Files, files and more huge files

[Guest]

Just wondering... everyone is doing all this saving and editing in DV-AVI,
but converting and authoring to DVD in MPEG2... I'm gonna run out of disk
space as I imagine many others are.

Here's how I see it...
1) you want to backup all those home movies cause tape won't last, so we
save on computers as DV-AVI and DVDs as MPEG2
2) you want to be able to edit those movies, so you have to keep the DV-AVI
file on your HDD cause WMM doesn't import MPEG2 video.
3) you can't get a bigger HDD to store more DV-AVIs and HDDs fail too, so
you want to get the DV-AVI to DVD

So, here is my proposed solutions...
Microsoft adds the MPEG2 handling ability to WMM and we are all done.
or
I have to capture my taped movies to WMM and save as DV-AVI, create backup
DVDs with the DV-AVI format (takes about 3 times the DVD space, strictly to
archive DV-AVI format instead of leaving on HDD), edit the DV-AVI in WMM and
generate the edited DV-AVI (which I may want to backup to a data DVD also),
convert the DV-AVI to MPEG2 and author to a DVD.

This way, I get to keep the HDD open, I have viewable DVDs, I have archive
data DVDs, I have no more time cause each step above takes hours, and I have
missed my son growing by creating DVDs of his first week alive.

Any better ideas on how to accomplish all this?
Thanks,
Jason

 

[Guest]

I have been chewing over this same problem as we have a houseful of new
kittens (thinking about it, I suppose you couldn't have old kittens, could
you) - and I have hours of DV-AVI captured video and my nice new 80GB drive
is almost consumed.
I was going to burn the DV-AVI to DVD for archive purposes/to release HDD
space (same objectives as Jason) but then I realised that as I have captured
each 1hr tape in one go, resulting in a 12-13GB file each time, there's no
way I can fit any of them onto a DVD. Not even a double-layered one, even if
I had such a burner.
My question: is it possible to split an already captured DV-AVI file into
smaller parts - three I guess, to fit onto 3 separate 4.7GB capacity DVDs?
Or would the only solution have been to stop and start the capture at 20mins
intervals, thereby creating 3 smaller DV-AVIs to start with?
Sorry if this creates a side-issue off Jason's original question, but it is
very closely related...
Thanks
CW

 

[Graham Hughes]

1st Issue, longevity of media. I would store my back ups on tape, tape has
been around for ages and lasts, dvd, at least home burnt ones are as yet an
unknown in how long they will last, so should not be relied upon to archive.
A search of the net will bring up problems, even with commercial discs,
which does not bode well for the 100 years they had touted.
A one hour avi can be put into MM and you just cut off the last 40 mins and
tehn make a new dv-avi file, called something else, so as not to overwrite,
and then do this another twice and voila, you have you three short movies.
If you don't have enough room for doubling up you can always make the first
20 mins and then burn to dvd, remove it and start again.

Graham

 

[Guest]

No sideline here... that's what I'm asking!!!

I have been chewing over this same problem as we have a houseful of new
kittens (thinking about it, I suppose you couldn't have old kittens, could
you) - and I have hours of DV-AVI captured video and my nice new 80GB drive
is almost consumed.
I was going to burn the DV-AVI to DVD for archive purposes/to release HDD
space (same objectives as Jason) but then I realised that as I have captured
each 1hr tape in one go, resulting in a 12-13GB file each time, there's no
way I can fit any of them onto a DVD. Not even a double-layered one, even if
I had such a burner.
My question: is it possible to split an already captured DV-AVI file into
smaller parts - three I guess, to fit onto 3 separate 4.7GB capacity DVDs?
Or would the only solution have been to stop and start the capture at 20mins
intervals, thereby creating 3 smaller DV-AVIs to start with?
Sorry if this creates a side-issue off Jason's original question, but it is
very closely related...
Thanks
CW

 

[PapaJohn \(MVP\)]

Hi Jason,

No better ideas here... part of doing digital video editing is having to
make tradeoffs between quality and file sizes... and manage the files
appropriately - whatever files we treat as the masters, and those we
consider backups.

We all want the highest quality and at the smallest file sizes.... there's
lots of compression options and the right answers are different for each of
us. My normal isn't to go to DVD to play on a TV, so I don't make MPEG-2
files..... I make WMV files and burn them to a CD to play on computers.

If Movie Maker had an option to render to MPEG2 files... it wouldn't change
the basic need to retain the original high quality files. And other software
tools exists to do it today, so you're not limited by MM2.... If you do
enough work and need to save a step, then editing with software that saves
directly to MPEG2 is an option instead of using Movie Maker.

It's true that rendering takes time and double rendering takes more time...
but each session gives you time to go in the other room and watch your son
grow up. Other than the minute to get the rendering started, you're not
needing to be there. TMPGEnc will close your computer down for you when it's
finishing making the MPEG2 files so you don't even need to go back.

--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org
Photo Story 3 - use the menu branch at www.papajohn.org

..

 

[Rehan]

If you just keep the original taps around all your prolems are solved. It
can always be recaptured so no need to keep the dv avi on HD for long. Once
the DVD is made just discard everyhting but the tape.

 

[John Kelly]

Hello there,

My question: is it possible to split an already captured DV-AVI file into
smaller parts - three I guess, to fit onto 3 separate 4.7GB capacity DVDs?
Or would the only solution have been to stop and start the capture at
20mins
intervals, thereby creating 3 smaller DV-AVIs to start with?
Sorry if this creates a side-issue off Jason's original question, but it
is
very closely related...

The answer is yes, nothing could be simpler.......you can use the BACKUP
feature in XP or if you have NERO you can use that or if you have WinZip you
can use that to make files of the right size....its very easy.

I used to do it with WinZip, but I now use Nero...its not because Nero is
better at this task its just a case of using Nero for so many other things
and being used to the interface.

--
Best Wishes.....John Kelly
www.the-kellys.org
www.the-kellys.co.uk
Check out free video hosting at www.the-kellys.org
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(oo)
---------ooO-(_)-Ooo-------------
All material gained from other sources is duly acknowledged. No Value is
obtained by publishing in any format other peoples work

 

[John Kelly]

Hello again

I should have also added, I also save the project file and any other
"special" files I may have created along the way to the saved disk set.

I was always deleting the wrong stuff and having to start from scratch...all
I do now is restor the complete set of project files....the most recent save
was of a chaps 6 hours of holiday video I converted to digital plus some
music and of course the project file. The final Dual Layer dvd has been sent
off for approval, and the system has been cleared of all the files...they
can be resored at any time in the future...in my view its the easiest way
forward.

--
Best Wishes.....John Kelly
www.the-kellys.org
www.the-kellys.co.uk
Check out free video hosting at www.the-kellys.org
----
\|||/
(oo)
---------ooO-(_)-Ooo-------------
All material gained from other sources is duly acknowledged. No Value is
obtained by publishing in any format other peoples work

 

[Guest]

You may want to consider backing up your files back to videotape. See
http://www.firestreamer.com/fs/