Video to DVD Transfer - Capture Problems

When doing a video to dvd transfer project, you may run into problem when capturing the video. This can happen in both analog and digital transfers. Here are some common problems and solutions:

1. Delay from the time video begins playing and video starts recording--this is quite common. In analog projects, this delay is usually 2-3 seconds; in digital video to dvd captures, the delay can be as much as 5-7 seconds. The delay occurs as the computer is converting the signal into digital format. Suggested solution--when recording your video footage (at a wedding, etc.), always start recording at least 10 seconds before the footage you actually want to capture begins. You can always edit out this footage later.

2. Computer you're using does not have a built in capture card--if it's a desktop computer, you can purchase and install a capture card. If this is not an option or if you're using a laptop computer, you can purchase a firewire or USB capture device.

3. Video skips when importing it - if the video is skipping, it usually means you need to turn off as many background programs as possible so the majority of your computer's installed memory can be dedicated to the capture process. Other less common reasons include a cable that has one or both ends not completely seated (into the camera/capture device or the computer); a faulty cable, especially if it has become bent; a background virus scan is taking place which uses up a lot of RAM memory; a final solution is to stop the capturing process, reboot the computer and try again. When in doubt--reboot!

4. Can't decide what video format to capture in - if your video is 1 hour or less, capture the footage in .avi format as it will fit onto a standard blank DVD disc. If the footage is between 1 hour and 2 1/2 hours, choose .mpg (mpeg2 if that's a choice). This format is smaller and size and should also allow you to fit the video footage on to a standard blank DVD. If you want to capture the footage for use with a portable device, check the owner's manual to that device and use the suggested format (usually .mp4 or .wmv).

5. Audio and video and not in synch (like a poorly dubbed Japanese horror movie) - the most common cause is not enough memory available for the capture. Turn off background programs to start. If you are able to resize the video capture window to a smaller size, that will also help. It can also mean your hard drive is getting too full.

6. Capturing video that was recorded from a digital camera looks low quality - many digital cameras allow you to capture short bursts of video footage. However, understand that this is not high quality video footage and is mostly meant for uploading the files to sites such as youtube to share with others. When you import these files to your computer, while they may look good when the window size is small they will lose a lot of quality when you convert them to .avi or .mpg and put them on a DVD.

7. The video capture used to work, but now it's giving me problems - in most cases, you need to uninstall the driver for your capture card or capture card, reboot the computer, reinstall the driver, reboot the computer and try again. That usually solves the problem.

8. Video freezes during capture - quite a common problem. Could be not enough memory, your computer has an older chip, or the tape itself has problems which causes the signal to be lost. In most cases you will have to keep what has been captured, cue the tape where it stopped capturing, and start capturing a second file. It can also mean that your hard drive is becoming too full.

9. I have captured video files on a CD that are in .mov (quicktime format) and I can't make a DVD with them - the easiest way it to upgrade your quicktime program to PRO, open the file and have quicktime convert it to either .avi or .mpg.

10. Frames are dropped during capture - this happens frequently. If it's just a few frames over the course of a large video, it's not a big deal. If you're getting lots and lots of dropped frames, it's usually a memory problem and your computer can't keep up with the capture.

Roxio Easy Media Creator 10 Suite

Roxio vastly improved their creator suite over version 9. If you order the download version so you can use it right away, either purchase the extended download option OR burn the two files (program file and extras) to a CD or DVD.

Website: http://www.roxio.com/

Some of the features included in the software package:

-Create movies with CineMagic and skip the editing
-32-track timeline editor
-Much improved Hollywood-style DVD menus
-Create custom on-screen dvd menus with background audio
-Correct photo exposure, sharpness and color saturation
-Turn photos into black & white, sepia or watercolor
-Create video clips on iPod, PSP, and mobile phone
-Transfer music, photos and video from your mobile phone to PC and back.
-Back up photos, video, music and data to CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs, HD DVD discs, external or network drives and shared devices
-Scheduled backups
-Secure data with encryption and password-protection
-Create large files or projects across multiple discs
-Copy data, audio, photo and video CDs and DVDs including Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs.
-Copy DVD movies from 9 GB of video to a standard 4.7 GB DVD

More details:

- Convert audio files to various formats (batch files also)
- Rip CDs from multiple drives
- Capture internet radio or PC audio (Vista)
- Copy audio and video from an iPod to your PC
- Convert audio and video files to different formats
- Use your hard drive as a playlist
- convert LPS and cassette to digital formats
- Audio track identification
- CD audio transitions
- CD compilations across multiple CDs
- VST plug-ins
- Organize photos
- Edit video on a timeline
- Auto-fix video color, contrast and brightness in photos
- Add multiple 2D and 3D effects to photos
- Adjust photo duration and speed
- Overlay multiple images, text or video clips with photos
- Picture-in-picture effects
- Photo slideshows with music (standard or high definition)
- Add SmartSound soundtrack to slideshows and movies
- Capture and edit HD video
- Auto-fix cell phone photos
- Mobile phone photos without borders or bars
- Upload video to YouTube
- Advanced DVD Creation
- Create compilation DVDs from DVD-Video, DivX and WMV files
- Produce DVDs with motion menus, buttons and text
- DVD menu styles for many occasions
- DVD menu options
- Text editing with motion, rotation and 3D controls
- Menu-to-menu and title-to-menu transitions
- Camcorder video to a DVD in one click
- Play commercial DVD-ROM movies, DVD and VCD titles
- InterActual content support
- Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
- Pro Logic
- VGA Optimizer
- Burn data to HD DVD disc
- Copy discs in one click including Blu-ray and HD DVD discs
- Back up your digital media files and secure them with encryption
- Catalog the contents of your CDs and DVDs
- Create virtual disc drives
- Integrate with Windows Vista media folders
- Transfer digital media from cell phone to PC via Bluetooth or USB
- Send audio mixes to iPod, PSP and other players
- Convert audio and video files
- Disc Label Creation
- DVD case inserts and booklets creation
- Calibrate your printer for label creation

Ulead VideoStudio 11 Plus

Offers video editing and dvd authoring.

VideoStudio Editor has the tools to let even inexperienced users create their own edited home movies. User can follow the step by step software so that they can spend more time working on their actual video editing project rather than on the technical aspects of video editing.

The Movie Wizard is tailored to users that are new to video editing. You can select from the embedded dvd themes, and the program creates a great looking opening sequence for you. The program lets you import photos that automatically create photo slideshows with pan and zoom. It takes about three steps.

The program includes a DV to DVD wizard that makes it very fast to get from your digital video footage to a newly created DVD. You hook up your video camera, choose the scenes from the video that you want, and in two steps you will have a finished DVD with dvd menus, dvd titles, transitions between video clips, and background music.

The software includes the ability to import and edit high definition video.

You can create PIP (picture in picture) effects and can overlay up to six tracks.

The Plus software automatically created opening footage that is comparable to movie opening sequences. It also includes Dobly Digital 5.1 surround sound so when you play your new dvd on a surround sound system, it will sound great.

There are automatic color filters, tone filters, desnowing technology, cleanup of video, mpeg optimizer, and dvd authoring. You can create 16:9 widescreen DVDs, and have the ability to customize the backgrounds and buttons on your dvds. It includes support for MPEG4 files and H.264.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition

Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition

Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition allows you to edit video, produce audio, and author dvds. It is a self-inclusive software application that allows you to create quality movies, corporate training video, DVDs from wedding footage, and archive family movies. It allows you to edit video in many of the most popular formats as well as high definition HDV and Sony AVCHD.

There are advanced tools in the package that allow for video compositing and color correction. You can also use the advanced tools to do extensive sound mixing. It has built in DVD authoring and the ability to output files online.

Drag and drop import of video is included. There are built in DVD layout that can be used to burn your project to DVD. They also include interactive training videos that help you get started using the video to dvd transfer software.

Some of the features included:

--creation of high definition files

--export to Sony AVCHD files

--use of surround sound mixing and encoding of video files

--lots of video restoration tools

--includes many professional 2D and 3D video effects for your video movies

--titles and filters

--included transitions

--real time DirectX effects (audio)

--animattes video compositing mattes

Roxio Easy Media Creator 10

Roxio's Easy Media Creator has been updated to support the latest file formats, media types and web services. There are also some extras that will help inexperienced users get going right away.
The new Easy Media Creator 10 runs about $99 bucks, upgrades around $69. Even thought it's geared to the novice, there are many parts of the suite that will satisfy the power user.

Import just about any audio file (MP3, WMA, AAC, Flac, Ogg) and it will encode the song to the format of your choice. For video, it will import and encode VC-1, MPEG, AVI, H.264 and WMV as well as many others. There is an increase in performance over previous versions when working with HD video.
The video editing tools and photo editors are easy to use. There are project wizards for the newbies.
Other features:
Batch CD ripper -- rip MP3s or WMAs from multiple drives
Full support for both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats
Support for HD video up to 1440 X 1080
Audio capture -- record audio from any source
Instantly upload a video to YouTube
Create DVD music discs
Share audio and video among all your computers and devices like the Microsoft Xbox.
Sync with Vista's photo manager.
Crop/resize photos for mobile device screens
Automatically enhance photos taken on your mobile device cameras

Another video import option

Many computer users do not have the technical experience (or the equipment) to import their video footage into their computer. This is especially true of older computer or cheaper models, many of which do not have a firewire port.

The Studio MovieBox Plus is a good option. Using a high speed 2.0 USB connection to the computer, the MovieBox allows users to capture video from both analog sources (such as a VCR) or DV sources (such as digital video cameras).

The Studio MovieBox Plus also comes with Pinnacle's Studio software which allows for the editing of the video footage.

Please note: the quality of the video import will be directly related to the speed of your computer and the quality of your video card. If your computer is too slow or the video card too old, you may run into problems with the audio and the video not synching up (your movie will look like a dubbed Japanese horror movie).

External DVD recorder or Video Capture Card

In today’s fast-paced digital world, VHS, 8mm, Hi8, Digital8 and MiniDV tapes are not very useful for the person on the go. Having your video footage imported into your PC computer can give you access to these files on the road through a laptop or through a portable video player (such as Zune or video iPod). Many people who want to convert their older video recordings to DVD. Our service will make this conversion for you, or you can choose to do the transfer yourself. This article describes two ways to transfer that VHS tape of your special event, family gathering or Christmas party to DVD so that you can have a more permanent digital copy to share with family and friends, and have the ability to take your video on the road with you as you travel.

If you want to transfer your video to DVD without importing the footage into a computer first, a DVD recorder is a video device designed to record to DVD. This is a good option if you are one of the many people still around that still does not have a computer. You cannot record video footage that is copy protected, in most cases your video footage will be the same as it is now because video editing is not an option, and the units are very expensive. Also, depending on what model you choose you may or may not be able to play your new DVD on a consumer DVD player—you may have to play the DVD on the DVD unit you record it on.

First, you need to connect the DVD recorder to the video source (your VCR, or connected through cables to your video camera). If the option is available use an S-video cable because you will get a higher quality conversion. If that is not an option, you will need RCA cables (the ones with the red, white and yellow connectors).

Second, you need to select a blank DVD that will work with your DVD recorder. Caution—stay AWAY from DVD-RAM unless you only want to use your DVD recorder to play your new DVDs. We highly recommend using DVD-R blank DVDs, as they have the highest compatibility with consumer DVD players and computers.

Next, press play on your VCR or camera and make sure that you have a good signal of the video showing up on your TV screen. If it looks good, rewind to the beginning of the tape, press play and when you get to the point that you want to start, press pause. Press the record button on the DVD recorder, and then press play on your VCR or camera. You will need to watch so that you can be there when the tape ends so you can stop the recording.

If you have more than one tape, do the same thing over again to add your additional tapes. If your tapes are long, you won’t get many on the same DVD. Read the instructions with your DVD recorder to add chapters, titles, etc. before finalizing the DVD. If you do not finalize the DVD, it will not play on other DVD players. If you added more than one tape, each tape will be shown on the DVD menu. You’re done.

If you are going to use your computer’s capture card for your video to dvd transfer, you will need a connection between your computer and your vcr or video camera. Most of the time this is done through a firewire, but if you are using a VCR you will need a device like the Pinnacle capture device which allow you to connect the RCA cable from the vcr to the Pinnacle device, and then the Pinnacle device to the computer.

If you choose to use your computer capture card, it is a very simple process and it also allows you the ability (depending on your software) to edit the video, remove bad spots, remove blank spots, add music, and add transitions between scenes. If you have an older computer, you may not want to choose this method because if the computer is too slow, the audio and the video may or may not sync (you’ll see and hear that the audio of people talking doesn’t match the video of them talking—like a badly dubbed Japanese horror movie). You will also need a very large hard drive because the new files from the video that you import will be very large. An external hard drive is recommended not for the actual process, but to store the new files when you are finished making your DVDs. You will need either an internal or external DVD burner.

Next, you need to select a blank DVD that will work with your DVD burner. Caution—stay AWAY from DVD-. We highly recommend using DVD-R blank DVDs, as they have the highest compatibility with consumer DVD players and computers.

Now you will need to configure your video capture card. If you want very high quality, choose the AVI format. If you want very good quality, choose MPEG-2. If you want good quality, choose MPEG-1. If you’re doing a video to dvd transfer of only one tape, choose AVI. If you plan on doing more than one video file on the same DVD, choose MPEG-2.

Connect the video card of the computer to either your video camera (using a firewire cable) or to your Pinnacle capture device as described before to hook up between your computer and VCR. As before, do a test to make sure that you can see your video playing on the computer screen and follow the steps as before to start your recording. Note that you are not recording to the DVD yet—you are just capturing the video to your computer’s hard drive.

When finished, use software such as Sonic MyDVD or Roxio Media Creator and import the video footage into the program, set up your menu and chapters, and burn your new dvd. If your software has the option of video editing, you will be able to delete bad footage, adjust the lighting, adjust the volume of individual clips, add background music, and much more. Understand that the video editing process is long and tedious. If you’re not a very patient person, skip it.

Practice video to dvd transfer and capture

A. Record some video of friends, family or an event. To make the capturing of the video easier, DO NOT record blank spaces. If you need to stop recording, hit the stop button and then hit record to start again. DO NOT hit the stop button, FF to leave space, and then hit record again--it will make your capturing and editing of the video much, much more difficult.

B. Connect the video camera directly to the computer you are using with the firewire IEEE 1394 cord. Turn the camera on. Turn the computer on. Open the software you are going to be using for your video capture.

C. Change the input on the software to match the capture input that you are using (for example, change the input to "DV" if using a digital camcorder)

D. Press play on your camcorder to test that you can indeed see the video you want to capture on the computer screen. If you can't, test the cable connection, the input settings on the video capture software you are using, etc.

E. Rewind the tape on the video camera to a few seconds before the section you want to capture (there is a slight lag time between the time you start the camera and the time the computer software starts capturing your video.

F. Hit the "record" button on your computer screen for the video capture software you are using. If you want to capture a set amount of time, most video capture software allows you to choose this as one of the settings. Otherwise, just let it keep capturing and you can hit the stop button on the software when the portion of video you want has been captured.

G. When the capture is finished, press the stop button on the software and you will be prompted where to save the captured file and what to name the captured file. We always recommend saving to your desktop so you can find the footage easily, and make sure if you are capturing multiple parts from a single event, use numbers in the name (such as wedding1, wedding2, etc.).

H. Always use AC power on the video camera and the computer. If you use battery power and the battery starts to get low, your audio and video may not be in sync.

I. Make sure you save the file even if the capture software is the same software you are going to use to edit the video.

J. If you are using analog cables to record from a digital camcorder to the computer, make sure you use highest quality cables possible. Use firewire if at all possible.

Video capture cards/video capture devices

What does the video capture card/video capture device do?

As we discussed before, you will need a capture card or device to capture your video to your computer before you can edit the footage and output it as a file so that you can author the video file to dvd. The capture card (or capture device) is what brings the video footage into your computer and turns it into a digital format so that you can work with it.

On some computers, the ability to capture is built directly into your computer through a firewire connection port. This will allow you to run a firewire cable from your video camera to the firewire port on your computer.

If your computer does not have this ability, then you will need an external video capture device. It is a small USB unit which usually has ports for firewire, USB, and RCA cables. The firewire capture port will give you the highest quality video in most cases.