conv-dvd

This is a set of Linux scripts to capture a DV video stream over FireWire from a digital camcorder and save it locally in an AVI encapsulation, then convert them to DVD.

grab
This is the script that performs the DV capture over FireWire. Requires dvgrab

conv-dvd
This is the script that converts the previously captured DV files to the DVD format. Requires transcode, mjpegtools and dvdauthor. The script is extensively commented, feel free to edit and change parameters. Use the man pages of the associated tools (mpeg2enc and transcode).

Usage:

create a special directory where all work will be performed and enter that directory
make sure that you have enough space on the disk: around 25GB total might be needed for a 60 minutes DV tape
connect the camcorder to the computer over FireWire, turn on camcorder, rewind the tape if necessary
launch the grab script with a parameter indicating the name of the project (ideally no spaces or special characters): grab my-movie
immediately after that, push the Play button on the camcorder
after the tape has stopped playing, kill the grab script (CTRL-C), turn off camcorder, disconnect from computer
in the same directory, launch the conv-dvd script with the same project name parameter: conv-dvd my-movie
let it run for a while; about 5 hours are needed on an AthlonXP 2600 to convert a 60 minutes tape when using the default script settings (most modifications will increase conversion speed but will decrease image quality)
when it's done, inside the project directory you will find a DVD image structure that can be burned to DVD with your software of choice

License:
BSD-like. Please mention my name if you use code or ideas from my scripts.

last modified: 2006/05/02