[Cohenista]

Can I use my Powerbook G4 to convert videos to DVDs? If so, would anyone like to give a description of how?!

Thanks!

[yesea]

Of course! Toast and iDvd can do it!

[bmedina]

You need some hardware to get the video into the computer. They are commonly called DV bridges, and they allow you to import from an analog source the same way you import from a DV camcorder.

[Cohenista]

Excellent, thanks!

[SVass]

If one is renting an HD cable box with a Firewire output, can said box be connected between a TV set and the rf output of a VCR and thus serve as a bridge to digitize a VHS tape? Would iDVD serve to record the output? My daughter was videotaped in a parachute jump and wants to put it on her computer. sam

[spork]

Hello, I would like some more info about the DV bridge. I saw a few which were USB2, but they only capture at about 350x240 or so and I need full size for later use in DVDSP.
any recomendations. the portable solution would be interesting for use on different machines as well.???? Is a PCI capture card better?
thanks





12"133 pbook
g4 533 dual

[bmedina]

You need something like this: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...onics&n=507846

A PCI capture card would be fine. Just make sure you can use the captured files with whatever editing program you plan to use. Personally, I would go the Firewire bridge route.

[Kenneth]

Well.. don't forget to leave plenty of storage space.

[spork]

I will only be capturing short stretches of video so space isn't the biggest problem.

Why go firewire over PCI or even USB, besides the obvious price difference?

thanks again

[bmedina]

Ease of use, mainly. With a firewire solution, you can import directly into iMovie (and then move to iDVD for burning). With PCI, you'll be capturing to a file, which you'll then have to import into iMovie, assuming it supports the codec that the PCI card uses.

[mac_and_cheez]

is the dazzle hollywood dv bridge the only one available for the mac...i am also interested in turning my vhs into dvd and have only been able to come across the dazzle hollywood

[Uncle Skeleton]

1. USB sucks. you save a few bucks, then you kick yourself when you see the results of the product

2. You don't need to use iMovie. In fact, I would avoid it at all costs unless you need to add transitions or titles. For simple cut & paste editing QuickTime Pro is infinitely faster and easier (and titles you can do in QT too, but they're harder).

3. If you have the option, I would recommend a PCI card. I has higher bandwidth (read: better quality if you so choose), has it's own tuner, creates less clutter, and gives you the option to avoid DV (if you're not using iMovie, this is an option you want to take).

4. I own the Dazzle product (I don't use it since I got my PCI card, and I don't even use that since I got my free firewire HDTV cable box from comcast). It worked fine as advertised. As I understand it, the Dazzle is considered the cheapest Firewire bridge, and also the shortest lifespan (mine still works except that the left audio channel became really quiet one day), over others from Formac and Canopus (and probably others, look around this forum). But it's more cost effective to get a DV cam instead of a DV bridge (DV cams mostly have a "passthrough" option that does what a DV bridge does. You can get one for less than 2x the price, and as a bonus you get a video camera. I wouldn't have gotten the Dazzle if someone had clued me in to that.

[spork]

I had pretty much come to the conclusion that the usb solutions aren't worth it, even with usb2.

It seems to me that this here, or something similar, is the best solution.
http://www.synchrotech.com/product-1...verter_02.html
$199 compared to the formac at $299

capture directly to FCP or imovie via firewire connected to vhs with full stereo sound. works with desktop or pbook. captures at 720x480 and even doubles as sound out at parties from itunes or trakorDJ with pbook. You don't need to open the case as well. It seems this is really an external PCI card with firewire interface and it even comes with a few extra composite plugs. the only down side would be no s-video.
costs maybe 50 bucks more than sound card, such as the Miglia DVR PCI tuner/capture card seen here http://miglia.com/products/video/alc...dvr/index.html
one thing I agree with about a pci card is less clutter. external units of all types creat too many cables.

can't you capture to file as well with firewire solutions??

just checked out the canopus unit and holy cow, bad mofo piece of equipment. if you need it, it's got it. now just to justify the price and do I really need all it has to offer.

will give QT pro a try for editing.
love those comments

powerbook 12"133
g4 533 dual

[Uncle Skeleton]

Oh yeah, I always forget about EyeTV. If you're going to be going directly to DVD without (more than cut & paste) editing, EyeTV products have the huge advantage that they produce DVD compliant streams in hardware. With anything else (besides the cable box option or a MPEG-2 PCI card for which no commercial Mac OS drivers exist), you have to spend hours (or depending on your cpu speed, days) converting everything to MPEG before you can author a DVD. (EyeTV is something of an exception to my above "usb sucks" assertion, though I personally wouldn't settle for VCD quality which afaik is what you get from the USB version of EyeTV).

[spork]

Please correct me if I am wrong.
A video from a VHS device connected via composite cable to a "decoder, compressor, transformer" connected to a computer via firewire can be seen in the slug viewer in Final Cut? 10 to 60 second sections can be cut and saved as quicktime, ideally with all the proper specs for DVDSP.

If that is okay, it seems like a doable work flow.


After looking at this, for $299, if the above series is true, is everything I will need for quite a while.

http://www.canopus.us/US/products/ad...t_advc-100.asp

[James L]

I have an old Canon ZR digital video camera... probably worth $300 or $400. It has a digital to analog converter built in. So, I plug the RCA cable from VCR to camera, plug the firewire cable from camera to Powerbook, and it streams and digitizes the video signal right into iMovie or Final Cut... whichever I am using.

Great way to digitize tv shows too!!!!



And, as an above poster mentioned, I have a video camera for use during holidays, etc.

[bartman00]

I'm the IT guy at a library in Westerville Ohio. We have 3 G5's set up for people to do digital video editing and stuff on. We use a Canopus digitiser for people who want to go from VHS to DVD or back to VHS. It works great and accepts most inputs.

One thing you should know first. If you have a DV camera or know someone who does you may not have to buy anything. Most DV cameras can do digital passthrough. Basicallly you hook your VCR or what ever to the camera, then the camera to the computer and it digitises it.

Even if you don't have a DV camera you'd be much better served putting the money you would spend on a digitiser into the cost of getting a DV camera.

Bart

[andersbk]

Originally posted by bartman00:
One thing you should know first. If you have a DV camera or know someone who does you may not have to buy anything. Most DV cameras can do digital passthrough. Basicallly you hook your VCR or what ever to the camera, then the camera to the computer and it digitises it.

Even if you don't have a DV camera you'd be much better served putting the money you would spend on a digitiser into the cost of getting a DV camera.

Bart

I second this.

A digitiser is a waste of money. Buy or borrow a DV camera that does the same job.
I know all Sony DV cameras can do digital passthrough exept the abolute cheapest ones.
Even some of the better Digital8 cameras do it too.

/Anders

[spork]

Really a great idea.
I am going to try with the studio's JVC handheld digital camcorder. I bet it will work.

these forums rock. Hopefully this just saved me about 250 bucks.
happy new year

pbook 12" 133
g4 533 dual

[andersbk]

yeah these forums really rock!

let us know how it works out for you

[James L]

Canon miniDV camcorders will do this also, though I would go with Sony personally. Just get miniDV and not those DVD ones.

In the features list it is usually called "analog to digital converter".

Point of note, some camcorders require you to do a two step process in this... record the analog to tape, and then import from the miniDV tape. Others just use the camcorder as a "pass-thru" and digitize the signal on the fly.

Good luck!

[Rychiar]

i convert vhs to dvd using EyeTV

[mozilla fan]

I don't know if this has been mentioned already, or if you're even thinking about doing this, but.... VHS and DVD films that you purchase sometimes have copyright protection. Some of the video capturing devices/software will see the copyright signal and not allow you to record the signal.

Just thought this should be mentioned.

[slffl]

Originally Posted by James L

I have an old Canon ZR digital video camera... probably worth $300 or $400. It has a digital to analog converter built in. So, I plug the RCA cable from VCR to camera, plug the firewire cable from camera to Powerbook, and it streams and digitizes the video signal right into iMovie or Final Cut... whichever I am using.

Great way to digitize tv shows too!!!!



And, as an above poster mentioned, I have a video camera for use during holidays, etc.

I'm trying to do this right now, however, iMovie says that the camera has no tape (which is doesn't). Are all cameras able to go straight from VCR to iMovie? Or is there a setting which I'm not seeing?

EDIT: Looks likes James answered this for me. I guess my Sony camcorder doesn't do it on the fly.

[andersbk]

There should be an option in the menu when in vcr mode, that says: "AV->DV-out".
You have to enable this function by setting this to "yes".

Most Sony MiniDV-camcorders have this option. (except the way cheapest ones, like my HCR-14 )

[auggie]

Can I use a DV camera to convert audio tapes and LPs to digital format too?

I'm looking for an all-in-one solution to convert VHS tapes, cassette tapes and LPs. I've use an Audirol audio converter (borrowed) with good results for digitizing LPs but I'd like to find a single device to handle everything. Is there anything out there?

[andersbk]

I haven't done this with iMovie before, but I did it with Adobe Premiere a long time ago when I used PC.

And what I learned was that I couldn't just connect the cassette-player to the camera and start recording, because Premiere wouldn't import from the camera if there was no video signal. So I had to connect a video signal to the camera aswell, to trick Premiere. And then, when the video was imported, i just exported it as a .wav file (dropping the video signal), and used another program to convert the .wav-file to .mp3.

[itasor]

I do this alot with the following very cool thing:

It's a Miglia Director's Cut RCA-->Firewire converter. I open iMovie, press play on the VCR and then record in iMovie and it starts recording into iMovie VERY nicely. Just make sure that you use a VCR that has a screen and doesn't use an onscreen display, or that will get recorded too.

[andersbk]

Yeah, but if you have a dv camera - you can get it to do the same thing as the Miglia converter.
(as discussed above)

no need to buy an extra converter - it's a waste of money.

[slffl]

I got it to work by trying a newer model sony camera than the one I tried first. Just went into the menu and changed the setting Av->DVout mentioned above. Works great!

[auggie]

Thanks. Good to know it's possible. Unfortunately I think that a DV camera is out of budget right now.

[byteseller]

If anyone is still intereseted in doing this I have a brand new DV bridge that i would be willing to part with

[budster101]

Originally Posted by Cohenista

Can I use my Powerbook G4 to convert videos to DVDs? If so, would anyone like to give a description of how?!

Thanks!

El Gato's EyeTV Plus your PowerBook's iDVD.

[kcourt]

The Formac Studio TVR was recommended to me by the local Apple Store - I am converting some VHS home movies to dvd and need to edit them once they are on the Mac - anyone here use this method?

Kathy

[Uncle Skeleton]

Originally Posted by kcourt

The Formac Studio TVR was recommended to me by the local Apple Store - I am converting some VHS home movies to dvd and need to edit them once they are on the Mac - anyone here use this method?

Kathy

As already stated, that would be a waste of money if you can get your hands on a DV camcorder for the day.

As asked but not yet answered, this can also be done (relatively cheaply, cheaper than the Formac at least) by getting an HDTV cable box (from your cable company) that has firewire output, then using the example software in the Apple firewire SDK (or the modified one from here: http://home.comcast.net/~macpvr/ ) to capture the box's output, and by connecting your VCR to the cable box (by any compatible connections they both have). This will leave you with MPEG-2 files, which are hard to edit with iMovie, but possible with Final Cut (I'm told), and downright easy with MPEG StreamClip, plus they're ready for DVD authoring, if that is your inclination.

Also, I've heard nothing but bad things about Formac's customer support.