What do i need to convert vhs to dvd? 2

[garebo]

I will be converting vhs tapes to dvd. I have a computer dvd player, a computer dvd burner, stereo system with dvd player.
I also have pci usb2.0 and firewire cards.
I could likely google for all or most but i would like to hear what others think of certain equipment and software, and the best way to go about all this.

What i need to know is:

What hardware i need, including what cables i need. Makes and models are good to know!
What software i need, min and maximum, what are benefits of?
And, if someone knows of a good tutorial to show me how to do this - imagine i can google for that part.

I certainly do my best to not buy from there as, in my opinion, there are better deals around, but i get a catalogue from Tigerdirect. This catalogue shows products by ADS (PYRO), for converting vhs to dvd. Is that stuff i should be considering? Or is there better? I only want to get decent quality, nothing real fancy, just enough to watch the newly made dvd movie on my tv and not complain about the poor picture quality.

thanks very much. I hope my thread is in the right place. I just want to say that this whole forum is such a great place, people here are so kind and so helpful. I know other fora where they are not so nice!

 

[cdogg]

Yes, you are definitely in the right place! Glad to hear your experience with this site has been a pleasant one.

You will need to add a capture device of some kind to your system. The best kind to add is one that is built into the video card (such as an ATI All-In-Wonder), because it will normally give you more control over the video format, not to mention probably better quality than the alternative. However, this might be the most expensive option, depending on how new you want your card to be.

For example, I've got an older ATI Radeon 7200 VIVO on one of my PC's, which captures video quite nicely but doesn't play any of the latest games very well. It was strictly a DirectX7 card, but you could probably find it for under $60 used. You could also go with a newer ATI Radeon 9600 All-In-Wonder which shouldn't run you too much (< $200) and at the same time give you access to Directx 8 and 9 gaming detail. The alternative is a USB 2.0 or Firewire capture device that has RCA jack inputs to connect to your VCR. I believe a company called Dazzle still makes them. It's not that bad of an alternative, but make sure it gives you the ability to capture in MPEG-2 format before you invest. The MPEG-2 format is needed for constructing a DVD.

After you pick the device, the software you need for capturing should come with it. Then with DVD authoring software, it will take the MPEG-2 file and burn it to DVD for you. Many will also give you the ability to create your own menu and chapter selection screens. Easy CD/DVD, Nero 6, and Sonic's DVDit are all good applications for this. You will need the full version of either app to have this ability.


~cdogg
[tab]&quot;All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind&quot;
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[garebo]

ok so far, i have only read about capture device.
I forgot to point out, i have a TV Wonder VE w remote control already installed, didnt realize i could utilize it, if indeed i can?
Will read the rest of your post.

Yes, this is the BEST place, in caps, by a wide margin!!!
I have told at least 50 people to join up here, some even do, lol.

 

[garebo]

I have nero 6 ultra retail, so maybe that will work.

 

[garebo]

the tv wonder ve i have does have capture abilities, but i only used it to capture parts of tv progs.

 

[cdogg]

Well, I'm not sure how your capture card interacts with your system, but the ultimate goal for you will be to capture video into an MPEG-2 file. Many capture devices only do AVI or MPEG-1, which is fine but you will have to do the extra work of converting it to MPEG-2 before putting it on DVD.

This site has a ton of beginner guides you can peruse for more answers (especially having to do with conversion and DVD authoring).

http://www.dvdrhelp.com

Yes, your version of Nero should support DVD authoring just fine. So it appears that the capture software may be the only change you need to make if you don't want to have to convert each time.


~cdogg
[tab]&quot;All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind&quot;
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[garebo]

well, i will have to check info on the tv wonder ve and see what format it uses.
So i guess i dont have to buy one of those hardware thingies with the cables for copying from vhs to dvd? Like the ADS (PYRO) equipment that i see?

Thanks very much for the info so far, great help.
I will check out that website as well, after i check on my capture card.

thanks

 

[garebo]

I just noticed this today:

http://www.ecost.com/ecost/shop/detail.asp?dpno=301387&adcampaign=email,ewb05077

I have to check out to see if my capture card will work first.

 

[garebo]

ATI TV WONDER - Video capture resolution is limited to a maximum of 640x240
When using the ATI TV WONDER and TV WONDER VE with Multimedia Center 7.1 the maximum resolution supported for video capture is 640 x 240. Higher resolutions such as 640 x 480 and 720 x 480 are not available.
This limitation in capture resolution for the TV WONDER and TV WONDER VE when using ATI Multimedia Center 7.1 is by design. Future software releases may add support for video capture at higher resolutions.
INFO-BASE file # 4007

Does that leave my tv wonder out as a video capture source?

 

[cdogg]

No, the resoution of the average TV set (non HDTV) is less than 384 x 288. So as long as you can record at this resolution, then you should be fine.

Here's a link that explains a little about TV resolution:

http://nickyguides.digital-digest.com/interlace.htm

~cdogg
[tab]&quot;All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind&quot;
[tab][tab]- Aristotle
[navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884