Burning from Library vs. Projects

Question

I'm trying to make quick backup copies of my old 8mm analog tapes. Since iDVD only supports direct to DVD using digital tapes, I import my tapes into iMovie first. The normal procedure would be to move all my library clips into a project file and then share the project to the Media Browser, then open the project in iDVD to prepare for burning. But I noticed that I can skip several steps and simply point to the library clips using iDVD and instantly create a DVD. This seems to work just fine, saves many hours per DVD and doesn't use up valuable space with the project file and media browser output. Does this make sense and is there any reason why someone should not do this? (Remember, I just want a full backup of the original tape. Later, I'll go back to the clips and begin making real movies . . .)

Answer 1

What format are your movies in now, and how did you import them into your computer? If you converted them to digital, did you do it directly into iMovie with a converter? Or did you make miniDV digital tapes first?
You need to make the distinction between burning a data DVD disk in Finder and burning an authored disk in iDVD.
iDVD is a disk-authoring application. It takes your digital media and places in into a project that you can burn to a DVD disk for playback in a computer or a set-top DVD player. All the data burned this way is compressed. The limitation for each disk is based on time-length, not size of the project. If you use a single layer DVD disk, the maximum content allowable is 2 hours, including menu items. Once the media has been burned this way, it would have to be decompressed and extracted to be edited in iMovie, then recompressed to be reburned in iDVD in order to have a burned DVD of the edited movies. This decompression and recompression is not a lossless process, and the quality of your movies will suffer.
What you want to do is burn a DATA DVD disk to store your unedited movies until you can put them into iMovie and edit them. You should do the burn from Finder and not involve iDVD at all in this process. Just put a DVD disk into your drive, locate the movies and drag them onto the DVD icon and then use the 'Burn' command from the Finder to burn the disk. You will need more disks because the movies will be uncompressed; probably getting about 20minutes per single layer disk.
My choice was to record my old VHS and Hi-8 tapes onto miniDV tapes using my digital camcorder and my VHS VCR and my old Hi-8mm camcorder. I keep the miniDV tapes as my raw data. They are small, easy to store and I can import them into iMovie a few at a time as needed to create my movies. I didn't have to create DVD data disks that can warp, melt, crack, get stepped on, spilled on, etc. (Maybe you don't have kids or animals ). I wanted something easier to preserve my video footage. I was afraid that my older VHS tapes would degrade before I was ready to create iMovies with them.
Also, maybe DVDs will go the way of VHS tapes in the future. Having my movies on miniDV tapes allows me or my kids to redo the movies into whatever new format comes along. So I continue to use iMovie HD6 because it allows exporting the finished movie back to my camcorder so that I have the new edited version on mini DV tapes.....as well as on DVDs. I know I am paranoid about saving my movies, but I have had two external hard drives fail, and one main computer drive became damaged. Once you have faced the possible loss of data, you want multiple ways to preserve it!