I'm trying to rip and then burn a copy of some amateur footage I shot. I thought that Windows had software included with the XP bundle that would doi this. I can't figure it out. I can play the dvd on the computer monitor, but I can't seem to copy it into the memory, which would allow me to burn a new disc. I also can't seem to import it into movie maker, where I thought I could fool around with editing a bit. Any help?
If you shot the original on tape and then burned it to a DVD, it should be very straightforward to then copy those files to your hard drive and then burn them to a new blank DVD. I do it all the time on both my PC and Mac. Don't open the DVD in the player, look for the files in the File Manager and just drag them to a folder on your hard drive. I normally output the tape in the camcorder to a DVD Recorder and make a master DVD of everything on the tape and then make a second Screener copy with just the scene. I think you're marketing your content to Homegrown and I assume you're sending them MiniDV. The DVD Recorder is much faster than trying to send the tape directly to your computer. I hope that helps.
One more, I don't think Movie Maker will accept a DVD file. You'll have to convert it into a movie file like mp4 or mpeg or such. Then you can input to Movie Maker. I don't have my PC with me right now to check.
Cool, thanks for the info, it sucks being so computer illiterate. I did record the mini DV to a DVD and I'm now trying to make a copy of the raw footage to send to the couple, it doesn't seem right that they should have to buy the DVD to see their scene. And I'd like to get it into movie maker just to mess with editing it a bit.
Check your Producer's agreement with Homegrown......OBTW, it you ask HG, they'll send you a copy of the DVD once it is released so you can forward it to the couple.
I think it is BUP, I am kind of techno-challenged. I got it (the DVD footage) into a file in "my documents", but I'll be damned if I can figure out how to get it onto a blank disc. Or figure out how to convert it into an mpeg or other format that will allow me to mess with it in Movie maker. I'm gonna have to break down and get a computer with a firewire card, and stop all this dicking around.
The VIDEO_TS folder for a DVD looks like this: [Image not found DB] You need all of these files to make a DVD. You'll need a rip program to convert these files on a DVD to a WMV or AVI or MP4 or flv or other move file. On a Mac, you can use an open source application like Handbrake to rip the DVD to MP4. It's been too long since I did it on my PC, but I'll try to take a look tomorrow and give you more complete instructions. You can just Google "how to convert DVD to _____" (insert whatever file format you want that MovieMaker or whatever editing program you want to use will accept.
It sounds like the file is already in a DVD Video format. Do you have any DVD burning software, such as Nero or Roxio that came with your PC or DVD burner? Either one of those would allow you to easily copy DVD files from your hard drive to disc. As Rod mentioned, you can use Handbrake to convert a non-encypted DVD to .mp4 or .mkv files, which you can play on a computer or with a media player. There are versions for both the Mac & PC.
+1 for Handbrake. I used it to re-encode some .mov files I shot on my DSLR of a wedding last weekend. Other stuff over the last year, too. haha. Edited by - ChodeMasterJ on 10/22/2010 2:17:05 AM
My past is a foreign country. Most things are different there, including word usage. 503 Posts 12/06
Posted - Oct 22 2010 : 9:38PM
On a Windows O/S platform the simpliest way to 'convert' xxx.VOB files to xxx.MPG files is to download and use the free version of VOB2MPG 3.0.0700 ==>[link removed: No link shorterners] All you have to do is tell VOB2MPG where to find the DVD files and where you want to put the mpg file. It can be in the same folder. The IFO and BUP files are control and menu files. They contain no video images or sound. The xxx.VOB files are the video/sound files and are essentially mpg files with some header/trailer code etc., so the DVD player can play them correctly. They include a sound track. All VOB2MPG does is strip off the 'extra' stuff and leave behind a clean mpg file that can be used by most video file editors and DVD creators. I use many video file and DVD editors to perform various functions. VOB2MPG is the simplest and fastest VOB file converter I've found. BTW, I've found that Movie Maker is one of the worst video file editors and DVD creators. I've essentially stopped using it. On the other hand Intervideo WinDVD2 (which is fairly old - 2002) doesn't require VOB files to be converted, they can be processed directly.
My past is a foreign country. Most things are different there, including word usage. 503 Posts 12/06
Posted - Oct 23 2010 : 4:48PM
As is often the case, software developers feel compelled to 'add function' to a particular release and in doing so make it more complicated to use or actually 'break it.' Such is the case with VOB2MPG. I downloaded the current version from the web site (URL given above) and the version I was using for quite a while VOB2MPG 2.7 has been 'upgraded' to version 3.0. I'm not impressed and it appears to be more difficult to understand and use. I still have version 2.7 in zip download form and anyone that wants that version can send me an e-mail and I reply with the download attached. (Note gmail addys will not allow the receipt of e-mails with zip files containing executables).
it's MUCH easier to just connect the camcorder to a stand alone dvd recorder, unless you want to add titles & effects then uploading to computer is cool, I've used BOTH methods in the past
I agree - MUCH easier and faster unless you want to do more than simple editing. You can delete unwanted portions, but much harder to anything more than that unless you load it into your computer.