Archived from groups: rec.video.desktop,rec.video,alt.video.dvdr,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.video,alt.video.dvd (
More info?)
> Where can I find an AVI-to-MPEG2 hardware converter for $300?
www.snazzi.com is one of many places where you can find such.
> On the consumer (not commercial side) say under 300 dollars,
> is there a hardware conversion box existing that I can connect
> my 8 mm camcorder & digital (USB DV in/out whatever that means)
> and VHS tapes (so I can convert my entire collection to DVD)?
www.dvdrhelp.com has lots of info on this.
The =easiest= way is to simply buy a <$300 DVD recorder deck, put that
on the TV, hook up camcorder, and press record. Simple as that, no PC
required, and it works great for all analog input sources.
Lots of choices here on amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/1036920/ref=br_bx_c_1_1/002-0452989-2168812
---
Another way is to buy a cheap DV/Digital8 Camcorder with analog
pass-through to DV cheap off ebay.com and elsewhere & a <$20 firewire
PCI card for the PC. Many such sales at Fry's Electronics and other
places can get you one in this <$300 price range.
The advantage? They let you convert any analog source to DV format,
which can easily be converted by the software included with your Yamaha
DVD burner (usually MyDVD or similar) to a DVD. =And=, you can use the
newer digital format for future recordings that are already
ready-for-conversion and use on the PC in the standard DV digital video
format. Digital8 is nice because it will play your 8mm tapes, too.
(Hmmm, must be a really new DVD burner - which model? Don't see any
under their listing on the website...)
---
Another way is to get any of the encoding boxes (by Snazzi, ADS, etc.),
transfer the camcorder video to MPEG-2 (or DV) format on the PC, then
burn the video file to DVD with the usual lot of DVD creation software
(almost all of them will take both MPEG-2 and DV formats and make a DVD
from that).
Some of these boxes, like the Plextor ConvertX boxes don't need a
Firewire card, just the standard USB 2.0 port on most PCs, eliminating
the need to buy more hardware.
These Plextor ConvertX boxes also give you the advantage of converting
directly to MPEG-4 (commonly the DIVX subset) format, besides MPEG-1/MPEG-2!
What's the advantage of MPEG-4?
1) You can burn them to cheaper CD discs. (Often free after rebate
when on sale; see www.fatwallet.com/forums/ -> hot deals -> search for
these)
2) You can play them on the latest DIVX/MPEG-4 compatible DVD players
on your TV easily as well as on PCs. (eg. a great one is the Philips
DVP642 DVD/DIVX/SVCD/VCD/MP3/JPEG/CD player selling for $69 at Walmart
and Amazon.com - open tray, 7 8 9 OK 0, close tray for all region code
playback; no m.vision at all)
3) You require far less storage space to save these videos on disc or
hard drive.
4) For most viewers, about the same visual quality on TVs when played
back vs. DVDs when files are properly encoded.
---
Another way. Any analog TV tuner card with analog input eg. WinTV or ATI
All-In-Wonder cards for the PC. You feed video into the card, video
goes to MPEG-2/DV files on the HD, which then can be burned to DVD. The
older models, eg. ATI AIW 128, go for <$30; the newer ones about $100 or
so for the cheap models.
---
lots of other ways, see www.dvdrhelp.com
-------------------------------
The simplest? If you don't want to hassle, simply get the DVD recorder
deck, plug camcorder in, insert disc, and press record. No PC required,
and simply enough that anyone can use it in minutes flat. The time you
spend getting the other options running will far exceed the few minutes
you spend attaching cables and AC on a DVD recorder deck.
(ie. in 10 minutes, you can go from box to TV top to everything's
hooked up and recording the very first tape with a DVD recorder. The
other methods? You'll barely be finished reading the first chapter of
the setup manual.)
After that? Plextor ConvertX is a good choice. The PX-M402U converts
to all popular formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4/Divx) live, requires only
the standard USB 2.0 port found on most modern PCs, and is easy to
use, with all the software you need to edit and burn the videos to disc.
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