Burning Tivo to DVD. Recommend a good tool for MPG -> DVD conversion?

LookinAround

Posts: 6,429   +186
I'm looking to burn Tivo files to DVD

> I've installed Tivo Desktop on my PC so can now transfer tivo files to my local disk
> I can also convert a tivo file to an mpeg file

So now I'm looking to convert mpeg to DVD format. Any tool recommendations? Legit freeware would be a plus but info about any tool you use (and why you like it) would be helpful.

Thanks! :)
 
Does the Tivo -> Mpeg give you a mpeg2 file?

I don't use any freeware ones, so I can't comment on those. But ConvertXtoDVD is what I use for getting other file types to dvd and I've always liked it. Seems to work great, but you also are a bit limited on menus..
 
I think even Nero 6 will convert mpeg2 to DVD. DVD Movie Factory also. I had thought that they we're saving in a format that attempted to prevent burning to optical discs.

Believe it or not, a freestanding DVD recorder, (that will record DVD-Video) is a whole lot easier than TIVO to DVD will ever be.

I sort of use a 2 stage process, record to DVD-RW, then import it to Nero recode. If you have 5 commercial breaks, you import the entire program 6 times, then use the start/end function to trim each segment.

Works great, but no matter how you do it, DVD will always be a letdown, after watching the original in hi-def. I think it's the original smoosh from 720 to 480 that kills it.

Doing it my way, there's no "transcoding", which is a quality killer also.

To do it your way, you would import to "Nerovision", then print to the drive. God help you though, any video editing program I've played with has been a massive PITA. Nero was the worst movie editor on the planet, so it was best used by putting the whole program on the time line, then burning it

I keep getting confronted with Windows 7's Media Center asking me if I want to burn a DVD. What's up with that? I think that WMC will burn DVD-Video from it's own files, either that, or I just sawed off the limb I was standing on by saying so. :confused:
 
@SNGX1275 and captain

Thanks for the feedback/info.

The 2 Tivo HDs i just started renting from RCN are actually my first DVRs. So for now, i'm still pretty much into finding the basic tools to "help me play around with and learn the new toys" phase. (So at some future time i may be back posting again to learn more about building media menus, improving recorded quality, etc. :) )

> I see ConvertXtoDVD provides a watermarked trial version so will download and try it out
> I'll also take a look at Nero
> Tivo "recommends" Roxio creator so i guess i'll also take a look at that one too
 
Nero would be my first choice. I've burned a lot of TIVO files with it.
DVD Flick will work also.
 
Thanks hughva!

I see DVD Flick is also freeware from sourceforge.net. Will definitely try that one out as well
 
OK, you can burn any number of video formats to DVD as data, .avi, .wmv, divx, etc, then successfully play them with WMC, VLC, or others.. What is the end game strategy? Are these discs destined to be used in a free standing DVD player?

What exactly is the TIVOed material's file extension?

I actually thought that TIVO output had DRM. Is this not so..?
 
What is the end game strategy?
Strategy?? :D You give me way too much credit at actually having thought this thing all the way through ;)

For right now, i'm still playing around to see just what i can do. i guess the short term goal is simply creating portable media (if even only to be able to walk away from Tivo with a clip of something funny to be able to playback on someone else's non-Tivo device). Playback to standalone DVR is what i had in mind.
What exactly is the TIVOed material's file extension?

I actually thought that TIVO output had DRM. Is this not so..?
The little I learned from playin' around with my 2 Tivo's and the Tivo PC desktop app the last coupla days
  • It's up to content supplier if they want to restrict copies of Tivo recorded data
  • So far, anything HBO is copy protected. All my other non-premium cable channels allow their recorded files to be moved between Tivos and the PC desktop
  • Xfr'ed TIVO files appear under Windows as .tivo (of course, Tivo only allows non-protected files to get xfr'ed)
  • There's a freeware tool that convert tivo extension files to MPEG2 files
  • Seems that WMedia Player can play tivo files without needing conversion
 
OK, if you're dealing with Mpeg2 files, even very old programs can convert those to DVD. "DVD Movie Factory >>4<<, Nero 6, and on. The limitation is 720 x 480 rez, max. (480i). Since I've never personally tried it, I'm wondering what the "Windows Media Encoder" does. Then there's the paid version of DIVX. Although, my Philps DVD players swear up and down they can play that, they never seem to.

Adobe "Premier Elements" should convert mpeg to DVD also, so if you know somebody with a later version, you could see if they've gotten the bugs worked out of that turd.

Back to you Lookin......I'll leave you to forge ahead, or to perhaps, "source forge" ahead......

Then there's "the best video format converter ever", which is an HDMI cable, shoved right up the backside of a desktop...:rolleyes:
 
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