Can I Edit Video from a DVD?

Most people think that since a DVD is digital, they will be able to edit their footage directly off the DVD from within a video editing application like iMovie or Adobe Premiere. While this may be possible with certain DVD ripping utilities, we strongly advise against it. Here is why.

First, video on DVD is compressed utilizing mpeg 2 compression; therefore, if you edit already compressed footage and then author a new DVD from the already compressed footage you will end up with a highly re-compressed image that will be noticeably different than your original video tape. The end result will be a pixelated de-saturated soft image.

Second, DVDs are closed discs that contain .vob files inside a video TS folder. DVDs do not contain a single file that you can work with. If you simply drag the files off the disc (like most other companies recommend), you will have audio gaps where the clips line up and the audio might even become out of sync the further you get down the timeline within your video editing software. 

In addition, working with mpeg 2 files within video editing software is much more of a challenge for the systems resources than working with uncompressed AVI and Quicktime files as all of the editing applications have pre-installed codecs (DV) built to handle the files. Therefore, you will find your self working in a glitchy work / editing environment where you'll be waiting for the system to transcode the footage, there may be frequent pauses while the system catches up, and inevitably the system may just crash.

Thus, we recommend that you have us create uncompressed digital computer files such as Quick Times and AVI files using the DV-Codec.  By using quicktimes and AVI files, you could edit and re-export the footage to as many AVI or quicktime files as you want without any loss of quality. Quicktimes and AVI files are not only higher in quality; they are the most compatible file type to work with in your editing application. Meaning, you will be able to work with the video in real-time without having to transcode the video beforehand.

We offer video to hard drive transfer services where we convert your video tapes to either AVI for the PC or QuickTime for the MAC. Prices are just $29 per tape (under 60min) and $49 per tape (under 120min). We ofer quantity discounts starting at just 10 tapes and combo discounts if you order Video to DVD Transfers and Video to Hard Drive Transfers.

You can ship us your project by filling out an order form or walking into our store. Please watch this video for further details.

Video to Hard Drive / Editing from a Hard Drive vs DVD

mail@av-workshop.com
703 Woodside Road, Suite 3, Redwood City, California 94061
http://av-workshop.com/video-to-quicktime-avi/