MPEG-1 or MPEG-2?
 

Hello All,

I'm new to the forum but I'm looking forward to the DV experience with the purchase of my new Panasonic 3CCD camera.

I do have a question for those that know regarding Analog to Digital conversion before I move fully into the Digital age. I have a number of Video8 tapes that I wish to bring into my PC, edit and then burn to DVD. I have recently acquired a Hauppauge(sp?) TV Tuner card (WinTV Go Plus) and a DVD burner for my PC. The question is the TV tuner card is capable of creating MPEG-1 files on my PC.

Is this the highest resolution possible for the Video8 to produce or do I need to invest in a capture card capable of MPEG-2?

Anyway, thanks for your patience with a newbie and I look forward to a response.

MPEG-2 is the video standard for DVD video, and is what you should use. Neither format has anything to do with resolution. That you must determine at the time of capture, but again DVD and DV use 720x480 pixels frame size.

It really doesn't matter too much what format the video is captured in, so long as you can convert or recompress it in software to MPEG-2. The only caveat is that if the compression used to capture the file is greater than the ultimate output format, or if the resolution is lower, then you are wasting your time.

As I recall, MPEG-1 is only used for CD or PC-based video. It may also be only a quarter-resolution format (i.e. 360 x 240 pixels). I honestly can't think of any application for it. Some of those old cards had proprietary compression schemes that made the files unplayable elsewhere, and many also only supported square pixels (as used on PCs, not video) with resolutions like 320x240, 640x480, and occasionally 704x480.

The best way to capture your old Hi8/Video8 footage is with a Sony D8 camcorder that can play the analog tapes and simultaneously output a DV video stream via Firewire (IEEE 1394) to your PC. Many capture applications for this exist, even in Windows. You can then edit the DV footage, then using your DVD authoring software, compress it into MPEG-2 and burn your DVDs.

With more info on your setup, we may be able to offer more direct and particular information.

Mpeg
 

Doug,

Thanks for the reply. Well I got my HP DVD burner in today and it actually comes with Nero (Express) which uses my TV capture card to capture in MPEG2 format so I think that problem is resolved.

Now I've done a few test capture/DVD burns and for some reason the picture quality seems slightly lower and darker than say a direct playback to TV from the Video8 camcorder.

Any thoughts? I'm still tweaking the settings and seeing what the results look like.

Regards,

David

TV capture cards are not always the best way to convert video 8 tapes in quality to a PC. My partner uses the V-Stream Xpert DVD Maker (made by Kworld Computer Co.) that directly plugs between her Hi-8 camcorder and a USB 2.0 port and converts to Mpeg 4, 2, and 1 encoding. The device allows A/D transfer of any AV & S-video device such as V8, VHS, Hi8 and old video tapes directly to a PC for editing and saving on CD in VCD and DVD format. The actual device is good, but the editing to DVD option is a bit basic, so my partner prefers to use the Xpert V-Stream device to save all her old video to DVD in 720 X 480 resolution, but uses the Ulead-9 software to do the final edit before burning to disc.

Converting Hi8, Video8
 

Doug referenced it in his earlier post, but you should consider borrowing or buying a Sony Digital 8 camcorder to convert your Hi 8 and 8 video. This is one of the best methods of doing a direct to DV convert, with as little loss as possible.

Depending on the editor, you may find editing mpeg2 is quite troublesome.

Chris Barcellos

A very good point I forgot to make. I really can't get my head around dealing only in I-frames. I want frame-accurate editing, for sure. After the edit, who cares what form it's in, so long as it plays in Peoria.

Thanks again to all for your suggestions. I had wanted to avoid buying a Sony just to input my old tapes. Truth be known, I almost bought on of the Sony MiniDV units just because I could use it to pass-through convert my old videos. I just couldn't pass up the deal on the Panasonic 3CCD after I talked to a buddy that owns one.

Anyway, I remembered yesterday that my grandfather has a Sony Digital8 so I'll be going the cheaper "borrow" route. I think I have the correct software to bring it into the PC bringing it through the Sony unit.

What software do you guys think is the best for Editing, Burning DVD videos?

I got a dumbed down version of Nero (Express) with my new DVD burner so it's really the only burning utility I've seen. I have the Lightscribe function on my burner so I would really like a software capable of doing too.

David

Software
 

Possible- Pinnacle Studio 10 - has some bugs they are working on. Will do basic acquisition, editing, menu for DVD, sound tracks, and DVD burning. This is a simple easy to learn program, more consumer oriented, but with a Liquid engine.

Best Bet- Vegas Movie Studio Platinum has Vegas basic Editor, DVD Architect, and a limited sound edit process. I paid about $99 with a rebate locally.

Chris Barcellos

Start learning with something you already have
 

David,

Since you haven't mentioned, I suppose you have a PC and not a Mac. Before you invest hundreds or possibly thousands of dollars in NLE editing software, consider this: try using Microsoft's Movie Maker - it comes standard with XP, service pack 2 brings you the latest version. You can capture digital video via a $10 firewire card directly from your grandfather's Sony, add transitions and some basic effects, titles, credits.

Then, if you decide you want more, go for more complex software.

Good Advice
 

That's good advice Ervin. I am using PC. Actually, I have started capturing my 8mm tapes with that Sony Digital8 I borrowed. I'm using Nero Express that came with my new DVD burner. It works very well and the quality of video is excellent. Nero seems easy enough for the likes of a novice like me to burn DVD's. I'll have a look at the Windows Movie Maker also.

I am considering upgrading to the full version of NERO to get the editing tools and other goodies not available with the "lite" version

Thanks to all for the responses