Windows Movie Maker help

[gabbyguppy]

Greetings All:

I am hopeful someone will be able to offer a few tips on how to upload a video to Windows Movie Maker 6.0 (Vista).

My husband has saved all our old VHS tapes to DVD+R. When I insert them in the disc drive, it will open and play in Windows Media Player. I can view the 'movies' but have no idea how to 'save' them to the computer and upload them to Windows Movie Maker.

I am computer illiterate and find even the simplest tasks to be a challenge for me.

Can anyone offer any tips or direct me to a tutorial for 'dummies'. The Vista help center was like reading a foreign language for me.

Karen

[Wild Turkey]

What extension are the files written in?

Example: wildturkeys.avi is an avi file, and you shouldnt have a problem there. But if the dvd was burned in order to watch on a dvd player, you may need to use a program to convert the file to .avi or .wmp


Try copying the files into the folder your media center uses (i cant remember which one it may be documents\video)

Highlight all the files, right click and select copy, then select paste in the video folder


I also think you can use media center to search for and import all movies from your drives, just make sure you specify your dvd drive when it asks where to search.

[gabbyguppy]

Thanks Wild Turkey!

I think you are right about possibly needing a program to convert these files.

My videos are opening as .VOB files (have no clue what that means). I can get them to play in Media Player and Windows Photo Gallery, but when I copy them to Windows Media Center and try to open them, I get the message that the file doesn't exist.

When I play them in Media Player I have the option to format, should I try this?

Clueless Karen (I'm sure that's obvious)!!

[Wild Turkey]

Yea i would go ahead and try that (it that works thats awesome u dont need a program)

Otherwise, search for a program that will convert .vob to avi

You shouldnt have any trouble finding one [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]=en&source=hp&q=.vob+to+avi&aq=f&aqi=g9&oq=&fp=6b22d27f49a5e7dd

[gabbyguppy]

Yea i would go ahead and try that (it that works thats awesome u dont need a program)

Otherwise, search for a program that will convert .vob to avi

You shouldnt have any trouble finding one [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]=en&source=hp&q=.vob+to+avi&aq=f&aqi=g9&oq=&fp=6b22d27f49a5e7dd

Thanks so much for your help. I'll let you know if that works!

Karen

[Aeonflame]

try any video converter. its a great app.

[Sarkazmo]

try any video converter. its a great app.

Yeah, it's an excellent app.

Guppy, what you've got there is a DVD that's playable on any DVD player. Just as if you went to the store and bought a DVD movie. You need to convert from DVD to avi or mov or even wmv, basically any movie type file.

Sark

PS: Be sure to keep your old VHS tapes in case something happens to the disc!!!! Also, make a few copies of the disc, give a couple to friends, a couple to family members, maybe even put one in a safety deposit box if they're precious to you. Once they're gone, they're gone.

[gabbyguppy]

Yeah, it's an excellent app.

Guppy, what you've got there is a DVD that's playable on any DVD player. Just as if you went to the store and bought a DVD movie. You need to convert from DVD to avi or mov or even wmv, basically any movie type file.

Sark

PS: Be sure to keep your old VHS tapes in case something happens to the disc!!!! Also, make a few copies of the disc, give a couple to friends, a couple to family members, maybe even put one in a safety deposit box if they're precious to you. Once they're gone, they're gone.

Thanks for the suggestions! Great tips.

Yes, you're right...we made a DVD movie. I had no clue it would need coverting to a movie file once I uploaded it to the computer.

Computers and their programs leave me frustrated, but I'm slowly learning. This morning I had no clue what AVI, MPG, or WMV even meant. I still don't understand the whole process, but I know those files are needed in order to view movies on the web.

Thanks again for your input.

Karen

[Aeonflame]

Thanks for the suggestions! Great tips.

Yes, you're right...we made a DVD movie. I had no clue it would need coverting to a movie file once I uploaded it to the computer.

Computers and their programs leave me frustrated, but I'm slowly learning. This morning I had no clue what AVI, MPG, or WMV even meant. I still don't understand the whole process, but I know those files are needed in order to view movies on the web.

Thanks again for your input.

Karen

Well vob files are readable by dvd players, however they are huge, as they are meant to take up an entire dvd. 4.5 gigs. What converting them to avi or another similar format does, is process the individual frames of the vob file, resample it at a specified rate, resample the sound, and compress all the sampled data into a much smaller file.