Free DV to DVD video converter program wanted

[Janset]

Hi all.

I have a Canon DV camcorder with about 6 tapes full of memories that I would like to transfer to DVDs that are capable of being played/viewed on a standard type DVD player through my TV.

I have Pinnacle Studio 8 LE with which I capture the images to the HD for editing, but I find that this format does not play in my DVD player.

Does anyone know of a free (being a cheap skate again) Video converter program that with do the job? :)

Regards

[dat720]

Use Pinnacle 8, then you will need to output to a DVD format.....
I don't know much about Pinnacle but i assume being a Video Authoring package it would have some form of DVD output format, if not then try something like DVD Flick, load the video you created in Pinnacle and set the format of DVD you want, it will convert your Pinnacle video to a DVD folder structure or iso file which you can then burn to a disc.

PS you can't just put a video onto a DVD then put it in a DVD player, it needs to be authored in DVD Format, which has a speciffic file structure.

[Janset]

Hi Dat72.

I understand what you are saying, but Pinaccle is only a capture program. The output is only in DV or MPG, the other outputs are for emailing the clip or streaming.

I would like a freeby program that does the actual conversion to the house hold DVD format so to speak.

Regards

[dat720]

Don't spose you noticed where i recommended DVD Flick????

[Janset]

Sorry Dat720

I completely missed it. Is it free and where can I get it?

Regards

[linyx]

Get DvdFlick here:
http://www.dvdflick.net/download.php

BTW - I also have a pinnacle capture card, and ANYTHING i record has horrible interlace problems, so i would deinterlace the video before authoring it.

[MrC]

You can use AVStoDVD which properly manages interlaced source too.

:)

Bye

[robinsonlove]

try avi to dvd converter, convert and burn any video file directly to VCD, DVD, SVCD, MPEG1 and MPEG2 format, Embedded "VCD/DVD/SVCD Video Burner Engine" is integrated.

[Janset]

Thanks guys.

I had a look at DVD Flick. Regretably I do not know what they mean when they refer to source code or your mention of interlace.

I will consider AVS converter as I have looked at their page. Again the only problem is that it is not free, but in the end if I have to bite the bullet, then so be it.

In the mean time I will keep my options open.

Regards

[smok3]

I will consider AVS converter as I have looked at their page. Again the only problem is that it is not free
it is free (and open-source) as it seems.

[Janset]

Hi smok3.

I have a vague recollection about reading something to do with AVS (I think it was their converter program) the it is free to use but a water mark will be also imprinted on the center of the screen image until it is registered, read as buying a license.

Regards

[smok3]

i meant AVStoDVD, http://avstodvd.googlepages.com/home

edit: fixed.

[MrC]

Correct name is AVStoDVD.

It is free (open source), no watermark adding (arghhhh!) and the link provided by smok3 is right.

There is also a dedicated topic here in Doom9 forum:
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=126647

:)

Bye

[Janset]

Hi guys.

I have checked out your dedicated site MrC and it is well worth filing away.

smok3, thanks for the direct link and verifying that it is fact a freebie. I have downloaded it and will give it a play around this coming Thursday while no one is home to bother me. :)

Just as a point (slightly off topic) I tried to make movie (the final stage in the process) after editing from a capture off my HD. I did this both in AVI and then in MPEG ready for the next step, the file conversion but ran into problems on both counts.

With both attempts I found that the process stopped (read as froze) but at different locations. The attempts would proceed to the delinquent segment and then freeze there.

AVI about half way through and the MPEG about 3/4 way through.

I have since deleted the capture off my HD and will try for another one on Thursday.

Have you guys any explanation as to why this has happened? :confused:

Regards

[smok3]

a. try the procedure using short samples so you don't waste 2 much time (2 minute sample is usually good enough).

b. it is easier to spot a problem if you work thought steps, example:

1. capture (check)
1b. check the field priority
2. extract audio to wav (check)
3. encode video to mpeg2, use info from 1b. to set the correct field order (check)
4. simple mux to dvd or proceed to authoring (check).

p.s. good checking tool that will show say framerate, resolution, bitrate, ect is mediainfo.

[Janset]

Whoosh! Sorry smok3. That was the sound of knowledge doing a low pass over my head. :o

I understand the bit about doing small segments, but then how would I connect them together to make one longish production?

The rest of the terminology is not in my vocabulary as yet, unfortunately.

My camcorder records to DV tape. I was under the impression that when it got captured to the HD on the PC it was converted to AVI and it was that AVI that needed to be converted to the DVD format.

As to editing, I am still grappling with the basics of cutting/deleting scenes and incorporating fade ins/outs and the like.

As to the sound, so far I can cut out beginning bits and ending bits of the particular talking segment. As yet I have not tackled trying to cut out middle bit of sound or the middle bits of a picture segment.

So you see, baby shoes, baby shoes :)

Regards

[smok3]

what i meant is to check the entire procedure (whatever that is) with short segments, before starting your true full-length motion picture (other than that: better forget my previous post for some time).

[linyx]

Regretably I do not know what they mean when they refer to source code or your mention of interlace.
This is what interlaced video looks like.
http://38.114.207.2/120e3c32b2afa14d0b880b784da492166g.jpg
If it looks like that it needs deinterlaced. I find that if it is not deinterlaced, it looks even worse on the tv than the computer.

[Gavino]

If it looks like that it needs deinterlaced. I find that if it is not deinterlaced, it looks even worse on the tv than the computer.
There is no need to deinterlace material from a DV camera that is simply to be put on a DVD 'as-is' or with simple cut-edits, especially if you are going to watch it on a TV. MPEG2 (format used on DVD) fully supports interlaced video and so does your DVD player. As already stated by MrC, AVStoDVD has no problem handling it either in the encoding process.

Deinterlacing may be required if more complex filtering is to be applied to the video or if you are compressing to a (non-DVD) format that does not support interlacing.

[Janset]

Thanks guys.

Already I know more that I did yesterday.

If I could ask again, have you any idea as to why my "Make movie", (after editing) step froze up. To AVI about half way through, and about 3/4 way through if I tried to make an MPG movie.

I think this process is called 'rendering', am I correct?

Regards.

[Gavino]

If I could ask again, have you any idea as to why my "Make movie", (after editing) step froze up. To AVI about half way through, and about 3/4 way through if I tried to make an MPG movie.
It could be a resource limit of some kind.
How long is the DV capture footage? How much memory (RAM) do you have?
Did you get any sort of error message when it froze?
I think this process is called 'rendering', am I correct?
Yes, correct.
The terminology reflects that until this point, your edits etc are simply a set of instructions to be carried out, and the rendering step sets them in concrete, so to speak.

[Janset]

Hi Gavino.

Thanks for confirming my "rendering" question.

No I did not receive any error messages when it froze. It just stopped. Each time it stops on the same segments.

Maybe there was something wrong in the initial transfer from the camera tape to the HD. I will have another go at transferring the images across later to-day.

I run Win XP Pro SP2 1800MHz processor with 1 Gig RD Ram.
I have 55Gig free free space on my 80 Gig HD.

The capture program that I use is Studio 8 LE put out by Pinnacle.

Regards

[smok3]

try export as DV avi, that should be the fastest option and see if that works,
a. if not then it is probably something that Pinnacle doesn't like about your timeline (the usual solution is copy pasting stuff from old to some new timeline).
b. if yes then possible pinnacle bug

(DV transfers from tape to computer are usually not problematic)

note: i'am not familiar with pinnacle.

[Janset]

Thanks for that smok3.

To capture from my DV tape I have only 2 real options in which to capture, AVI and MPEG. As I understand it AVI needs to be converted where as MPEG can be burned direct to tape. Do you know anything about this?

Both these have the capability to be captured/downloaded as "high quality" or standard quality.

No-where can I find a recommendation as to which is the better of the two formats to use as to the quality of the end product.

Have you any ideas? I know that to capture as MPEG it does take longer, but other than that, I know nothing. :scared:

Regards

[smok3]

capturing from dv tape to avi is usually only data repackaging, so it doesn't make sense to select quality there, with mpeg there is encoding going on (i wouldn't do that, espcially if you need to do some editing first)

about dv http://www.adamwilt.com/ | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dv
about mpeg2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-2
about mpeg2 for dvd http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-2#DVD

the usual workflow is:
a. capture as it is (dv avi)
b. edit the dv
c. compress to mpeg2/author for dvd

[Janset]

Excellent smok3!

I will check out the sites tomorrow. It certainly does make things a lot easier if there is someone pointing you in the right direction. :D

Regards

[Gavino]

To capture from my DV tape I have only 2 real options in which to capture, AVI and MPEG. As I understand it AVI needs to be converted where as MPEG can be burned direct to tape.
...
I know that to capture as MPEG it does take longer
I think you are still a bit confused, or are not saying what you meant to say.

MPEG can be burned direct to DVD, not to tape. In fact, it is DV-AVI that can be written back to tape (if your camera has a DV in).

Capturing as MPEG cannot take any longer, since capturing is a real-time process (the tape can't wait).
It does take more CPU power though, perhaps that's what you were thinking of.

But unless you plan to do no editing at all, it's better to capture as DV-AVI, as smok3 points out.

[dat720]

I find it's always best to work in the native format, and not do any unnessecary conversions.... everytime you convert a file to another format you loose quality.

[Janset]

Hi guys.

Thanks for the further info. Gavino, I take your point, and yes you are right I "think" I did mean what I said.

As you may have guessed, I am still in the "twilight zone" so to speak as to knowing and not knowing what I am saying and meaning. What does cause confusion for me is that I use Nero 6 Ultra Edition to burn, and somewhere in my number of attempts to burn, Nero barfed and stated that the format was not recognized and suggested that I convert the format to a recognized format so Nero could work with it. I really can not remember what format I was using when Nero barfed.

Now the problem is that I have fiddled that much, and the processes at times take considerable time, that I have lost track as to what I did or did not do.

What I am now learning from you guys is a set step process as to what I should do to get the desired results.

I have as yet to read and digest the links given by smok3 but as I see it so far:

1. Capture the DV image off the camera to the HD in the AVI format.
2. Make all my edits whilst still in the AVI format.
3. Make final movie to Hard Drive.
4. Burn DVD.

At the moment number 3 and 4 are the stumblers. In the Studio 8 program in this final stage I am given the option to make a Tape,AVI , MPEG, Stream and finally,Share.

Of these there are only two functions that may be of interest to me (AVI & MPEG) and the most likely one is MPEG. When the MPEG panel is opened there is a drop down window with an number of options relating to the burn. Of these what looks most probable to me is "DVD compatible", and that is what I would use.

But as has happened in the recent past, when eventually I made a burn I found that whilst the PC would play the movie, my lounge room DVD player would not recognize the disk.

And to throw a further spanner in the works at that time, somewhere in there I was given the option of MPEG 1 and MPEG 2. Luckily smok3 has now cleared that up advising me to use to use MPEG 2.

So at this point of time what I am grappling with is the recoding after editing and then getting the edited version to my HD and getting a successful burn to a DVD that will play on my lounge DVD player.

Thanks guys.........and no, I am not a blonde :-)

Regards

[dat720]

After years of messing with programs i found that i like doing it the command line way, using ffmpeg i can control the exact output, plus it has profiles for DVD... then i use DVD Author to create a DVD folder....

For me it's a 3 step process:

1. Encode video to a DVD Compliant MPEG2 Stream
ffmpeg.exe -i input_file.avi -target pal-dvd -aspect 16:9 movie.mpg

2. Author MPEG2 file to DVD File Structure....
dvdauthor.exe -x test.xml

the xml file contains the name of the mpg file.

3. Burn the created DVD file structure to a DVD-R using ImgBurn

It may not be point and click but it is very easy and does not take a whole lot of time, and i end up with DVDs that so far have never failed to play in any DVD players.

[Janset]

Hi dat720.

I have no problem copying DVD as a backup, but this home DV to DVD is another thing. Once I get my head around it, just like DVD copying, everything will fall into place.

At the moment I do have trouble deciding which function I should use when I burn with Nero, as there ISO, Make data DVD, MP3 etc. and a whole lot more. It is just point and click, but which to use? I would not be surprised that the reason my lounge player did not recognize the burnt DVD is because I had chosen the wrong function within Nero to burn with.

Regards

[dat720]

ISO, Make data DVD, MP3 etc none of these will burn a DVD Video Disc.....

That process i shared is not for backup, it will take just about any video (avi mpg wmv etc) and create a DVD Compliant file structure which can be burned to disc and played in a stand alone DVD Player....

Have a quick look at this (http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dcqsw4jc_50chzchchd) it may help you to understand what formats are DVD Compliant....

[Gavino]

At the moment I do have trouble deciding which function I should use when I burn with Nero, as there ISO, Make data DVD, MP3 etc. and a whole lot more. It is just point and click, but which to use? I would not be surprised that the reason my lounge player did not recognize the burnt DVD is because I had chosen the wrong function within Nero to burn with.
I think the missing link in your understanding is that a DVD-Video disc (which is what the majority of lounge players require) is not the same as a data DVD with an MPEG file - it has a very specific file structure (which can include menus and so on). Creating that is a process called DVD authoring, so you need a program that supports this.

I don't know if your version of Nero has this functionality built-in. If not, note that dat720 uses dvdauthor.exe.

[setarip_old]

@jansetI do have trouble deciding which function I should use when I burn with Nero, as there ISO, Make data DVD, MP3 etc. and a whole lot more. It is just point and click, but which to use?

Yes, when using NERO you should select the "DVD-Video" icon

[Janset]

Thanks guys.

The good advice just keeps on coming, and I can say that each of you are spot on in your posts and advice. I will try all your suggestions. Dat720 thanks for that little gem, and I will do a Google for dvdauther.exe and check that out also..

Regards