Mathing…

Part 1 – Saving Entire TV Programs Recorded in Windows Media Center
Part 2 – Saving a Clip from TV Programs Using Windows Movie Maker

In the Part 1, we looked at some ways to save entire TV recording to be played else where. Even though it’s relatively easy to do (no additional software and difficult technical steps) it has 2 drawbacks.

• Storing Large Files – The files are large, keeping a 2GB (30 min) or 4GB (1 hr) file just for a 10 sec to 30 sec clip is excessive. 50 clips at 2GB each and we’re looking at 100GB. Not a very effective use of disk space. Using a DVD to store it helps clear up some space, but finding a DVD and waiting for the chapters to load is slow, it’s not something we want to do in the middle of a lesson.
• Transferring Large Files – Transferring large files is slow. Burning the data into a Data DVD is slower. Burning the video into a Video DVD is even slower. I used to just transfer these large files to USB flash drives. I bought a 16 GB just for this. My older 2GB USB flash drive couldn’t even hold a single 30 min TV recording.

In this post, we will try to address the 2 drawbacks above. We’ll do this by saving only the relevant clips using Windows Movie Maker, specifically I will cover saving clip to be played on a computer.

Saving a Clip from TV Programs Using Windows Movie Maker

Contents
1. Windows Movie Maker
2. Editing the Clip
3. Saving the Clip

Conclusion

1. Windows Movie Maker

First we launch Windows Movie Maker. Go to Start Menu -> All Programs -> Windows Movie Maker.


Alternatively, the program can be launched by using Windows-R (for Run) and typing moviemk and pressing OK


First thing we need to do is import media. Click on Import Media and select the TV recording.


Once imported the clip should appear as a large icon with filmstrip border.


2. Editing the Clip

Click once on the filmstrip icon and find the clip in the TV recording. I use the slider and just drag until I see the clip. This is to verify that this is the right TV recording and also gives me an idea of where the clip is in the TV recording. The clip I’m looking at is a report on caffeine and pregnancy and it is at around the 20 minute mark.


Since we got the right TV recording, I’ll drag the media (icon with the filmstrip border) to where it says Drag media here in the timeline.


Next I zoom out so I can see the timeline for the entire clip.


The timeline and the clip show like this when done. This will allow me to quickly clip the first 20 minutes and the last 5 minutes quickly.


To clip the TV recording move the mouse over to the left edge of the box in timeline. If the icon doesn’t show up, make sure to scroll all the way to the left. If we zoom out far enough, we should see the entire clip. Notice how the mouse changes to red arrow.


We will press the left mouse button and drag the left edge to near the beginning of the clip which is around the 20 minute mark.


We will repeat the process but this time we will clip the portions of the program after the footage that we want. Watch the video screen on the top right while dragging. It will show the portion of the video that the mouse is over so you know when to end the clip.


At this time the timeline can look bunched in the left. It may be difficult to find the beginning and end of the clip. Zooming in will make this process easier. Once the adjustments are made. Click the play button on top of the timeline to play the final clip. Make any other necessary adjustments and rewind and play until only the portion that you wanted remains.


3. Saving the Clip

Once this is done, it’s time to save the clip. To do this, we click on the Publish Movie icon.


We will save the clip on the computer.


Type in a useful name.


Select DV-AVI (NTSC). I’ve tried the other options, and like with the previous post, I haven’t had luck with them. Sometimes the clips will appear properly, often times the screen is stretched and cropped. The DV-AVI option seems to work for me. Notice how Windows Movie Maker will give an estimate of the filesize. Looks like it’s about 90 MB (compared the 2 GB or 2000 MB for the entire TV recording).


Click on Publish when ready.


When you see this screen, you’re done. There is a checkbox to Play Movie when I click Finish. It is a good idea to make sure your clip works as intended. That it has all the video and audio and the video is not distorted.


It plays on Windows Media Player and I’m done.

Conclusion
The method I used here saves a lot of space. Instead of keeping 2 GB (2000 MB) files of entire TV programs, I keep only a clip of about 90 MB (less than 1% of the original). The downside is that the final video has a resolution of 720×480, not the 1920×1080 resolution of the original recording. For most people, this is good enough. The projector I have has a native resolution of 1024×768 so an HD video would not have made much good. In a 2 GB USB flash drive, I can keep about 20 of 100 MB video clips.

Warning: I must give you a warning here. Once I figured out how to save clips, I started watching TV with a different eye. I’m still watching TV programs, but I’m always thinking about how what I’m watching can be used in the classroom. I’m not sure if I can turn it off.

PS: NBC actually has these clips online. But if you have restricted access or unreliable internet connection, saving the clip may be useful for your lesson.