How do I convert VIDEO_TS data into a playable Video?

[LinusF]

  I am very new to video but have a short-ish fused problem and am looking up a hill.

  Very recently I obtained 11 DVDs from YESVIDEO via Walmart.  A relative had taken my mother's many 8 and super 8 film strips and gotten the film converted into digital .  Problem is now mine when we found that those DVD's are not in any readily useable format.  We want to play these old "movies" --- or parts of them --- for my father (95 years old) at the Thanksgiving reunion.  Since I am known in the family for being a Photoshop guy (since the 1980's) I now have the YES DVDs and Premier Elements 12.  Plus Elements 12.  And no experience in this type of photography.

I have gotten a converter off the web and it works alright.  And I can play the DVDs in Premier from the DVD without a converter.

Next step seems to elude me.  What files should I copy onto the hard drive from the Walmart DVDs to support editing and outputting in a video format?  Exactly which of the files should I aim Premiere at --- right now it is VIDEO_TS.  What about AUDIO_TS?  And the other files?

A second quesion is what abilities does Premiere have to improve B&W footage?  All help appreciated!

[John T Smith]

1st, use Windows file manager to look at the directory structure of a commercial DVD... your video_ts folder SHOULD indicate that the transfer process to DVD was aimed at creating a playable DVD... if your converted DVDs are not playing when put into a standalone player attached to a TV, something went wrong in the conversion process

2nd, what you want to edit to make a new DVD are the VOB files in the video_ts folder

Ripping a VOB to edit http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1322647

The Tutorial Links Page http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1275830 may also help

Plus

Premiere Elements FAQ List (2 pages of FAQ as of September 2013) http://forums.adobe.com/community/premiere_elements/premiere_elements_faq?view=all

Premiere Elements TIPS List (6 pages of Tips as of September 2013) http://forums.adobe.com/community/premiere_elements/premiere_elements_tips?view=all

[the_wine_snob]

OK, let's start near the beginning.

Those WalMark Videos:

You mention VIDEO_TS. I am assuming that when you look at those DVD's, in say Windows' Explorer (you did not mention your OS, and its version, and that might be useful now), you should see two folders, VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS. You can ignore the AUDIO_TS folder, but what is inside the VIDEO_TS folder?

It should be several IFO, BUP and VOB files. Do you see those?

If so, then the WalMart DVD's were done as DVD-Video, so should play directly. If they do not, in your set-top DVD player, hooked to a TV, then there could be issues with the discs, themselves. I would also try playing those on your computer, with DVD software, such as CyberLink's PowerDVD, or the great, free MediaPlayer Classic HC. Do those DVD's play on your computer?

If not, then there is likely an issue with the discs, but we'll keep our fingers X'ed, that this next operation is successful.

In PrE 12, Open a New Project. It should default to HD AVCHD, but under File>New Project, you can change that to DV NTSC Standard (I would use Standard, in lieu of Widescreen, since you are using old 8mm footage, which was 4:3, or Standard), and check Force Settings. Then you will want to Import the VOB files with Add Media Flip or HDD Camera. Hopefully, those VOB files will Import, and then you can edit those, an Share>DVD.

Please let us know the results of those tests.

Good luck,

Hunt

[the_wine_snob]

Looks like John T. types more quickly, than I do...

At least it seems that we are thinking along the same lines.

Hunt

[LinusF]

Super  and super helpful. Thanks Bill & John.

My system is Win7 pro 64.

My understanding of what you have written is that I should convert these files, in other words Premiere does not convert.  To what format should I convert?  I assume Classic HC is a good choise in this field.

What I see in the video_ts file are .bup, .ifo, .vob files.

What I see in the file list of the DVD is

audio_ts

photobook

pictures

sheet

video_ts

data.zip

extra.zip

autorun.inf

digitalISB25.exe

digitalISB25.exe.manifest

idx

libexpatw.dll

Which these may I safely just leave on the DVD.  They seem to be oriented toward getting the buyer to buy prints.

My question for isn't playing, it is getting what I need in a format that premiere can edit.  And then learning how to edit.

[the_wine_snob]

MediaPlayer Classic HC is a player, sort of like Windows Media Player, but with more power, and natively, it should play a 100% DVD-compliant disc on your computer. If it does play those WalMart DVD's, then if your set-top DVD player, hooked to a TV, cannot, it might just be an issue with the DVD player, itself.

With that folder structure, and the IFO, BUP and VOB files inside, you should not need to convert anything - just Import those VOB files into a DV NTSC Standard Project, via Add Media. Does that not work? If it does not, what error messages do you get?

I do agree that WalMart is adding other material to the DVD, but with the VIDEO_TS folder, you should still be able to play those DVD's.

Good luck,

Hunt

[John T Smith]

>getting what I need in a format that premiere can edit. 

Go back to the 1st link I posted in reply #1 and read everything in that link, and any links inside that page

>And then learning how to edit.

The 2nd "tutorials" link I posted is what you will use to learn how to edit

[A_T__Romano]

LinusF

Please refer to my comments to Hunt in post 5.

Please determine if you can put your DVD disc in your DVD burner tray, open Premiere Elements 12 with its project set to DV Standard or Widescreen, then use Add Media/"DVD camera or computer drive"/Video Importer. Set the Source: field in the Video Importer for the drive where the DVD is inserted and select that drive.

Does that work for you so that you see VTS_01_1.VOB series video files included in what you see? If you do not see them, what do you see there?

Thanks.

ATR

[LinusF]

Dinner is sercved and that trumps tonights efforts!

Thanks a bunch everyone and I'll be back tomnorrow afternoon.  Thanks again.

And, yes, Premiere does play what is on the DVD.  And I presume somehow I can then get it to the HD and edit it.

[A_T__Romano]

LinusF

For tomorrow....

If you are saying that you get as far as the Add Media/DVD camera or computer drive"/Video Importer and you have the Video Importer's Source field set to your DVD's drive, the specific video files in the VIDEO_TS Folder that you want will be named:

VTS_01_1.VOB

VTS_02_1.VOB

and onward depending on the duration of the DVD video content.

Remove the check marks that you see in front of anything else. Set the Save In: field for a separate folder on the hard drive for each of the individual DVD disc that you process this way, giving each folder a different name. Otherwise, you will be blocked by messages that say that you have already imported the media which you have not. Also, if you want the files saved to the hard drive save location as well as put on the Timeline of the present project, put a check mark next to Add to Timeline. Then hit the Get Media button of the Video Importer.

From what you wrote there is a lot of extra material on that DVD disc besides the VIDEO_TS and this could be creating problems for your player. But that is for another time.

As for Black and White improvement in your footage, I am not sure how much success you will gain, but you could look at

fxEffects

Advanced Adjustments

Image Control: Brightness, Contrast, Hue, Saturation

Shadows/Highlights

with adjusts under Applied Effects Tab/Applied Effects Palette/expanded panel for the effect applied.

We all will be watching for your progress.

Thanks.

ATR

[A_T__Romano]

Hunt,

In PrE 12, Open a New Project. It should default to HD AVCHD, but under File>New Project, you can change that to DV NTSC Standard (I would use Standard, in lieu of Widescreen, since you are using old 8mm footage, which was 4:3, or Standard), and check Force Settings. Then you will want to Import the VOB files with Add Media Flip or HDD Camera. Hopefully, those VOB files will Import, and then you can edit those, an Share>DVD.

I can see the rationale for the project preset as NTSC or PAL DV Standard or Widescreen. But, where are you coming from with Add Media/Flip or HDD Camera.

This is what I see....

If the VOBs are on the hard drive (ripped already), then Add Media/Files and Folders to import them into the Premiere Elements Timeline.

If the VOBs are on the DVD disc not yet ripped, then put the DVD disc in the DVD burner tray and in Premiere Elements 12 use Add Media/DVD Camera or Computer Drive/Video Importer to import the VOBs into the project

Although Add Media/Videos from Flip or Cameras/ends in a Video Importer, it is a no go.

Please try it and check it out.

I will address the rest of my comments to Linus F since I have questions that I do not believe have been asked and that might contribute to the discussion.

Thanks.

ATR

[the_wine_snob]

ATR,

But, where are you coming from with Add Media/Flip or HDD Camera.

You are correct, and thank you for pointing out my error, regarding Add Media. I am not sure what I was thinking, but your directions are the one that LinusF needs to follow.

Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, and thanks,

Hunt

[LinusF]

Hmmm.  There be much to digest here,  Cecil B DeMille I'm not. 

It appears that I have brought one DVD's worth of VOBs into Pre12 and it is now rendering.  Which I presume I should do before looking at it and maybe doing some cutting.  Now, whether I do any edits at this point or inot, how do I put this project aside and get to the next DVD?  What if I do some edits, same proceedure?

Next, after I'm finished with each of the 11 DVD's worth of digitized film from the past, into what format should I save it?  Just do a SHARE>DVD?  will the product then be playable on computers and DVD/blueray players?

I super appreciate the help you guts are giving me.