How to get Quicktime files of 8mm film onto DVDs ?
 

A family member recently had 8mm film transferred to digital and gave me copies of the quicktime .mov files hoping that I could make dvds of certain files for other family members, rather than copying the entire dvd containing stuff they are not interested in.

Can someone tell me what steps are involved in getting these files onto dvds that can be played in dvd players, not just computers?

I have a pc, not a mac. When I played the files in vlc player it showed the following information: codec: DV Video (dvc) , Resolution: 720 x 480, frame rate: 29.9700000, Decoded format: Planar 4:1:1 YUV. There is no audio since it was 8mm film.

I have read so much info on this site about encoding, authoring,burning, etc. and what software does what part, that I am terribly confused. I think I may have to start printing everything out and make myself a book. If you can help me know all of the steps involved, then I can figure out each part and not miss anything important. Thanks for any help you can give!

What you have here are NTSC DV25 format videos in a Quicktime (.mov) wrapper. On a Windows system, the DV videos would have instead been saved into an AVI (.avi) wrapper. Working with these files should not pose much issue whatsoever. So there's some good news right away.

The steps to create a DVD are not too difficult, either. If you want quality, it takes 2-3 steps, and your done.
Note: There are some lazy/cheapo methods out there, but you get lousy DVDs as a result.

So let's start here: What video software do you already own?

I'll work with what you have, suggested any good freeware to shore it up, and then suggest payware only as needed. Worst case, you might have to spend $50 on a program -- which is still a bargain, given the cost of most software these days.

So let me know that, and I'll get you taken care of.

And again, thanks for being a Premium Member. :)

I don't have any software yet, other than the stuff that comes with windows 7, and virtualdub and dvd decrypter downloaded from this site . I wanted to get some suggestions on what would be good before spending any money! I appreciate your assistance!

I have been asking questions on this project and on another project in the the capture thread concerning capturing 8mm and hi8 video. To reduce my confusion, I think I need to concentrate on this project first. Since the video is already captured, hopefully it will be a little simpler and then after I learn this part I can learn the capturing part. If I buy software, it would be nice if it would be good for both projects. I have 24 of the quicktime files that total almost 31GB in size. I would like to select specific files to make dvds for different family members. (Maybe even be able to edit individual files if software for that would not cost 1000's of dollars). Also, how much can I put on one dvd?

A dual layer DVD can hold about 2 hours, and can look good if prepared carefully. I'd say about 1 hour for a normal DVD.

A free software i use for preparing dvd's is http://www.dvdstyler.org/en/

I'm sure you'll get a variety of recommendations, but this will accept your mov files directly and put them on a DVD. You can set a background menu picture, and add a single button which says Play. If you want to get fancy, you can add a button for different spots you want to play individually, like Gramdma's birthday or Enid's wedding highlights. One tip you need to set your project type to NTSC.

I've used easier and nicer looking programs, but for a free one, this is good.

I have been experimenting with free stuff found on this site while waiting on more advice. Everything is "clear as mud"! I haven't bought any software yet, as not sure what would work. I read the following steps posted by admin(can't find them now so hope I remember them)

1.capture, record --- this already done by someone previously.
lordsmurf said that the files I have are NTSC DV25 format videos in a Quicktime (.mov) wrapper

2 or 3. Encode

3 or 2. Edit

4. Author

5. ?Burn (maybe)

I think I skipped the encode step. I tried to use Simple DVD Creator I read about somewhere on this site (didn't really know what I was doing) and Imgburn. I did end up with Audio and Video TS files (although this came from silent 8mm and there was no audio), but when tried to create image file got error that something was missing (sorry, don't remember what it said). I need to know what to do first and if I need to buy software for encoding.

Hi,
The DVDStyler software I mentioned actually uses the same software internally as SimpleDVD Creator, just a different look of the program and showing more options.

The encode step is automatically done by both programs.

I know that dvdstyler has an option to create a DVD image directly, which should avoid any errors in the ImgBurn step.

This is the difference
option 1-the final result of the DVD authoring program is two folders on your harddrive, called audio_ts and video_ts. This format has to be further prepared internally by a burning program as it's burned.

option 2-the final file is simply something called dvd.iso. This format takes things a step further. It contains the audio_ts and video_ts folders internally The advantage of this type of file is there is no room for any further errors, because it has been prepared as a 1:1 image of what's literally placed on the dvd. Every program can burn this type of file, and there should be no settings that affect it.

What I like is that we let DVDStyler create the final image, so the burning program can't screw it up. However if it does screw up, it's DVDStyler's fault :)

As for the encoding step, yes we can make this a separate step. Someone may have recommended that because it gives you more control of quality, as opposed to letting DVDStyle/DVDCreator doing it automatically for you.

I think I am getting it...
I can use DVDStyler with the quicktime files to create an ISO file and then use Imgburn to burn to DVD.(maybe?)

Can I have several quicktime files made into one ISO file if they total under one hour so they fit on regular single layer dvd?

Do I have to be concerned with framerate in this or was that already done when the film was transferred to the quicktime files?

Is there a guide available somewhere for DVDStyler? Or can you outline the steps? I have used Imgburn to copy a dvd previously, but I don't think I will know exactly what I need to do for the encoding part.

>I can use DVDStyler with the quicktime files to create an ISO file and then use Imgburn to burn to DVD.(maybe?)

Yes exactly!

>Can I have several quicktime files made into one ISO file if they total under one hour so they fit on regular single layer dvd?

Yes, most definitely! And DVDStyler can even join them for you without you having to use an editing program, I believe.

>Do I have to be concerned with framerate in this or was that already done when the film was transferred to the quicktime files?

It was done for you, if it's straight off a DV cam it will be a 29.97frames/s frame rate.

>Is there a guide available somewhere for DVDStyler? Or can you outline the steps? I have used Imgburn to copy a dvd previously, but I don't think I will know exactly what I need to do for the encoding part.

Yes! I've download a copy and was about to prepare a step-by-step guide for you, but then I had to eat ;)

However, unlike most free programs, DVDStyler has a GREAT manual! Try it in the meantime and see what you think. As I may have said, just start a new project and choose NTSC as the project type.

Thanks so much, I will give it a try as soon as I can!

Creating a basic DVD from a video file, with DVDStyler 2.2 on Windows

Introduction

This tutorial is fully tested and covers making a simple DVD of a home movie. It was tested on Windows, with DVDStyler 2.2, and a single video clip, which was a Quicktime ".mov" file, containing a DV format file from a standard definition camcorder.

Conventions

-The symbol "->" is meant to show a sequence of menu actions, for example, File->New means to click the File Menu, then choose the New sub-menu.

Organizing

In this tutorial we will be creating a number of files related to our project. It would be good to put them all in one place, so create a new folder for this work, and use it in the steps below.

Creating a New Project

-Run DVDStyler

-Immediately, a Welcome panel shows, asking you to create a new project.
This panel may not show if you've previously used the program, and turned off the Welcome screen. In that case, choose File->New.

Disc label-This won't appear anywhere in your video, but will show when inserting the final DVD in your computer. We will use "Home Movie".

Disc capacity-The common type is called single-layer DVD or DVD-5. You can leave the default. If you have bought DVD-DL (-r, +r) type, then choose DVD-9.
The single layer type holds about an hour, the dual- layer type holds about 2 hours.

Video Quality-As it says, this affects quality. You need to pick a smaller number if you're trying to fit more time on the DVD. We'll leave this at the default, Auto.

Video Format-If you live in US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, or a few other places, choose NTSC (otherwise choose PAL).

Aspect Ratio-If your home movie is a transfer of 8mm film or VHS, use 4:3. If it's from a modern widescreen camcorder, choose 16:9.

Audio Format-There is a slight difference in quality and added filesize between the two choices, but in most cases, it's fine to use the default of AC3 48KHz.

Selecting a Template

-Create a title for your project. This title will show in the resulting video, in the DVD menu which first plays upon inserting the final DVD. We will use "My Home Movie" here.

-Pick the first template and click OK.

Overview of the Project Window

-There are 3 aspects to our template:

Background - in our template, there is a wavey blue background.

Text Object - There is one text object, in our case it reads "My Home Movie"

Buttons - There are two buttons. In the final DVD, they will be highlighted as you press the arrow buttons on your remote control. Pressing the middle button on your remote activates the button. In our case, the buttons are "Play all" and "Select title"

Each object can be changed. Click the object to select it, then right click and select properties.

On the left hand side, is a list of objects you can use to add to the project. There are background, buttons, and files.

On the bottom, is a list of menu screens in your project. In our case we have two; the main menu is Menu 1 and a sub-menu is Menu 2.

Modifying Your Project Menus

In this tutorial we will simplify the template to play just one video, and return to the main menu. It's very simple with only 3 steps!

Click "Menu 2" at the bottom, right click, and choose Delete. It asks if you really want to delete Menu 2. Click Yes.

Click the "Select title" button in the project window to select it. Delete it (right-click, Delete).

click the "Play all" button to select it. Right- click and choose Properties. Under Look, Label, change "Play all" to "Play". Click OK.

Adding Your Video to the Project

In this step we will add our home movie to the DVD.

-Click File browser on the left-hand side. Find the folder where your movie is stored and click on it.
Another column will show a list of files in the folder. Choose your movie file - do not double- click! (if you do, use Edit->Undo). Drag the file down to the bottom, next to "Menu 1".

-Use File-Save As, and enter a name for your project. We will use "Home Movie.dvds". Saving the project at this point will allow us to edit our DVD later. Our project can also be a good starting point for another project.

-We're almost done. We are going to save the final DVD in a format which is ready to copy to a DVD. I suggest this so that if soemthing goes wrong in burning, you can use the file to try again. Finally, it gives you a final file that you can test before burning.
File->Burn DVD. Choose the option "create iso image", and use the Save to button to select your project directory. Call the file "home movie.iso".

-Click Start. A "Generate DVD" status screen comes up, showing a lot of information which is not relevant. Finally it should say "Generating was successful.". Click Close.

Checking your DVD Before Burning

-You can test your DVD before committing to burning it to disk. One way to do this is by using VLC. First, install VLC from www.videolan.org. Next, find your iso file (or "home movie" with a disc icon). Right click and choose "Open with..." and pick VLC as the program. Otherwise you can start VLC itself, and browse for your ISO file. In either case, the VLC player will play the DVD.

Please see more information under "Testing Your DVD"

Burning the DVD

-Find your home movie.iso file (you may not see the ".iso" part in the filename, but there should be some kind of icon that looks like a disk. For example if you have ImgBurn installed, there will be a flaming disc icon).

-Burn the disc. You probably already have a program for this, but I would recommend ImgBurn, it's free, and can be obtained from www.imgburn.com

Testing Your DVD

-Put the disc back into your computer and try playing it. If you don't have a particular program installed, you can use a player called VLC which supports playing DVD's. It can be found at www.videolan.org.

-The main menu should show, with the Play button highlighted (with a little blue dot to the left of the button). In a computer player, you usually press the Enter key to activate it. Your home movie should play, and then return to the main menu.

Congratulations on making your first home movie DVD!

Some further things you can do with the program, is change the background, and add buttons to play different clips within the same DVD.

See the DVDStyler manual for more information.

Links
ImgBurn
www.imgburn.com

DVDStyler
www.dvdstyler.org

VLC
www.videolan.org

Hope you like my guide! You also mentioned that you have a number of files to put together. I believe you can simply drop them one at a time into your DVDStyler project.

Now I should mention, that some people here are going to disagree with my guide. I agree that you can get better quality in the final video by breaking this down into further steps, for example, using a separate encoding step.

What I would do in your case is use some pre-processing to extract a progressive 18fps video out of the camcordered version. What I have found in these cheap film to camcorder transfers, is that the film speed is not very steady. I use a special technique for this. It turns out that each film frame will appear at least once clearly in the transfer. I take out only the good frames, then force them to be exactly 18fps. Then I encode to mpg with a high quality encoder (such as x262 or HCEnc). Then I apply DGPulldown to telecine to 29.97fps. Then I drag the final file into DVDStyler. I think DVDStyler will avoid re-encoding if it's given a proper mpg file.

There is also other processing that can be done on the film. One problem with video film transfers is the spotlight effect, where the middle of the screen is lit brighter. You can also adjust colors, stabilize the hand-held camera work, and make a few other improvements.

Just sayin' before any of the other experts start yelling at me :)

Thank you so much, jmac698!!! This was just what I needed to satisfy all the relatives that want a dvd with the films of the "people they know". I downloaded DVDStyler, read the tutorial that was with it, found your guide that had been posted:thumb:, followed the steps, tried a little short file to make sure I could burn it to a dvd, and it worked great!:D

I was able to select 7 of my 24 quicktime files and make a menu very quickly. I am now waiting while the ISO file is created. So far, it was so easy!!!

If anyone has other suggestions, I would be interested in them for the future. Someday I might try to edit the files before creating the dvds to be able to make more personalized selections of what parts of the films each "branch of the family tree" receives. But, summer break is over and I go back to work this week so I am so glad that this part will be completed soon!



I was looking at the website where the transfer from 8mm film to the quicktime files was done. It says they tranfer frame by frame using the machines in the attached photo. I don't really know what that means, but the files look better than the way I remember the film looking when it was shown on a projector a few years ago. If I knew how to chop off a small piece of the file I would attach it, but I don't know how and all of the files are close to 1GB or more.

Attachment 2784



I have been interrupted so many times trying type this reply that : My dvd is now burned and it plays in at least one DVD player!!! Many thanks again jmac698!:)

I'm sure I will have more questions later!

>more personalized selections
Actually, that feature is already there! If you select one of the clips at the bottom of the project window, and select properties, you will see that there's a setting for beginning and end times of the clip. If you change these, you should save the project file as it is customized for each person. The time is set by seconds. If you play it in some player program that shows seconds elapsed somewhere, that can be your editing guide. Not the most precise method, but certainly simple.

The frame-by-frame thing sounds good, it's probably ok. I could check, though. You can probably use MpegStreamClip.
http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MPEG-StreamClip This will cut your files for the DVD or to post samples here. I can also run your clip through DVDStyler to check the encoding quality, and if necessary recommend a separate encoding step. Do you think the total of your clips is more than an hour?

Oh, and below my messages are a thanks button, you can click it if you wish, it gives me a rating.

Also, standard 8mm is 16fps but super 8 is 18fps.

Btw, one of the enhancements possible is to smooth the motion of 8mm
Here's an example
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CSqZ...ture=endscreen

First of all, to whom it may concern - sorry, I didn't mean to add the whole picture above, just a place to click to see it. I guess it is too late for me to edit it. Oops!

I didn't know there was such a simple way to cut out parts of files in DVDStyler. I'm so glad to know it!

I think the total of all the files I have is a little over 2 hours.

I don't know if this helps, but when I play the files in vlc player it shows the following:
codec: DV Video (dvc)
Resolution: 720 x 480
Frame rate: 29.9700000
Decoded format: Planar 4:1:1 YUV

I will attempt to make a short clip and post it.

In DVDStyler in the project window, when I select one of the files, then properties, it brings up the video properties. On the Destination format should it be set to progressive or interlaced? If interlaced then should it be BFF or TFF?

It should be already set?
Also, the manual is a separate download http://dvdstyler.sourceforge.net/doc...ylerManual.pdf

It is defaulted to progressive, but I thought I read somewhere that it needs to be interlaced to view on a tv so I don't know what to set it to.
Also, what is the BFF or TFF setting? (BFF - best friends forever ;) )

Now that I am getting a handle on this, I am ready to learn how to do it better![:)]

DigitalFAQ + kcmom = BFF!!!


I can tell you what those settings are and how they'd affect being played on TV. TFF means Top Field First, and BFF, unfortunately only means Bottom Field First.

To know what that means I have to tell you what interlacing is.
Interlacing refers to a picture that has been separated into two halves; one has the odd (horizontal) lines and then the even lines. They are interwoven like, locked fingers. Each of these halves is called a field. The two fields can be called odd and even fields, and together they form a frame.

As to why anyone would do such a crazy thing, it's a part of history; when TV was invented they found it was the easiest way to broadcast TV for technical reasons. It's not needed anymore and we all wish it would be obsoleted.

Now, what it means in relation to DVD/VOB/MPG. It specifies which of the fields is stored in the file first. This has no relevance to the picture. There's another meaning; which field is displayed first. In this case, BFF should be always be set.

This leaves me a little confused as to why there is a setting in the program. BFF should always be set for the resulting converted MPG; however if this refers to, asking information about the *source* file (that you dropped in), then it depends on your source. That's my guess; it's been set for your source file and you don't need to change it, because the *destination* is always fixed to the proper settings.

You were looking for a better encoder.

It's hard to answer to this question. Suggestions vary, and they have bias. I have no conclusion myself at this time. There is an element of subjective preference involved.

All we're looking for here is something noticeably better than what DVDStyler does, that's free. I think I can suggest HCEnc. However, this program is complicated to use.

I could do a quick test. If I see a significant difference, I will make a recommendation. Otherwise, I'm open to a 2nd opinion.

It would help to have a sample clip of your material. You can use MPEGStreamClip to cut a sample.

I can show you the difference, if any, and you can decide if it's worth learning the steps. I will start with an easy program, as this would give the most benefit to our time compared to results.

I was able to get a sample clip, but .mov files are not accepted. What now?

This screen shot is from the DVDStyler video properties page. The destination format is what I have been wondering about. I can choose progressive or interlaced and if interlaced is chosen, I can choose BFF or TFF.

Try again. I just now added the Quicktime/.mov file type to the forum's list of accepted files. ;)

Max attachment size is 16MB (make it 15.9MB max to be on the safe side).

Any time somebody finds a file type that is disallowed, open a new thread about it in the General Discussion forum, and we'll consider adding it. Something as important and common as Quicktime should have been added long ago, but nobody has asked for it, or mentioned it being unavailable, until now. So that's been rectified.

Here is the sample clip! Thank you so much. :)

This is an easy 5-step process, using only freeware. :cool:

Tools needed:

• VirtualDub 1.9 - version attached to this post
• Huffyuv codec - from this site
• Gspot 2.7 - from this site
• Avidemux - from the official site
• Quicktime 7 - from apple.com
• Simple DVD Creator - from this site
• ImgBurn - from the official site (use mirror 7)

Step 1:

Install Quicktime and that adds the required codecs to your system. (Note: When I install something, I uncheck a lot of boxes. I don't want emails, toolbars, automatic updates, icons in 3+ places, extra whatever, etc. I suggest others do the same.)

Step 2:

Open in VirtualDub. (Use the one I'm attaching to this post. This is our most current package, in use on every workstation here. Unzip/unarchive the RAR file to C:\Program Files (x86)\VirtualDub19\.) I guarantee this works, because I just did it. Then File > Save As and save an AVI.

Attachment 2799

You also need to install Huffyuv. Only after Huffyuv is installed should you start VirtualDub, and open the file. Go to Video > Compression and change to Huffyuv.

Tip: You can most easily right-click on the Command Prompt icon in your Start Menu, in order to run as administrator. Sometimes the CTRL+SHIFT trick doesn't work.

Attachment 2798


Step 3:

Open the AVI in Avidemux. (Install this, if you don't already have it. If using Windows Vista or Windows 7, there are special install instructions.) Select three things:

Part 1 -- MPEG-2 (mpeg2enc), configure it, select "DVD" from the drop-down, then change interlacing to BFF.

Attachment 2795


NOTE -- Why BFF? Because Gspot shows that your source .mov file is DV, and all DV video is bottom field first (BFF).

Attachment 2800


Part 2 --AC3 Aften audio, configure it, select 384kbps, because 128 is ridiculous low. At 128, it sounds more like a cell phone, and less like quality audio, for AC3 Dolby Digital.

Attachment 2794


Part 3 -- MPEG+PS (A/V), which is a multiplexed (muxed) MPEG-2 program stream.
File > Save > Save Video to create a new MPEG file for DVD-Video use.

Attachment 2796


Step 4:

Install Simple DVD Creator. (Note: When installing, skip the editor, skip the burning software, pick English.) Import the MPEG-2 video/audio create in Avidemux, under the "Title Properties" section. It'll import and demux automatically. Click the Author DVD button, and select the folder were you want to save your AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS DVD-Video folders.

This creates a menu-less discs. The video plays as soon as the DVD is inserted into a DVD player. (If you want a DVD with menus, then use Ulead DVD Workshop 2, or TMPGEnc Authoring Works.)

Attachment 2793


Step 5:

Burn the AUDIO_TS + VIDEO_TS in ImgBurn, using Build Mode.


Notes:

I just installed all of this software for the first time on a new computer. It worked perfectly. :)

The transfer service did a great job on your films, based on the short sample clip that was attached. Who was it, by chance?

Will give this a try as soon as I can find the time. Thanks for the step by step! The more I play around with various aspects of all of this, the more I understand it. It is slowly getting clearer. I have previously downloaded everything except Avidemux!

The 8mm film transfer was done by GotMemories onto DVD and they put the .mov files on a flashdrive. I think they would have done them in .avi format also, but since my relatives have macs, it was done in .mov.

The file looks good. There is no problem like the variable framerate as I mentioned. It seems like a good transfer. I'm somewhat disapointed with the DV codec, because the color resolution is poor.

There's some dirt and noise you could clean up. This will help with the encoding, more so than changing encoders. Noise is not tolerated well by mpeg, and will lead to noticeable blockiness. I had a very noisy clip once I was trying to show, and couldn't put into mpeg at all (figuratively speaking).

While I'm often critical of DV for overly compressing the colorspace, 8mm film tends to have marginal quality color to begin with. It's often much worse than VHS, due to the camera, the quality of the film stock, the quality of the film processing, the storage conditions through the decades, and the age of the film. Most consumer video film ages quite poorly, for all of those factors.

Increase the bitrate. If it has to exceed max DVD-Video specs of 9.8Mbps, then opt for Blu-ray instead, which lifts the maximum 720x480 MPEG-2 specs to 15Mbps (max MP@ML profile), and that max a pretty big different. I've been transferring old high school and college videos to BD-R this year, as part of our larger Blu-ray media guides testing. You can store MPEG-2 beyond 15Mbps, too, up to 50Mbps for 422@ML profile. (The free Matrox codecs give you 422@ML encoding, though it wraps in an AVI instead of an MPEG program or transport stream.)

Too many folks are hard on MPEG, when their complaint is really against DVD-Video constrained MPEG-2 specs. :2cents:

-- merged --

You can mix kpmedia's encoding method with jmac's authoring method (if you want menus). That's another option. :thumb:

Though I'd suggest DVDWS2 is better than DVDStyle, if you have a copy of it. That's my personal preference.

:thumb::thumb:

After having read info from all and trying a few experiments, I am beginning to get the hang of all this. All of the instructions provided have been very beneficial and I have gained much insight. Having access to instructions for the same steps, written from different points of view has contributed a great deal to my capacity to comprehend what I am doing. I can understand what I am doing and why, and know what some of the options are, rather than just following a specified set of steps without a clue of what is actually being accomplished. Thank you for all of the assistance! I am sure I will have many, many more questions, but I now know where to find reliable information. I just wanted you, staff and members, to know how much help you have been.

When I originally found your site, I had just realized that copying a DVD was not quite like copying a CD.:eek:

I’m so glad I found that information, and so much more, at this site.:)

You're welcome!

Some people start with video projects and end with a new hobby. It's a good hobby because there's no end to what you can learn, and the results, being very visible, can easily be appreciated by anyone. At some point, you're able to help others, which is rewarding.

Anyhow, I've discovered a problem with their 8mm conversion. I'm working on a fix. It's not major, but I haven't seen how visible it is. I'll upload a comparison when it's ready.

What I enjoy is when advanced users are able to help one another.
We've done a pretty good job at bringing advanced and knowledgeable users to digitalFAQ.com in the past decade. :2cents:

I just wanted to say thanks to you all once again. I obtained about 25 .mov files from the transfer of old silent 8mm silent movies to digital and was not sure I would ever be able to figure out how to make dvd's for various relatives that were interested in different parts. Thanks to all of the excellent help received, I was successful and am pleased with the results! I was able to make several different dvds, with menus, containing the files pertaining to "each branch of the family tree" and save the final versions to burn more dvd's if needed. Thanks a million to all who gave advice, instructions, etc. I couldn't have done it without you!

Next step is to try transferring some of my 8mm and Hi8 video tapes. So back to the other thread...
It will take quite a while for me to go through our video tapes, but I know where to turn for the help I need and feel confident I can count on the digitalfaq services for the most precious videos that I want done professionally!