Posted by Richard Crowley on 12/22/07 09:48

<knews4u2chew@yahoo.com> wrote ...
> "Richard Crowley" wrote:
>> <knews4u2c...@yahoo.com> wrote ...
>>
>> > Knowing this has been asked before...here goes.
>> > What is the best software(s), free or otherwise,
>> > to go from DVD to a web based format file?
>>
>> What exactly does "web based format file" mean?
>
> My best description of what I get on my players
> and pages from the web.
> Is there a general technical term?

It is more helpful to explicitly state what you are
trying to do.

>> Are you saying that you want to take some video
>> from a DVD and post it in a website?
>
> Possibly.

What are the alternate possibilities?

>> Is this something you want to upload to
>> YouTube, or something you want to
>> host yourself?
>>
> I might upload to youtube or let people download
> from a site.

Do you already have a website to host it?

>> How long is it?
>
> 45 minutes.

Can you break it up into logical "chunks" that are
small enough for YouTube?

> What kind of quality do you need?
>
> As good as one can get at reasonable size files I guess.

You don't need high quality (or maybe you don't
need video at all?) for a "talking-head" lecture.

If it is something very finely detailed you need a larger
frame size, or if it is very fast-moving, you need higher
bandwidth to maintain some minimum pracical quality
level. Either larger frame size or faster frame rate directly
translate into larger files

>> Who are your expected viewers?
>>
> Experimenters.

So are these inherently PC-centric or Mac-centric
potential audience?

> It is a lab talk and demonstration with audio.
> I'd like to edit the audio at some point because
> there is background niose I wish to lower.

That is a very sticky wicket and it is rare that it
can be done satisfactorily.

Can the demonstration be re-shot properly?
Is there something compelliingly important
about this presenter or this presentation?

> I have a dvd now made from a VHS that was
> dubbed from a 8mm analog original tape so it
> is getting more generations.
> The DVD looks very good now though on TV.

Except that apparently it doesn't sound very good.
And transcoding it from the MPEG on your DVD
to yet another video compression codec will only
make the video worse.

Do you have access to the original 8mm (or the
VHS dub)? As you have already noted, the farther
you get away from the original the worse the video
and audio quality will be.

>> What is the source? Is this a commercial DVD?
>
> It is DVD-R according to the guy who dubbed it
> from the VHS.
>
>> (i.e. is it encrypted?)
>>
> He didn't say it was since he knows I want to make
> it usable on common "web based" media player formats.

OK, if a friend made it at home, it is not encrypted.
If you buy a commercial DVD of a Hollywood movie
(for example) it is encrypted to discourage piracy, etc.

>> A useful answer requires better definition of your
>> question and situation.
>
> Need more?
> What else can I tell you?

Many of your decions are based on practical, economic,
and aesthetic matters that only you can decide.

Is the general quality of YouTube adequate for your
content? Its convienence and especially its cost (i.e.
free) are extremely compelling in arguing that is likely
your best bet. It would quite possibly be worth the
effort breaking up the original video into "chunks" in
order to take advantage of YouTube's hosting and
distribution. Given what you have told us so far,
and given your apparent level of experience.

Could you possibly prevail on your friend who made
the DVD to upload the video to YouTube instead?

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