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General discussion

vhs to dvd-available time on dvd disk

Jul 27, 2005 4:15AM PDT

I bought a Sony rdr-vx500 to copy old home made vhs tapes to dvd. I have around 300 tapes each filled close to 6 hours. I wanted to automate this process as much as possible so it wouldn't take 5 years to do this. Now I find that the dvd disk has to be recorded at 3 hour capacity to get marginally watchable results. Are there any high capacity dvd disks that can record 6 hours with a watchable result or am I doomed to a lot of manual work? Also how can commercial dvd's have several hours content with high resolution?

Discussion is locked

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1. Commercial DVDs can be over 9 gigabytes.
Jul 27, 2005 4:28AM PDT

Also noted as dual layer. Your common DVD recordable media is just 4.7GB in size.

2. The encoding of a commercial DVD is not done by any CLICK-HERE "Create a DVD" software. It usually is done by control room jockeys that may use great compression tools and tweak the resolution along the way for the best results.

3. Even my ARTEC DVD recorder can get 6+ hours on a single sided DVD. It's about the same or better quality of a VHS tape so that may work out just fine.

4. I still see 300 tapes of 6 hours each to play with. That looks like a year to convert such without hardly any time to review the results.

5. DVD is not perfect storage. Unlike VHS, a scratch or spot may cause the entire disk to become unusable. Many fault this about DVD as a storage format. I know I do.

Here's an article about archival handling -> http://www.itl.nist.gov/div895/carefordisc/CDandDVDCareandHandlingGuide.pdf

Bob

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Interesting info
Jul 27, 2005 5:07AM PDT

How do you get 6+ hours on a single dvd disk that's similar to vhs in resolution? 4.7 gig is the only size of dvd disk available?

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I set it on the menu...
Jul 27, 2005 5:14AM PDT
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You maybe asking the impossible...
Jul 29, 2005 2:03AM PDT

if you are thinking in dvd format. However, you could have divx/mpeg4 or vcd(.dat) on a dvd disk. But that require little more than the average standalone dvd player though.

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Apparently, a stand alone DVD Recorder
Jul 29, 2005 6:09AM PDT

(as opposed to making a computer DVD), as Bob indicates, will go up to 6 hours.

''Toshiba Progressive-Scan DVD-R/-RW/RAM Recorder/4-Head Hi-Fi Stereo VCR Combo, Model: D-VR4'' as advertised at Best Buy for $283.99.

The Toshiba site indicates it Disc records: DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, at 4 recording modes:
XP (1hr), SP (2hr), LP (4hr), EP (6hr)

http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/dvr/product.asp?model=d-vr4

This other site seems to bear that a max of 6 hours can be achieved:

http://www.liteonit.com/DC/english/lvw_5005/lvw_5005.htm

Some other info/reading material:

Supported Recording modes:
The Panasonic DMR-E60 supports five recording modes. These are known as XP, SP, LP, EP, and FR.

XP: This is the highest quality recording mode that takes the most amount of storage space and gives the shortest recording time. On a 4.7 GB DVD-RAM/DVD-R it occupies approximately 1 hour of recording time.

SP: This is the standard recording mode that gives adequate quality and recording time. On a 4.7 GB DVD-RAM/DVD-R it occupies approximately 2 hours of recording time.

LP: This is known as the LONG recording mode that degrades picture quality but gives a lot more recording time. On a 4.7 GB DVD-RAM/DVD-R it occupies approximately 4 hours of recording time.

EP: This is known as EXTRA LONG recording mode it reduces picture quality to a higher extent then the LP mode and gives more recording room. On a 4.7 GB DVD-RAM/DVD-R it occupies approximately 6 hours of recording time.

FR: This is a unique recording mode; it captures the best quality picture in a designated time frame. On a 4.7 GB DVD-RAM/DVD-R it can capture from 60-360 minutes.

http://www.bytesector.com/data/bs-article.asp?ID=221&ct=DVD

The Panasonic DMR-E95HS:
# DVD-RAM Recording Times
4.7GB about 1 hour, 9.4GB about 2 hours in XP high picture quality recording mode
4.7GB about 2 hours, 9.4GB about 4 hours in SP Standard recording mode
4.7GB about 4 hours, 9.4GB about 8 hour in LP Long recording mode
4.7GB about 6 hours, 9.4GB about 12 hours in EP Extra long recording mode
4.7GB 60 to 360 minutes in FR Flexible recording mode

# DVD-R Recording Times
4.7GB about 1 hour in XP high picture quality recording mode
4.7GB about 2 hours in SP Standard recording mode
4.7GB about 4 hours in LP Long recording mode
4.7GB about 6 hours in EP Extra long recording mode
4.7GB 60 to 360 minutes in FR Flexible recording mode

# Time Slip Function: The super-fast 22.16Mbps data transfer rate of the high performance DVD-RAM makes the innovative Time Slip function possible.

# Chasing Playback: You set the DVD video recorder to start recording at a given time, when the show begins. The problem is that you get home a few minutes later, while the program is still in progress. Before, you'd just have to wait or watch the end first and the beginning later. However, the handy Time Slip-function lets you play the show from the beginning, even as it continues recording to the end, so you don't have to wait.

# Simultaneous Record and Play: This is a convenient feature if you record a TV series. While you're recording this week's episode, you may want to watch the one you recorded last week. No problem. The DVD Video Recorder lets you enjoy simultaneous Record and Play. Provided both episodes are on the same disc, you can watch the one recorded previously while recording of the latest one continues.
# Time Slip Roller and Button: Just press the Time Slip Roller or Time Slip Button on the remote control once during recording to start playing back the scene recorded 30 seconds before. By rolling the Time Slip Roller, you can freely search for scenes in 1-minute units anywhere within the recorded section, while watching the playback on a small on-screen window.

# Direct Navigator: You can display a list of programs recorded on a disc for at-a-glance confirmation of the disc's contents. And if you move the cursor and click on a desired program, that program is displayed behind the list. You can also select programs from the program list and erase them, and you can use this function even during recording.

# Playlist Playback: You can select from among the scenes recorded on the disc and arrange them in any order you like to create your own original scenario, then save it as a playlist. You can also edit the playlists that you have created, and enjoy seamless transitions between edited scenes
.
# 160 GB Hard Drive: Allows you to record a favorite show off the TV, even while using the recorder to burn something else.

http://tinyurl.com/93qj9