A good Video Converter…
Hi Trackers:
I’m on the Quest for a good Video File converter…
I need… or would like to convert some Video files to AVI, or compress some video files to smaller file extensions… like AVI…
And… what is the standard file extension to post? That will default to WMP or some other player?
You guessed IT…
IT would be nice if IT (The UTILITY) were a FREE one… Is that something that can be HAD?
Bill…
DivX or XVid are becoming more or less a standard now Bill, and they are both mpeg4 (level II) I think.
DivX was open source, but is now commercial, but free coders and decoders are still available if you look around.
Xvid still is open source, so free coders and decoders are available, but some of them contain adware.
So, just do a search. 
Hi Gizmo:
Thanks for the quick reply… I did a Google and found one that looks really nice… But they want 29.95 for IT…
This looks O.K.
Now that ain’t bad, I guess… I just don’t want to get something and find I’ll get no productivity from IT…
I don’t have much knowledge about video editing, and all… Mabey, I should expand my search and look for a bonifide editor, that may have a converter built-in…
Bill…
Check out this site Bill. It has lots of info on exactly what you are asking about.
What a great link… DrGuitar:
That sortta covers the subject from the Basket-to-the-Casket…
I got IT Bookmarked…
As you can tell, I got this ATI AIW Pro 128 graphics Card set-up with a set of drivers and utilities that make IT work properly with the XP Desk…
IT’s working quite well in this P-111…
So… Now I’m moving into Video Production… 
Do I need Help? or What? Everybody… DUCK…
Bill…
[EDIT]
I may very well have a video editor that has a converter built-in…
Just have a chocolate fix?! 
But hey, I’m interested in that too- but my progress is so slow on the music production thing, that it’s going to be a while before I get into any of that.
What do you have for a video editor? Are you actually going to edit video, or sync music to video? Both?
Hi Sloom:
I thought I was away to the races… I founf a set of drivers the worked with XP and the AGP ATI AIW Pro 128 graphics Card…
this page
It takes a bit of sifting through the page but anyway I got the 'Capture" utility to work within the Desk.
The utility I had and the one that worked in '98SE was a bit different. IT worked as an Editor, as well… This capture utility doesn’t seem to work as an Editor. So, haveing said that I don’t think I have an editor… I am working with multi-gig files and you have to have hard drive space like IT’s going out of style…
I’m still on the quest for a converter/compressor/extension converter… to get these files into useable file sizes… Doc posted a link that covers a lot of ground in this video world. Look at this… Thank You for that great link DrGuitar… If you are working in this Platform… give us your Take on all this to get us pointed in the correct direction…
If there was an n-Track video editor, I’d be all for IT…
Bill…
We’re gonna be the death of poor Flavio!
Man, there’s a lot to look up, go and get, and learn how to use, I’ll say that much. Bill, I have an ATI Rage-128 All-In-Wonder viddy card, and it has a little coaxial cable jack out the back of it (the kind you use to plug the cable into your teevee). With this, I can use a television as a PC monitor (muhahahahaha!..). But- can this also be used to capture video in to an app, like Cool Edit Pro? Assuming you can interface it to the cable jack.
I should ask my tech and not be a bother, but hey, I’m sitting here. If you don’t come back I figure you have something else to do! 
Hi Bill,
I use
Vegas Movie Studio Platinum for video editing and rendering. To author a DVD, I use DVD Architect which is bundled with the Vegas Movie Studio program. For capturing video from my miniDV source, I use WinDV. It is a tiny, free capture program that when used properly, never drops any frames!
The Vegas editing program gives you 4 video timeline and 3 audio timelines to work with at any given moment (I have never needed any nore than that). It also give you keyframing, green screening and countless transitions and video FX. A pretty powerful program for around $100.
The downside is that you want to have a pretty powerful CPU running the show, lots of ram and lots of harddrive space on separate harddrives. In other words, if you are rendering a file, you do not want to have the harddrive reading the original video from the same are drive it is now rendering to. It can take forever to render that way.
My video editing computers have 3 internal harddrives (+160gig each) and I keep 3 external harddrives with the original video files on them (+200gig each).
Take care,
Mike
PS,
When you get to the part where you are looking for good quality, inexpensive minidv cameras, let me know.
Hi Again:
That F-Connector is an “OUT” only… IT can be a CH-3 or a CH-4 to your TV set… The S-Connector is the Input to this card… It’ll accept left-and-right audio and video… If you bought your card as NEW then you would have got an I.O Box that would be the interface for the audio and video…
However, you need to use the audio input of your audio card as the “Audio Capture” for your set-up… I’m still learing all this… IT would be faster if I read the DOCs on all this but that would be too easy… I need something to complain about… 
and… if you learn IT the hard way… you never forget… Well…
Bill…
This card was way ahead of it’s time… I found IT to work soo nice in the '98SE Desk… However, the limiting factor with '98SE was the FAT-32 File Format… Only 2 gig. could be stored as a maxium file size.
Now if a third party utility could be found for the Editing and Captuering, We would be away to the races…
I’m sure there is something out there that would be the Bee’s Knee’s… It’s a mater of knowing where to look…
There gotta be a “Video Message Board/Forum” out there that knows all about this stuff…
Bill…
As far as the ATI AIW RAGE or Pro… If you are pulling video off a minidv camera, you will need firewire. If you are pulling it off TV, then you have what you need. But let me add that if you are serious about pulling quality video and editing it, you should look for at least an updated ATI AIW card like a 9600 AIW or something newer. Plextor has some pretty cool video converters for cheap that do a nice job of converting analog video into digital video for use with an editing program. The program they give you is crap though “Ulead Video Studio”. I have tried this program and it was unstable at best. 
| Quote (woxnerw @ April 19 2006,23:29) |
| If you bought your card as NEW then you would have got an I.O Box that would be the interface for the audio and video.. However, you need to use the audio input of your audio card as the "Audio Capture" for your set-up.. I'm still learing all this.. IT would be faster if I read the DOCs on all this but that would be too easy.. I need something to complain about.. and.. if you learn IT the hard way.. you never forget.. Well.. Bill.. |
I got my card as new I think from the guy who built the machine for me, but no I/O box. Hope I'm not getting into trouble down the road, here!!
True that it's "old hat" once you know it. I have, however, in recent years, found that if I stop, pull up a bag of chocolate (
), and read the little bookie things come with, I can avoid a heady tangle. But hey. Who am I, right?Reading the manual actually helps me to unwind... and that's a new skill I'm getting a hold of. And tell you the truth, I have come into it the hard way!
| Quote (DrGuitar @ April 19 2006,23:38) |
| As far as the ATI AIW RAGE or Pro.... If you are pulling video off a minidv camera, you will need firewire. If you are pulling it off TV, then you have what you need. But let me add that if you are serious about pulling quality video and editing it, you should look for at least an updated ATI AIW card like a 9600 AIW or something newer. Plextor has some pretty cool video converters for cheap that do a nice job of converting analog video into digital video for use with an editing program. The program they give you is crap though "Ulead Video Studio". I have tried this program and it was unstable at best.
|
I think I've seen that Ulead stuff.
We have an S-VHS mini-cassette thing. I'd need to get a carriage adaptor for my VHS player, and have decent converters I guess. So maybe this does mean a new card.
I have a 4-head Sony VHS player, is that good enough to transfer to a video card>program?
Hi DrGuitar:
Thanks for your reply and input… I’m comming up to speed on this as fast as I can absorbe all this…
Something that’s floating to the surface with my set-up, so far is the fact that the Audio card must be … and I may not have the “Buzz” words down yet… But Frame Stability with the audio is important to keep the video from “Jittering”. IT appears that in my set-up, so far that the S/B 5.1 card and the ATI Card don’t play well with one-another, in that regard…
You’re right… The later ATI Cards may have addressed all the technical issues… So I’m only “Playing” with what I have…
Mabey, sloom , might have better luck when he gets his set-up running… We’ll see…
I was “Eye-balling” that Plextor stuff, the other day… There was another Brand name of capture stuff that I was looking at… IT escapes me as to what IT was…
From what I’m hearing, The PCI Card stuff is the serious hardware toys to be had… When I looked into this stuff I saw prices that would scare ya…
Bill…
Hi Guys:
I’m back again…
I think that where I’m gonna end up with all this stuff is…
I think I want the ability to import seperate audio and video into an editor and use n-Track to master the audio and a decent video editor the assemble the TWO Parts into a finished product.
I believe that n-Track can work with video frame time-code and "Clock this stuff… If the internal computer clock is accurate enough, then , I’m on the way to putting all this into perspective…
I guess I need to keep on playing and asking questions and all… Mabey, we’ll end up with some finished product. I have lots of projects to work on… It’s a matter of me being able to tollerate all the heart-aches that gonna happen till I get a handle on all of IT…
My brain is start’in to hurt… already…
Bill…
This working for money to support my puter habit has to stop… IT’s getting pretty late here… I need some sut-eye… and my brain wouldn’t sut down… I’m gonna pay for this in the morning…
Chocolate might help… Should I try some?
Anyway, I have to go, tonight… I know, I’m gonna pay for this, in the morning…
I got more questions…
Bill…
| Quote (Sloom @ April 19 2006,23:49) |
| We have an S-VHS mini-cassette thing. I'd need to get a carriage adaptor for my VHS player, and have decent converters I guess. So maybe this does mean a new card. I have a 4-head Sony VHS player, is that good enough to transfer to a video card>program? |
Sloom, there are many different ways you can get analog video (VHS...etc.) into your computer for editing. A card like this will allow you to capture directly from your analog video camera or from your VHS deck directly into our computer. Keep in mind that I am NOT pushing that particular video capture card (I do not have first hand knowledge of that card!), but that there are many different capture cards available at a low price point that will do the job just fine.
Lastly, remember the saying, "Crap in, crap out". If your original video is poor quality, there is no way to make it good quality later. That is why I recommend that if you are going to shoot video and edit it on your computer, you get the best camera you can afford to start with. Video is just like audio this way. If the original signal in your audio is of poor quality, it is going to be tough to get it to sound "good" later.
Bill said,
But Frame Stability with the audio is important to keep the video from "Jittering".
Bill, I cannot be sure what you are talking about since I am not at your computer. I will tell you that if you are talking about jittery frames of video during the editing process, this is normal. You really cannot tell what the final product is going to look like until the video is completely rendered. The problem with watching video during the editing process is that the computer is having to "render" everything in real time and that requires a very , very powerful processor. So dropped frames and shaky video is the norm during the editing process.
Hey Doctor G.,
That’s what I’m talking about, I think. It’s not a real issue as far as having the top-line item, as the video we have is pretty run-of-the-mill household stuff. It’s for posterity, and something for the kids to have later in life, really.
It might be fun to make a little home-movie, with cool home-spun music on it! Anyway, it’s just for fun, so that kind of thing looks fine.
Now, as far as doing anything meaningful for someone else, that’s going to take a little time. But one thing leads to another…
Thanks for the homework!