Hi there

I have a Sony DCR-DVD101/E and have a few questions which are so frustrating that any help to clarify things for me would be great!!
I've been searching around, Sony's site etc and it is all useless and I can't even work out how to contac them - terrible!.. so maybe i can get some help here.

The software that came with my camcorder ages ago that transfers the captured footage of the DVD to computer via USB does not work with vista.. any ideas??

With a DVD camcorder what are the alternatives/best way for transfering things to computer - and how does the whole finalizing business work!! Pleaseee clarify.

I can plug in the camcorder with the DVD in and transfer as avi format - but does this DVD have to be finalised?
Once the DVD is finalised, is it no use anymore?
Is there a way to transfer the data from the DVD to com without the cable, with or withour finalising it?
If finalising a DVD-R disk is the end of it, what is the case with a DVD-RW?
I had an idea that surely I could finalise the DVD and rip it on to my computer, is this a good idea? but surely this is a waste of the DVDs?
Can I transfer the data via the cable without the software?? could i get windows to recognise it is as an external drive or something :-S

Any help would be so useful
Thanks so much in advance

The software that came with my camcorder ages ago that transfers the captured footage of the DVD to computer via USB does not work with vista.. any ideas??

Not much chance I would think unless Sony provide an update in conjunction with the original software company. Possibly you could try to install with admin privilaedges and select it to run as an XP program.


With a DVD camcorder what are the alternatives/best way for transfering things to computer - and how does the whole finalizing business work!! Pleaseee clarify.

When your cam records to a DVD it is creating MPEG2 files that are indexed for reference. Finalising means that the internal software turns those files into a DVD standard compliant arrangement. This means that the MPEG2s are grouped together sequentially in chunks no larger than 1gig and then wrapped in a container which gives the whole chunk a .vob extension. It also writes two other types of files with the extension IFO and BUP. InFOmation file = IFO. BackUP = BUP. These are identical files that convey instructions to DVD software either on the computer or in a DVD player as to what is on the disc, where to start, which bit starts when etc, etc. They also contain the index of the thumbnails to each indiviual MPEG2 contained in the .vob files. Finally it stuff the whole shebang into a folder called VIDEO_TS and at the same time creates another empty folder called AUDIO_TS. The audio one nearly always has nothing in it.

Other than using the included software (for reason I will delineate later) the only way to transfer is by finalising, placing the finalised DVD in the DVD tray of the computer and copying the file structure over to the hard drive. This still leaves you with the problem of all the files still being in the DVD structure format. Most modern video editing programs will allow you to simply import the MPEG2's from either the disc in the DVD tray or from the files structure you dragged across to the hard drive because they can read through that file structure.

I can plug in the camcorder with the DVD in and transfer as avi format - but does this DVD have to be finalised?

Is that a question or statement? Transferring to AVI is pointless and will result in video degradation. You are converting a compressed format to a (relatively) uncompressed format..possibly. Either it is going fom MPG2 to DV AVI = loss of quality, or, it is going from MPEG2 to an MPEG4 variant with an AVI extension = loss of quality.

Once the DVD is finalised, is it no use anymore?

No, it is an excellent method of archiving your original footage. If you mean can you use it again the answer is yes...and no! If it is -R, no. If it is RW..yes! Just unfinalise the disc.


Is there a way to transfer the data from the DVD to com without the cable, with or withour finalising it?

Aside from some sort of supernatural mental gymnastics involving your "willing" it across no.

If finalising a DVD-R disk is the end of it, what is the case with a DVD-RW?

On the -R yes that is finished never to be used again. On the RW just unfinalise it. When you put the finalised RW back in the cam just go into the menu and select to reformat the disc. (Make sure you have backed it up.)


I had an idea that surely I could finalise the DVD and rip it on to my computer, is this a good idea?

Yes


but surely this is a waste of the DVDs?

No, you either end up with a RW DVD you can reformat or an excellent archive of your original footage.

Can I transfer the data via the cable without the software?? could i get windows to recognise it is as an external drive or something

No. Sony beat you to that one! Not just Sony to be fair. All the DVD cams are recognised in Windows as "USB Mass Storage Devices." Generally what that means is that there is no way to navigate to the file structure on the DVD while it is still in the cam. The only way you can do it is by using the included software as it has been specifically tweaked for that purpose.

Thank you so much for this incredible reply!! Perfect answers, just what I needed to know.. and such short time. Thank you so much


1 thing,

You said:
the only way to transfer is by finalising, placing the finalised DVD in the DVD tray of the computer and copying the file structure over to the hard drive.

you then later replied yes to my question that ripping the DVD would work..
so I could just rip the finalised DVD-RW then re-format it for use again.. does ripping lose quality?
would I be better of ripping the dvd or copying the file structure?

and the reason I asked the question/statement about the program transfering to avi, was because I remember originally the default format the program transfered the video files as was not editable in adobe premiere so I went for avi which i know is usually editable. - am i wrong here? is the format you mentioned in the file structure on the dvd editable in adobe premiere?



Thanks so much for the reply again, best response i've ever had on a forum!

Your welcome! Remember "service" is our middle name here at the Sony board...well figuratively speaking.

The term "ripping" is kind of inaccurate because it suggests the concept of bypassing certain protections on commercial discs to get to the contents for copying and other dubious activities!

What we really mean in the case of your 8cm DVDs is copying the contents over to the hard drive either in the form of the full DVD structure, vobs, ifo's etc or copying using software that reads through that structure and only imports the underlying MPEG2s. It doesn't matter which way you do it. It is a straight MPEG2 to MPEG2 file transfer with no loss of quality.

I am not sure about the software you tried or how old it is/was. Most editing software these days can handle editing MPEG2s without losing quality. Most will have an "Import from DVD" kind of function that will import the MPEG2s from the disc or from the full file structure you transferred to the hard drive automatically. This also doesn't lose quality but it must be done for the MPEG2s to be in a condition to be edited. Adobe premier, as far as I know, should be able to handle MPEG2s for editing just fine if it is a reasonably up to date version. You would have to check the help files or manual to be certain.

Try placing the finalised DVD in the DVD tray of the computer, open Premier, and look around for that "Import DVD" or "transfer from DVD" or some such wording and see if it is there.

Awesome, thanks. I'm going to go give one of those methods a try shortly, and may quite possibly stick to the simple one you suggested of just copying over the file structure from the DVD...

But if I do try out use a ripping program, should I still not go for avi because of lesser quality and go for 'Original MPEG2'.
A very simple ripping program a friend mentioned to me was called Magic DVD Ripper (http://www.magicdvdripper.com/)

..i've just finalized the DVD-RW in the camera - put it in my computer and im not getting the VIDEO_TS folder or any of the correct file structure.

I have as below:
Folder: DVD_RTAV
Files: VR_MANGR.BUP, VR_MANGR.IFO, VR_MOVIE.VRO