What do I need to edit and burn DVDs?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Buckaroo_Banzi
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Buckaroo_Banzi

Have Microsoft XP Media Center Edition (preloaded). Looking to buy USB
external dual-layer DVD writer and everything I need to edit and burn
movies (ones I can not purchase).

Two questions:

1) Which DVD writer? (looking at iomega)

2) List of everything else I will need.
 
Previously Buckaroo_Banzi said:
Have Microsoft XP Media Center Edition (preloaded). Looking to buy USB
external dual-layer DVD writer and everything I need to edit and burn
movies (ones I can not purchase).
Click to expand...
Two questions:
Click to expand...
1) Which DVD writer? (looking at iomega)
Click to expand...

I don't know about their writers, but everything else Iomega
at least used to be pretty unreliable. Also DL disks are
not the most reliable at the moment, even if you find a
disk/burner combination that works well together. And they
are expensive.

I would recomend USB HDDs (reliable if good HDDs are used and
cooled adequately) or professional tape (reliable for long-term
storage, but not too fast on access) instead, depending on whether
this is for archiving or easy access.

Arno
 
Actually want to be able to play the movie on my DVD player so the
whole family can watch.
 
This is important a part of the original question, your question remains
wide open for other left out details as well. Like what is the source of
the A/V data and its format.
A general reply to your question would make a full website, like
videohelp.com for instance.

In the future, keep your newsgroup screen name the same while in the same
thread.
.............
Jonny
 
I did state the source of the A/V: it's Media Center. Media Center uses
a new file format called DVR-MS. DVR-MS is an MPEG-2 file that includes
metadata about the recorded program to be stored.

The actual A/V device that the computer uses with Media Center is the
HP dual tuner (translate also to Adaptec AVC-3610). It would also
interest me to capture from this device circumventing Media Center and
its wacky format, which at last account couldn't be edited or
translated into anything usable for producing A/V that one can edit and
burn a DVD from. As far as I know, I can't split up the video onto
multiple DVD so that is why I am thinking of a dual layer DVD burner,
maybe I can get the whole thing, commercials and all, onto it.

I have tried video help areas but when I attempted to follow the advice
I ended up purchasing cables (in one instance, to get around Media
Center and connect to my cable box with a Fire Wire cable) and
attempting to hobble together shareware or freeware utilities for
editing and burning and ended up getting nowhere. I think the Fire Wire
route was a waste, as from what I see movies have the protection turned
on and I can't do anything with them.

I am looking for any real solution, including purchasing a different
video tuner or input device so I can finally get edited movies to DVD.
I just want something that is guaranteed to work.

As far as changing my screen name, that was an accident. I posted, and
then joined the group. When I joined the group I put in a new name
thinking that the first posting would pick it up and it didn't.
 
For what it's worth. said:
I did state the source of the A/V: it's Media Center. Media Center
uses a new file format called DVR-MS. DVR-MS is an MPEG-2 file
that includes metadata about the recorded program to be stored.
Click to expand...
The actual A/V device that the computer uses with Media Center
is the HP dual tuner (translate also to Adaptec AVC-3610). It would
also interest me to capture from this device circumventing Media
Center and its wacky format, which at last account couldn't be
edited or translated into anything usable for producing A/V that
one can edit and burn a DVD from.
Click to expand...

That isnt true. There is quite a bit of dvr-ms support
in everything from Roxio EMC to VideoReDo Plus etc.

The main current lack is repairing a bad dvr-ms file that was the
result of say running out of hard drive space during the capture.
dvr-ms is worse than say ts in that the basic data needed to use
the file isnt written till its closed properly and that is a problem if
the capture crashes without it being written. ts keeps that data
in a separate file during the capture so its available for repair in
the event of a crash during the capture.
As far as I know, I can't split up the video onto multiple DVD
Click to expand...

Yes you can. Any of the systems that can burn a DVD and can
use dvr-ms files can do that. Roxio EMC can produce multiple
DVDs from a single dvr-ms file that is too big to fit on a single
DVD too, tho its still a dvr-ms file so you need to restore it to
a hard drive to play it. Fine for offline storage, main downside
is that you cant put it in a DVD player and play it offline.
so that is why I am thinking of a dual layer DVD burner,
maybe I can get the whole thing, commercials and all, onto it.
Click to expand...
I have tried video help areas but when I attempted to follow the
advice I ended up purchasing cables (in one instance, to get around
Media Center and connect to my cable box with a Fire Wire cable)
and attempting to hobble together shareware or freeware utilities
for editing and burning and ended up getting nowhere.
Click to expand...

It can be done. I do it.
I think the Fire Wire route was a waste, as from what I see movies
have the protection turned on and I can't do anything with them.
Click to expand...
I am looking for any real solution, including purchasing a different
video tuner or input device so I can finally get edited movies to
DVD. I just want something that is guaranteed to work.
Click to expand...

You need quite a bit of computing horsepower to
transcode the dvr-ms file into say avi, but it works
fine with stuff like VideoReDo and Roxio EMC.
 
This is important a part of the original question, your question remains
wide open for other left out details as well. Like what is the source of
the A/V data and its format.
A general reply to your question would make a full website, like
videohelp.com for instance.
Click to expand...

Or alt.video.dvd.authoring or alt.video.dvd.software
 
For what it's worth. said:
I did state the source of the A/V: it's Media Center. Media Center uses
a new file format called DVR-MS. DVR-MS is an MPEG-2 file that includes
metadata about the recorded program to be stored.
Click to expand...

Rod Speed's advice sounds good, but have you tried the newsgroup
microsoft.public.windows.mediacenter, I think it's called?
(not sure about the ".windows" part.)
 
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