Hi:

Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce DVR-MS
files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to allow DVD
burning?

Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not that
familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me in
this matter.

Thanks,

ColTom2

On Tue, 2 Oct 2007 08:46:39 -0400, "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:

>Hi:
>
> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce DVR-MS
>files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to allow DVD
>burning?
>
> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
>i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not that
>familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me in
>this matter.
>
>Thanks,
>
>ColTom2
>

Crunchie does a good job of automatically converting DVR-MS files to DivX which is a form of MPEG4 &
just about the most commonly used compressed video file format.
http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/community/crunchie/ Many standalone DVD players support playback of
DivX files.
--

Cheers

Nigel Barker
Live from the sunny Cote d'Azur
MCE MVP

http://www.deskshare.com/Resources/a...dmc_DVRMS.aspx
peter
"ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote in message
news:emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Hi:
>
> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
> DVR-MS files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to
> allow DVD burning?
>
> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
> that familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me
> in this matter.
>
> Thanks,
>
> ColTom2
>

Others have already mentioned the conversion possiblilties, but understand
that you don't need to convert them to create a DVD that will run in a
standalone DVD player. You may want to convert for other reasons however
(size/editing/software perference/etc.), but MCE will directly burn the
files to a DVD for playback.
--
James
Orlando (Goofy says "Hey"), Florida

"ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote in message
news:emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Hi:
>
> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
> DVR-MS files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to
> allow DVD burning?
>
> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
> that familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me
> in this matter.
>
> Thanks,
>
> ColTom2
>

The dvr-ms files that I have are to large for a DVD CD.


"Jaime" <jaimelobo********.com> wrote in message
news:OhQ3VtQBIHA.4160@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Others have already mentioned the conversion possiblilties, but understand
> that you don't need to convert them to create a DVD that will run in a
> standalone DVD player. You may want to convert for other reasons however
> (size/editing/software perference/etc.), but MCE will directly burn the
> files to a DVD for playback.
> --
> James
> Orlando (Goofy says "Hey"), Florida
>
> "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote in message
> news:emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> Hi:
>>
>> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
>> DVR-MS files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to
>> allow DVD burning?
>>
>> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
>> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
>> that familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist
>> me in this matter.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> ColTom2
>>
>

On 2/10/07 13:46, in article emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl,
"ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:

> Hi:
>
> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce DVR-MS
> files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to allow DVD
> burning?
>
> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not that
> familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me in
> this matter.
>
> Thanks,
>
> ColTom2
>
>

DVDs are MPEG2 only, DVR-MS files are in reality MPEG2 files inside an ASF
wrapper.

You can convert DVR-MS files to other smaller formats such as DivX or MPEG4,
but if you are then going to burn it to a DVD this is a bit pointless
(besides it would cause two generations of conversion and therefore two
generations of loss of quality).

e.g. DVR-MS = MPEG2 --> convert to DivX --> Convert to DVD = MPEG2

If you goal is to simply burn the DVR-MS to DVD then you could do this
directly without any conversion within Media Center itself.

If your goal is to burn it to DVD but with a better choice of DVD menu and
possibly to edit/trim the recording then I would suggest converting it to a
'proper' MPEG2 file (which basically leaves the MPEG2 untouched but puts it
in a normal MPEG2 file format instead of a DVR-MS file and thus causes no
loss of quality.

There are numerous utilities to convert from DVR-MS to MPEG2, I use
TSConvertor available here http://dvbportal.de there is also DVRMSToolbox
which can also do editing see
http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/53128.aspx

Even a dual layer 8.5GB disk?

If so you are still better off keeping the file in MPEG2 format (as per my
previous reply) but you can then use various utilities to reduce the quality
(and hence file size), e.g. Instead of 4000kbps you could reduce to
3000kbps.

Some DVD burning software will do this automatically for you (e.g. Roxio).

On 2/10/07 19:01, in article uj6L34RBIHA.5980@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl,
"ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:

> The dvr-ms files that I have are to large for a DVD CD.
>
>
> "Jaime" <jaimelobo********.com> wrote in message
> news:OhQ3VtQBIHA.4160@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
>> Others have already mentioned the conversion possiblilties, but understand
>> that you don't need to convert them to create a DVD that will run in a
>> standalone DVD player. You may want to convert for other reasons however
>> (size/editing/software perference/etc.), but MCE will directly burn the
>> files to a DVD for playback.
>> --
>> James
>> Orlando (Goofy says "Hey"), Florida
>>
>> "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote in message
>> news:emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> Hi:
>>>
>>> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
>>> DVR-MS files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to
>>> allow DVD burning?
>>>
>>> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
>>> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
>>> that familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist
>>> me in this matter.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> ColTom2
>>>
>>
>
>

Hi John:

Thanks for your informative replies. The only reason that I wanted to
convert dvr-ms to smaller files is that I tried to burn a copy of the recent
PBS series "The War" with MCE onto a DVD directly and it said the file was
to large.

What are your alternatives when this happens?

Thanks.

ColTom2


"John Lockwood" <john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk> wrote in message
news:C329308E.26E6F%john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk...
> On 2/10/07 13:46, in article emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl,
> "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi:
>>
>> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
>> DVR-MS
>> files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to allow
>> DVD
>> burning?
>>
>> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
>> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
>> that
>> familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me in
>> this matter.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> ColTom2
>>
>>
>
> DVDs are MPEG2 only, DVR-MS files are in reality MPEG2 files inside an ASF
> wrapper.
>
> You can convert DVR-MS files to other smaller formats such as DivX or
> MPEG4,
> but if you are then going to burn it to a DVD this is a bit pointless
> (besides it would cause two generations of conversion and therefore two
> generations of loss of quality).
>
> e.g. DVR-MS = MPEG2 --> convert to DivX --> Convert to DVD = MPEG2
>
> If you goal is to simply burn the DVR-MS to DVD then you could do this
> directly without any conversion within Media Center itself.
>
> If your goal is to burn it to DVD but with a better choice of DVD menu and
> possibly to edit/trim the recording then I would suggest converting it to
> a
> 'proper' MPEG2 file (which basically leaves the MPEG2 untouched but puts
> it
> in a normal MPEG2 file format instead of a DVR-MS file and thus causes no
> loss of quality.
>
> There are numerous utilities to convert from DVR-MS to MPEG2, I use
> TSConvertor available here http://dvbportal.de there is also DVRMSToolbox
> which can also do editing see
> http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/53128.aspx
>

You will either have to split the file to fit on two disks, or you will
have to re-encode the file to a lower bit rate. A great tool for editing
the files (and other MPG files) is VideoReDo at
http://www.videoredo.com. It's not free, but it's cheap. There is a free
trial. Their next version will have the ability to burn DVDs, I'm told.


ColTom2 wrote:
> Hi John:
>
> Thanks for your informative replies. The only reason that I wanted to
> convert dvr-ms to smaller files is that I tried to burn a copy of the recent
> PBS series "The War" with MCE onto a DVD directly and it said the file was
> to large.
>
> What are your alternatives when this happens?
>
> Thanks.
>
> ColTom2
>
>
> "John Lockwood" <john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:C329308E.26E6F%john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk...
>> On 2/10/07 13:46, in article emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl,
>> "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi:
>>>
>>> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
>>> DVR-MS
>>> files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to allow
>>> DVD
>>> burning?
>>>
>>> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
>>> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
>>> that
>>> familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me in
>>> this matter.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> ColTom2
>>>
>>>
>> DVDs are MPEG2 only, DVR-MS files are in reality MPEG2 files inside an ASF
>> wrapper.
>>
>> You can convert DVR-MS files to other smaller formats such as DivX or
>> MPEG4,
>> but if you are then going to burn it to a DVD this is a bit pointless
>> (besides it would cause two generations of conversion and therefore two
>> generations of loss of quality).
>>
>> e.g. DVR-MS = MPEG2 --> convert to DivX --> Convert to DVD = MPEG2
>>
>> If you goal is to simply burn the DVR-MS to DVD then you could do this
>> directly without any conversion within Media Center itself.
>>
>> If your goal is to burn it to DVD but with a better choice of DVD menu and
>> possibly to edit/trim the recording then I would suggest converting it to
>> a
>> 'proper' MPEG2 file (which basically leaves the MPEG2 untouched but puts
>> it
>> in a normal MPEG2 file format instead of a DVR-MS file and thus causes no
>> loss of quality.
>>
>> There are numerous utilities to convert from DVR-MS to MPEG2, I use
>> TSConvertor available here http://dvbportal.de there is also DVRMSToolbox
>> which can also do editing see
>> http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/53128.aspx
>>
>
>

ColTom2 wrote:
> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also
> reduce DVR-MS files of recorded TV programs to a different file
> format (ext) to allow DVD burning?
>
> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be
> converted to, i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file
> types and I am not that familiar with what I am trying to do that I
> need someone to assist me in this matter.

http://www.videohelp.com/

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

I use Nero 7 to take dvr-ms files and author a standard DVD from them, after
editing out the start, end and adverts.

You can download a free trial from their website and since they are in the
process of launching Nero8, there are some offers on Nero 7 around -
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/739711

Mind, even Nero 8 seems to be discounted -
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/617394 (although my experience
of Nero 7 was it took a few months to be stable, so I couldn't recommend
leaping in too early!)

"ColTom2" wrote:

> Hi John:
>
> Thanks for your informative replies. The only reason that I wanted to
> convert dvr-ms to smaller files is that I tried to burn a copy of the recent
> PBS series "The War" with MCE onto a DVD directly and it said the file was
> to large.
>
> What are your alternatives when this happens?
>
> Thanks.
>
> ColTom2
>
>
> "John Lockwood" <john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:C329308E.26E6F%john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk...
> > On 2/10/07 13:46, in article emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl,
> > "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi:
> >>
> >> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
> >> DVR-MS
> >> files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to allow
> >> DVD
> >> burning?
> >>
> >> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
> >> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
> >> that
> >> familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me in
> >> this matter.
> >>
> >> Thanks,
> >>
> >> ColTom2
> >>
> >>
> >
> > DVDs are MPEG2 only, DVR-MS files are in reality MPEG2 files inside an ASF
> > wrapper.
> >
> > You can convert DVR-MS files to other smaller formats such as DivX or
> > MPEG4,
> > but if you are then going to burn it to a DVD this is a bit pointless
> > (besides it would cause two generations of conversion and therefore two
> > generations of loss of quality).
> >
> > e.g. DVR-MS = MPEG2 --> convert to DivX --> Convert to DVD = MPEG2
> >
> > If you goal is to simply burn the DVR-MS to DVD then you could do this
> > directly without any conversion within Media Center itself.
> >
> > If your goal is to burn it to DVD but with a better choice of DVD menu and
> > possibly to edit/trim the recording then I would suggest converting it to
> > a
> > 'proper' MPEG2 file (which basically leaves the MPEG2 untouched but puts
> > it
> > in a normal MPEG2 file format instead of a DVR-MS file and thus causes no
> > loss of quality.
> >
> > There are numerous utilities to convert from DVR-MS to MPEG2, I use
> > TSConvertor available here http://dvbportal.de there is also DVRMSToolbox
> > which can also do editing see
> > http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/53128.aspx
> >
>
>
>

Hi Eric:

I have Nero 6, but had never installed the Nero Recode 2 component. Is
this the same Recode Application that you are using in Nero 7 and/or do you
think this would do what I need?

Thanks


"Eric Baines" <EricBaines@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2A663E31-77D0-42BB-84FE-F211A697A793@microsoft.com...
>I use Nero 7 to take dvr-ms files and author a standard DVD from them,
>after
> editing out the start, end and adverts.
>
> You can download a free trial from their website and since they are in the
> process of launching Nero8, there are some offers on Nero 7 around -
> http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/739711
>
> Mind, even Nero 8 seems to be discounted -
> http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/617394 (although my
> experience
> of Nero 7 was it took a few months to be stable, so I couldn't recommend
> leaping in too early!)
>
> "ColTom2" wrote:
>
>> Hi John:
>>
>> Thanks for your informative replies. The only reason that I wanted to
>> convert dvr-ms to smaller files is that I tried to burn a copy of the
>> recent
>> PBS series "The War" with MCE onto a DVD directly and it said the file
>> was
>> to large.
>>
>> What are your alternatives when this happens?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> ColTom2
>>
>>
>> "John Lockwood" <john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:C329308E.26E6F%john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk...
>> > On 2/10/07 13:46, in article emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl,
>> > "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hi:
>> >>
>> >> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
>> >> DVR-MS
>> >> files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to
>> >> allow
>> >> DVD
>> >> burning?
>> >>
>> >> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted
>> >> to,
>> >> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
>> >> that
>> >> familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me
>> >> in
>> >> this matter.
>> >>
>> >> Thanks,
>> >>
>> >> ColTom2
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> > DVDs are MPEG2 only, DVR-MS files are in reality MPEG2 files inside an
>> > ASF
>> > wrapper.
>> >
>> > You can convert DVR-MS files to other smaller formats such as DivX or
>> > MPEG4,
>> > but if you are then going to burn it to a DVD this is a bit pointless
>> > (besides it would cause two generations of conversion and therefore two
>> > generations of loss of quality).
>> >
>> > e.g. DVR-MS = MPEG2 --> convert to DivX --> Convert to DVD = MPEG2
>> >
>> > If you goal is to simply burn the DVR-MS to DVD then you could do this
>> > directly without any conversion within Media Center itself.
>> >
>> > If your goal is to burn it to DVD but with a better choice of DVD menu
>> > and
>> > possibly to edit/trim the recording then I would suggest converting it
>> > to
>> > a
>> > 'proper' MPEG2 file (which basically leaves the MPEG2 untouched but
>> > puts
>> > it
>> > in a normal MPEG2 file format instead of a DVR-MS file and thus causes
>> > no
>> > loss of quality.
>> >
>> > There are numerous utilities to convert from DVR-MS to MPEG2, I use
>> > TSConvertor available here http://dvbportal.de there is also
>> > DVRMSToolbox
>> > which can also do editing see
>> > http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/53128.aspx
>> >
>>
>>
>>

Hi Eric:

I have obtained and installed a Nero 7 Ultra and would like to ask you
what specific component do you use for editing and also converting the
dvr-ms to standard DVD.

Thanks,

ColTom2


"Eric Baines" <EricBaines@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2A663E31-77D0-42BB-84FE-F211A697A793@microsoft.com...
>I use Nero 7 to take dvr-ms files and author a standard DVD from them,
>after
> editing out the start, end and adverts.
>
> You can download a free trial from their website and since they are in the
> process of launching Nero8, there are some offers on Nero 7 around -
> http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/739711
>
> Mind, even Nero 8 seems to be discounted -
> http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/617394 (although my
> experience
> of Nero 7 was it took a few months to be stable, so I couldn't recommend
> leaping in too early!)
>
> "ColTom2" wrote:
>
>> Hi John:
>>
>> Thanks for your informative replies. The only reason that I wanted to
>> convert dvr-ms to smaller files is that I tried to burn a copy of the
>> recent
>> PBS series "The War" with MCE onto a DVD directly and it said the file
>> was
>> to large.
>>
>> What are your alternatives when this happens?
>>
>> Thanks.
>>
>> ColTom2
>>
>>
>> "John Lockwood" <john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:C329308E.26E6F%john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk...
>> > On 2/10/07 13:46, in article emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl,
>> > "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hi:
>> >>
>> >> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
>> >> DVR-MS
>> >> files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to
>> >> allow
>> >> DVD
>> >> burning?
>> >>
>> >> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted
>> >> to,
>> >> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
>> >> that
>> >> familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me
>> >> in
>> >> this matter.
>> >>
>> >> Thanks,
>> >>
>> >> ColTom2
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> > DVDs are MPEG2 only, DVR-MS files are in reality MPEG2 files inside an
>> > ASF
>> > wrapper.
>> >
>> > You can convert DVR-MS files to other smaller formats such as DivX or
>> > MPEG4,
>> > but if you are then going to burn it to a DVD this is a bit pointless
>> > (besides it would cause two generations of conversion and therefore two
>> > generations of loss of quality).
>> >
>> > e.g. DVR-MS = MPEG2 --> convert to DivX --> Convert to DVD = MPEG2
>> >
>> > If you goal is to simply burn the DVR-MS to DVD then you could do this
>> > directly without any conversion within Media Center itself.
>> >
>> > If your goal is to burn it to DVD but with a better choice of DVD menu
>> > and
>> > possibly to edit/trim the recording then I would suggest converting it
>> > to
>> > a
>> > 'proper' MPEG2 file (which basically leaves the MPEG2 untouched but
>> > puts
>> > it
>> > in a normal MPEG2 file format instead of a DVR-MS file and thus causes
>> > no
>> > loss of quality.
>> >
>> > There are numerous utilities to convert from DVR-MS to MPEG2, I use
>> > TSConvertor available here http://dvbportal.de there is also
>> > DVRMSToolbox
>> > which can also do editing see
>> > http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/53128.aspx
>> >
>>
>>
>>

Ah! Now that you mention it, I remember last time I tried to directly burn a
DVR-MS recording to DVD it also gave me the same message, even though the
DVR-MS file was only about 2.5GB and would easily fit on a DVD. A much
smaller recording did work. It would seem another example of Microsoft not
being very good at maths, see
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=55613

Note: my recordings are from DVB-T which broadcasts in MPEG2 and I use a
digital DVB-T tuner, the behaviour if you use an analogue tuner to
'digitise' and convert analogue to MPEG2 might be different. Other than
being in Microsoft's proprietary DVR-MS wrapper, these DVB-T recordings are
normal MPEG2 and can be converted to DVD without re-encoding, they have an
MPEG1 Layer2 stereo audio track (aka. MP2).

It looks like the DVD burn option in Media Center is to put it mildly 'not
very good'. I ended up as I mentioned, converting the DVR-MS to a 'normal'
MPEG2 and using a different DVD burning application and created my own menu
(the menu produced by SonicEncoders - the DVD burning engine for Media
Center, is ugly as sin anyway).

Sigh! Another example of Microsoft spending 90% of their time and effort on
ever more offensive DRM, and not enough on producing a decent product in the
first place.

On 3/10/07 15:36, in article e8WBNrcBIHA.5196@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl,
"ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:

> Hi John:
>
> Thanks for your informative replies. The only reason that I wanted to
> convert dvr-ms to smaller files is that I tried to burn a copy of the recent
> PBS series "The War" with MCE onto a DVD directly and it said the file was
> to large.
>
> What are your alternatives when this happens?
>
> Thanks.
>
> ColTom2
>
>
> "John Lockwood" <john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:C329308E.26E6F%john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk...
>> On 2/10/07 13:46, in article emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl,
>> "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi:
>>>
>>> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
>>> DVR-MS
>>> files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to allow
>>> DVD
>>> burning?
>>>
>>> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted to,
>>> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
>>> that
>>> familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me in
>>> this matter.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> ColTom2
>>>
>>>
>>
>> DVDs are MPEG2 only, DVR-MS files are in reality MPEG2 files inside an ASF
>> wrapper.
>>
>> You can convert DVR-MS files to other smaller formats such as DivX or
>> MPEG4,
>> but if you are then going to burn it to a DVD this is a bit pointless
>> (besides it would cause two generations of conversion and therefore two
>> generations of loss of quality).
>>
>> e.g. DVR-MS = MPEG2 --> convert to DivX --> Convert to DVD = MPEG2
>>
>> If you goal is to simply burn the DVR-MS to DVD then you could do this
>> directly without any conversion within Media Center itself.
>>
>> If your goal is to burn it to DVD but with a better choice of DVD menu and
>> possibly to edit/trim the recording then I would suggest converting it to
>> a
>> 'proper' MPEG2 file (which basically leaves the MPEG2 untouched but puts
>> it
>> in a normal MPEG2 file format instead of a DVR-MS file and thus causes no
>> loss of quality.
>>
>> There are numerous utilities to convert from DVR-MS to MPEG2, I use
>> TSConvertor available here http://dvbportal.de there is also DVRMSToolbox
>> which can also do editing see
>> http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/53128.aspx
>>
>
>

In Nero 7, it is Nero Vision.

Fire it up, say you want to create a DVD. Add the DVR-MS file and then use
the edit function to cut bits out (I add a fade transition between cuts so it
isn't so obvious). Create chapters, either at the cuts or about every 10
minutes (I do both). Then go to 'next' to add a menu. I take a screen shot of
the MCE metadata page and cover the MCE buttons with the DVD artwork, taken
from Amazon or somehwere in the internet. Slam a disk in your DVD writer and
off it goes.

If you start with a 2 hour film, it'l be down to about 1 hour 35-40 mins
after you have cut the rubbish out and will probably take about an hour to
transcode and burn. If your film is longer, it takes longer - it can go to
about 4 hours on 1 DVD at low quality. I got Spartacus on one DVD, but used 2
for Cleopatra.

I find it gives a great result.

"ColTom2" wrote:

> Hi Eric:
>
> I have obtained and installed a Nero 7 Ultra and would like to ask you
> what specific component do you use for editing and also converting the
> dvr-ms to standard DVD.
>
> Thanks,
>
> ColTom2
>
>
> "Eric Baines" <EricBaines@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:2A663E31-77D0-42BB-84FE-F211A697A793@microsoft.com...
> >I use Nero 7 to take dvr-ms files and author a standard DVD from them,
> >after
> > editing out the start, end and adverts.
> >
> > You can download a free trial from their website and since they are in the
> > process of launching Nero8, there are some offers on Nero 7 around -
> > http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/739711
> >
> > Mind, even Nero 8 seems to be discounted -
> > http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/product/seo/617394 (although my
> > experience
> > of Nero 7 was it took a few months to be stable, so I couldn't recommend
> > leaping in too early!)
> >
> > "ColTom2" wrote:
> >
> >> Hi John:
> >>
> >> Thanks for your informative replies. The only reason that I wanted to
> >> convert dvr-ms to smaller files is that I tried to burn a copy of the
> >> recent
> >> PBS series "The War" with MCE onto a DVD directly and it said the file
> >> was
> >> to large.
> >>
> >> What are your alternatives when this happens?
> >>
> >> Thanks.
> >>
> >> ColTom2
> >>
> >>
> >> "John Lockwood" <john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk> wrote in message
> >> news:C329308E.26E6F%john.lockwood@amtec.co.uk...
> >> > On 2/10/07 13:46, in article emRnNJPBIHA.1212@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl,
> >> > "ColTom2" <noemailaddress@nomail.com> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Hi:
> >> >>
> >> >> Does anyone know a good freeware that I can convert and also reduce
> >> >> DVR-MS
> >> >> files of recorded TV programs to a different file format (ext) to
> >> >> allow
> >> >> DVD
> >> >> burning?
> >> >>
> >> >> Also I would like to know the recommended file type to be converted
> >> >> to,
> >> >> i.e. MP4, AVI, etc.There are so many different file types and I am not
> >> >> that
> >> >> familiar with what I am trying to do that I need someone to assist me
> >> >> in
> >> >> this matter.
> >> >>
> >> >> Thanks,
> >> >>
> >> >> ColTom2
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> > DVDs are MPEG2 only, DVR-MS files are in reality MPEG2 files inside an
> >> > ASF
> >> > wrapper.
> >> >
> >> > You can convert DVR-MS files to other smaller formats such as DivX or
> >> > MPEG4,
> >> > but if you are then going to burn it to a DVD this is a bit pointless
> >> > (besides it would cause two generations of conversion and therefore two
> >> > generations of loss of quality).
> >> >
> >> > e.g. DVR-MS = MPEG2 --> convert to DivX --> Convert to DVD = MPEG2
> >> >
> >> > If you goal is to simply burn the DVR-MS to DVD then you could do this
> >> > directly without any conversion within Media Center itself.
> >> >
> >> > If your goal is to burn it to DVD but with a better choice of DVD menu
> >> > and
> >> > possibly to edit/trim the recording then I would suggest converting it
> >> > to
> >> > a
> >> > 'proper' MPEG2 file (which basically leaves the MPEG2 untouched but
> >> > puts
> >> > it
> >> > in a normal MPEG2 file format instead of a DVR-MS file and thus causes
> >> > no
> >> > loss of quality.
> >> >
> >> > There are numerous utilities to convert from DVR-MS to MPEG2, I use
> >> > TSConvertor available here http://dvbportal.de there is also
> >> > DVRMSToolbox
> >> > which can also do editing see
> >> > http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/53128.aspx
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
>