[Ham-Computers] VHS to DVD

Tue Jan 2 22:59:53 EST 2007

Dan (and all),

For what it may be worth: My older PC machine using a Toshiba SL DVD drive 
and my new machine using a Pioneer DL drive that is able to burn two layers, 
both do as Dan indicated. They scan both source and DVD and then the 
computer software, Nero Ultra in my case, selects the best possible speed. 
Both machines, even though the blank Fuji or Sony DVDS are rated "4X-16X", 
always select 4X.

The quality, or resolution, is excellent and the data lost is not easily 
noticeable, except perhaps to the most discerning eyes. However, friends who 
have used a stand alone machine and selected the six or eight or twelve hour 
modes, report that the resolution is poor to terrible to trash. If they drop 
down to the two or four hour modes, the quality is good to acceptable.

Once again, the quality of the basic DVD stand alone unit, as well as the 
quality of the media, makes all the difference!

While doing the HHRP: Historic Halligan Radio Project, I learned a lot more 
about video and media than any totally blind person should ever have to! A 
long story - Frankly, totally blind, even legally blind, individuals should 
avoid editing videos! (LOL!) However, I did learn much about which DVD 
burning machines for computers, as well as stand alone units, actually did 
the best job with the least data lost. I also spent a great deal of time 
trying different CD and DVD media to find out which ones were the most 
compatable with the sum total of all the other like machines out there among 
owners. For those interested, contact me by phone or e-mail, as i do not 
want to pan or praise unfairly on a public list. Even though it is the 
truth, it still may be seen by some as reflecting personal bias etc.

Now Aaron Hsu, a friend and absolutely brilliant computer engineer, happened 
to belong to a national computer user group I ran in the early eighties. I 
used the Texas Instruments Inc. 99/4 computer, which had plug in ROM modules 
that allowed the computer to "speak" through a plug in speech synthesizer. 
However, the only words it could speak had been pre-programmed by TI 
Engineers into the ROM module, called the Speech Editor. The vocabulary was 
about eighty words and phrases. It was during this association with TI that 
I discovered how to use their TTS (Text To Speech) code sent to me on a 90K 
5.25 inch diskette (which I still have!) to make the computer work for the 
blind and others who could not read normally. The TI 99/4 User Group was 
formed after this discovery.

I taught myself to program by using the three voice audio generator to emit 
specific frequencies to indicate errors, working routines etc.

This computer in 1980 used a 16 bit chip, the world was 8 bit for many years 
to come! It had a front port for plug in ROM modules, side port for 
peripheral devices that daisy chained together, programable 'sprites' for 
real animation, not crude graphics like "Pong" etc.

I was thrilled when I used my cassette recorder to send a file via a 
telephone line at 110 baud! It was a true challenge to set the volume 
control so that the computer did not reject it part way through a 
transmission. A lot of us learned how to hold our breath for three minutes 
while our data was being sent! You could hear the audio tones, noises and so 
forth. Such fun!

Duane Fischer, W8DBF
dfischer at usol.com
HHI: Halligan's Hallicrafters International
http://www.w9wze.net
HHRP: Historic Halligan Radio Project
http://hhrp.w9wze.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Violette" <danki6x at earthlink.net>
To: "'Computers (or other) used for amateur radio, communications, or 
experimenting'" <ham-computers at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 9:27 PM
Subject: RE: [Ham-Computers] VHS to DVD

> Duane misunderstood the question I believe.  You are writing at single
> speed, so does not make sense to me either.  I know some PC machines used 
> to
> check the info on the CD and set the speed maximum.  Duane is talking 
> about
> the poor quality as you try to compress more onto the DVD.  2-hour SP mode
> is the most compression I would go for best video.
>
> Dan KI6X
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Duane Fischer,
> W8DBF
> Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 6:11 PM
> To: Computers (or other) used for amateur radio, communications, or
> experimenting
> Subject: Re: [Ham-Computers] VHS to DVD
>
> Use 4X and be happy. The faster speeds yield poor resolution. Remember, 
> you
> are not copying VHS, you are converting it to a new format! A direct DVD 
> to
> DVD copy may run at a faster speed because it does not need much, if any,
> conversion.
>
> Duane Fischer, W8DBF
> dfischer at usol.com
> HHI: Halligan's Hallicrafters International http://www.w9wze.net
> HHRP: Historic Halligan Radio Project
> http://hhrp.w9wze.net
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "WB6BLV" <wb6blv at inreach.com>
> To: "Computers (or other) used for amateur radio, communications, or
> experimenting" <ham-computers at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 02, 2007 8:44 PM
> Subject: [Ham-Computers] VHS to DVD
>
>
>>I have been preparing to move some ham VHS tapes to DVD but there is
>>something that I do not understand.  My new Emerson DVD/VHS recorder
>>seems  to not like DVDs that are the 16X speed I find in all the
>>stores; a friend  told me that for some reason certain machines will
>>only accept 'slow' DVDs  so I tried an old 4X and the machine accepted
>>it instantly.  I though the  'faster' media was back compatible, so what 
>>is
> going on here?
>>
>> Color me Confused in California
>>
>> John
>> WB6BLV at inreach.com
>>
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>>
>>
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>>
>
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