Can I go Camcorder to DVD burner?

[kevss]

Can I go from Camcorder to my DVD burner with Toast? Just like you would do with the DV inputs in DVD recorders, ie, you hit play, and you are recording to a DVD disc.thanks!

[Guest ivanatrox]

Plug & Burn in Toast 6 would allow you to transfer from your DV camcorder and create a disc with one click

[tsantee]

Can I go from Camcorder to my DVD burner with Toast? Just like you would do with the DV inputs in DVD recorders, ie, you hit play, and you are recording to a DVD disc.thanks!

Toast's plug & burn isn't exactly like using the DV input on a standalone recorder. Toast cannot receive and encode video in real time. What Toast does is capture the camcorder video to the hard drive in DV format, then it encodes the DV video to MPEG 2, then it authors and burns the video DVD. The plug & burn feature simplifies the steps but it won't burn DVDs directly as it is importing the video.

 

Do you currently have a standalone recorder with DV input? If so, what model? Mine is a Pioneer DVR-510H-S.

[kevss]

thanks Ivan!

I just checked out help on that, will let you know how goes.

 

sorry Tsantee, did you see your post. I was shopping for DVD standalone, and got fed up with them. so many issues. so that's why I'm spot checking this.

 

But results would come out the same no? quality wise I think it's the same deal, and takes the same amount of time. NOt much more cumbersome with computer/Toast, than standalone?

[tsantee]

thanks Ivan!

I just checked out help on that, will let you know how goes.

 

sorry Tsantee, did you see your post. I was shopping for DVD standalone, and got fed up with them. so many issues. so that's why I'm spot checking this.

 

But results would come out the same no? quality wise I think it's the same deal, and takes the same amount of time. NOt much more cumbersome with computer/Toast, than standalone?

There are advantages of using Toast to encode the video for DVD, but you'll want to use Toast 7 instead of Toast 6. The MPEG encoder, the customization of encoding settings for both video and audio and the menu options are much better in Toast 7.

 

The advantage of a standalone recorder is speed.

[kevss]

What is the speed advantage of the standalone recorder -- this is what I'm trying to get at.

 

What do I need in Toast 7, if Toast 6 has plug in play -- won't that be more or less quality get from doing this on the stand alones, no?

[tsantee]

What is the speed advantage of the standalone recorder -- this is what I'm trying to get at.

 

What do I need in Toast 7, if Toast 6 has plug in play -- won't that be more or less quality get from doing this on the stand alones, no?

Yes and no answers are hard to come by when it comes to DVD recording, as you've probably found by now.

 

About speed. When a standalone DVD recorder is receiving video it has a hardware MPEG encoder that converts the DV or analog source video to MPEG in real time and can either save that to the recorder's hard drive (if so equipped) or write it to a DVD. When I say this happens in real time that means it takes one hour to capture, encode and burn a one-hour video to DVD. You'd still need to finalize the DVD which takes a couple more minutes after you're done.

 

When using a software encoder such as Toast or iDVD there are more steps involved. First you must copy (capture) the DV video to the computer's hard drive. Toast's plug and burn feature is one way to do this. That requires one hour to capture a one hour video. Next you set up the DVD's menu the way you want which takes a couple minutes. When you click the burn button Toast starts the MPEG encoding process. The speed of this depends on how fast is your computer. Most newer Macs can encode a one-hour video in less than three hours (the fastest ones can nearly do it in real time). When the encoding is completed Toast can now start burning the DVD which takes maybe 10 minutes (it depends on the speed of your DVD drive and the DVD Media, and how well that drive works with that brand of media).

 

So it takes much longer to make video DVDs on a computer than it does on a standalone recorder. BUT... there's so much more you can do with video editing, titling, sound tracks, mixing in still images, formatting the DVD menu and more when you do this on a computer than on a standalone recorder. Also, you can be using the computer for other things while the encoding and burning are happening in the background or choose to have the encoding and burning happen overnight. So the extra time it takes really isn't much of an inconvenience unless you're in a big hurry or have a heck of a lot of video to convert.

 

I chose to get a standalone DVD recorder primarily to convert my laserdiscs to DVD quickly and easily. It is nice at times to be able to quickly transfer a DV video straight to DVD, such as when my grandson comes for a visit. I can send him home with a DVD without having to fuss with it on my computer. But mostly I prefer to work on the camcorder video before burning it to DVD.

 

There's still another option. At Lacie.com you can still get (I think) the LaCie fastcoder. This is a hardware encoder that connects via Firewire to the Mac. You'd still have to copy the DV video to the hard drive, but the MPEG encoding would happen in real time even on a slower Mac. You then could have Toast take that MPEG video and burn a video DVD which, as I indicated, might take 10 minutes or so.

 

As for Toast 7 vs Toast 6. If your Mac meets the Toast 7 requirements of OS 10.3.9 or later then don't even think about getting Toast 6. Roxio greatly improved the video DVD features in Toast 7.

[kevss]

Tsantee:

ah this sucks, three hours, and first you have to put the material on the HD? and you have to arrange a menu? #$^@. I thought plug n play is just that. I have dual 1.8 G5 -- still three hours and still have to capture to HD? if so......

probably then, just re-buy the standalone I returned before.

 

mostly, like you, just want to quickly back up some home tapes quickly to DVD.

 

But, with this Lacie encoder, (any url link to that?--and how much is it ifnot free) it would only take 10 min?

 

For 1 hour of mini-dv shot, how much hard drive space do you need? and how do you capture to HD? how complex is that? and setting up menu how complex? thanks for great answers here.

[tsantee]

Tsantee:

ah this sucks, three hours, and first you have to put the material on the HD? and you have to arrange a menu? #$^@. I thought plug n play is just that. I have dual 1.8 G5 -- still three hours and still have to capture to HD? if so......

probably then, just re-buy the standalone I returned before.

 

mostly, like you, just want to quickly back up some home tapes quickly to DVD.

 

But, with this Lacie encoder, (any url link to that?--and how much is it ifnot free) it would only take 10 min?

 

For 1 hour of mini-dv shot, how much hard drive space do you need? and how do you capture to HD? how complex is that? and setting up menu how complex? thanks for great answers here.

Yeah, it can be a pain. If you just want your home video to be on DVDs with minimal editing then also consider buying a DVD camcorder and selling your DV camcorder.

 

Your dual G-5 may be able to encode the DV video to MPEG2 in close to real time so the FastCoder ($80) won't be of any real value to you. I would guess the entire time from connecting your camcorder to having a DVD with your system and Toast would be about three hours for a one-hour video (one hour for capturing the DV video and the rest for encoding and burning the DVD). I'm just guessing because I don't have a Mac as fast as yours. One hour of DV video requires about 12 GB of hard drive space. You ask about how to capture to HD which I presume you mean to the hard drive. Toast's plug and burn takes care of that step.

 

If you could find a used Pioneer DVR-520H-S, 320-S, 510H-S or 310=S you'll have a really good standalone recorder for capturing DV video and burning DVDs in real time. I'm not happy with what Pioneer did with last year's model and the new one doesn't have DV input. Of course there are other brands but I'm only familiar with the early Pioneers which I know to be very good.

[kevss]

I'm shooting semi pro stuff, so think still need to do it on mini-DV, but that's an idea to keep in mind.

 

Actually, reason I'm asking all this is over past few months I've been trying out many DVD recorders, Sony, Samsung, liteon, Panasonic, and last one Toshiba. (was going to get Pioneer, but don't nave DV input)

and all of these had different problems. So in end just got fed up and decided to blow off most of the VHS to DVD conversion projects and stay with VCR to VCR. It sounds crazy, as I was almost there, but just don't have energy for all headaches that DVD recorders have-- they are so numerous compared to VCR it unreal.

 

But that quick camcorder to DVD recorder, from what you are saying sounds pretty awesome compared to Toast.

 

BTW, just looked in Toast Window

 

you choose: DVD-Video, and video quality high, correct?

[tsantee]

BTW, just looked in Toast Window

 

you choose: DVD-Video, and video quality high, correct?

As strange as this seems, choose standard quality instead of high quality unless your video has lots of action. Over the years there have been many posts from people who didn't like the results from high quality and preferred standard quality instead. Also, High quality takes about twice as long to encode. You should test with both to see which you prefer.

 

But if you are doing semi-pro stuff I once again urge you to upgrade to Toast 7. Toast 6's MPEG encoder is adequate but never was raved about. Toast 7 uses one of the best-regarded software MPEG encoders plus it will encode AC-3 (Dolby Digital) audio. The advantage of using AC-3 audio is for DVDs that have more than 1-hour of content you will be able to encode at a greater bit rate because the audio doesn't take up so much space on the disc. Toast 6 encodes with uncompressed PCM audio unless you also own Jam 6 which enables an AC-3 encoding option in Toast 6 as well.

[kevss]

Tsantee:

are you saying that if I shoot typical footage with Canon GL1 and do with with Toast 7 I would notice a substantial difference than with Toast 6?

 

also, curious, I saw a tutorial about copying a DVD and it used the data tab -- not from a camcorder, just from a from like a home dvd, now I wondering if that's correct.

 

anyway, what your verdict, you shoot some footage and you want quick backup copies, DVD standalone or Toast/computer? this is back up, but not life and death back up.

[tsantee]

Tsantee:

are you saying that if I shoot typical footage with Canon GL1 and do with with Toast 7 I would notice a substantial difference than with Toast 6?

Yes

 

also, curious, I saw a tutorial about copying a DVD and it used the data tab -- not from a camcorder, just from a from like a home dvd, now I wondering if that's correct.

That's an old tutorial and it only applies to burning a video DVD from an existing VIDEO_TS folder (which is created when a video DVD is "authored.") Roxio added a DVD Video from VIDEO_TS in the Video window of later updates of Toast 6 and continued that with Toast 7. Using the Data window also works for this, but my guess is that the tutorial describes more steps than are needed with current versions of Toast 6 or 7.

 

anyway, what your verdict, you shoot some footage and you want quick backup copies, DVD standalone or Toast/computer? this is back up, but not life and death back up.

That's a tough call. Both are good ways to get DV video onto a video DVD. But since it's a quick backup I'd most often use my standalone DVD recorder via its DV/Firewire link. Note that MPEG encoding inevitably causes some picture quality loss, so it isn't the best way to back up DV video if I ever plan to convert the MPEG back to DV again for use in a movie project. Better ways, in that case, are to keep the video in DV format either on a hard drive, on data DVDs (about 22 minutes of video per disc) or on DV tape.

[kevss]

thanks again tsantee:

no, I think the tutorial was pretty simple, just drag it in and burn, but great info thanks again for clarifying it!

 

when you say data DVD's you mean going miniDV to another miniDV camcorder, or are you describing something else?

[tsantee]

when you say data DVD's you mean going miniDV to another miniDV camcorder, or are you describing something else?

What I meant by data DVDs is to burn the DV video as DV video to a DVD using Toast's Data window. No encoding or video DVD authoring takes place so the disc can only be read on a computer. It's just one way to have a backup of the DV video without having any loss of quality. A limitation is that 22 minutes of DV video fills up a DVD disc when burned as a data disc.

[kevss]

Curious, before I get Toast 7, when is Toast 8 coming out, maybe I'll wait!