What to convert captured VHS on DVD files to?
 

I captured video from VHS tapes 20 years ago on an all in one vcr/cd recorder. The video quality is acceptable.

The problem I am having is the files I ended up with are vob and video TS files.

I would like to convert them to another format. I want to be able to do minor editing, clipping them so only 1 event is on the file, (not the all the events that were on the vhs tape).

I want to also host them on a server where people can download them and play them if they wish.

What file format do I want to convert them to?
What program will convert them?

VOB files are not video files, not MPEG files. Those are Video OBject files for the DVD-Video format, and contain audio, video, and other data.

VIDEO_TS is the folder structure, not files.

The files are harder to work with than the original DVD. Do you still have the DVD, and a DVD drive in a computer?

Otherwise you'll want to recreate an ISO image with the VIDEO_TS folder, using Imgburn. Then open that ISO in MagicISO (virtual DVD drive). Then you can easily extract.

Extraction is done via IFO Mode in DVD Decrypter.

There's really no easy way to properly extract DVDs anymore. It's now an older legacy format. You can attempt to use "easy" software, but odds are it will create errors and visual problems/boogers in the video. Because again, those are not video files, and the "other data" gets in the way.

Conversion comes next.
Where to upload comes next after that.

One step at a time.

Do you still have the DVDs, and a DVD drive? That will be easiest.

yes, I still have the DVD's. I also have a blueray/dvd/cd drive and when I put the DVD's in the drive a menu pops up and I can play the video from there.

I see Extraction is done via IFO Mode in DVD Decrypter. I will try that.
What file should I convert them to?
I will need to slightly edit these mostly just separating the different that have been captured.

I quality is ok right now, but it may not be if the quality degrades during the conversion.

Extracting the DVD via IFO mode in DVD Decrypter is the easiest. Be sure to enter the options/preferences, and disable file splitting. You want to extract each IFO as a single video.

Look at this guide: https://www.digitalFAQ.com/guides/vi...d-recorder.htm

The file is ripped as the original MPEGs, and audio, without conversion.

Now then, in terms of converting those MPEGs to a format that is edit friendly:
- open the MPEG in VirtualDub2
- save to a lossless format like Huffyuv or Lagarith

Some of this depends on the exact editor/NLE used, such as Premiere, or perhaps even VirtualDub2.

BTW, your email is bouncing. That needs to be fixed ASAP, or we'll have to lock the account. Don't want that.

I'm goofing something up.

I am doing the extraction in DVD Decripter. I think I followed the directions in the FAQ.
I end up with files titled the same was as on the dvd.

VLC media player will play the files. the ones that I extracted and the ones on the dvd.

You can use Avidemux to split the video file unto smaller clips without lossy re-encoding, if you split at i-frames.

ok, so the files on the dvd ended up in 1 large file instead of 3 or 4 smaller ones, but its still a .VOB file.

not sure what is going on.

I changed my email address and verified it, so that should be good.

Ah yes, forgot about that. (Been a while since I had to decompile a DVD.)

When DVD Decrypter processed in IFO mode, it extracts audio and video into a new VOB. Did you properly select on the single video and single audio stream? If so, at that time, the new VOB is essentially just MPEG+audio, and can be renamed to a .mpg file. But only then.

So did you select the streams, or allow it to auto-do (which selects everything).

ok, so I think I am good with DVD Decipher.

Virtualdub2 was recommend to cut the videos? (trying to figure out Virtualdub2 but I am struggling)
What are the other good options for minor editing and cutting?
is it ok the leave the files in .MPG format?
I do hope to host these somewhere for people look at/download.
What is a cost effective way to do that?

Open VirtualDub2.
Drag-and-drop a video file in the main window.
See the timeline drag bar at bottom? Either use mouse to move it, or hit Page Up / Page Down (on keyboard).
Hit Home (agian, on keyboard) to mark in.
Move it with the mouse, or hold down Page Down a lot.
Now hit End to mark out.
Hit Delete.
You just removed footage.
Ta-da! Editing!
Now close the file, and do some real work.
In other words, you select what you want to remove. Not what you want to keep.

MPEG (from a DVD-Video disc) is a "delivery format". That's the format when the video is finished. To work on it, it needs to be in an "intermediary format" (lossless, ProRes422 semi-lossy on Mac, etc).

Install Lagarith and/or Huffyuv on your system. It's not included in VirtualDub2. When you finished editing (scrubbing) in VirtualDub2, you save as non-MPEG (pick a lossless).

From it, you can then re-convert back to H.264 (another delivery format) in MP4/MKV container with selur's Hybrid.

Make sense? :)

Just making sure I am understanding. I have been goofing with virtualdub2 but I am having issues.

If all I am doing is cutting out the blue part in the first 20 seconds of the file, I can keep the file in MPG and cut it. If I want to separate the file into 3 files same answer.

If I really want to edit the files I would need to convert the files to an intermediary format lossless.

I don't understand that. Is lossless a file format? I added the lossless codex (is that the right words?) do I put it in Virtualdub to put it in lossless?

these videos are very Zapruderesk. they are dark, grainy, jumpy and blurry. There is also a very small rainbowy section on the very side of the video.

Can any of these things be worked on in virtualdub?

even though I would give these videos the grade of C- they do look like I would expect videos that are 40 years old to look.

when I compress these for streaming or putting them on youtube, the quality is going to get worse correct?