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As technology advances and prices continue to drop, digital entertainment
through the use of DV camcorders, digital cameras and other related
equipment is becoming increasingly more common in the average home.
Research shows that digital camcorders are in a period of high growth.
In 2001, the sales of DV Camcorders reached almost 6 million (double
from 1999). However, taking recorded video and creating stylish
looking movies, in good quality and in an easily shareable format,
has been a challenge since the inception of the camcorder.
In the past, most people have relied on the video stores and professional
video processing shops to help transform recorded video from DV
or analog camcorders into easily accessible VHS tapes or DVD/CDs.
But now, as PCs become more powerful and video software become more
easy to use, making your own CD or DVD movies at home is something
almost anyone with a camcorder can do.
With the help of the right software and hardware accessories, it
is now possible for you to create DVD or CD movies, at home! If
you are new to working with video on the computer and are looking
for an easy solution, than a program like PowerProducer is right for you. With PowerProducer, you can make movie disc in
only 3 steps: Capture video, create DVD movie menus, and then burn
onto disc.
But what hardware accessories do you need? Don't worry; the following
article will help you find out what tools you need for creating
your very own movie disc.
Basic Tools - Must Have
Recording Tools: Before you start making movies, you
will need to get some video contents. Normally the video contents
comes from a DV Camcorder, Analog Camcorder, PC Camera, Digital
Camera, VHS Tape, or recorded TV programs.
PC: A computer is needed for processing video contents.
The faster the processor speed and the more RAM you have,
the more easy it will be to handle higher quality video on
your PC. Check the system requirements of the software you
are going to use before you begin.
Software Tool: It is required to have a software program
that can handle everything from video capturing to the disc
burning (or writing back to DV tape) process. The following
are two such solutions.
 For
those new to video editing and CD/DVD production, PowerProducer is the ideal software. It does the job in 3 easy steps.
It can captures video from various sources, provides basic
editing features, the option to create menus, and then output
videos in various disc formats (DVD, VCD, SVCD, MiniDVD)
or write back to DV Tape.
 For
more video editing and creative movie making features, PowerDirector is the most suitable software. It is also packed with
disc output features, but also includes numerous video-editing
features for those who want to add a personal creative touch
to their home movies. It provides the option to add Transition
Effects for that continuous flow from scene to scene; Titles,
Motion Video Special Effects, Multiple Audio Tracks, and
more.
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Video Capturing Tools
Depending on the source of your recorded video, you will need
a hardware device to assist in the process of getting the
video contents onto the PC.
DV Camcorder Video: To capture DV camcorder video,
you'll need to have a IEEE1394 FireWire™ card and cable.
Video from Analog Device: To capture video from any
analog device (such as an analog camcorder and/or VCR), you'll
need to have the video source connected to a capture card
on your PC. For more information on compatible capture cards
for PowerDirector or PowerProducer, click
here. Note that both software apps utilize the
same capturing engine.
TV programs: To record TV programs on the PC, you'll
need to have a TV tuner with a cable source connected to the
computer.
PC Camera, Digital Camera: Capturing contents from
most PC and Digital cameras only requires a USB connection,
and most of today's computers come with USB ports.
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Disc Output Tools
 To
output onto disc, you must have A) a CD or DVD writeable disc,
and B) a CD or DVD burner. Below, are the four major disc
types you can create, and the equipment needed for output.
DVD: Ideal output format for MPEG-2 quality video
(DVD movie quality) and audio files. It has an average of
4.7 GB storage capacity (meaning you can store around 2 hours
worth of MPEG-2 video). DVDs can be played back on DVD players
and DVD drives for the PC. To output onto a DVD, a DVD-R/RW
or DVD+R/RW drive is required.
VCD: This format is basically a CD containing digital
video and audio files in MPEG-1 format (video playback quality
is better than VHS but not as good as MPEG-2). The average
CD has a 650MB storage capacity (meaning you can store around
1 hour worth of MPEG-1 video). VCDs can be played back CD-ROMs
and most DVD players. A CD-R/RW drive is required for outputting
movies onto VCD.
SVCD: It is similar to a VCD in that it holds digital
video and audio files The difference is that SVCDs offer better
quality video through the use of MPEG-2 video, while the audio
track is still in MPEG-1 format. To make an SVCD movie disc,
a CD-R/RW is needed.
MiniDVD: It is a CD disc containing MPEG-2 format
video and audio files. An average CD can only hold up to 650
MB of data, therefore a MiniDVD only contains around 15 minutes
worth of MPEG-2 video. MiniDVDs can only be viewed on the
PC and require an MPEG-2 software decoder for playback. For
outputting a MiniDVD, a CD-R/RW is needed.
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