How do they do that?

[Virgo10]

Any geeky types here who know how to get movies onto the media players (Real or Windows). I'm talking about things like the Wishes video that's available here. Do these sites charge money to do it? Do you need a special type of video or would you have to have it on a CD first? I really don't know anything about this but I have several videos from WDW that would be fun to view. One is from the Great Illuminations and the other is Sorcery in the Sky.

So does anyone have a clue of how this is done?

Roberta

 

[Dan Murphy]

We need a geek here, Roberta.

 

[teh fish]

I just click it and it opens. For some reason, the windows media player link doens't work.

Usually, you can go to their website and download the free player. They offer you to upgrade but you can deny the upgrade. Whenever you click on a linked video, it should open and play.

 

[jfulcer]

Hey, I resemble that comment!

You need two things.

1) You need a way to get the movies into your PC. It's generally called a 'capture' device. Most all work in the same way - you put your tape into a VCR, connect your output cords to this device, hit play and through some software you get with the capture device, it records it onto your PC. They make a USB capture device that works rather well. It's $62 at Best Buy.

2) You need video editing software of some sort. Ulead makes a nice package (I use it myself) to do this called Ulead Video Studio. It takes that video you just captured and allows you to put special effects into it, make movies for putting out on the 'net, and recording to CD/DVD to play in DVD players. It's nice software. Order it now online from Ulead, and save $25 - it'd be only $75.

One caveat - capturing and editing video takes LOTS of drive space. I recently captured and edited about 3 hours worth of video and it took well over 60 <b>gigabytes</b>. Plus you need a decent machine with a good amount of memory. If you machine is older than 2 years old, it may not have enough horsepower.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any more questions!

 

[Dan Murphy]

We found a geek.

 

[jfulcer]

I should also mention you can take your VHS tapes into Sams, Walmart, Walgreens, Target, etc to their photo department and have them transferred to DVD. It's not that expensive, and eliminates the 'capture' part of the equation - plus it takes lots less space in your video cabinet.

 

[teh fish]

oops. I thought you had trouble playing the file.

Yeah, I had to do a project with a camcorder so we went out and bought the capture card and camcorder. Usually, there will be basic software that comes with the capture card that will allow you to edit it.

Or you can just use the capture card to place the raw video footage from the camcorder onto your computer and use windows movie maker if you have XP. I wouldn't recommend it though.

I use Pinnacle Studio DV. It's really easy to learn and comes out really nice. It doesn't give you as much control over the video as other programs will, but it serves its purpose nicely.

 

[ohanafamily]

Hi, I am another Geek....
[Techie Talk]
Roberta, what kind of camera do you have that you want to get the videos off of?
If it is a DV type, it has a special connector (1394) that can plug straight into a lot of computers. I use Pinnacle Studio...

That being said, you probably would rather have a DVD, Right? well, they make DVD recorders now for $250-$999. you can plug your camera straight into it and make a DVD!!!!!

That being said, once it is on the DVD you can load the DVD into your computer and convert it to whatever format you want...

Buying a Video Capture card is great, like jfulcer sugested, and most of them come with the software. I just think it is easier to use a VCR-like device.

This brings me to the next question...DVD+R or DVD-R. Newer players like the +r, older ones like the -r. There is no way to tell before buying, so make sure you can take it back....A lot of computer DVD players can read both.
[/Techie Talk]

 

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by ohanafamily
Hi, I am another Geek....
[Techie Talk]
Roberta, what kind of camera do you have that you want to get the videos off of?
If it is a DV type, it has a special connector (1394) that can plug straight into a lot of computers. I use Pinnacle Studio...
[/Techie Talk]

That's how i capture mine too. Obviously a much better choice if you have that option, but older video cameras may not have that capability.

I have also used Pinnacle Studio and agree it's pretty easy to use too. It would also be a good choice. Of course, my preferred software would always be Adobe Premier Pro, but at $700, it's a little pricey for me.

 

[Virgo10]

Wow! Thanks for the info. It's given me a lot to think about. I really like the idea of taking the video to a store and having them do it. All these tapes have already been edited so it sounds like the easiest way to get one on a DVD.

If I do this, some day when there's not much else going on around here, I'll try to figure out how to get my videos into one of the players. The way things are going right now, that should be around 2007.

Roberta