The Sony DVD-403 camcorder records video as MPEG-2 video and audio as Dolby Digital 5.1(AC-3). This audio format, with the camera's built-in 4 channel microphone, is what makes it special. It is capable of recording onto various DVD media types (DVD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD-R), as well as layouts (DVD-Video, DVD-VR). Personally, I record onto DVD-RW, using the DVD-Video layout. I use DVD-RW because it gets a little more recording time than DVD+RW. I use DVD-Video because it is compatible with most DVD players. I noticed that when using DVD-VR, there is a greater delay switching from recording to record-pause. As a result, the very end of many scenes shows the camera being swung down to my side.
The discs created by this camera are similar to DVD movie discs, because of the use of AC-3 audio rather than PCM. The exception is that the actual files(.VOB) from the camera are not flagged as 16:9- only the .ifo file is marked. For .VRO files, it depends on the .ifo to describe which chapter is what. In other words, it's bad practice to mix 4:3 and 16:9. It's fine for playing on a player, but not for editing.
I had some simple requirements for dealing with the video from my DVD-403:
- Edit the footage- Mostly trimming off the beginning and end, rearranging scenes, and possibly adding titles.
- Do not alter the audio or video, unless necessary, like for cross-fades, fade-in, etc.
- Retain 16:9 ratio when burned to 12cm DVD
I have tried various applications, but they failed in one or more aspects:
NeroVision Express 3 -
This is part of Nero Ultra Edition 6.6. With all the necessary plug-ins registered, this application almost works. It retains the 6 channel AC-3 audio. Unfortunately, the video output is re-encoded in unnecessarily long sections. After a cut, it seems to take about 4 GOPs or longer for it to get back to the original stream. The encode quality is noticeably worse than the original, especially when seen in motion. For video that has many cuts per minute, this is not good for me. To maintain 16:9ness, a DVD folder must be exported, the .ifo files must be edited(Ifoedit.com) to indicate 16:9 instead of 4:3. The folder can then be burned to DVD. The editing interface sucks. Scrubbing is outrageously slow, and there are no keyboard shortcuts, like "i" for mark-in and "o" for mark-out.
Cyberlink PowerProducer Plus 3 Encore -
This only outputs 2-channel AC-3, and requires purchase of the product to enable it. Editing is cumbersome and scrubbing is slow. Outputting a 16:9 DVD is similar to that of NeroVision, requiring editing of the .ifo files. The saving grace of this app is its handy utilities for DVD camcorders and DVD recorders. It is also necessary for re-multiplexing(remuxing) .VRO files from DVD-VR discs. For some reason, a .VRO that comes directly off the VR disc is not always read correctly by MPEG players. I suspect if the file was recorded as only one scene, it would be fine. This app properly remuxes.
Sony Vegas Movie Studio 6 Trial -
One of its website's top 5 new features is "Import video from Sony® DVD Handycam® camcorders". All it does is copy the .VOB files to the hard drive and then place them in the asset list. They show up as 16:9, but with 2-channel audio. This app does not edit MPEG. It decodes, edits, and encodes. That goes for Vegas 6b as well. Very sad.
Ulead Video Studio 9 Trial -
I tried to get this app working on two machines, but ran into an error after the splash menu- "Codec TrialActivation has a serious error." I have read on discussion forums that it only supports 2-channel AC-3. It makes sense, since 6-channel encoding requires a different license from Dolby. That's why it's an additional cost/plug-in for NeroVision users.
TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.6 -
This app is okay at authoring basic DVDs. It has very rudimentary edit/trimming capability. Attempting to import a scene from DVD-VR results in an error.
Imagemixer 1.8(what came with the cam) -
This is one of the worst collections of software I've ever seen. They should be ashamed of themselves. I suppose it works, but without much editing capability. Everything about its flow is very narrow-minded. It is the only piece of software that interprets files alone as being 16:9. If you don't have a DVD drive, this disc installs the USB driver, so you can use the camera as a DVD burner. It has an export audio function, but it just down-mixes to 2-channel audio.
Pinnacle Studio 10 -
I haven’t tried this. I’m tired of being disappointed. It requires purchase of the product and an additional codec pack to evaluate it.
A summary of the workflow:
Advantages:
- very fast
- very little loss in audio/video quality
- can easily and quickly go back to the output files and edit again
Disadvantages:
- multi-application, multi-step process (no hand-holding)
- not suited for DVD-VR
- editing directly from the DVD ties up the drive
Applications Required:
- Womble MPEG Video Wizard Demo(http://www.womble.com)
- fix12c(http://www.geocities.com/eby_vdo/)
- A DVD authoring app that allows the use of already multiplexed MPEG-2 program streams, like TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.6, NeroVision Express 3, DVD Studio Pro 4, etc.
- Cyberlink PowerProducer Plus 3 Trial, only for remuxing a DVD-VR disc. I've tried other apps for remuxing, such as MPEG Video Wizard's stream converter function and Moonlight Cordless' X-Muxer to no avail.
The workflow:
- Have fun recording video
- Finalize the disc
- Launch MPEG Video Wizard. Make sure that Tools(toolbar icon) -> "Gop size compliance for DVD recording" is checked.
- If working with a DVD-VR disc, use Cyberlink PowerProducer Plus 3. Make new movie disc, and Import DVD Scene. Select the whole title, and click import. After completion, there is a properly remuxed version on the hard-drive.
- If working with a DVD-Video disc, import (project pane) the .VOB files directly from the DVD. This doesn't copy the files to the hard-drive; it's just for reference. You could copy the .VOB files to the hard drive first, if you wanted (like if your DVD drive doesn't read that fast). If working with DVD-VR, import the .VRO file you created from the previous step.
- Edit. Don’t screw with the audio.
- Export (the red button on the lower right). Make sure that all streams are not re-encoded by hitting the "Details" button.
- Launch fix12cGUI, and, within advanced mode, set the output aspect ratio to 16:9. Disable all other options. Set the source as the file you just exported from MPEG Video Wizard, and check "Spawn output".
- Within your favorite DVD authoring program, add the .mpg files as assets, setup menus, and burn.
- Share the fun
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