Capturing/Compressing Video (slightly off topic)

[Sir Clinksalot]

This may not be the bestest place to ask this, but I'm hoping someone can come up with an answer (and since Robb seems to know all, I'm hoping to tap into that).

 

I'm trying to import programming from my DVR to burn onto a DVD (for the record, it's the first season of Robot Chicken - I want to share the love with my non-cable having friends). I'm having a heckuva time trying to figure out what to use and how to use it.

 

I've been trying to use Nero for it, but most of the compression options end up with marginable to downright cruddy results. Most of the MPEG-2 compressions result in good video, but bad bad bad audio. The Windows Media 9 compression was awful all around. I did a pure uncompressed AVI file once, but the 12 minute show ate a whopping 16 GB, and that's just nuts (granted, we've got around 175 gig free on that hard drive, but that s*** is bananas). I don't know much as far as the compression options for AVI files, but so far everything I've tried has been extremely poor, choppy quality.

 

I guess I can just bring it in as an uncompressed AVI, then use Premiere Pro to export it out to a movie file, but that seems like a heckuva lot of double work for what seems like it oughta be a simple task.

 

If anyone has any advice on how to do this, I'd hella appreciate it. I'm using a straight coaxial for the transfer, which is not the greatest quality in the world, but it works well enough for me.

 

And if you haven't watched any Robot Chicken, I pity you.

[SharkTums]

^Just FYI, Robb will be out of the country for 11 days...he will be checking the boards and email, but might not have time to answer this right away. Feel free to bump it in a week and a half if no one else can help you!

 

Elissa "totally bummed" Alvey

[coaster1]

The import should be AVI, MiniDV is imported as AVI for best quality.

 

1GB for 12mins is damn good as well, my 20min MiniDV import from the other day was roughly 8GB. Best bet is too import and run it through Premiere Pro as MPEG-2 or Pinnacle Studio as MPEG-2 and then burn to DVD, or use the built in DVD making programs in both of those programs.