Mixing a Newly Captured Video With MPG from DVD

[nt88498]

I have captured onto the computer a Hi8 tape that is about 5 minutes long. I need to add two minutes of video from an already made DVD of a concert. The Hi8 tape I captured is 720x480. When I insert into the timeline the two minutes from the already made DVD, the setting says 320x480 (I think, I'm not at my home computer right now).

All I am wanting to do is add a short title in front of both videos and then fade to black at the end of the entire video (so I'm not wanting to edit much at all).

So I put all the video into the timeline, added two titles and a couple transitions and created an AVI file. Then an MPG file. Then burnt to DVD. When I played it back on the DVD player, the video is fuzzy and jumps.

Is this because of the 320x480? I'm not familiar with those numbers and haven't worked with any video other than 720x480. I'm not sure how to make one 7 minute video out of two different types of video files.

Do I need to make an AVI file at all? What should my MPG settings be so that both videos play nicely like they do if I play them separately? Any help would be appreciated!!!

I have a 2hz processor
1g ram
using VS8

[jchunter]

There is no need to create an AVI file if your source videos are Mpeg2. You should create an Mpeg2 video file of your edited project then burn it to DVD as specified in the top post (recommended procedure). BTW, your project properties and burn properties should specify 720 x 480, with correct field order (probably Upper First).
John

[nt88498]

One of my source videos are not MPEG2. The one I captured from the Hi8 tape is DV.

And what about the difference in format. The inserted MPEG from the DVD is something like 320x480 (what is that?) and my DV I captured from Hi8 tape is 720x480.

You say to create an MPG file after editing and not an AVI file. What settings do I use for the MPG file since the source videos are different sizes?

[GeorgeW]

it might be 352x480 -- NTSC Half D1 resolution (is a valid DVD resolution, and should playback normally on your TV).

[jchunter]

So, you captured your analog Hi8 tape thru a digital camcorder? Then you probably use Lower Field First as the Field Order property. (You can check this by reading the properties of both clips). If they are different, then you have to choose which one to favor because one will have to be converted.

When your create your Mpeg2 video file of the project, the AVI clip will be rendered to Mpeg2, the Frame size will be changed to 720 x 480 and the field Order will be made consistent.
John

[nt88498]

that looks right (352x480). I think that is what it said.

OK, so I add both videos in the timeline, edit and then make an MPG file at 720x480, even though one of the videos is at 352x480. And both will play fine after burnt?

Correct?

[jchunter]

When you play the DVD, the video file that was initially captured at 720 x 480 will show better resolution than the other.
John

BTW, you can play the video file in the PC prior to burning the DVD to check this out.

[nt88498]

Do you think it would be better then, to make the MPG at the 352x480 resolution so that the videos would look the same or should I still use the 720x480 and there won't be that much of a difference?

What do you think?

[GeorgeW]

You might run into a field-order problem when you combine the two videos. If the 2-min mpeg video is upper-field first, one of the videos will look normal, and the other might have "jitter" -- depending on your final output encoding...