Converting mini dvd camcorder disc to compatible editing software, and burning to large dvd for home movies

[jamijo]

Hi. I have read many forums and am as confused as ever where I should go. Basically, I have a Canon DVD camcorder that uses mini-dvd discs. My goal is that I want to get this converted into compatible software to edit and move frames around, make dvd menus, etc...and eventually burn to large DVD's to be able to give to others.

I have an Acer laptop with Vista, which came with Windows DVD maker and Windows Movie Maker. Both programs cannot currently open the video files. I tried DVD Shrink, which converts it to an ISO file, and that also did not work. What are all the programs do I need to download (FREE) to attain all the goals that I want? Please help!

[Whappo]

Are you transferring the video to your hard drive first or just trying to use one of your programs with the mini disk as your file source? Can you explore the mini disk and see what format the files are in, avi, mpg, mod, tod, etc.)

[jamijo]

I have tried both ways so far. The mini disk was not working at all, so that’s when I tried DVD Shrink, which converted it to iso (and iso didn’t work). Mini disk is I believe, udf? Is that familiar? When I click on properties, that’s what it says, but I’ve never heard of that, so I’m possibly looking at the wrong thing.

[Whappo]

With the mini disk in the drive. Go to My Computer/ right click the drive and select explore. You should see the file/s with an extension like avi, mpg, mov, etc.

[AllanDeGroot]

Did not your camera come with software for editing and moving the
recorded images?

USUALLY the best software for a given camera is that provided by the camera manufacturer.

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[harley2ride]

Most likely, if it’s recorded to dvd, it is in mpeg2 format and you need an mpeg2 editor. IF you look at www.videohelp.com/tools, and search for mpeg2 editor, you will find quite a few of them. Your best bet would be to get one where you can make edits, and it won’t re-encode your already encoded video.

[jamijo]

The mini disc is MPEG format. (Is this different from the mpeg2 mentioned in the previous post?) And no, I did not receive any software with the Canon camcorder.

[harley2ride]

mpeg in your case is mpeg2. You have three options. You can demux (convert your mpeg2 back into avi format, edit it , then encode it back to mpeg2 video on a normal sized dvd.

You can run programs such as dvdfab decrypter, to copy the files to a hard drive, then burn back as a normal size dvd (no editing).

You can get a good mpeg2 editing software (womble mpeg wizard is one ), and make changes/edits to your video, then re-encode and burn to a stardard dvd…

[jamijo]

when you say make changes/edits to video, does that include being able to add videos (to be on the same dvd ultimately) from a separate mini disc (as I have one wedding on two separate mini discs)…and is womble mpeg wizard free? Or am I desiring to much to find free video editing software??

[yyy]

If your mini DVDs store video in mpeg2, then you can simply tranfer each miniDVD you want to your hard drive in a separate directory (eg C:\video1 and C:\video2). You can do that with either DVD Shrink or DVD Decrypter (both free). Then you just need a DVD authoring program, that will get the video files from your hard disk, and you can make chapters, menus, etc. In videohelp.com you’ll find some free programs that can do that, such as DVD Styler, DVDAuthorgui etc, along with guides

[jamijo]

ok, just tried that website…and I was blocked from downloading anything. I would get part way through and get a “access is denied” message. I have a new laptop with CA Security on it; this security is new to me, so I don’t know if it’s the website or if it’s my security on my computer. And, unfortunately, I don’t know how to mess with it, nor want to mess it up!

[jamijo]

nevermind…changed the firewall; got it…hopefully it works like a charm!

[jamijo]

ok, I guess I need a suggestion for a different program. There is not much online help for dvdstyler, and I need something nice and easy because I obviously have no clue what I’m doing. I still don’t even know if I converted the video correctly into the program.

[yyy]

Try to make it in 2 steps:
a) Transfer video material from the miniDVDs to the hard disk, using VOB2MPG: http://www.videohelp.com/tools/VOB2MPG It is very easy…
b) Then you just need a program to author the mpeg2 files in a DVD. You can have a look here to get an idea. There are free as well payed programs. Give them a try.

Personally, I have used DVDStyler. I think it is quite easy to use. If you visit their webpage, you’ll find documentation. There are also guides in the net.

I also use TMPGEnc DVD Author, that is even simpler, but it is payware! I think there is a demo version though (not sure). It deals with both steps above, a+b…