Trying to understand different movie files

Fairly new to working with movies and movie files on my Macbook. In the finder under all movies, I have several different file types from converting VHS tapes, downloads and quick movies taken with a digital camera. I have mp4, avi, eyetv, mov and dv file types. Is there a tutorial on all these different types and how to work with them more easily under one file type. I'd like to be able to edit them all, possibly post them to social networking sites and save to DVD eventually.
Today, I was trying to save a DVD of some of old home movies to the computer hard drive and couldn't figure it out. It plays no problem with iDVD and I was able to create a dmg file from disk utility to try and save it but am stuck at what to do next. Thanks for any info on this and how to work with all the different movie file types. Any URL with a support article would be great...Thanks.

Several of the file formats you mention are basically 'containers' that can contain video content compressed with many different CODECS.
DV is a well defined format that should be supported by the iLife applications.
eyeTV files need to be converted by the Elgato eyeTV software into a format that can be used by the iLife applications (there is an option under Export in that software).
Most MOV files should be supported, since it's basically an Apple 'container'.
AVI is mostly a Windows 'container' and some of the used CODECS work with a Mac, others don't.
MP4 files come in many CODEC 'flavors'; not all of which are easily edited.
One useful application for converting 'problem' video files into something that can be used in the iLife applications is the free MPEG Streamclip that can be found at http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html .
It might be easier for us to help you if you write about one problem file at a time; then we can ask questions specific to that format.

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