Video Editing, DVR's and Direct TV

[Ultima]

Some more questions for the geek squad! Don't take that the wrong way guys (Geeks).  I'm wanting to become a geek myself and envy those of you with the wherewithall and computer savvy.

I'm going to google and research on the internet but thought I'd ask the Jedi Masters here at ScriptUO some questions about video editing.

Here are the things I'd like to learn how to do:

1) Transfer movies from my DVR to my PC
2) Edit a 'movie' on my PC to create a trailer
3) Be able to post a movie or trailer on youtube
4) How can I download a Youtube Video to my PC? Or Can I even?

Is there a freeware Video program I should be using or can Windows Movie Maker and Media Center do the job?

Too many questions? But I'm just getting started!

I'm wanting to learn how to do some more things and become more computer savvy.

Where to start?

[Masscre]

Some more questions for the geek squad! Don't take that the wrong way guys (Geeks).  I'm wanting to become a geek myself and envy those of you with the wherewithall and computer savvy.

I'm going to google and research on the internet but thought I'd ask the Jedi Masters here at ScriptUO some questions about video editing.

Here are the things I'd like to learn how to do:

1) Transfer movies from my DVR to my PC    Need to know the brand of DVR
2) Edit a 'movie' on my PC to create a trailer    Yes you can I use Pinnacle
3) Be able to post a movie or trailer on youtube     you can do this with youtube built in software
4) How can I download a Youtube Video to my PC? Or Can I even?     I use MP3 Rocket it is freeware and can grab most online files for you

Is there a freeware Video program I should be using or can Windows Movie Maker and Media Center do the job?

Too many questions? But I'm just getting started!

I'm wanting to learn how to do some more things and become more computer savvy.

Where to start?

Once I know more info I can also give you more details to your questions.

[Ultima]

I'm reading up on it and doing my own legwork...may just take a bit. I just wanted to see if anyone would bite

I think you can copy DVD's to PC with VLC.

And I think with an S Video Cable connected to your DVR and Video card you can download DVR content onto your PC with Media Center.

I think...I don't know for sure yet I'm still testing some things.

How else does one learn... right?

My DVR is h22 DirectTV.

I'll check out MP3 Rocket.

Thanks Massacre!

[12TimesOver]

I'm reading up on it and doing my own legwork...may just take a bit. I just wanted to see if anyone would bite

I think you can copy DVD's to PC with VLC.

And I think with an S Video Cable connected to your DVR and Video card you can download DVR content onto your PC with Media Center.

I think...I don't know for sure yet I'm still testing some things.

How else does one learn... right?

My DVR is h22 DirectTV.

I'll check out MP3 Rocket.

I don't know about using VLC for ripping your DVD's, I didn't realize you could even though VLC has been my media player software of choice for years. I've used other programs for ripping (DVD Shrink for example), but what I do know, and this statement is dangerously close to not being appropriate here at SUO based on our rules so I'll be careful, is that I found it easier and faster to just grab Torrents for the DVD's I own rather than ripping them myself. Ripping MP3's is no problem, I use Exact Audio Copier with Lame and I LOVE it. DVD's, and especially Blu-Ray's, can take way longer to rip/encode than they are worth IMO. If someone else has already done the work for me I'll take it. I have all of my physical media put away now with all the content in my Media Library.

I also HIGHLY recommend not using Windows Media Center unless you've equipped your HTPC with something like the Ceton InfiniTV card which requires it and since you're using a separate DVR I'm assuming you are only using Media Center as a media server. I would be doing you a major disservice if I didn't try to push you to XBMC instead; it is MUCH more flexible and customizable with an open-source mentality allowing for tons and tons of skins and add-ons.

Keep us posted on your progress Ultima, this topis is near and dear to my heart as well and there is SO damn much to learn that I'd be happy to capitalize on your efforts

X

[Ultima]

Good deal 12X I'm just starting to read and dabble a bit. I feel like I should have a better grasp on this stuff but it's all new to me. One of my intial concerns is downloading and experiment different software programs of unknown origin and having it cause me trouble later down the road.

From the majority of what I've been reading lots of the DVR seems coded/encrypted and the only real way to transfer DVR to PC (From what I've been reading) is with a TV Tuner card and then playing it and copying back in Real Time.

This will be an ongoing project for me. I probably didn't pick the best time to try and learn as school starts in a few weeks but my first Semeter is only 1/2 time so I should be okay to dabble.

Last night I used VLC to copy a DVD to PC but it was also in Real Time. Very slow transfer process. I didn't let the process finish though as I ran out of patience. I'm going to try again today to transfer a Movie to PC and let it copy as I go for my daily bike ride.

Your the one that turned me on to VLC. I'll post what I find in this thread just in case I stumble upon something good!

[12TimesOver]

Yeah I do love VLC but you may have better luck with software that is dedicated to ripping your DVD's for that task. It still can take a while, depending on the CPU in your machine.

DVD Shrink is the one I've used most often for DVD's. It's easy to use but it hasn't been updated in a long time so you have to use an additional product to do the decryption (AnyDVD, DVD43, etc). Blu-ray isn't supported with DVD Shrink though but AnyDVD is a decent product for decrypting and ripping the discs, then you can watch in that format or convert the file to mkv or something. This can take a LOOOONG time though, for example converting the decrypted m2ts files (30gig each btw lol) to avi from my copy of each of the Lord of the Rings extended version blu-ray's took about 45 hours total on my dual-core. I haven't tested on my i5 laptop but I would guess about a third of that time.

Was just talking to a friend here at work and he recommended buying AnyDVD HD which doesn't come cheap  but it is a great product. Some other folks may have better ideas though, I haven't done much blu-ray ripping myself.

X

[Ultima]

Any free money I have is going to be dedicated to buying a new bicycle to get me around town and back and forth to school. All freeware for the starving student I'm afraid.

I'll check out DVD Shrink.

I downloaded MP3 Rocket and all I can say is wow. Big Karma to Massacre! Thanks Massacre I just spend the past 3-4 hours playing with it!

Sometimes I feel like I'm living on another planet with all these great programs/software available out there that I'm like the last person to learn or know about it.

Thanks be to god for ScriptUO members to keep me straight! 

[Endless Night]

DVDDecrypter .. is excellent and free and small... although i'm not 100% certain you can get it anymore ... it might have succumbed to take down notices.  

Arr it did and long ago ... lol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD_Decrypter


But i'm with 12x on this one ripping just takes to dang long. netflix and or amazon way to go.

[Masscre]

I will try to post some DVD decrypt software that is freeware this weekend.  I use a ton of it all the time. the only down side of the free ware is you will need 1 program to rip it another to decrypt it and another to re decode it back later if you wish to place it on a DVD again later.  There is lots of the software out there though. Also on the MP3Rocket ultima it is awesome is it not you can do anythign from ripping stuff stright from the net to watch live shows on it stright from the net. A big plus if you are bilingual and wish to get channels from other countries live

[NObama]

No no no.  For DVD -> PC, use AnyDVD plus CloneDVD.  You'll have to pay for them, but it is SO much better than the freeware.  

Actually, I burn everything to .iso files and archive them, so I can just burn a copy whenever I want to watch something.  AWESOME.

[Ultima]

I will try to post some DVD decrypt software that is freeware this weekend.  I use a ton of it all the time. the only down side of the free ware is you will need 1 program to rip it another to decrypt it and another to re decode it back later if you wish to place it on a DVD again later.  There is lots of the software out there though. Also on the MP3Rocket ultima it is awesome is it not you can do anythign from ripping stuff stright from the net to watch live shows on it stright from the net. A big plus if you are bilingual and wish to get channels from other countries live

Thanks Massacre for the MP3 rocket...what a keeper that is. I've already 'gone to town' with it.... (Dune Deleted Scenes & Scareface Deleted Scenes)

School started this week for me so I have less time to dabble but I should still have some free time here and there to mess around with the DVD editing. Afterall I'm only going half time.

All the 'free' editing software I downloaded ended up not being free afterall. Free...another four letter word.  I must have installed and unistalled 4 or 5 programs.

I started messing around with Windows Movie Maker Live but all the files were in .vob and I'm thinking if I wanted to create my own trailer from a movie it would be best to work in .AVI or .MPEG format. Correct? There are so many formats it's hard to keep track of them all.

I might invest in a second hard drive 2T or external hard drive and then buy a program to decode and store movies on etc.

What would you all suggest for storage? An external or Internal Hard Drivel? Would a 2nd Internal HD make this running faster smoother with RAID if my primary hard drive is getting low on disk space?

Also if I was to purchase a DVD Program what would you suggest? Is there one that does it all?

AnyDvD plus CloneDVD I'll have to check out....