John asks:
“I want to convert a very special VHS to DVD on a DVD recorder. My question is, can I then take the DVD and edit it on my PC? Just wondering if a DVD created on one of these devices can be processed or even viewed on a PC.”
So to break this down, here’s what we’ve got:
Can a DVD created on a different recording device be viewed on a PC?
Yes, they can. Most DVDs are created using the same standards, and these standards mean that a DVD created with one technology can be read or edited using another. If you purchase a computer with a DVD player, chances are the PC came included with DVD software you can use to play the video. Use that. But if you don’t have DVD software loaded, you’ve still got another option for playing files:
If you insert a DVD in your computer’s drive and browse through the file listings (you may have to explore in a sub-folder or two), you’ll see some VOB files. VOB files are the raw audio/video information that’s used by your DVD player. So, if your PC has a DVD drive installed, but you don’t have DVD player software, get the latest version of the free Windows Media Player, or download and install a non-Microsoft free DVD player like VideoLAN.
Just tell Media Player or the free VideoLAN player to open the VOB file you’re interested in, and the video will start to play.
Can I edit a DVD using my PC?
Yes, with some effort. The amount of effort depends on where you got the original DVD and what format it’s in. For home videos, this shouldn’t be much of a problem.
If you’re trying to copy a retail-purchased video:
1) Retail-purchased videos have copy-protection that prevents owners from copying their own videos. (It’s meant to prevent piracy, but in my opinion interferes with our rights as consumers.) There are tools available to break this copy protection, but they’re illegal.
2) A “prosumer” DVD burner can burn 2 hours of video on a DVD without experiencing compression loss. Some professionally-produced moves contain more than 2 hours of video. You’ll have to either compress video over two hours (leading to lower quality sound and video), or break it apart into two-hour blocks, and burn each block to its own DVD.
If you’re trying to copy a home video:
The process should be much easer. What you’ll need to do is to convert the VOB files mentioned above into a computer-friendly format like AVI. Once you do the VOB to AVI conversion, use a video editing tool to edit that video or audio however you want.
While free software is available for this, professional-level video editing tools, while extensive and very powerful, can also get very expensive – see Adobe Premiere as an example.
Also see the Digital Bits article on VHS to DVD conversion.