Somebody pls help Molly !! DVD home video edit/authoring

molly_001

Distinguished
Jun 25, 2006
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Wow -- I didn't think editing home videos created by burning from a VHS tape would be this hard!

Here is what I have: VHS tapes, which I then use (successfully) in combination with a Sony VRD-MC1 DVD recorder. It turns my old home VHS tapes into playable DVDs (playable on set-top DVD players, as well as Windows-aligned DVD software players).

Note: Roxio Easy Media Creator 7 Basic detects the accompanying audio as AC3, but that doesn't mean much to me. This version of Roxio cannot work with AC3, leading me to my trials below...

OK, great. This is where it gets tricky. When I use Windows Explorer to look at these created DVDs, it makes VOB files of the 'meat' of the recordings. I could tell I would need to edit these VOB files, so I did my homework.

A week later, and lots of shareware later (such as ChopperXP), I can chop these VOBs into smaller VOB files containing the shortened clips I actually would like to use.

Then come the 'put together' shareware which allows me to connect clips with text and transitions and make a continuous video of my smaller clips. That works OK -- that is, I can make a video from these clips, using software such as MPEG Wizard.

After that, it's been a nightmare. Getting my edited continuous clip into any useable form has been a disaster. I can convert it into an MPEG, but the MPEG will be unplayable, or the audio will be off track, or the video freezes up, etc. There is surely a better way.

Can you guys please recommend me to a software package that I can purchase which will successfully take my DVD video TS thingy, and allow me to chop, clip, cut, insert, edit, author, etc? I would really appreciate it!
 
I've used all types of programs but the one thats given me the most options and editing ability with close to perfection every time is Pinacle Studio Plus, this is more towards the line of professional editing software, but from what you've described as to what you've already been into its probably exactly what you're looking for.

You will have to educate yourself on using the software its not super simple but its not hard to grasp onto real quick, and it doesn't need to go through another burn program like Roxio or Nero to burn your projects to DVD it can do it all itself.

You need to be running a gig of RAM and WinXP to use it, I did manage to install it on Win2K but it didn't work right, it specifies WinXP any version, its not cheap but the results you get in return are worth every penny.
 

g-paw

Splendid
Jan 31, 2006
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I use Pinnacle Studeo 9 and it is easy to use and never had a problem.

I'm confused. Are you burning the tapes directly to a DVD Disk and then copying them to the computer for editing and burning? If it is, it seems a pretty complicated way of doing it?
 
I've only used Premier... but from experience with Photoshop Elements, Premier Elements should be just as good as Premier... just a much cheaper price tag.

Very powerful software.