specify individual titles, and it just copies the mpg2 video out of the VOB files on a DVD -- please check the forums at videohelp.com to make sure -- I only Googled the program and have never used it. At any rate the video should be ready for DVD if it came from a DVD. It should only need re-encoding if/when you edit it to cut out something like commercials. If all you're doing is separating the episodes you should be able to avoid re-encoding entirely, either by recording episodes separately, one after the other, or using Copy.

 

If you encode a file to DVD-spec mpg2 in Videowave, or have DVD-spec mpg2 already, it should not need or be re-encoded in MyDVD unless you choose to try and fit too much more video on your DVD... If you have roughly 4.2 gig of mpg2 that will mostly fill up a regular, single-sided DVD. If you want to add another gig or two worth of video, the video has to be compressed further in order to fit. In that situation to avoid that extra compression, either put less video on a DVD, or compress the video more when you first encode it to mpg2. As you've noticed, more compression makes the video look not as nice.

 

Okay, I'm recording shows from two different locations. The first is from the living room. We have a DVR provided by the satellite company. I use a DVR to record it disc. The other is in my bedroom is an actual DVR. So when both are done, they are on DVD. I know it usually breaks up whats on the disc into 4 parts and for each episode would be divided up into two parts. I was able to just copy those two parts and than use the program to encode them into a file I could use with Videowave. But here lately, it won't let me copy unless I copy the first part with it which makes it pointless of doing that. So I went back to using the VOB2MPG to encode the whole movie. Which converts it to MPEG2.

 

I use Videowave to edit out the commericial. I know that either way, it will have to be encoded again. The problem is I output it as a video file and when I go to use MYDVD, it encodes it again. I'm fine with it encoding three different times. I just wanting to know when I output it as a file from Videowave, what format should I do it as to keep it from taking a very long time and won't totally degrade the quality when it decodes the third time. Or if there is a totally different route that would make it easier, I'm open to seeing it.

[bimicher]

I use VOB2MPG v2.3 to burn them from disc to computer. I know it's mpeg but I'm not a 100% sure if it's mpeg1 or mpeg2. I add them to videowave and edit it there. I know that I should output it as a file, but when I try it as an mpeg2, with best quality. It takes it twice as long as the episode to encode it. Than when I go back and add it with other episodes and try to burn it. It encodes it again. But when I output as an mpeg2, with smallest size. The quality is okay until I try to burn it to disk, that the quality is bad. I'm trying to find out what format should I output it as after Videowave so the quality is only degraded once instead of twice. Or is there a different route I should do. I would just do it as a dmsm file but that takes up a lot of room (4 GB) if I just have one episode left to burn where as if I output it, it's only 1 to 1.5 GB.

 

I don't know how long the titles are that you want to burn to a DVD. A standard 4.7GB DVD will only hold 60 minutes of video at best quality.. If you want to put more than 60 minutes of video on the DVD then the compression has to be higher and quality is reduced.

 

A dmsm file is not a video file and is usually not very big especially if you are not doing much editing of the video. The dmsm file only contains the path to the source files used plus the editing instructions to be used to create the output video. It does not contain any video and should not be 4GB in size.

 

Encoding can take lots of time depending on your system and the source file format. Encoding time of twice the source length is actually not bad. When outputting to a file from Videowave for eventual burning to a DVD you should out put to DVD Best uality. That will create a mpeg2 DVD compliant file which should not need encoding again for the DVD.

[Jase]

I don't know how long the titles are that you want to burn to a DVD. A standard 4.7GB DVD will only hold 60 minutes of video at best quality.. If you want to put more than 60 minutes of video on the DVD then the compression has to be higher and quality is reduced.

 

A dmsm file is not a video file and is usually not very big especially if you are not doing much editing of the video. The dmsm file only contains the path to the source files used plus the editing instructions to be used to create the output video. It does not contain any video and should not be 4GB in size.

 

Encoding can take lots of time depending on your system and the source file format. Encoding time of twice the source length is actually not bad. When outputting to a file from Videowave for eventual burning to a DVD you should out put to DVD Best uality. That will create a mpeg2 DVD compliant file which should not need encoding again for the DVD.

 

Okay, A) you have not told me anything I don't already know. Just because it says newbie by my name doesn't mean I'm not computer savvy. I've been messing with roxio for over a year and haven't ran into a problem until now. That's why I've never posted anything before because I knew what I was doing. I was just asking for advice on what would be the best route to do something. I know that a regular DVD hold 60 minutes at best quality. I know a DVD DL holds about 2 hours of video at best quality. To me I can get about 4 hours on a DVD without the quality being really bad. I know a dmsm file is not a video file but instructions to do what with the video. I've been reading the post that people put on here. I never said anything about a dmsm file being 4 gb. If you had read what I wrote. I was talking about when I encoded a whole DVD on to my computer, it takes up about 4 gb. If I use three of the episodes on there, I still have 4 gb of space taken up until I use that last episode where as if I seperate them. When I use the episode, I can delete them. So if i delete the three I have on there, then I would only be taking up 1 gb of space instead of 4gb. C) I know encoding takes a lot of time. I put that in my original post. But I've read that when you encode a video, it should only take a little bit more that the time of the video, not twice as long. If you want to argue with me on that, I'll look up those post to show you. D) I know you guys tell me that after I output a video file from Videowave, I should have to encoded it again when I burn it do disc. But I'm telling you that it is and it makes the quality sucks. So how about instead of treating me like I don't know anything, you start giving me your opinion on what the best route would be from getting the video off the DVD, edit it through Videowave, create a video file where I can use it later to create a disc with multiple episodes on the same show on a disc and not have to worry about taking up a lot of space and time.

[bimicher]

Okay, A) you have not told me anything I don't already know. Just because it says newbie by my name doesn't mean I'm not computer savvy. I've been messing with roxio for over a year and haven't ran into a problem until now. That's why I've never posted anything before because I knew what I was doing. I was just asking for advice on what would be the best route to do something. I know that a regular DVD hold 60 minutes at best quality. I know a DVD DL holds about 2 hours of video at best quality. To me I can get about 4 hours on a DVD without the quality being really bad. I know a dmsm file is not a video file but instructions to do what with the video. I've been reading the post that people put on here. I never said anything about a dmsm file being 4 gb. If you had read what I wrote. I was talking about when I encoded a whole DVD on to my computer, it takes up about 4 gb. If I use three of the episodes on there, I still have 4 gb of space taken up until I use that last episode where as if I seperate them. When I use the episode, I can delete them. So if i delete the three I have on there, then I would only be taking up 1 gb of space instead of 4gb. C) I know encoding takes a lot of time. I put that in my original post. But I've read that when you encode a video, it should only take a little bit more that the time of the video, not twice as long. If you want to argue with me on that, I'll look up those post to show you. D) I know you guys tell me that after I output a video file from Videowave, I should have to encoded it again when I burn it do disc. But I'm telling you that it is and it makes the quality sucks. So how about instead of treating me like I don't know anything, you start giving me your opinion on what the best route would be from getting the video off the DVD, edit it through Videowave, create a video file where I can use it later to create a disc with multiple episodes on the same show on a disc and not have to worry about taking up a lot of space and time.

 

Sorry I bothered to even read your post and waste even more time responding

[MarkR]

Okay, A) you have not told me anything I don't already know. Just because it says newbie by my name doesn't mean I'm not computer savvy. I've been messing with roxio for over a year and haven't ran into a problem until now. That's why I've never posted anything before because I knew what I was doing. I was just asking for advice on what would be the best route to do something. I know that a regular DVD hold 60 minutes at best quality. I know a DVD DL holds about 2 hours of video at best quality. To me I can get about 4 hours on a DVD without the quality being really bad. I know a dmsm file is not a video file but instructions to do what with the video. I've been reading the post that people put on here. I never said anything about a dmsm file being 4 gb. If you had read what I wrote. I was talking about when I encoded a whole DVD on to my computer, it takes up about 4 gb. If I use three of the episodes on there, I still have 4 gb of space taken up until I use that last episode where as if I seperate them. When I use the episode, I can delete them. So if i delete the three I have on there, then I would only be taking up 1 gb of space instead of 4gb. C) I know encoding takes a lot of time. I put that in my original post. But I've read that when you encode a video, it should only take a little bit more that the time of the video, not twice as long. If you want to argue with me on that, I'll look up those post to show you. D) I know you guys tell me that after I output a video file from Videowave, I should have to encoded it again when I burn it do disc. But I'm telling you that it is and it makes the quality sucks. So how about instead of treating me like I don't know anything, you start giving me your opinion on what the best route would be from getting the video off the DVD, edit it through Videowave, create a video file where I can use it later to create a disc with multiple episodes on the same show on a disc and not have to worry about taking up a lot of space and time.

 

Why do you want to encode out of VideoWave? Just make a separate instruction set (dmsm) for each episode and leave it at that. When ready to burn a DVD, bring each dmsm into MyDVD as a separate title.

[Jase]

I've looked through the posts and didn't see anything relating to my problem. Am I just not looking in the right spot or what? Please help.

[grandpabruce]

I've looked through the posts and didn't see anything relating to my problem. Am I just not looking in the right spot or what? Please help.

 

A little patience would help. The bulk of the people who post on these forums are users just like you and aren't visiting the forums for 24 hours a day.

 

If the discs contains episodes from different shows, then use VideoWave to split out the ones you want, and output them to whatever file extension you want.

[Jase]

I've looked through the posts and didn't see anything relating to my problem. Am I just not looking in the right spot or what? Please help.

 

Okay, that's what I was going to do but what should I output it as because I know when I go to use MyDVD to put them together, it's going to encode them again and I don't want the quality to be degraded again.

[grandpabruce]

Okay, that's what I was going to do but what should I output it as because I know when I go to use MyDVD to put them together, it's going to encode them again and I don't want the quality to be degraded again.

 

What file format are they in now? If it isn't mpeg2, then it is going to get encoded to make it a DVD compliant movie.

[Jase]

What file format are they in now? If it isn't mpeg2, then it is going to get encoded to make it a DVD compliant movie.

 

I use VOB2MPG v2.3 to burn them from disc to computer. I know it's mpeg but I'm not a 100% sure if it's mpeg1 or mpeg2. I add them to videowave and edit it there. I know that I should output it as a file, but when I try it as an mpeg2, with best quality. It takes it twice as long as the episode to encode it. Than when I go back and add it with other episodes and try to burn it. It encodes it again. But when I output as an mpeg2, with smallest size. The quality is okay until I try to burn it to disk, that the quality is bad. I'm trying to find out what format should I output it as after Videowave so the quality is only degraded once instead of twice. Or is there a different route I should do. I would just do it as a dmsm file but that takes up a lot of room (4 GB) if I just have one episode left to burn where as if I output it, it's only 1 to 1.5 GB.

[Jase]

Why do you want to encode out of VideoWave? Just make a separate instruction set (dmsm) for each episode and leave it at that. When ready to burn a DVD, bring each dmsm into MyDVD as a separate title.

 

Because as I've been saying. I copy a disc to my computer using the VOB2MPEG program. Okay, a disc with four differnent shows on it is about 4 gb. Okay, we will name the first show "show a", the second show show "b", so on. Okay...well, if I just do a dmsm file for each. I have to wait until I have four episodes of each show. That 4 shows times 4 gbs equals 16 gb. Well, I do that each day which adds up a lot. Now if I output it after I do videowave. Well, than each episode is seperate. So when I get four episode for show a and record it. Than I can delete those and only have 4 gbs more space. But it's alright because like I've been doing up to this point...I'll figure the best way myself. I figure once, I would get on here and see if anybody had any advice but all I've gotten was a bunch of bs and people treating me like I don't know anything. I f**king get that alot in my life and don't need any of it from on here. So anybody else that gets to this point. Don't worry about responding because I'll figure the rest of my own.

[mikiem]

You posted that you record several shows per week to disc, Jase. You also wrote that you use vob2mpg on your recordings. Does that mean that you use a DVD Recorder to do your recording?

 

If so, then you might find it easier to use Copy to get the recorded mpg2 files on your DVD on your hard drive as individual titles. You might be able to split the recorded DVDs into separate titles, one for each recorded show or episode by recording them separately, but to the same DVD. You might also be able to control the size of the mpg2 files by setting your DVD Recorder -- many have XP SP LP etc... The more (longer time) video you record to a disc, the smaller the individual mpg2 files will be. Once you have your separate titles on your hard drive, then you can bring them into MyDVD and create your DVDs as you like. Note: if you use a DVD Recorder you might find some titles are listed twice (or more) -- you just need to Copy one (not both) duplicate titles.

 

If you aren't using a DVD Recorder, then please post how you are recording... If/when you use vob2mpg, I think you can also specify individual titles, and it just copies the mpg2 video out of the VOB files on a DVD -- please check the forums at videohelp.com to make sure -- I only Googled the program and have never used it. At any rate the video should be ready for DVD if it came from a DVD. It should only need re-encoding if/when you edit it to cut out something like commercials. If all you're doing is separating the episodes you should be able to avoid re-encoding entirely, either by recording episodes separately, one after the other, or using Copy.

 

If you encode a file to DVD-spec mpg2 in Videowave, or have DVD-spec mpg2 already, it should not need or be re-encoded in MyDVD unless you choose to try and fit too much more video on your DVD... If you have roughly 4.2 gig of mpg2 that will mostly fill up a regular, single-sided DVD. If you want to add another gig or two worth of video, the video has to be compressed further in order to fit. In that situation to avoid that extra compression, either put less video on a DVD, or compress the video more when you first encode it to mpg2. As you've noticed, more compression makes the video look not as nice.

[MarkR]

Because as I've been saying. I copy a disc to my computer using the VOB2MPEG program. Okay, a disc with four differnent shows on it is about 4 gb. Okay, we will name the first show "show a", the second show show "b", so on. Okay...well, if I just do a dmsm file for each. I have to wait until I have four episodes of each show. That 4 shows times 4 gbs equals 16 gb. Well, I do that each day which adds up a lot. Now if I output it after I do videowave. Well, than each episode is seperate. So when I get four episode for show a and record it. Than I can delete those and only have 4 gbs more space. But it's alright because like I've been doing up to this point...I'll figure the best way myself. I figure once, I would get on here and see if anybody had any advice but all I've gotten was a bunch of bs and people treating me like I don't know anything. I f**king get that alot in my life and don't need any of it from on here. So anybody else that gets to this point. Don't worry about responding because I'll figure the rest of my own.

Jase,

 

1. Bring your 4GB file into VideoWave.

2. Use the SPLIT function to separate the episodes.

3. Save the project at this point.

4. Delete 3 of the episodes by selecting them in the timeline & then press <Del> key.

5. Use the OUTPUT AS function from the FILE menu.

6. Say NO for the pop-up window asking if you want to save changes.

7. Set the DESTINATION as VIDEO FILE.

8. Leave PURPOSE at defauls (ALL & NTSC for USA).

9. Video file quality: set to MPEG-2 for DVD, best quality.

10. Enter a file name.

11. Select a folder.

12. Click Create Video File.

13. Re-open the saved project.

14. Repeat steps 4 through 12 for the other 3 episodes.

15. Delete your 4GB file -- no longer needed.

 

 

 

Using the best quality will ensure that you are not losing any quality during this encode.

[james_hardin]

Because as I've been saying. I copy a disc to my computer using the VOB2MPEG program. Okay, a disc with four differnent shows on it is about 4 gb. Okay, we will name the first show "show a", the second show show "b", so on. Okay...well, if I just do a dmsm file for each. I have to wait until I have four episodes of each show. That 4 shows times 4 gbs equals 16 gb. Well, I do that each day which adds up a lot. Now if I output it after I do videowave. Well, than each episode is seperate. So when I get four episode for show a and record it. Than I can delete those and only have 4 gbs more space. But it's alright because like I've been doing up to this point...I'll figure the best way myself. I figure once, I would get on here and see if anybody had any advice but all I've gotten was a bunch of bs and people treating me like I don't know anything. I f**king get that alot in my life and don't need any of it from on here. So anybody else that gets to this point. Don't worry about responding because I'll figure the rest of my own.

Can't do anything about your life outside of here…

 

The answers you received were from some people who were sincerely trying to help you. You questions/explanation was not that clear so they responded as best they could. You misinterpreted their replies - you owe them an apology.

 

Distilled, your question is:

1. How to save files in a compact format until you have enough to burn, correct?

    

2. You are trying to pack 4 hours (less commercials) onto one 4.7gb DVD, correct?

If I followed your correctly, you want to use VideoWave to Output As an mpeg file reduced to the quality that it would be to meet question 2. (then you can delete the 4gb mpeg file)

 

Offhand I don't know what that setting is, but I will play with one today and post back with the info…

[Jase]

Can't do anything about your life outside of here…

 

The answers you received were from some people who were sincerely trying to help you. You questions/explanation was not that clear so they responded as best they could. You misinterpreted their replies - you owe them an apology.

 

Distilled, your question is:

1. How to save files in a compact format until you have enough to burn, correct?
2. You are trying to pack 4 hours (less commercials) onto one 4.7gb DVD, correct?

If I followed your correctly, you want to use VideoWave to Output As an mpeg file reduced to the quality that it would be to meet question 2. (then you can delete the 4gb mpeg file)

 

Offhand I don't know what that setting is, but I will play with one today and post back with the info…

 

Okay, I know I haven't been on here in a while but I figure out what I was doing wrong on my own without all of your help. Second, I don't owe anybody an apology. Now for the ones that have the same problem as I did. What I figure out to do is:

1) Open the files on the disc.

2) Copy the VOB files to a separate folder on my desktop. There are ususally 4 to 5 VOB files on a disc.

3) Usually an episode was in two different VOB files. So I took those two VOB files and copy them to a seperate folder and named it the episode. I did that with all four shows that was on the disc.

4) I delete the orginal VOB files since I didn't need them anymore.

5) This is where I was having the problem but I figure out how to fix it on my own. On the ones that didn't have VTS_01_1, it would not encode them. I figure out that you have to rename them to where the first VOB file had to have the name of VTS_01_1.

6) Once I have it encoded using VOB2MPG program than I delete the VOB file and I have 4 video files to work with instead of one big one. So instead of waiting until I have 4 episodes of each 4 shows so I can delete. I can delete a video file saving me space and time.

 

Thank you to all who tried to help and if anybody got confuse by these instructions and I know there will be a few. You can contact me for any questions. I would add pictures but I don't know how to take screenshots of my screen but I'm pretty sure when I do want to do that and I probably will one day. I'll look for how to do that on here.