Can Home movie DVD be edited?
After you transfer your home videos from VHS tapes or MM film reel to DVD, can you still edit the DVD?
The quick, simple answer is no. The majority of home movie DVDs are Read-Only (-R) discs. This means that after you burn the DVD, it will be a read-only disc. You will not be able to make a single change to it; you won’t be able to add or remove a single byte of data.
This information leads us to ask another important question; can I copy the content to my computer and edit the video on the computer?
Again, the simple answer is no. The Videos on DVD are formatted for playing on DVD players connected to your TV or on your computer. You may be thinking that you can copy the files from your DVD to your computer BUT when you try to put them in your software for video editing (besides a professional software) your software will ask you, “What sort of file is this? This software isn’t compatible with this type of file.”
The more complete answer is Yes If. You can edit the video on your DVD if you “rip” the DVD. You’ll need a software called a “DVD ripper” to convert the footage on the disc to an editable format which will allow your home-computer software to recognize it. When using a Windows PC, you can “rip” the disc to an AVI file. When working with a Mac, you can “rip” the disc to a Quicktime file (.MOV). You will no longer have trouble trying to edit the DVD on your home software.
Disc ripping is a lo
t more common than you may think. Thankfully, there are free downloads for this software for both Windows and Macs. For Windows computers, click this link: rip your disc when working with a Windows PC. For MACs, our customers have use Mac The Ripper to rip video discs to Apple formats.
Let’s rewind for a second. If you have not transferred your VHS or VCR or Hi8 Tapes, 16mm, 18mm, or Super8 format to a DVD, do know that there is anot
her option besides converting to a DVD. You can transfer your home movies directly to a portable hard drive. This will save you that extra step of ripping your DVD. You can simply plug your hard drive to your computer and edit your video files.
Don’t hesitate to contact us here at Play it Again Video with any questions. Our contact info. is conveniently located in the top corner of this page. We are a brick-and-mortar lab located in Newton, MA. Feel free to drop by and see us or give us a call.
Helpful Links:
http://playitagainvideo.com/howto/219/transfer-home-movies-to-external-hard-drive-faq/
