[ale] OT converting old videos, cataloging dvds, storing forever

[JD]

Inline ... lots of cuts.

I didn't respond concerning things that google will easily explain with 2
minutes of effort.

I've laid out everything here. Sorry there are so many moving parts, but it is
hardly my fault.  You can do everything with VideoRedu Plus, but it is heavy on
manual labor and doesn't run on Linux.  I want most of the work to happen
automatically, do I don't have to do anything, with results waiting for me.

>> Don't store the videos in MPEG2 format. Transcode them to either h.264/mkv
>> or xvid/avi and the average size per hour drops to less than 1/3rd your 3G 

> I like what you're saying.  A 4X reduction in space used would certainly be
> welcome.  However, that brings up another question.  Can I produce a
> h.264/mkv based disc that will be readable on a standard DVD video player
> attached to the tv?  Or, will I have to play this disc on the computer.  I
> really need something that just works in an ordinary stand alone device.

No, you can't use a standard DVD player. You need a device that plays xvid/avi
and/or h.264/mkv.  There are many of those for $50-$100 these days, so figure
out whether you want 4x more storage or not.  That's a big decision. If you
insist on staying MPEG2, stop reading and seek advice from others. I can't help.

Being hung up on DVD/MPEG2 is something that you'll discover most people in your
situation have left behind.

HiDef recordings are usually  h.264/mp4, but I strongly prefer mkv as the
container over mp4 for a number of reasons. Google explains. Android 4.x and
later support both, so your tablet with an HDMI output will drive a TV nicely,
if you encode the content correctly.  Most Android devices that I've seen, even
with hardware decoding can't handle 720p with great quality.  On my tablet, I've
always had to re-encode to 592p to get the quality level I'm used to seeing.
Quality and resolution are definitely NOT the same thing.
In theory, RaspberryPI devices will playback 1080p HD h.264/mp4 with the $8
codecs added. That is another option definitely worth a look.  Someone at ALE-NW
is doing this already. Hopefully, he will respond.

>> Initially, it will take more time to setup your process, but you will 
>> automate much of it quickly.
>> 
>> Software list: * $0 - bash * $0 - perl / strawberry perl * $0 - Task
>> Spooler - get your batch on and under control * $0 - Video Recording
>> software - most tuner devices include something that is good enough; The
>> only requirement is that MPEG2 files are output. * $0 - comskip * $50 -
>> Video Redo TV Suite (Windows only)
> 
> Is Video Redo for killing commercials?

Yes and no.  There is no magic bullet for removing commercials that is 100%
accurate, but comskip will create cut markers that many video editing programs
can use as starting points or that some playback software will honor without
touching the video file at all.  I do not trust VRDP to get commercial point
correct and always manually validate the cuts.

>> * $0 - ccextractor (probably doens't work with VHS tapes)
> What does that do?

It pulls out closed captions and stores them as SRT files. Great if you want to
learn Spanish, but having the English captions can be nice too.  Whether these
are displayed or not is controlled by the playback software.  This process is
very fast, so why not do it?

>> * $0 - handbrakeCLI
> 
> Assuming this is for transcoding.

handbrake is the easiest and perhaps the best X to h.264 encoder available. It
will output mp4 or mkv files. If your source material is DVD VOB files, it
handles graphics subtitles and CC, multiple audio tracks, languages, chapter
markers and the quality level is really easy to control.  An RC of 19 is pretty
fantastic.
There is a CLI interface that means no pointing and clicking to do almost
anything. Fantastic for batch processing. I hate P-n-C. HATE, HATE, HATE it.

>> * $0 - mkvtoolnix to create beautiful MKV files * $0 - gaffitter to
>> optimally fit
> 
> Tell me more about this.

Google will explain all.

> Can you elaborate on par2.  Do you scan, scrub your discs every 5 years or so
> to make sure they're still good and determine if they need to be reburned?

Google will explain all.

>> Buy some protective 330 disk portfolios instead.
> 
> Interesting idea.  The portfolios I saw at Frys weren't too impressive
> though.

If you want impressive, open your wallet.  The important part to my catalog
method is that disks be stored sequentially, in order.  Finding a disk with the
specific files we'd like to see is random access this way, after a grep/script
is used to look up which numbered disk the files are on happens.  I think it is
better than alphabetical by title, since you KNOW exactly which disk the video
is on every time. No questions.  It is like a library card catalog system, but
much easier to use and maintain. TEXT is the ultimate in portable information.

> The procedure for recording analog from my DVR will be the same as with
> the VCR, although it would produce much higher quality.  As far as I know,
> there is no way to record the HDMI output.  Buying from Hollywood (for
> example Star Trek) is about $ 3 / show.  That doesn't sound like much until
> you consider how many shows there are.  I'd like to get by cheaper and still
> legal.

There are deals on complete series collections from time to time.  For example,
the almost 100% complete version of 2003 Battlestar Galactica on Bluray was on
sale two weeks ago for $80.  Stargate, Startrek and other series go on sale from
time to time.  Have you figured out how much money and time will be needed doing
your VHS conversion?  Time/money/quality.

I'm 100% with you on being legal.

Many people find better ways to get recordings off their DVRs.  I used a TiVo
and was able to pull recordings to a PC, remove the tivo-DRM, clip commercials
and convert those into xvid/avi files with better quality than any VHS recording
or "press play" recording. The S2 Tivo recorded at 480x480 resolution. It isn't
bad, but it isn't HD either.  It is noticeably higher resolution than VHS tape.

The analog hole only works well for component cables.  That's  a Hauppauge 1212
device or similar.  A friend uses a different device with AT&T U-Verse.  It
requires an IR-blaster to control it.  Previously, he used a firewire control
method to the Comcast digital cable box.

>> Video and audio sync has not been any issue for years, neither has 
>> macrovision, at least with the recording hardware I've used.
> 
> I made a test recording from my cable box dvr using the analog out and the
> digitizer I just returned.  There is a .3 sec sound sync variance in the mpeg
> file between the audio and video.  I can compensate by playing through VLC
> and tinkering with it but I'd rather fix it then save it.

If you are seeing audio/video sync issues, then you've got crap recording
hardware and software or the box doing the work is under powered or has too much
going on.  You have something wrong in your setup.

A cheap Hauppauge 950Q will do what you want for SD recordings just fine.  A few
months ago, I converted an old 6 hour VHS tape with a a few really bad late
night scifi movies - so bad they were good - to h.264/mkv.  I used a Core2Duo
laptop and 950Q connected over USB2.  USB2 is plenty fast, even for 1080p, but
the CPU will need to handle some aspects of the recording.

I guess if you are just starting out, you'll want to fight all the battles
yourself that I've already fought.  That's the best way to learn.  The
abosultely mandatory things are
* a way to capture the content and store it into mpeg2.
* a way to transcode the content into h.264/mp4.  You can use avconv/ffmpeg,
handbrake, mencoder, or any of a thousand "not-free" GUIs that are based on
ffmpeg.  Just search for "video conversion" to find all the scam artists with a
"special GUI" just for iphone or ipod or {insert device name here}.  These are
simply GUIs with ok settings over ffmpeg/avconv. Nothing more.

GUIs are hard to automate.  Give me a CLI interface.

If you aren't hung up on being legal, like I am, it is much easier to pay for an
encrypted Usenet subscription overseas somewhere and grab the shows you want
using RSS feeds.  Lots of "how-to" guides out there. Look up sickbeard to get
started. The people producing them are all doing the things that I've outlined
... except they don't usually worry about captions.

Good luck. Do some more research and I'm happy to answer questions that google
won't answer easily.