Which Program?

[I.Sparky]

Hello:

I have a software question, but first I must set the stage. I have a number of VHS tapes (ones I've recorded myself) that I want to put onto DVD. I have a video recorder and a DVD recorder which allows me to record the tape onto a DVD-RW. Now, I want to take that DVD, put it into the DVD burner I have on my computer, edit out the adverts, leaders and trailers, etc., and then burn it onto a DVD-R. Now for the question: Will any of your software allow me to "read" the DVD, perform the editing, and then "re-burn" the result? If so, which one?

Thank you for hearing me out and for your help.

I.Sparky

[skier-hughes]

Video studio will.
I think you will need to ensure the disc is finalised.
Other ones may do it, but I've only had experience with VS.

Graham

[DVDDoug]

Your two main choices are Movie Factory and Video Studio.

Video Studio is a video editor with some DVD authoring capability.

Media Studio is a higher-end video editor with some DVD authoring capability.

DVD Movie Factory is a DVD authoring tool with some video editing capability.

DVD Workshop is a higher-end DVD authoring tool with essentially no editing.

You should download the Trial Programs to see which one(s) work best for you. Don't forget to download the user's manuals too.

You can also order a Trial CD with all of the trial programs for about $10 USD.

Now, here's another reason to try before you buy... There are a couple of issues with stand-alone DVD recorders:

1- Several users have reported problems importing video from these DVDs. You need to find-out it the Ulead programs work with DVDs from your particular DVD recorder.

2- DVDs are MPEG-2, which is not meant to be edited. Cutting and splicing is generally OK, but because MPEG is "lossy" compression, any filtering, cropping, crossfade-transitions, etc., will require an additional lossy decode/re-code cycle which will degrade the video.

Even worse, editing MPEGs can corrupt them which may result in the dreaded "lip-sync" problem! I've experienced this problem, and I solved it by buying a special-purpose MPEG editor called Womble MPEG Video Wizard ($100). Another popular special-purpose MPEG program (I don't own it) is VideoReDo ($50). VideoReDo does simple cut & splice edits, and it has a tool that can sometimes repair corrupted MPEGs. These are video editors only. You need still need DVD authoring software such as Movie Factory or DVD Workshop.

If you'll be doing lots of editing, consider bypassing the stand-alone recorder by buying a capture card / device that can record in AVI/DV format. (For example, ATI All-In-Wonder or Pinnacle Dazzle.) This will cost about the same as a special-purpose MPEG editor, you'll get better results, and avoid the frustration.