How do I get my South Park episodes from VHS to my PC?

Subject says it all.

In article , Drew Thomas writes with this very pen that he holds in his hands...

And I've got some 8mm camcorder tapes of eps, so I'd also be glad if there were any way of getting these up.

In article , Drew Thomas writes with this very pen that he holds in his hands...

AND... :) I've also started making photo albums with a special movie maker, by scanning in photos of the eps, converting them to .gif, then .avi (default Windows Media Video). How can I convert these to RealPlayer's .ram?

To convert from .avi to .rm format, I use RealProducer G2. Download the free version at: http://www.realnetworks.com/products/producer/index.html

For highest quality conversion, choose the "DSL/Cable Modem" setting in the recording wizard.

In article , Duke writes with this very pen that he holds in his hands...

Thanks, I went to the web site, linked thru two web sites, d/ld it. I set it up. <rant> I do have three problems. First, how do you save a .rm you make? I can't find any way of doing this; as soon as I exit, my vids are gone forever. Secondly, when I managed to load a sample .avi and set it up like you described, it just made this s***ty thing where it seemed to be distorted like a broken TV and it was skewed by about 50 degrees. Do you know what I mean? This also crashed my RealPlayer G2 about 80% of the time when I tried to view it. Thirdly, the RealProducer screen is so huge that to even use it in any manner, I have to put my screen res. to it's max of 1024x768. </rant>

In the recording wizard, after the Video Quality selection screen, there should be an Output File screen, with a default name already entered (if the original file is called Movie.avi, the converted file name would be Movie.rm). I just leave it on the default selection. The new .rm file will be saved in the same directory as the .avi.

Maybe the program isn't recognizing your files as 'legitimate' .avi's? I use a video capture card to make my .avi's, then use a video editing program (MediaStudio Pro) to put them together. I've never had a problem converting them to .rm format.

In the recording wizard, try these settings if you haven't already: for File Type, choose 'Single-rate for Web Servers' for Target Audience, choose 'DSL/Cable Modem' for Audio Format, choose whatever's appropriate for Video Quality, I leave it on 'Normal Motion Video' when you get the 'add your clip to Janus now' screen, I just click on 'Close'.

Yes, the size of the RealProducer screen is determined by the size of the .avi you're working with. If you can, make your .avi's no larger than 320x240 before converting. (My .avi's are 352x240, and the RealProducer screen is just slightly larger than the monitor at 800x600 resolution, but I can still work with it.)

Sorry to hear about all the problems you're having with this. It really is a great program (if you can get it to work for you!) One thing I remember when I first started using it is that the .avi files have to be 24-bit RGB. I think you said in an earlier post you started out with .gif files, which are 8-bit. This may be causing your distorted video. If all else fails, send an e-mail to tech support.

Good Luck!

In article , Duke writes with this very pen that he holds in his hands...

Can you download a 'basic' version of MediaStudio Pro (like RealProducer) or do you have to go out and buy it?

Mine came bundled with my video capture board (Road Runner G-Series for the Matrox Millennium G200). Unfortunately, I don't know of any free or shareware versions of any video editing programs. MediaStudio Pro has a trial version, but it only lets you record 3 seconds of video!

If you can afford it, a capture board is the best way to go. They all come with video editing software. If you don't have the bucks, post a message on a multimedia newsgroup and ask if there's any free video editors out there. Try comp.multimedia.

In article , Duke writes with this very pen that he holds in his hands...

Thanx, I'll try that. Isn't anybody else going to contribute to this thread? :)

You'll need a capture device like Studio 400 or Studio MP10, or similar product. Studio 400 captures video and audio at 160x120 at maximum resolution, with file sizes ranging from 75 to 150 megs for one hour of video (will be less for 22-minute South Park eps). The MP10 captures video and audio at 352x240, with files at 300 to 600 megs for one hour. You can get more info on both of these at the link below.

http://webboard.pinnaclesys.com/cgi-bin/ultimate.cgi

In article , Steve Sutton writes with this very pen that he holds in his hands...

Still about 25 megs, and I still can't afford a dratted CD writer :)

Hey Drew,

Ok I'm not sure if this is entirely true (I ain't done it).

But I think you need a TV encoder or something. It plugs from your VCR into your PC?

I think your best bet is send an e-mail to Chris @ spcentral or perhaps Bernie C or Lando. THey all know their stuff.

Best Wishes,

In article , Millasur writes with this very pen that he holds in his hands...

I may well, Millie boy :). I'll try [email] (if that's what u were trying to say) and could you please tell me the e-mail addresses of BernieC or Lando?

I'll e-mail you. Not nice cos they just get spammed.

Best Wishes,

Millasur ~ Total South Park Webmaster http://www.totalsouthpark.com - Your #1 for South Park on the Net! http://server3.ezboard.com/btotalsouthparkmessageboard91994 - Totalsouthpark.com Message Board

In article , Millasur writes with this very pen that he holds in his hands...

How did you know? :)

Huh? sorry all the old msg just got deleted!

Best Wishes,

Millasur ~ Total South Park Webmaster http://www.totalsouthpark.com - Your #1 for South Park on the Net! http://server3.ezboard.com/btotalsouthparkmessageboard91994 - Totalsouthpark.com Message Board