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Edit With PC/Mac
This thread is for providing info to people who want to use a computer to edit +VR files recorded on a Philips 3575/3576 or Magnavox 2080/2160/2160A/513/515/533/535/537.
I know several people have posted little "snippets" of info, but with the +VR's slightly different folder/file structure, it probably needs a place for easy reference, like this thread.
See also Post #2 and those following for lots more detailed info.
Updates below:
Easy way to get DVDR files on a PC HDD
See this post for simple, "container-swapping" DVD-to-PC file copy procedure. Follow that discussion for a few more posts for some "push-back" and eventual "reinforcement" of the simple "change-the-container" procedure.
To assure this doesn't become "unavailable" someday, I've Quoted the three pertinent posts here:
Quote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelson /t/940657/magnavox-537-535-533-515-513-2160a-2160-2080-philips-3576-3575/24630#post_23983032
Well, DVD and PC copies are pretty much the same from a data perspective. It's more a matter of the container and the time involved to get stuff off a DVD recorder. You would make the digital transfer of the VHS tape using the DVD recorder. As noted, the only way to get the transfer out of the DVD recorder is to burn it off onto DVD-R. If you choose, you can edit it on the DVDR before burning to make a finished DVD -- or just burn the "raw" footage to a DVD-RW and edit it on the PC before authoring a compilation to a DVD-R or BD-R. The format of the burned DVD-R/RW is DVD Video. You just put that disk in your PC and there are any number of programs available that will let you extract the individual titles from the disk and save them into any of the standard video containers -- .mpg, .m2ts, MKV, etc. As long as you leave the video format as MPEG-2, there is no re-encoding which means there is no loss in video quality since all you are doing is changing container format -- it's a very fast process that could take a minute or less per SD title -- it takes me ~2 min to save a 5GB HDTV recording as an .m2ts or .mpg file. All these standard containers can be played by almost any PC program like WMP or VLC. You could make compilations of any combination and author them to DVD at any time you needed -- it's all just a matter of some simple software.Quote:
Originally Posted by greg28 /t/940657/magnavox-537-535-533-515-513-2160a-2160-2080-philips-3576-3575/24600_100#post_23982063
At the end of the day, I have to be able to convert to PC storage. I'd prefer both DVD and PC copies. I thought I could record to the HDD and then make a DVD from it as well as transfer from the HDD to the PC. But apparently that's not quite the case.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelson /t/940657/magnavox-537-535-533-515-513-2160a-2160-2080-philips-3576-3575/24630#post_23984356
I'm sorry but that is simply not the case. There is no degradation. The .VOB files of a DVD Video are simply containers that hold the MPEG-2 video stream and the audio streams. When you extract a title from a multi-title .VOB you simply pull the streams out of the .VOB container and mux them into a new container format. The streams are bit-image replicas of the originals. There is no change to the actual video data -- as long as you are not recoding to either change the codec or shrink the size of the stream.Quote:
Originally Posted by CitiBear /t/940657/magnavox-537-535-533-515-513-2160a-2160-2080-philips-3576-3575/24600_100#post_23983437
In my experience, once these are digitized to DVD, any attempt to extract them as standalone files results in a further degradation of quality- even a so called "lossless MPEG" extraction.
It's the same as if someone hands you a bag containing two sandwiches, closed with a twist-tie. You open the twist tie, remove one of the sandwiches and put it in a ziplock bag. You have not changed the sandwich in any way, it will still taste the same. You only put it in a new bag.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelson /t/940657/magnavox-537-535-533-515-513-2160a-2160-2080-philips-3576-3575/24630#post_23984384
That is the case. There is no great mystery here. You can play a DVD on a PC, right. In the simplest case you use a program like ImgBurn to rip the full DVD to an .iso file (disk image). Just about every PC player will play a DVD.iso image file as if it were the disk in the DVD drive.Quote:
Originally Posted by greg28 /t/940657/magnavox-537-535-533-515-513-2160a-2160-2080-philips-3576-3575/24600_100#post_23983463
I primarily want backup sources before the VHS tapes eventually deteriorate. As long as I can rip them from the DVD to a computer in any playable format, I am fine with that.
Everything is digitally convertible to everything -- as long as you don't recode, there is no loss and the copies are bit-image replicas of the A/V streams.
Good Source for DVD Fix, Copying & Burning SW
This site has some good info and links for all sorts of DVD work. Check web for latest versions of the recommended SW.
MPEG-2 Error Correction Tool
I know nothing about this, but it sounds as if a PC editor might be able to use this tool for its stated purposes: Error Detection, Error Repair and Improved Decoder Compatibility. Please report if you find it "inappropriate" for use on our DVDR files.
Transferring & Recovering Deleted DVD Titles
Ken.F posted on a way to view, copy-to-PC and recover deleted titles on a DVD, as described here.
MKV Files
Converting PhilMag files to MKV? See these two posts.
Ignore the VIDEO_RM Folder
One source of problems for PC-editing of Philips and Magnavox +VR format DVDs is the "unusual" Video_RM folder on +VR discs.
Afterdawn says this about Video_RM (note esp. last bolded para):
"VIDEO_RM
Folders found in a DVD file structure can often contain a legacy folder called VIDEO_RM. Essentially, this folder is rather useless to most set-top DVD players as it is a folder referenced on Philips brand DVD recorders as well as Philips clones. For reasons unknown, Philips decided not to abide by standards of DVD file structures and used this VIDEO_RM folder to hold information about the recording device a DVD was created on.
The folder, when viewed through several DVD re-authoring tools will show that it is useless much in the same way an AUDIO_TS folder is.
There have been cases where DVDs created with the VIDEO_RM folder have caused several other brands of set-top players, DVD re-authoring programs and other devices to not read the DVD information correctly. Often an error similar to "unrecognized file structure" will be given as whatever device is reading the disk does not understand what to do with the Video_RM folder. Simple fixes include loading the DVD in File mode on certain DVD re-authoring programs and deleting anything associated with the Video_RM folder, then compiling a new, clean ISO."
Tonypeter reinforces this advice to ignore the Video_RM folder, saying "After you’ve High Speed dubbed your recordings to a DVD +/-R, -RW and finalize them or +RW (no need to finalize) you’ll have a DVD video compliant disc with a VIDEO_TS folder on it. Any other folders there including VIDEO_RM are irrelevant for your purpose.
Bottom Line: IGNORE THE VIDEO_RM FOLDER ENTIRELY!
VideoRedo & DVD-lab
Rustewey posted this in a review of the 2160A on the Walmart site:
"I record shows I want to keep. Extract them onto my computer, clean them up (commercials etc.) with VideoReDo , and author to DVD with DVD-lab .
In the past I have recorded most TV programs in EP mode. average programs come out about 42 min. without commercials. I have been able to put 6 shows on a double layer DVD with Menu.
I have used the 2160A to remove commercials from recordings on the recorder and it works quite well."
MAC Update, Toast Titanium
Jtbell posted this on a Mac editing tool:
"... in the Macintosh world, Toast Titanium (the most common third-party CD and DVD burning utility) has an option to burn a DVD from a VIDEO_TS folder on the computer's hard disk.
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