Tivo Demo - NeroVision Express

Making DVDs is best explained as two seperate processes. Process one is editing your source shows. The second process is gathering your edited shows together, creating spiffy little menus, and burning the final product to disc. For this particular walk-thru, I'll show you just one of the many ways to put together a DVD using NeroVision Express 3.

Nero can and will import Tivo files directly... most of the time. I prefer to work with raw mpegs, created with DirectShow Dump, to make sure they go in and save a few minutes over Nero's conversion process. Even if you don't free your mpeg, Nero is still faster than Sonic. Cheaper too if you already own it or find an OEM copy on Amazon or Ebay. If you're not particular about commercials, or just don't feel like spending the time on editing, you can jump straight to the Authoring Disks section. PS Meritline has the best deals on DVD media.

Editing Shows

1. Launch NeroVision Express
This can be done via Start > Programs > Nero > Nero Digital > NeroVision Express or through Nero's Express Console if you can find it. Click on Make Movie.

2. Browse for Media
Click first on the Browse for Media icon and then click Browse and Add to Project. Navigate to My Tivo Recordings. Click the Files of Type drop down and select All Files. Double-click the show you'd like to work with. The import process will take a minute or two. Once complete, you should see the first frame of your show in the left hand editing window and a thumbnail in the asset window.

3a. Remove Commercials - Trim Beginning and End
Directly under your show is a blue timeline bar. The arrow on the left side is your Start Marker and the arrow on the right side is your End Marker. Depending on what your Tivo recorded, you may have commercials or other show content you want to remove. By clicking and dragging the Start Marker, you can adjust where your video segment will begin. Likewise, you can drag the End Marker to adjust where your video segment ends. For finer control click the Marker you want to manipulate, then click the up or down arrows to the right of the timer which will move your position in one second increments.

3b. Remove Commercials - Cut Content
To enter cut mode, click on the scissors icon under your timeline. Your Start and End Markers have been replaced with Cut Markers for the beginning of your cut and the end of your cut. By sliding these markers around you specify the area of content to be cut from your clip. As with the previous step, you can use the timer arrows for fine control. It's easiest to work the commercials chronologically. Once you're satisfied with the edit, click the scissors icon again.

3c. Remove Commercials - Rinse, Repeat
Toward the bottom of your screen is the Storyboard area. Each time you cut or split video, a new clip will appear here. For example, the first clip is everything up to the beginning of that commercial you just cut out while the second clip is everything after the commercial. To continue editing out commercials, click on the next clip to make it active. Repeat the steps above utilizing the scissor icon to cut commercials. Repeat as neccessary. You can get fancy and add effects to begin, end, or transition between clips - though we'll save that for the advanced class.

4. Generate Video File
When you're satisfied with the edits, click on the Export button on the bottom of the screen. This will essentially compile the video with your custom edits prepped for burning. I suggest leaving DVD as your export template with the default settings. You may want to click on the ellipse button to change the directory where you edited video will be saved. Click Export and wait. Your time will vary depending on several factors including the type of source file you used (tivo vs mpeg), show quality, show legnth, and your computer hardware.

Authoring Disks (coming soon!)