I have a Digital 8 camcoder and a computer (PIII-400). I want to convert old VHS files to VCD. What software you can recommed that i should acquire? Is there a freeware? Do i need additional hardware besides DV cable? What port in my pc will i connect the DV cable?

-- Roland C. Nagal (rcnagal@yahoo.com), November 24, 2001

Answers

You have to have some kind of video capture card to record your video. There are many different brands on the market and they all have their own set of pluses and minuses. Some are harder to make work than others. Your PC is VERY underpowered for serious video work. You should be able to make VCDs with it, but it will take a long time. You can either record directly to VCD MPEG-1 format (takes less time, but quality not as good) or record in AVI format and use software to convert. The AVI method gives better results, but takes a LOT more time. With your PC, it will take you days to encode each video. I would like to politely suggest that you read as many web pages as you can on making VCDs so you have some idea how to do it. The following web pages have a lot of good info. www.vcdhelp.com, www.doom9.net, www.digital-digest.com, www.labdv.com, www.pcphotovideo.com, members.home.net/richa. VCDhelp is particularly good for people getting started with VCD and it will suggest some software you can use to get started, plus they have guides that take you through all the steps.

-- Jason (Jason.Shumate@equant.com), November 26, 2001.