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Page 1
GUIDE: DVD-RAM (inc DVD-RW VR-Mode) To DVD-R
(Version 1.0, 19 Nov 2003)
Author: Rasczak
Complied and converted by Kevo
Other Contributors: NWGarrat, Bobones, JXP
Quite a few users on these boards have expressed an interest in going the PC route to convert DVD-RAM or
DVD-RW (VR Mode) recordings to DVD-R. This is actually quite an easy process but to point people in the
right direction I have compiled this brief guide on how best to go about the whole process.
It is not, by any means, exhaustive. There are many other ways of doing this. But to provide a basic starting
point I have posted seven guides:
1) Suitable PC Hardware (A DVD-RAM Capable Drive)
2) Using Your Set-top DVD Recorder To Best Effect
3) Authoring On A PC
4) Playback Of DVD-RAM (On A PC)
5) Conversion To DVD-R Without A PC
6) Making A Backup Of A Home-Recorded DVD-R
7) Advanced PC Editing (splitting a VRO file into .m2v and .ac3)
If you have a problem/suggestion with any process on this list or have your own guide post it as a reply as it
will enable this thread to become a central source for solutions!
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1. Acquiring Suitable PC Hardware (A DVD-RAM Capable Drive)
Important for DVD-RAM users (but not so for DVD-RW users) is the need to get PC hardware capable of
reading DVD-RAM disks. This means either purchasing a DVD burner which reads/writes to DVD-RAM or
buying a DVD-ROM drive capable of reading them.
DVD-RAM reading/writing is provided for drives from LG, Panasonic, Toshiba and Iomega among others.
Drives can normally be purchased without software or drives (these are marked OEM) and are cheaper
accordingly. Some examples of suitable drives are:
LG All Format Drive (DVD-RAM/-RW/-R/+RW/+R):
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=51446
Panasonic Multi Drive (DVD-RAM/-RW/-R):
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=52074
For those opting to use DVD-RAM disks in caddies you should note that most drives will NOT accept
caddied media. An exception are certain Panasonic drives such as:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=45663
If you already have a DVD burner which doesn't support DVD-RAM you may well wish not to change it and
instead opt for a new DVD-ROM drive. This will cost in the region of £30 as opposed to £100 for a new
burner. Generally RAM support can be found in LG, Panasonic, Toshiba and Samsung drives. An examples
is the Panasonic 16x DVD-ROM:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=40271
There are countless pages online that can advise on how to install your drives, e.g.
http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/articles/pcdvd_guide6.html
There are dozens of others though so do a Google search and find one that suits you best!
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2. Using The Set-top DVD Recorder To Best Effect
If your reading this article it probably means you have invested in either a DVD-RAM or DVD-RW machine.
Both have (in VR Mode) a lot more options available to the user than a machine using the +VR format. For
example they tend to have more recording modes (such as Flexible Record on the Panasonic range or 32
quality settings on the Pioneer models). They also have better editing facilities - better IMHO than many PC
editing suites which can struggle when handling large video files.
It surprises me then that loads and loads of people e-mail me virtually daily saying they don't understand
how they can record programmes longer than 2 hours without resorting to LP mode!
So here is an example of how best to use the Flexible Record function on a Panasonic machine. It can also
be seen as a guide for other DVD-RAM/-RW machines which may use dozens of quality settings (in which
case set the nearest time!):
EXAMPLE...
You wish to archive episodes from a TV series onto DVD-R. Obviously it's probably off Sky so you want to
edit out the adverts. Each episode is 1 hour long (42 minute episodes plus 18 minutes of adverts). You want
three episodes per DVD-R.
Calculate (in your head) that 3 episodes at 42 minutes each will equal 126 minutes overall. Record each
programme onto a separate DVD-RAM disk using a Flexible Record setting of 2 hours 6 minutes (126
minutes!). You can now use the editing features of your recorder ("Partial Erase" on the Panasonic models)
to get rid of the adverts.
Thus the contents of each of the three DVD-RAM disks is a 42 minute episode of the TV series all edited and
ready to go. It also nicely takes up 1/3 of the 4.7GB disk capacity meaning all three episodes will fit on the
eventual DVD-R!
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3. Authoring On A PC
DVD-RAM recorders store the data they record in a file format called VRO (as do DVD-RW operating in VR
Mode). This is essentially a MPEG file that is multiplexed together but with a few key differences meaning
you need a VR capable programme to use them. There are quite a few of these out there now - some
products from Ulead for example (http://www.ulead.com/). However for this guide I will focus on the one I
primarily use: TMPG Enc Author. This can be downloaded from:
http://www.pegasys-inc.com/e_main.html
There is a free, time-limited, trial - so you download it and see if it suits you before you part with the cash! It
is also a very easy programme to use which makes it ideal IMHO.
1) Launch TMPG Enc Author and click on "Create New Project":
2) You should appear on the Source Setup Page now. Put your first DVD-RAM
(or DVD-RW) disk in the drive and click "Add DVD Video".
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3) On the window that appears go to your DVD-RAM drive and select the folder "DVD-RTAV" on the disk.
Click ‘OK’
4) A window will now display showing you the contents of the DVD-RAM disk:
In my example two separate recordings are found on the disk. Highlight the recording you want to copy to
DVD-R (or the one you want to be first title) and click "Next".
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5) The final page of the Add DVD-Video wizard will now appear:
With DVD-RAM it is not necessary to have "Copy Clip video data to HDD" selected - but I would as it makes
the whole process slightly 'smoother'. Ensure you select a suitable directory to store the data in during the
authoring process.
Once done click "OK" and the video data will be copied to the HDD:
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6) Once the Programme has finished copying the data to the HDD the following screen will appear:
If you wish to add chapters (or conduct more editing) click on "Chapter Cut Edit". If not click on "OK" and skip
to point 9 of this guide.
7) If you clicked on "Chapter Cut Edit" you will be taken to this screen:
To insert a chapter marker simply navigate to your chosen point using the navigation buttons, home down to
the precise frame and click "Add Current Frame To Chapter".
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Once you click this a chapter mark will be added:
8) If you wish to edit (although you shouldn't need to as you have equally good facilities on your DVD
recorder!) then you can use the "Set As Start Frame" and "Set As End Frame" to mark the start/end points
you wish to edit and use the "Cut" button to remove the unwanted segment. Once your done adding
chapters/editing click "OK"
9) You'll now appear back at the "Source Setup" screen:
Here you can either add more tracks or proceed on to create the menu. If you want to proceed and create
the menu skip to point 11 of this guide, otherwise read point 10.
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10) To add a second track as a separate title click on the "Add New Track" on the left hand side of the
screen:
You can now follow points 2-9 to import and add chapters/edit.
I should point out that if you do not click on the "Add New Track" option BEFORE importing your second clip
it will be added onto the end of the first track. This can actually be a neat trick for merging video files but isn’t
what you want if you’re adding separate episodes of a TV series.
Something else to note as well: this bar on the bottom of the screen:
This shows how much of a DVD-Rs capacity you have used. Needless to say you need to ensure it is below
the 4438MB limit. DVD+R users need to be below 4430MB.
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11) Click on the "Create Menu" option at the top of the screen. This screen should appear:
Now I'm not going to go into this in too much detail - how much time you spend on menus is up to you - but I
will go through the basics.
On the left hand side of the screen there is a pull down menu:
Select the template that suits you best or go for "New Theme" and design your own (as you will see I have a
few custom designs in the list).
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If you wish to move buttons, thumbnails or titles/labels you can click on "Edit Menu Theme":
I'm not going to go into details on that here - but it's fairly easy to get to grips with. Trial and error required
there!
If you want your thumbnails to be animated, or you only want to show the Track and/or Title menus or only
want to display some chapter points click on "Menu Display Settings":
Again not going to go into detail on that - experiment!
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At anytime during you menu creation you can switch between the
Title menu and chapter menus by either clicking on "Next Page" or by selecting the specific page on the list
on the left hand side of the screen:
You can change the background image of any menu by double clicking on a blank area and selecting the file
you wish to use as the background:
JPEG images or MPEG movies can be used.
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You can double click on any title/label and rename it (or remove all text) as well as change the font/colour
and size:
Ok - that's all I'm doing on menus. It's worth spending time mastering the features before you author
anything but I've gone through enough to get you started here.
12) One your happy with your menu(s) click on "Output" at the top of the screen:
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13) You come to this screen:
Ensure that the "Create DVD Folder" option is checked and you have selected a suitable directory for the
DVD-Video files to be created in. A quick point to note is that if you have select animated menus ensure you
have the original DVD in the drive - otherwise they will not be animated (a limitation for those people who
have recorded programmes on multiple disks I'm afraid - one that will hopefully be overcome in latter editions
of the programme). When ready click "Begin Output" - depending on your PC speed it could take up to 2
hours!
14) Once finished it will have exported the files into the folder specified and you can burn to DVD-R either
using the burning tool included in TMPG Enc Author or using Nero or similar. I'm not covering this here
because it is done to death on the web and every man and his dog has a different burning ROM.
Nevertheless here is a guide to using Nero:
http://www.afterdawn.com/articles/archive/burning_dvd_with_nero.cfm
If you use a different programme do a Google search for a guide or consult the huge PC knowledge base at:
http://forum.digital-digest.com/
Further Suggestions
I put all episodes one one RAM. I just reduce the FR mode by 42 minutes each time an episode is recorded.
Then, I get four episodes of (Buffy, Enterprise etc) at around 1GB each on the disc.
Also, I realised that DVD Author only shows 12 frames per second. There doesn't seem to be I Frames
shown. Which means when taking out advets, the results on DVDR/RW may not be so seemless. There also
seems to be pause where the adverts are taken out.
Another thing to remember, is the way the advert titles fade out and in, can influence how the editing comes
out. I find it better to keep the beginning titles to the advert and the ending titles. Otherwise, a few seconds
can be missing from the program. This leads to a very badly done edit. The wierd thing is when the RAM is
edited and played, the adverts are always edited out perfectly and is seemless with no pause. It shows how
good RAM is.
I have the LG 4040B DVD writer. It takes 20 minutes to copy 4GB of episodes to the hard disc and then
15/20 minutes to make the files for R/RW. Burning then takes another 20 minutes.
NWGarrat
Page 15
It's worth adding that Panasonic have a new x3 RAM/x4 -R burner that takes caddied media. Details here .
The Panasonic Eshop have them in stock and are selling them on special offer for £137. This retail package
comes with all the software required for RAM authoring, playback and archiving, and so represents pretty
decent value for money.
The LG 4040B remains a faster burner for -RW and CD, and it also supports + writing, but the Panny has
more RAM-focused software, and its caddied operation is a big advantage in my book.
Those who already have all the software they require may wish to wait for the OEM version of this drive - the
9572 - to arrive.
bobones
4. Playback Of DVD-RAM Or DVD-RW (VR Mode)
One thing I didn't mention above was software that can playback VR mode recordings.
Such software can be extremely useful for taking screenshots prior to making menu backgrounds.
Some VR supporting products are:
-WinDVD 4 or above:
http://www.intervideo.com/jsp/Home.jsp
- PowerDVD 5 or above:
http://www.gocyberlink.com/english/index.jsp
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5. Conversion To DVD-R Without A PC
There have been a few threads lately about this process and so thought I would add this short guide. It's
quite a basic guide so long term posters will probably have a fair bit to add - but it does provide a quick 'how
to'.
Good results can be achieved by going down this route although it must be noted there is an extra
digital>analogue>digital conversion involved which will mean there is some, slight loss of quality. The other
key issue to note is that some (all?) of the players listed do not offer seamless playback. In English this
means that there will be a slight pause (0.5-1 second) when the player reaches an edit on the disk. Finally it
should be noted that this process will not enable you to copy commercial protected DVDs!
Obviously to do DVD to DVDR recordings you will obviously need a suitable DVD player that will play your
recording format - be it DVD-RAM or DVD-RW VR Mode. Some examples of DVD-RAM compatible players
are:
- Panasonic S35
- Panasonic S75
- JVC XV-NA77
Some examples of DVD-RW (VR) compatible players are:
- Pioneer DV-360
- Panasonic S75
- SONY DVP-NS330
There are other choices as well available now and in the immediate future (such as models from Denon,
Thompson and Toshiba make compatible models) - the models listed are just examples. Ultimately any
HighMAT DVD player should also be able to cope with VR mode - although always check before buying!
Now it is just a simple process to connect up your new DVD player and your DVD recorder. To maintain
maximum quality always hook up via the RGB out scart on your DVD player to the RGB in Scart on your
DVD player. If you don't have RGB in on your DVD recorder (such as Pioneer or JVC models) then use the
S-Video output on the player to the S-Video input.
If you use your DVD recorder for recording from Sky or Freeview then you may want to purchase a "2 into 1"
converter which will enable you to effectively plug both RGB sources into the single RGB in Scart on your
DVD recorder. A quick press of a button will then enable you to choose between dubbing from the DVD
player to recording from Sky. Good quality devices, which will not result in picture degradation, can be
purchased from the likes of:
http://www.lektropacks.co.uk/
and
http://www.keene.co.uk/
When hooking up your devices it is always worth investing in good quality cables. Ok DVD recorders may not
offer the highest picture quality in the whole world but they can offer a satisfactory picture with the right
connectors. Everyone has their own favourites but QED or IXOS offer a good balance between
quality/affordability.
Page 17
And that is basically it. Conversion from DVD-RAM to DVD-R is a simple process of playing the DVD-RAM in
the DVD player and recording on DVD-R in the recorder. There are a few simple tricks that may help you get
the best possible results though:
1) When you edit (partial erase) your DVD-RAM recordings prior to putting them in your DVD player
leave a few unwanted seconds at the start of the recording. This will enable you time to get yourself
a sorted between playing the DVD-RAM and pressing record on the DVDR! Ensure you also note a
good 'stop point' at the end of the recorder, i.e. where you will press STOP on the DVD recorder.
So don't be too enthusiast with your end edits!
2) On Panasonic/Toshiba models make good use of Flexible Record (and the associated multiple
recording settings on the Pioneer/JVC models). You can do this by reference to the example quoted
above (but repeated here as interested persons may not have read the PC route):
EXAMPLE:
You wish to archive episodes from a TV series onto DVD-R. Each episode is 1 hour long (42 minute
episodes plus 18 minutes of adverts). You want three episodes per DVD-R.
Calculate (in your head) that 3 episodes at 42 minutes each will equal 126 minutes overall. Record
each programme onto a separate DVD-RAM disk using a Flexible Record setting of 2 hours 6
minutes (126 minutes!). You can now use the editing features of your recorder ("Partial Erase" on
the Panasonic models) to get rid of the adverts.
Thus the contents of each of the three DVD-RAM disks is a 42 minute episode of the TV series all
edited and ready to go. It also nicely takes up 1/3 of the 4.7GB disk capacity meaning when you dub
to DVD-R all three episodes will fill the disk!
3) Remember a DVD-R does not have to be recorded entirely in one session. As long as you don't
finalise it you can take it out and record more on it later.
4) If you start recording on a DVD-R too early or late then stop the recording straight away. You can
erase the title and, whilst you won't get the disk space back, you will have only have wasted a few
seconds worth of time. Once finalised you will never know the 'mistake' was there!
I'm sure users who do this frequently can offer other hints and tips to get the best from the set-up!
Further Suggestions
Record episodes in best quality to HDD.
Edit the episodes 'frame perfect' on the HDD
Dub x episodes (3 or 4) to a DVD-RAM using Flexible mode.
I can then add menus on the PC before writing the final disc.
It seems the full video is retained on the HDD even after editing. This allows frame perfect editing, as you do
not have to start at a key frame. The player builds the frame you want using the previous key frame even if it
has been edited out.
I find editing much easier on the E100 than the PC. The PC does not fast-forward or rewind as well to find
adverts etc.
The only problem with this approach is it means your DVD machine is tied up for 2 hours while dubbing. I set
it off before going out!
The things I haven't tried yet in TMPG Author are;
Animated menus. Can you use different audio/video sources?
Playing an intro before the menu. I think you can do this but I don't know if the intro title would then appear
as a menu option.
JXP
Page 18
6. Making A Backup Of A Home-Recorded DVD-R
There is a general rumour spread online that DVD is a highly durable medium. Whilst this is true to some
extent all write-once DVDs are based on a layer of dye - if this fails then the recording can fail. Likewise if the
disk is scratched or damaged then it may not play. There is also the risk the plastic inner ring in the centre of
the DVD can become damaged which can render the disk useless.
However it's not all doom and gloom! DVD-R is a great medium for storing your recordings on - you just need
to take precautions. You need to make a least one backup (duplicate copy). So just follow some simple
rules:
USE DIFFERENT MAKES OF MEDIA FOR ORIGINAL AND BACKUP COPIES
I suggest that you use different makes of disks for your original and backup copies. At least one copy should
be on major branded media (JVC, TDK, Maxell, Pioneer, Panasonic, Sony, HP etc) as the cheap disks can
actually have very short lifespans (there have been reports of some cheap disks failing within weeks!).
Try and also get disks made by different production sources. For instance TDK and Sony disks are currently
being (largely) sourced from the same factory in Austria. JVC, Panasonic and Pioneer disks are currently
sourced from Japan. So burning an original on Panasonic disks and a backup on Sony disks gives you that
little bit extra certainty that if one fails the other will still work!
STORE YOUR DISKS CORRECTLY
Storage is also very important. Keep you disks cool and out of direct sunlight. DVD burners (and set-top
recorders) work by melting a dye layer inside the DVDR thus storing the data. Heat or sunlight can aid in the
degradation of this layer and result in loss of recordings. Therefore I suggest keeping your backup in a cool,
dry, dark place. And always put your original back in some sort of case.
MAKING THE BACKUP ON A PC
Making a backup of a DVD-R (or DVD+R) is simple. There is no re-encoding required, no copy-protection to
circumvent and no authoring to do. It's a simple process of inserting the DVD-R/+R into your PC DVD-ROM
drive (or DVD burner) and copying the whole "Video_TS" folder to your HDD. You can now burn the backup
DVD by using a programme like Nero.
Note you can easily copy the contents of a DVD+R to a DVD-R (or vice versa!) which is something you could
potentially want to do if you only have a single format PC DVD burner or if you know one type of media
works better on your DVD player. Do note that DVD+R has a capacity of 8MB less than DVD-R (not an issue
unless you have filled your DVD-R up to the very limit - a difficult thing to achieve!).
This process will NOT work for commercial DVDs! For that you need special software and I don't intend to
cover that here as it is illegal!
MAKING THE BACKUP ON A HDD/DVDR COMBO
Panasonic/Toshiba HDD/DVDR users need to make backups whilst the recordings are on the HDD because
these models do not allow you to dub from DVD-R to the HDD. No problem - just ensure you burn at least
two copies onto different makes of media before you delete the copy off the HDD. You can of course dub the
recording to DVD-RAM and either store it there until your ready to dub it back to the HDD and burn onto
another DVD-R or just archive it on a RAM disk. The latter is a good option as RAM disks can be got fairly
cheaply now (from £3 each) and offer error correction/defect management making them a more durable
option for storing your archivings (better than a backup DVD-R). If your original DVD-R fails you can dub
back to the HDD and then reburn to a new DVD-R.
For Pioneer HDD/DVDR users (model number: 5100) you get the benefit of being able to make backups of
your own DVD-Rs. The machine allows you to dub from a DVD-R to the HDD and then back to a new
DVD-R. So you can either make a backup at the same time as the original or dub back at a later date.
Page 19
MAKING A BACKUP USING A RAM CAPABLE PLAYER/STANDALONE RECORDER
For users that have a setup such as the Panasonic S75 (DVD-RAM compatible player) to Panasonic E50
(DVD-RAM recorder) you should also either keep the original recording on a DVD-RAM (which, as described
above is a good option for several reasons) or make a second backup before wiping the DVD-RAM disk. If
choosing the latter ensure, as always, you use different brands of media!
VERIFY THE RECORDINGS
Once you've made your recordings always verify that it plays properly. Ideally you should watch both original
and backup through completely at normal speed.
Page 20
7. Advanced PC Based Editing
The aim of this guide is to offer a starting point for users who want more options than those afforded within
the TMPG Enc Author programme and thus want to use a different authoring package - perhaps one that
doesn't support VRO. Personally I would strongly urge everyone to go down the direct import into TMPG Enc
Author but this 'advanced' guide is aimed at describing a route out of the VR constraints.
In a sense as well this is only half a guide: it shows you how to get from a .vro file on a DVD-RAM/-RW disk
to a .m2v and .ac3 file which can be imported into most DVD authoring packages (enabling you to choose
the application of your choice). What you do with your files once you've got them is not covered (and there
are dozens and dozens of options, e.g. picture processing, logo removal/addition, editing etc as well as
importing into a authoring package).
BACKGROUND
When you record in VR mode (the default recording format on DVD-RAM and an option of DVD-RW) a root
folder is created entitled "DVD_RTAV". In this you will find three files "VR_MOVIE.vro", "VR_MANGR.ifo"
and "VR_MOVIE.bup":
This file format allows for all the features we take as standard, i.e. Timeslip, Editing, Non-linear Playlists etc,
as it is more flexible than the basic linear nature of the DVD-Video format. The file we are interested in within
the DVD_RTAV folder is "VR_MOVIE.vro" - this has all the video data stored in it (it is essentially a
multiplexed MPEG2 file).
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INITIAL PREPARATIONS
Go to "Tools/Folder Options" and click on the "View" tab. Scroll down and ensure the option marked "Hide
extensions for known file types" is UNCHECKED:
The reason for doing this will become apparent shortly.
MULTIPLE TITLES ON THE DVD-RAM
If you have recorded two or more different programmes on the disk then these are still stored in the same file
("VR_MOVIE.vro") and need to be separated before we continue:
1) Create three folders on your HDD: "Original", "Prog1" and "Prog2".
2) Copy the entire content of the DVD-RAM/DVD-RW into the "Original" folder.
3) Insert the disk back into your DVD recorder and delete the second programme.
4) Put the disk back in your PC and copy the new "VR_MOVIE.vro" file to folder "Prog1"
5) Erase the contents of the disk and copy the contents of the folder "original" back to the DVD.
6) Put the disk back in your DVD recorder and you should see both programmes are on the disk
again. This time delete the first one.
7) Copy the new "VR_MOVIE.vro" file into folder "Prog2"
8) You can now delete folder "Original".
End result you have two separate VRO files which each hold their own programme. Do note however this will
cause lip-sync issues (covered later in this guide). I strongly recommend you record each programme on a
separate disk!
NB: If you don't separate the programmes either by recording on different disks or following the process
above then you will find when you import your final .m2v file into the DVD authoring package of your choice
that although the running time will be correct only the first programme will be accessible. The picture will
simply freeze at the end of the first recording.
Page 22
STARTING
Rename the file marked "VR_MOVIE.vro" to "VR_MOVIE.mpg":
DVD-RAM users can do this on disk or on the HDD. DVD-RW users MUST do it from the HDD even if there
disk only has one title on it as otherwise numerous errors will enter the process that will cause problems
later.
As explained earlier the VRO file is essentially an MPEG2 file mixed with the audio in AC3 (Dolby Digital)
format. By renaming it like we are will enable us to use MPEG based tools on the file which would otherwise
not recognise the file type.
NB: The reason we unchecked the "Hide extensions of know file types" option earlier was so that when we
come to return the file name to it's original extension we can do it without it becoming "VR_MOVIE.vro.mpg".
DEMUPLTIPLEX
There are a variety of tools available online that will enable you to split (demultiplex) the vro file (which is
now named .mpg) into its core .m2v and .ac3 files. Personally I prefer TMPG Encoder Plus (a different
product to TMPG Enc Author!) and so my guide will feature that. You can look for alternatives here (if your so
inclined):
http://www.digital-digest.com/dvd/downloads/encoding_mux.html
If you want TMPG Encoder, it can be downloaded here:
http://www.pegasys-inc.com/e_main.html
(A time-limited trial is available).
Page 23
Assuming you opt for TMPG Encoder then running a demultiplex on a file is easy.
Go to File/MPEG Tools:
Select the "Simple De-multiplex" tab and click on the top "Browse" button to specify the input file:
Page 24
Browse through your files to get to your renamed .vro file, select it and click "Open":
Now use the "Browse" buttons next to the Video and Audio outputs to specify a location on your HDD where
you want the demuxed .m2v and .ac3 files to be stored.
When ready click "Run":
Page 25
TMPG Encoder will now demux the files doing Video first and then audio. This process can be quite time-
consuming especially if the disk is full to the brim
(I only used a small file on my example hence the short time specified):
Once the files have been created you can close down TMPG Encoder.
RE-SYNC THE AUDIO
This is the problem that will put most people off this route - the risk of lip sync issues caused by audio
DISPLACEMENT (not stretched audio). You WILL get audio displacement if you have used the editing
functions of your DVD recorder except towards the end of your recording:
Note that if you have divided/deleted the programme then you will also have lip sync problems.
You have two options: don't use the editing functions on your DVD recorder or edit on your DVD recorder
and use a programme called VirtualDub to re-align the video and sound. I recommend not using the editing
features on your DVDR as you will save yourself hours of pain, frustration and stress. Also if you have gone
down this route it is probably because you are prepared to spend hours getting the very best result - which
probably means you are using an authoring package with equal or better editing power than the DVD
recorder under your TV.
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Nevertheless for those that are determined you can re-sync the audio although it can take hours! You'll need
to use a programme called VirtualDub available here:
http://www.virtualdub.org/
You can then use the second part of this guide:
http://nickyguides.digital-digest.com/audio-synch.htm
...to re-align the audio. You'll need to convert the files into a recognisable (to VirtualDub) format though -
read through the support documentation to find the most suitable format/software for this.
CONCLUSION
And that is it! You have your .m2v and .ac3 files which can be imported into new and old DVD authoring
packages alike. You can also use various processing programmes (such as VirtualDub) to achieve a wide
range of results. Logo removal is a fairly popular:
http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/capture/logo.html
END