Editing DVD

[Turtle]

This is way off topic but I know my Forum Friends are some of the smartest people out there. Here is my problem. My wife really likes the movie "Mute Witness" but there is a scene that is a bit too rough for us. Is it possible to edit the scene out of the original movie and burn a new DVD? What do I need to get this done? We have an iBook G4 and iBook G3.

Jamie

[EvelynDickinson]

A couple of options... To do it yourself you will need a firewire digital video converter such as the studioDV from formac...

http://mail.formac.co.uk/webapp/products_av_studiodv.php

or play the video through a firewire camcorder if you have one to capture the video into your Mac. You can then edit it with iMovie or a version of Final Cut. I hear that there is a new entry-level version out called final cut expresses that it quite good...

http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/

Finally you would burn it back onto a DVD. Obviously jumping into digital non-linear video editing this isn't for the feinght of heart.

Another option you might consider if this is something you need to do on a regular basis...

http://www.clearplaydvd.com/

Good luck.

Dave

[azflycaster]

Are you talking about an existing DVD that you want to alter? If so, you have to deal with the copy protection that is built into the original. It can be done, but there are legal issues. If you own the original you can make backup copies for yourself.

[Turtle]

It is an existing DVD that I want to alter. I'm looking for software that will let me download the movie to my hard drive, remove the offending scene and reburn it. I'll gladly destroy the original movie. Jamie

[Westfalia]

Jamie, this is not a simple request. It will involve HOURS of time, many gigabytes of space, and possibly require the purchase of software to finish the job. The biggest complication is that you have a mastered and pressed DVD that is a dual layer disc. While copying the info over is simple enough. Getting it into a format that can be edited gets a little more difficult. You need to get software that will convert it from DVD format (MPEG-2) to DV. You can use iMovie HD to edit out the scene you want. You will probably need to use Toast to burn a new DVD, and I don't think that Toast can recompress the data to fit on a single layer DVD, since neither the iBook or Powerbook have a dual layer capable burner.

Are you sure you don't want to just skip past the scene using to old fashioned chapter forward button?

[azflycaster]

"Toast to burn a new DVD? Is this a MAC? If you have an "IBM Compatable" (do they still use that expression even after IBM got out of the PC business?) PC you can use DVDShrink to fit it onto a single layer DVD. You will also need DVD43 to defeat the Macrovision copy protection. Westfalia is correct, this is a very complicated issue. The movie companies do not make it easy for a reason.

[Westfalia]

I did find an interesting website which may provide you some more insight. There are more different programs that I originally thought available. I'm still going through the list to see if there is a bit rate reducer, like DVDShrink.

Also, if it is a movie that you watch in surround sound, the editing process will likely destroy the additional audio tracks.

[Westfalia]

Um, posting the link might help!

http://www.ripdifferent.com/

[sfixx]

Originally Posted by Turtle

This is way off topic but....

I can't imagine that you'll ever find it worth the trouble and expence to copy, cut and paste a new DVD. If it's ever on TV you could record the PG version.

I've never tried to copy a DVD but would it work to record it to a video tape cutting out the offending scene?

Forgive me for going off topic with your off topic topic

Steve

[Westfalia]

Macrovision copy protection will keep you from making a DVD to VHS copies. You CAN do this with a Macrovision stripping device, but of course, that will also cost you money.

[greg176]

I don't have a MAC.I use DVD Decrypter and CloneDVD to "back-up" my DVD's.Clone DVD allows editing out scenes.I got info at website www.doom9.net on backing up DVD's.

[EvelynDickinson]

Roxio's Popcorn is an excellent app for the Mac that will compress a commercial DVD onto a consumer DVD.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

But I agree with the others... it's just way too much work and expense.

Dave

[Turtle]

Expense is nothing. This is for my wife! And all my friends tell me I have nothing but time (They are wrong). Popcorn looks very promising. It would seem that once I have the movie on a compressed DVD that there should be an editing program out there to deal with it. I don't mean for y'all to do my research for me. I'm just quite a knucklehead when it comes to computers (and a lot of other things). You've all been very helpful. As for the off topic off topic, we do have the movie on video that we've edited, but we are moving away from the VCR to the DVD. I guess I should pursue transferring the video to DVD but there is a quality difference between the 2 with the digital being better. Jamie