I have had to do this numerous times in many different forms. The most recent was when my students brought in an old VHS tape of their project footage to transfer to the computer (I think the tape even had dust, if I remember right).
Next week I will be transferring people’s Turkey footage. I hate those cameras that record straight to DVDs because I can never get the files off of the DVD and people just hand me the DVD and say, “Make it so.” Gimme Super 8 any day.
I have also had to explain this process more than once a week recently, so here it is for everyone’s enjoyment.
An excerpt from an e-mail that I wrote today:
I don’t have the DVD project anymore, just the DVD (like what you have).
What you could do to get the footage is this:
- Play the DVD on a regular player.
- Hook up the output of the DVD to the red/white/yellows of a camcorder.
- Plug the camcorder into the computer on VCR (VTR) mode without a tape in it (you may have to adjust settings based on the camera).
- You should now be able to capture what is coming from the camera, which is from the DVD player.
Convoluted? Perhaps. But as a junior high teacher who does video projects I’ve had to improvise on the spot.
Semi-related posts:
HandBrake is your friend…
http://handbrake.m0k.org/
Software solution >> hardware solution hands down. I have played with HandBrake extensively and can give you optimum settings, etc. to use to end up with iMovie-editable video.
If HandBrake can’t detect the video on the DVDs from the camcorder, there are other solutions which use the same backend and do the same thing which I can point you to. DVD ripping has a fairly large open source community behind it.
HandBrake also rips commercial DVDs, whereas your method would be affected by macrovision protection and the quality of the video would be noticably degraded.
I will have to check it out. The student example I’m talking about was when he brought in the tape the day that we were supposed to be editing in the computer lab. I’m tellin’ you, when you don’t want students sitting around and you know that your conservative district will probably not let you install rippers, it’s the way to improvise.
BUT
You have made editing the Turkey trip a lot easier. Thanks!
I should add that teachers get a “You do not have permission” message when trying to use iDVD. I had to lobby for iTunes.
Pingback: Booyor’s BLOGgh! » Console Log