Editing out Commercials etc - Newby Question :-)

[marvin-miller]

Hi Everyone;

A friend sent me a trial version of DVD WorkShop2 and I was hoping to be able to edit out commercials. I don't know much about DVD's at all so maybe I'm not even using the right software but here's what I'm trying to do....

I'm using a stand alone DVD recorder to record all the old Battlestar Galactica shows from the TV. What I want to do is this;

Use my computer to edit all the commercials out and then make chapters for each episode. I don't know if chapters is the right word but I want to be able to put the completed DVD in my home unit and then select which episode I want to watch by using a menu. So I'm hoping to make a menu or chapters for each episode (1 hour long).

I have the hardware and can get the recorded programs into DVD studio but I'm wondering if this is the easiest/best software for the job or is there something else that would be better?

[Devil]

You can do most of what you want in WS2 but it may not be the ideal tool for the job, because each "non-commercial" segment will become a title. This means you will have to put the titles of one episode into the playlist for the first one. There will be a slight pause between each title, but this will not be too bad, I think.

If you find it financially acceptable, you may consider MSP8 (free trial download available) as a better tool. It has a much improved feature for capturing your original DVD and also it is easier to trim out the unwanted parts (it can even automatically trim out the commercials. This has the advantage of flexibility and you can make a single title out of each episode (no pauses). It also includes a simpler authoring application than WS2, but it because each re-render = loss of quality.will be adequate for your needs.

If you burn the results on a single 4.7 Gb DVD blank, I recommend you do not try to put more than 2 episodes on one disk. If you have to re-render, aim for a total file size of ~4.1 Gb. Better would be not to have to re-render, even if it means only one episode/DVD. Perhaps there are means to adjust the stand-alone recorder to keep each episode to <~2 Gb if you insist on 2 episodes/disk.

[sjj1805]

Media Studio Pro 8 is the expensive flagship within the ulead range and also one of the more difficult to use. If you only wish to do simpler DVD jobs, recording off the TV and cutting out the adverts and then converting to a DVD, you may wish to look at the following 2 alternatives (both part of the ulead range)

1. Video Studio 9. This is a DVd "Editor" ie enables you to cut out unwanted items such as the commercials. It also enables you to join clips together with fancy transitions such as crossfades. It then includes the ability to create a menu driven DVD.

2. DVD Movie Factory 4. This one is more of a DVD Creator with a bit more focus on the creation of the menu driven DVD. it includes some editing capability to cut out unwanted bits like the adverts.

VS9 concentrates on the editing side, MF4 concentrates on the DVD creation side though both are capable of doing what you wish.

Media Studio Pro is the "Better version" of Video Studio.

In addition there is also available DVD Workshop 2 which is in effect the "Better version" of DVD Movie Factory BUT you could not realistically cut out adverts with this one, it is intended to create a DVD from ready edited videos.

There are 30 day trial versions of all the above on the ulead website which can be downloaded. There is also an option to get them (for a small fee) to send you all the above trial programs on a CD through the post.

Should you later wish to purchase one or moe of the above, you don't have to download again, you instead purchase an unlocking key.

[marvin-miller]

Thanks sjj1805 - I'll take a look at VS9. I appreciate the informative reply and it's nice to have someone point me in the right direction and to tell me about the pro's & con's of each