Newbie trying to convert DVD---->AVI

[Jeffdaddy]

I have been looking on this site for a while and am still very confused. All I want to do is take a DVD and convert it to an AVI so I can edit it in AVIDXpress Pro.

I'm an actor and I want to take my performances off of DVD's to make a Demo reel for myself. Just tell me where to look on this site.
Thanks
Jeff

[unskinnyboy]

AutoGK (http://www.autogk.me.uk/index.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=1) is a simple tool which can do this. Here (http://www.autogk.me.uk/modules.php?name=TutorialEN) is a nice guide for it.

[CWR03]

The .avi format discussed here is not something you want to convert to if you plan on editing them. The avi extension is used primarily as a standardization, whereas a normal uncompressed .avi intended for easy editing is raw uncompressed frames. You can edit the .vob files with an MPEG-2 editing tool (There are many free ones here) without re-encoding them, which is much faster and there's no loss of quality, and the file(s) will be a fraction of a raw .avi.

[Jeffdaddy]

The issue is I use AVIDXpress Pro. I don't want to learn another editing program. I don't have the time. I just need to get the VOB to a file that sharp and clean so I can manipulate it. File size isn't a problem for me.
Thanks
Jeff

PS. Thanks Unskinnyguy

[niann]

If file size is not an issue at all for you then you could just use DVD2AVI and convert the VOB files directly to an uncompressed .avi file. Just be aware they will be huge files.

Cheers!
-Niann

[Teegedeck]

The issue is I use AVIDXpress Pro. I don't want to learn another editing program. I don't have the time. I just need to get the VOB to a file that sharp and clean so I can manipulate it. File size isn't a problem for me.

That's a bit like editing a text by typing it all again with a typewriter because you know how to use that and don't want to invest the time to learn handling a wordprocessor. I.e.: sub-optimal.

@-Niann: Yes, but afterwards Jeffdaddy will have the problem what to do with the 10-GB-or-so file...

And that gets us to a second problem: You will want to compress it to MPEG-2, again, in order to hand the video to people who want to watch it on their DVD-players. That makes two unnecessary, time-consuming and quality-degrading encoding-steps.

Edited: comparison

[unskinnyboy]

@Jeffdaddy, what exactly do you mean by 'editing the avi' here? How do you plan to make your demo reel from the avis? Perhaps you can explain a bit more because I am getting a bit confused about your needs here.

@Teegedeck, How can you say that he would want it in MPEG-2 format considering he didn't mention about wanting to have his end product as a DVD?

[Teegedeck]

I'm an actor and I want to take my performances off of DVD's to make a Demo reel for myself.
Just an inspired guess; I don't think actors send round XviD files to agents and the like. :)

[niann]

@Teegedeck: True enough, but he said file size was not an issue. :) That is not the way I edit DVD footage. ;)

[Jeffdaddy]

I have some of my performances on DV. I take those tapes pop them into my Panasonic dv deck and import the video into Avid through my MOJO via firewire. I would also like to get some of my performances that are on DVD and get those into Avid. I want to go to Blockbuster and rent a movie I was in and get just my scenes into the avid. Avid doesn't load Vob files. It works with Avi's.
Thanks
Jeff

[unskinnyboy]

And what is your final intended output? AVI itself? Do you plan to distribute the AVIs as is (note that you'd also have to distribute the codec/player too)? Does AVIDXpress Pro work with compressed AVIs or uncompressed AVIs? or both?

[niann]

Does Avid support editing in 23.97fps? Sorry I am a Premiere user. :)

[Jeffdaddy]

Avid Xpress does edit in 23.97 FPS and uncompressed video.

I would output the finished file to Vhs or DVD. I can export an Mpeg2 or Mpeg4 from Avid. Outputting is not the issue, I have that covered. I just need to get the Vob into the highest quality Avi.
Thanks
Jeff

[CWR03]

I gave AvidXpress a quick look, and it doesn't appear to support MPEG-2. There's a free program available here called Cuttermaran that does, and there's no "learning" to it as it's very simple. Best of all it will edit the files ripped from a DVD without re-rendering which is very fast and there will be no loss of quality at all.