insert media - dvd

surfer · Post by **surfer** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 6:24 pm

I have made a dvd (with another program, but now i am sold to videostudio10 + for the time beiing). This dvd contains a few years of my family. Every year i put a new part between the title's.

I have put the whole movie on a dvd. So every year i must import the dvd to my hard drive and then start editing (ok not the ideal situation). After editing i make a new dvd.

My question is:
The imported dvd in a self named media library but the actual imported file is in my temp folder (the folder that i set in preferences). There are 2 MPEG files. I know it is better to edit in avi.
What can i best do to lose no quality? (source is a digital camcorder 3 megapixels), now that you know mine intentions with the files.

Copy the mpeg's to a location on my harddisk and start editing those files? then make a dvd or make directly a avi and then starting editing?
Copy the dvd to my harddrive en convert them to avi?

I just do not now what a smart thing to do is..

skier-hughes · Post by **skier-hughes** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 6:48 pm

Depending on whether you can set VS to not re-encode compliant files the best thing would be NOT to keep on editing mpegs.

Mpeg is a lossy format, which means if it get's re-encoded from mpeg to mpeg - because you made some changes - then each save will result in a small loss of quality.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 6:52 pm

I see you have 3 fairly large hard drives.
If I was going to create a family history DVD updated once a year, now that Hard Drives are so large and cheap I would be tempted to edit my yearly video and then keep it in DVD compliant MPEG2 format in a folder created for the family history video files.

Each year a new edited MPEG2 file would be added to it.
You can then either create a DVD menu template specially for your
"Family History" DVD or simply create a new one each year dependant upon your personal choice.

Doing it this way shouldn't take too much hard drive space, as soon as you hit the 4.3 GB limit you will be going into "Our Family History Disk 2" so you could then probably do away with the files for disk 1.

Obviously you will suffer no loss of quality as you are now simply authoring ready prepared MPEG2 files and not doing any further editing.

surfer · Post by **surfer** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:07 am

Thanks alot,

"Obviously you will suffer no loss of quality as you are now simply authoring ready prepared MPEG2 files and not doing any further editing"

I have imported the dvd files in vs10 and are goiing to put some title and other scenes to it. Then when i make a new dvd or new mpeg2 files the video is rendering again i assume, that implies also loss of quality?

So, the best thing is to import the files, then i have 2 mpeg files on my harddrive. add the things i want and then make a new mpeg2 file (or dvd files), this means no loss of quality? Am i wright?

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:29 pm

surfer · Post by **surfer** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 5:54 pm

Thanks, i understand that well but the point is by this method that de video/titles i add are not added to the existing dvd but is put between the other clips. So at time 4 minutes there are extra photo's / video and at point 8 minutes also.

Yes not so easy but the dvd i create is a dvd to see my kids grow up. The first minutes are my yongest kid and the next 10 minutes my other kid and so on. When a year goes by i want to add in between my children different photo's/video's for one of the kids and then again for the other kids.

With the method that you are discribing i must create a mpeg2 file for every kid and then in de create dvd timeline put the newly created mpeg2's in the original dvd file am i wright?

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Sun Jun 04, 2006 7:47 pm

surfer · Post by **surfer** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:16 pm

Ok. I have convert the files to microsoft avi with the settings dv1 and also dv2 because dv1 looked like the image was not so good as the original mpeg2. I saw some stuttering.

Do you believe that after i am done editing with the avi that i make first a mpeg2 file and then add the mpeg2 in the timeline create disc and then making the dvd or is it just as good to directly from dv to dvd without first make the mpeg2?
Or is this again the discussion to make first a file then the avi?

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:58 pm

surfer
What MD and myself are both suggesting is that you do everything you can to avoid any rendering, each time you render you lose quality.

There are two ways you can avoid re-rendering, it all depends upon how you wish to present your DVD for that year.

Method 1.
Each 'Year' is a self contained video of everything appertaining to that year.
Once created it will never be edited again. This can be kept in DVD compliant MPEG2 format ready for the authoring stage where it is added to the DVD Menu as a separate video with its own Thumbnail. You can use Chapters to effectively split the video up into a series of DVD Menu Thumbnails.

Method 2.
You want to edit the video captured by inserting new items into the existing material. Now you must keep this material in DV (AVI) format.
Whether you choose type 1 or type 2 depends upon other factors not really relevant to this suggestion.

What you now do is preserve this DV file so that it remains unchanged but you add that DV file (or to be safe - make a copy of it) to the editor timeline, make your edits, cuts, transitions etc. (Also to make life easier next year SAVE the project file.)

You then create a DVD compliant MPEG2 file to use in this years DVD.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 7:41 pm

Giving all of this some extra thought why not do the following:

Keep videos as separate years as suggested above. Then there is no re-rendering and loss of quality, they can be save as MPEG2 but also you can back them up onto a DATA DVD disc in case of a computer problem - a project spanning several years I can guarantee that at some time in the future a disaster will strike.

Photographs can be kept in separate folders. These can also be backed up onto a DATA DVD disc.
You can then make a slideshow each year where your children are seen to grow from 6 months to 16 years in the space of 5 minutes!

I am sure the slideshow would be extremely interesting.

surfer · Post by **surfer** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 12:41 pm

Thanks alot folks.

For my understandings a summary of what i am goiing to do:

starting point:
import dvd result 2 mpegs
convert mpegs to 2 avi's (dv PAL..) (intro and main movie of photo's/video's)
project 1: load resulting avi's
add photo's/video's for a new year between the rest.
result: make MPEG2 pal dvd file
burn mpeg2 to dvd with menu
new year: open project1 and save this to project 2
edit avi's in project 2
after ready editing: make again mpeg2 file
burn dvd
new year: open project 2 and save it to project 3
edit project3 (add video's/ photo's
when ready: make mpeg2 file with menu
etcetera

Am i wright of am i doiing still something wrong (to loose no quality)...

skier-hughes · Post by **skier-hughes** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:25 pm

Doing it this way you still have to ensure that all the settings you use each time you make a new section are exactly the same or you will end up re-rendering the "whole" project.

Can I throw in another suggestion?

Do you use Minidv to record the initial footage?

If yes, does your cam have dv-in?

If yes... here's what I'd do.

Start project one, edit and when final first send back to minidv tape for archiving and for next years editing, then author a dvd for viewing this year.

Year 2. Capture year 1 from minidv tape, capture year two from minidv tape. Edit adn when final export back to mini dv tape for next years editing and then author a dvd for viewing.

Year 3. Capture year1/2 footage from minidv tape, etc etc.

Graham

surfer · Post by **surfer** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 2:36 pm

I cannot copy the result back to minidv. I have a mini dv camera but no dv in.

Is it the fact that when i put a few scene's between the others that videostudio will re-render the entire project?
The video's that i insert will also come from the minidv camera so i will capture the video with videostudio to dv1 (i always used dv2 but i learned on this site that usually dv1 is used with digital sources).

So i am goiing to try method 2 from Steve, and must use the different projects and different avi's. I thought about it and i also must save the video not only as mpeg2 for the dvd but each year as a avi which will be loaded each year in a new project.

skier-hughes · Post by **skier-hughes** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 2:50 pm

If you save an avi to your hard drive each year and use this for the following editing all will be fine.

If you use Mpegs, the settings you use to make this years must match those used last year or it will be re-rendered.

Graham

surfer · Post by **surfer** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:19 pm

When editing for a year is done, i can choose to make a mpeg2 file for the dvd and a avi dv for edting next year and save that again next year as a avi. Those saved avi's are the input in a new project per year so there is totaly no lost of quality. THe side effect is that i must make two files at the end of each editing. (one for dvd viewing).

The other method is to make only a mpeg2 dvd file and burn that but leave it also on the harddrive per year and use that as input in a new project per year as long as i keep the settings the same? (so that noting is beiing rendered)
The pro for the last is that i only have to create one output file, but the disadvantage is that avi is best for editing and not mpeg.

This dvd is so importent to me and i am a dutchman so my english isn't so best that i understand it immediatly thatswhy i want to make shore that i am doiing the right thing in this case without loosing quality and to never loose the video. It took me alot of weeks to make this dvd, only with another program which i don't want to use anymore.

The big question i still have is: should i make only a mpeg without settings change to avoid re-rendering or should i make avi for editing further and a mpeg for the dvd?
Am i right above about the methods?