DVD to FCP

[Don Greening]

Google: MPEG Streamclip. It will demux the audio/video and allow you to bring the separate files into FCP for editing. And the program’s probably still a freebie.

– Don

“Please take a moment to fill out your profile, including your computer system and relevant software. Help us help you.”

[Zak Mussig]

Jake,
Since you’re getting source material on DVD, I’m assuming there’s no copy protection put onto the disc. I had one of these come in last week…
I copied the VIDEO_TS folder to my hard drive, opened Compressor, dragged the video object files (.vob) into Compressor, and exported the files as QT .movs with a DV codec.

I used DV, but you could use any SD codec you like. I imagine that “full-quality” becomes a relative term once the original video has been compressed to MPEG 2, so you might try a test with a few codecs on the same clip. No use wasting drive space with a high-end codec if you aren’t gaining anything from it.

Depending how much footage you’re talking about, what your workflow looks like, and how you archive, you may want to take the time to dump the converted footage off to tape and capture the footage from that for the sake of having footage you could reliably recapture. I didn’t do this, but I was dealing with 20 minutes of what became DV footage, so it just got archived to DVD with the rest of the project.

Hope that helps,
Zak

[13]

I would always ask if they have the origonal mastered tapes because the video on DVD’s has already been compressed, so the origonal master will give you a higher quality.

if they dont have the origonal tape masters, first remind then to always make tape masters and hen use mpgstreamclip

[Patrick Donegan]

I like the post telling us to use Compressor – I will use that next time.

Another application to use is called DVDxDV Pro –
nice user interface.

Also Cinematize has some good reviews – but I have not used it jet.

I am all the way in the middle of the Pacific Ocean

[Don Greening]

[tigerbody] “I am all the way in the middle of the Pacific Ocean”

Hopefully you have some sort of water craft beneath your feet, otherwise I can always alert a local S.A.R. team.

– Don

“Please take a moment to fill out your profile, including your computer system and relevant software. Help us help you.”