DVDs can also be a good source of educationally meaningful video. However, you should be aware that most commercial DVDs of movies or television shows contain copy-protection encryption, which means that the process of extracting clips described below, only works with DVDs that do not contain this anti-copying technology, as discussed earlier in the section on copyright and educational fair use. The following example demonstrates how video clips from DVDs were used in an educational project on World War II. We used video clips from DVDs containing archival film footage from the war, much of which was in the public domain, but the discs did not contain anti-copying protection.
Extracting a video clip from a DVD is the process of finding and re-recording a particular segment from the disc, rather than making a copy of the entire disc. The program works by finding the start point, the precise place on the disc where you want the video clip to begin and then setting the end point, the precise place on the disc where you want the video clip to end. Once those parameters are selected, the program re-records that segment of the disc, creating a new video file that is a digital copy of the selected segment.
Most DVDs contain different chapters that are sequentially grouped on the disc. You will need to select the chapter that contains the specific clip you want to extract. Most DVD players allow you to turn on an on-screen display which will show numerical information about the disc, including the chapter numbers, so it may be helpful to review the disc on a DVD player with this feature turned on so that you can write down which chapters contain clips you wish to use. A pull down menu under the chapter listing in Cinematize will allow you to select which chapter on the DVD you want to use to extract a clip.
Capturing Video from DVDs with Cinematize
The first step is to select the DVD and determine which clips you would like to extract. Place the DVD in your computer’s DVD drive. Launch Cinematize and the program will open with the following screen.
Click on the Add button and the DVD should be listed as one of the computer’s drives. Double click on the DVD icon.
You should then see the Video_TS folder. Click on this folder and click the Open button.
A series of files should appear and you should select all of these files. Then click the Open button.
Next, select the Video Title Set and click the Select VTS button.
A screen will appear indicating that the DVD is being read.
Once the DVD data has been read, a screen will appear with the first frame of the DVD displayed in the video preview window. In this case, color bars, which were at the beginning of the DVD, are displayed.
Most DVDs contain different chapters that are sequentially grouped on the disc. You will need to select the chapter that contains the specific clip you want to extract. Most DVD players allow you to turn on an on-screen display which will show numerical information about the disc, including the chapter numbers, so it may be helpful to review the disc on a DVD player with this feature turned on so that you can write down which chapters contain clips you wish to use. A pull down menu under the chapter listing in Cinematize will allow you to select which chapter on the DVD you want to use to extract a clip.
When you have selected the correct chapter, you can use the play button or the slider bar so that the desired clip appears in the preview window. You can then set the start point, which is the point where you want the extracted video clip to begin. Make sure that the Start Point button is selected and navigate to the point on the disc where you want the clip to start.
Setting the Start Point
Next, select the End Point button and navigate to the point on the disc where you want the extracted clip to stop.
Setting the End Point
The Cinematize program lets you select from several different options related to the quality of the audio and the video of the file being extracted. To make changes to the quality of the video, click on the Video tab at the top left of the Cinematize window.
You may also make changes to the audio quality by clicking on the Audio tab.
To select the specific file format you would like used for the video file being extracted, click on the Output tab and you can choose between most common digital video file formats, including Quick Time, AVI, MPEG, and others.
When all of the settings have been made, click the Segment tab to return to the preview screen and click the Extract Data button to begin the extraction process.
In the last step, you will be asked to name the video segment and select the location on your computer where you would like the file to be saved.
When you click the Save button, a progress bar will appear indicating that the video clip is being scanned, then extracted and saved in the location you chose.
The extraction process should now be complete and you can navigate to the location on your computer where the video clip was saved. It should be playable with a media player that supports the file type you selected, in this case, a Quick Time file that plays with Apple’s free Quick Time player.
