DIY Video to DVD

[spike]

Anybody done/do this?
Can I play a video through a video machine and reord it on a DVD recorder?

What happened?
I used to be a technical whizz kid -
and then they invented the transistor.

gruss - granpa spike

 

[chrisshaw]

Yes that is possilble and probably as simple as using a SCART lead to connect them.

You can also buy a video card for your PC, whcih are very cheap nowdays. Analogue vdieo capture does take up a stupid amount of

Gone the days of of U-Matic video and SYMTE- Midi code converters!

However, quite a few years back, studios (such as Abbey Road) / universities were using Adobe Premier edtiting software. Like photoshop it is expensive, but it allows the import of pictures, audio, text files and has professioanl edits and effects. There is a home cheap version, which is recommended.

Cheaper editors will crash, compile movies that have errors and you will have to re install in regukar intervals.

I moved from Mac - PC about 2 years ago (but I'll being going back
for that delicious protools + mac set up) so I find the worst part of
is burning to disk as lots of softwre rubbish, patronisingly, has a childish interface and often produces bum disks. I used the U lead product which often works

 

[spike]

merci beaucoup for the info chris, I haven't got the right cables and software for video to mac, so I'll do it to DVD recorder as soon as I can find a victim with an expensive home entertainment centre.
gruss - spike

 

[Pete Thomas]

I transfer video to mac via a firewire video digitiser, but you can also use any old camcorder that has an analogue line input and firewire output. (Many do).

You just connect your scart or phono outputs via a cable has phonos on one end (1 yellow for video and black & red for audio usually), then put the camcorder into record pause and this will send video out the firewire. (Some camcorders have a cutout on record pause, in which case you just record onto a spare digital tape.

On Mac you just need iMovie & iDVD. Import into iMovie, where you can edit nicely and export to DVD nicely with proper chapters and menu.

I'm not familiar with the more recent HD or DVD camcorders but if you have one of these and it has analogue line inputs then you can also digitise your vids.

 

[spike]

Thanks Pete,
I've been wondering what iMovie and iDVD were for. lol. I'll have to look into that.

As with all these things I've always seem to be missing something, it's either a bit of wire, or a plug, or a box or whatever - it nerves me.

gruss - spike

 

[chrisshaw]

Yes excellent thinking there Pete.
The same would work for with a camcorder going to a PC throught USB. That would save a vast amount of memory and hassle. Looks like it's the bin for my video capture card..........

 

[Pete Thomas]

I found that using firewire was very unforgiving on dodgy bits of VHS tape.

I used to use a video PCI card (Pinnacle I think) and if the video went a bit dosgy it would still record it. With my firwwire ineterface, any video dodgyness and it just drops the frames, so you lose audio.

I don't know if all firewire devices or camcorders would do this, or how a USB to PC camcorder would fare.