Best settings to convert from VHS tape to DVD?

[JJF]

Nature of the problem

I've been trying to convert VHS (PAL) tapes using Video Studio 10. Using MPEG or DVD settings I get good picture quality but jerky images when the camera has panned.

I'm wondering whether I can increase the frame rate in Video Studio 10 at DVD resolutions to cure this. Or is a lower resolution OK if copying from VHS?

I've tried using AVI, which seems to fix it but produces very big files at the same resolution and 30 fps. I also get an error message when the file gets to about 3GB that the capture has stopped because of hard disk space, despite having a 400GB drive

Any advice or help appreciated

JJ

[sjj1805]

For PAL you need to use 25fps.
Jerky video when panning is normally having the field order the wrong way round.
depandant upon your equipment it is mostly
Lower field first for digital sources such as equipment connected by an IEEE1394 (firewaire) cable
Upper field first for analogue equipment such as a TV card.
The format you capture to depends upon the equipment that you have available. Best quality is to capture to an avi format termed DV.
Your'e equipment may not be able to capture to this format and so you would then revert to MPEG2 - but here you have to be carefull when editing to avoid introducing audio/video synchronisation issues.

Please view the following:
From Camcorder to DVD with VideoStudio
Create a DVD from a Hauppauge TV card (This uses MovieFactory but the procedure is similar)
Workflow

[JJF]

SJJ Thanks for a very helpful reply JJF

[JJF]

I've now checked all my setup for this, and am recording MPEG2 at 25fps with a 9600 bit rate, and upper frame first. Other settings - PAL_B and Colour space YuY2. Resolution 720x576. this gives goodpicture quality but still the jerky movements when camera pans. The PC is a 2400GHz with plenty of memory.

I've tried AVI with similar settings, but for some reason the process stops at about 4GB and says hard disk space problem, even though there's much more than that on a second drive - does Video Studio 10 create temporary files on C:/?

Again, glad of any advice - I'd like to make space by converting all my old video tapes!

JJ

[sjj1805]

I guess you're either using Windows 98 or have a FAT32 hard drive system.
They both have a 4GB file size limit. You need to use the NTFS file system.

Providing you have a NT Operating system
(Windows NT / Windows 2000 / Windows XP / windows Vista)
then conversion is easy and painless.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodte ... rtfat.mspx