Creating a Movie DVD Direct from Tape

When you first launch MyDVD, you're presented with three choices. If all you want to do is transfer an existing videotape to DVD, select Transfer Video Direct-to-DVD.

When you select this option, the program opens the Direct-to-DVD Wizard, shown in Figure 35.1. You now work your way through a simple process:

1. Click the Edit Style button to select the style of menus you want on the DVD. (You can also select the No Menus option if you want the movie to play automatically with no startup menu.) You can select different background animations, button styles, and background music for the menu screen. You can also opt for plain or animated buttons.

2. Enter a name for your project.

3. Select a location for the finished projecteither your DVD recorder or a folder on your hard disk, and then click Next.

4. When the next screen appears, choose how often you want to add chapter points (to start new chapters on the disc).

5. Now make sure that your VCR or camcorder is connected to your PC; then click the Start Capturing button and initiate playback on your VCR.

6. When the playback is complete, click the Stop Capturing process.

Figure 35.1. Using MyDVD to create a DVD from an existing videotape.

MyDVD will now start building the new DVD. This can take some time (an hour or more), so be patient! When it's done, your new DVD will be ready to play.