I'm nearing my search for a solution for dubbing 1.5hr
MiniDV and 1.5hr LP Digital-8 tapes to a maxed-out
video DVD-R.

I'm 100% sure I do not want (or need) to transcode, as I am
doing zero editing, or need enhancement whatsoever. I have
experimented with Sony 7, Roxio 9, Nero everything, and
lastly the trial version of TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 with DivX.
(Which is the best of them all, IMHO - at least it works.)

We tested 2-pass best of everything settings for transcode,
and none of the laborious works of art were better than simply
doing a quick dub on a new Sony RDR-GX330, or the old
Panasonic ES20. Even the old hacked LiteOn 5005 produced
good results. Our method of testing was to play the A/V on
a 1080i TV, as well as on older conventional TVs. We played
tapes to TVs as well as DVD-Rs to TVs. IMHO and that of
others, the DSPs & hardware code won best
"real world" A/V award. That is, "it looked better".

"CPUs are best for data, DSPs are best for A/V. "

If I can find a set-top-box that has a hard drive, automatically
generates ~5 minute chapter skips, and produces a DVD-R
that is burned & finalized to > 95% full for maximum quality,
and has the ability to easily burn a 2nd copy - then that sounds
like the solution that I want to purchase next. Unfortunately,
I have not found that DVD Recorder / Player yet. The problem
is compounded by the fact that all 3 of our Sony digital
camcorders seem to have a problem completing a dub
to any set-top box, that is, they tend to randomly freeze during
the dub. So I need to find a DVD Recorder Player that is compatible
with the Sony camcorders. Guess I will just have to keep trying
out boxes until I find one that works as well as the Belkin PCI
TI chip card on the PC. I have "never" had a freeze when dubbing
from the Sonys to hard drive with the Belkin / TI chip.

"If anyone knows of a DVD box that will do the above, PLEASE post
the Make & Model number :-) "

I have a nagging feeling that my only real solution will end up being the
one that I least wanted to use. That may be a dedicated PC with a
capture card containing the required DSPs & code to capture the
camcorder AVI directly to VOBs on the hard drive, then use a keyboard /
mouse macro recorder to automate the task from start to finish.
That is, I place a 1.5hr MiniDV tape in a camcorder attached to the
dedicated PC via firewire and two blank DVD-Rs in the two PC DVD
burners (IDE master and USB2) and come back in ~ two hours to a
burned and finalized master & a copy. This is a no-brainier to do,
just need to find a REALLY good PCI card or USB2 device to do the
AVI to VOB real-time conversion. I have not started looking for this
solution yet, but am aware that there are a number of such devices
out there, some with TV tuners which I do not want implemented
in the device. I only want the DSPs & some really good code
to get from AVI to VOB at real-time tape speed.

"If anyone can suggest a good make & model PCI card
or USB2 device, I'm all ears :-)"


THANKS,
Gene

"Gene" <genes@wildblue.net> wrote in message
news:cd%Bh.5$cX2.165946@news.sisna.com...
For some economical choices check out:
www.snazzishop.com

Luck;
Ken

Anyone tried the Canopus FireCoder card?
http://www.canopus.com/products/FireCoder/index.php
They sure talk good.

LOL - I'm too ignorant to fully understand what is feature means:
" Faster-than-realtime MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video file creation "
Wonder if the file is created before the tape reaches EOT? :-)

BTW - found a LOT of cards, etc. with analog in, but very few
choices with DV (firewire / iLink) in as an option.

Gene





"Gene" <genes@wildblue.net> wrote in message
news:cd%Bh.5$cX2.165946@news.sisna.com...

"Gene" <genes@wildblue.net> wrote in message
news:no1Ch.2$%o3.233537@news.sisna.com...
It may be transcoding an existing DV-AVI file in the faster
than real-time case.

Canopus has a very good reputation in the DV hardware
field. It may cost quite a lot though.

Luck;
Ken

In article <cd%Bh.5$cX2.165946@news.sisna.com>, "Gene" <genes@wildblue.net>
wrote:

First off, I'm not a PC guy. Windows, the viruses, freezes and illogical
structure of Windows is just too much in the way of my getting things
done.

The part you won't like is that the Mac does burning direct to a DVD
pretty seamlessly with iDVD. Here's the instructions.

urning a OneStep DVD directly from a DV camcorder
You can skip the creative process completely and burn video footage or a
movie directly from your DV camcorder to a DVD disc. When you insert the
burned disc into a DVD player or a computer, the contents play
automatically.
Autoplay DVDs are sometimes said to play in "kiosk mode" and are a good
way to create demos or other presentations that play automatically and
require no user interaction.
To burn a OneStep DVD:
1. Insert the DV tape with your movie or footage into your camcorder.
2. Connect the camcorder to your computer using a FireWire cable.
3. If your camcorder uses a dock, put the camcorder in the dock and
connect the dock to your computer. See your camcorder's instructions if
you're not sure how to do this.
4. Switch your camcorder to VTR, VCR, or Play mode. If necessary,
turn your camcorder on.
5. Open iDVD and click OneStep DVD. Or choose File > OneStep DVD.
6. Insert a blank DVD disc into the optical drive when you are
prompted to do so.
The tape in the camcorder rewinds automatically to the beginning. If you
already set up the tape to start where you want, press the Play button
on your camcorder as soon as it starts to rewind. This stops the rewind
process and the next stage, video capture, begins.
A progress dialog keeps you informed about everything that's being done.
You can stop the process at any point before the burning stage to leave
the DVD disc untouched.
Creating a OneStep DVD will take longer than simply burning an iDVD
project to a disc because the video needs to be captured first. Plan on
your computer being tied up for a period of time. You may want to do
this when you don't have work to do on your computer for several hours,
perhaps before bed or before you leave for work, depending on the amount
of video on your tape.

You can see more at,

http://www.apple.com/ilife/idvd/

iDVD is part of the iLife suite and comes on new iMacs. It's an AIO
solution which many in the media and industry say is the easiest way to
put things on a DVD. However, if you choose, you can edit your stuff in
iMovie, then put it in iDVD and create a master file(with some
processing time of course) that later you can burn a DVD from at any
time if you need more. You'll have to archive the DVD "Master"
so-to-speak.

The bad news is you sound like a Windows person and perhaps the route is
a bit more difficult on that platform.
--
--
mike

"Mike" wrote ...
OTOH, if he IS a "Windows person" he has a heckuvalot more
options available than being hamstrung as a captive Mac user.

<snip multiple detailed PC capture and burning instructions>

Why are you suggesting the OP buy a Mac to do what he already has done
(and described in considerable detail) on a PC?

M.L. wrote:
Cause he's hoping to start a big snowball fight is what!!

So, where does everyone GET all these viruses? Someone must be hogging
all of mine cause I cannot recall ever getting one.