Sorry Michelle, but my needs are simpler than yours (don't need to cut commercials).  Mine was merely to easily convert ms-dvr files.  However, many in this thread have mentioned a plethora of programs should convert and edit.  A consensus of this thread seems to be a combo of VideoRedo to convert file type and edit commercials combined with Nero Vision as a burner.  Note it's still 3 programs (MCE, Redo, Nero), but it seems to be as simple as it gets these days. 

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running an emachines t6024 with windows xp and media center 2005, cyberlink powerdvd6, sonic encoders - 1 gig ram

Re sonic encoders, I've found something interesting.  I thought my OEM (Emachines) simply forgot to install them.  But a system search revealed a Sonic cab file in C:\Components folder.  In the cab are same files that sonicencoders.msi installed.  There is also a text file stating:  "The currently installed driver for the S3 Sonic Vibes audio controller is not compatible with Microsoft Windows XP and will be disabled during the upgrade".  I'm assuming, from this, that installing sonic encoders on XP machines could lead to trouble down the road? 

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running an emachines t6024 with windows xp and media center 2005, cyberlink powerdvd6, sonic encoders - 1 gig ram

Re Sonic Encoders......... After much searching I finally located the mythical sonicencoders  (many thanks to bugsy)  installed them and the DVD video option appeared!!!  All seemed well I selected a movie to encode and away it went .  Although very slow it seemed to do the job until I tried to play the dvd,  it played ok but only in a very odd aspect the picture fills the screen top to bottom but only across the centre third.
The zoom controls on the mce machine or the standard telly can get the pic to fill the screen correctly!!! 

Any ideas to fix this anyone???!!!!   :)

Sorry, I didn't have the time to go through the last 10 pages.  Has anyone suggested Pegasys' Tsunami DVD Author (2.0) yet?

One stop solution - converts DVR-MS files to MPEG-2, burns to DVD, support for dual core PCs, menus with motion chapters.  Pretty slick features!

I tried Nero, Sonic, Ulead, and Sony. I found Tsunami to be the easiest to use, and with some decent features.

They have a 18MB trial download at their site - check it out.

Here's what I've had the most success with:

1.  Edit commercials and create mpeg with VideoRedo

2.  Open, chapterize, menuize, burn DVD with Nero Vision 4 (if file is too big, I burn an image to disc and go to step 3.)

3.  If needed, DVD Shrink and burn DVD.

 

I have tried editing with Dcut and/or edit/burning with Nero, but I had sync issues until I downloaded the latest Nero update a few weeks ago.  But even with Nero, I never have liked Nero's video conversion of the dvr-ms file.  Seems like Nero converted mpeg2 created some weird reoccuring horizontal interlacing lines that I couldn't seem to get rid of.  So I have stuck with VideoRedo.

I have used Graphedit, but I really like the control that VR has.

I have noticed that recording 2hrs NTSC in best quality settings tends to create video larger than a regular DVD and Nero Vision 4 can't automatically resize it.  However, with ATSC recordings, Nero can resize it.  Weird eh?

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Dell XPS 400: P2.8 Dual Core - 1GB RAM - 250GB SATA - ATI x300se Hypermemory - SB Audigy 2 ZS - Angel TVT3 Dual NTSC - Dvico HDTV5 RT Lite ATSC - InFocus SP5000 720p Projector

I've used all sorts of software to burn dvrms files to a dvd and all seem to hang at a particular percentage.  And this is even for files that I haven't edited.  I use to be able to burn an unedited dvrms but now whether or not i've edited out the commercials or keep them in, the burning process hangs (or seemingly takes forever) at some point.  Has anyone experienced this?  I'm quite frustrated.

Software I've used:

Create CD/DVD from within MCE, ClicktoDVD, NeroVision, and Cyberlink MakeDVD

DVRMSToolbox and dCut (to edit)

I have tried every thing but still get the file type not supported error, i don't understand why Microsoft don't do anything to correct this error, only thing i haven't tried is to buy prime time deluxe instead of the sonicencoder. It seams for me tat 50% of the MCE users have this problem, and a data DVD isn't fore much use in a DVD player. Hope this gets better in Vista 

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Vista home
TV pack 2008
Zalman 160 plus
Asus P5E-VM
Intel cor 2 duo
Pioner BDL-S02 blue ray
Hauppauge Nova TD 500

To guys who want to burn dvr-ms files to DVD:

Just download AVS video tools to have a try. It can convert dvr-ms and burn to DVD movie. It can also rip DVD, convert video, create DVD, edit videos.

http://www.dvd-tool.com/convert-dvr-ms.html

 

I've gotten a few PM's about the original post and the question being asked at the end. I can't really diagram it for you because I don't have an MCE any more. It was a blast buiding the thing back when MCE was new and nobody had driver files for anything and everything was basically a hack but it got old as more and more third parties jumped on the bandwagon.

Anyway, I spent a few minutes doing some research and can add the following information. The only way you could have problems with steps 6 and 7 are possibly that you don't have the Cyberlink mux and dump filters installed. The only way I know to get them is in a program called autodvrconvert. You can search for it on google or on TGB. The download links still worked as of today. Register the filters and you should be good to go.

When you open graphedit and capture MCE's graph (steps 1 - 5) the source file filter will be on the left, the audio and video decoders will be next in line to the right and the output filters will be on the right. You want to remove the output filters from the graph. Then you want to add the mux filter and dump filter to the graph. Then you connect the source file filter back to the decoders just the way it was when you first captured the graph from MCE. You connect the audio decoder to the audio input pin of the mux. You connect the video decoder to the video input pin of the mux. You connect the output pin of the mux to the dump filter. I don't remember but I think you have to go into the properties of the dump filter and add your path and filename. Either that or it prompts you.

Note that you can also use a DIVX filter or a WMV filter or whatever as the final output filter instead of the dump filter.

After messing with this for a few months I finally ended up just using a capture card like a VCR. The quality met my needs. I also played with several virtual VCR software packages and they all worked to varying degrees with my mce150's.

If you're having problems burning a PAL recording inside mediacenter using Sonic Solutions Burn Engine (application stops after approx. 4%), use the following method:

1. Uninstall the Sonic Solutions Burn Engine:
Start->Control Panel->Add or Remove Programs->Add/Remove Windows Components. Uncheck the box next to Sonic DVD and CD Burning and click Next.
2. Reboot.
3. Insert the Mediacenter install CD2, and extract the following file: D:\CMPNENTS\MEDIACTR\I386\SONIC.CAB (right click and choose extract to /SONIC directory).
4. Download: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=327035e8-5494-4a26-ba8a-24c1296d70bb&displaylang=en  (filename: 894553_xpmce_sp2_x86_us.exe). Extract this file to the same directory as above (/SONIC). When prompted to overwrite a file, say yes.  
5. Reinstall the Sonic Solutions Burn Engine:
Start->Control Panel->Add or Remove Programs->Add/Remove Windows Components. Check the box next to Sonic DVD and CD Burning and click Next.
6. Wndows will now prompt you for the right driverfiles. When prompted for each file direct Windows to the /SONIC directory.
7. Reboot.

/Mike

I've tried the sonic encoders (from the HP site) and MyDVD version 8 and I have the same problem.  I'm using NVidia PureVideo v 2.23 and can now select to burn a video dvd in MCE 2005.  But at about 30% it hangs.  I'm talking about HDTV (ATSC?) recorded files which are in the 3 to 6 GB range.  I haven't tried this with NTSC dvr-ms files.  MyDVD hangs pretty much right away.  I have .5 GB of memory and both SBEServer.exe (the sonic one) and MyDVD are page fragmenting to death but I still  have free memory left.

CONVERT DVR-MS to CD/DVD with one program

I found a tool that does everything, converts any file format including dvr-ms to any other format, it even burns to cd / dvd in any format you like. The best program from start to finish, easy to use, no messing about, user friendly.......
(Don't think it works to well with already converted files using DVRedit)

Total Video Converter 3.0

http://www.effectmatrix.com/total-video-converter/

Hey Squale,

 

well check this link out and all your dreams are answered.

As many forums will suggest the dvr-ms files are a pain for many.

From what i know the early mce editions included (sonicencoders.msi) which encodes the format to dvd format playable in most dvd players.Yet know the mce 2005 is not included but.....check this link out its genuine :http://www.ukshazam.com/index.php?topic=5.0

Here you will find a zip download of sonic enc msi i trialled it and it does as it suggest. New option is added to your create dvd window that is not just data dvd.The recording is simple prompts are easy to follow.Also on trial sonic bypassed copywrite tv and hdtv all is now heaven.

Goodluck

rc01

I have just joined this community.  But I have a nice DVD-burner SW which can import dvr-ms files directly.  You can even remove commercial and finetune startup and endings. 
The software was bundled with some hardware and is called InterVideo WinDVD.

Regards OJ

I have the same problem and my research suggests that sonicencoder.msi is a compressor /decompressor (codec) that is installed into the system and then will allow MCE to write MPeg 2 out of dvr-ms files.  Rather like mp3's will not play untill a codec is installed and the same with div X.

Dell and HP ship it with their versions of Media Centre but the others do not.  Vega and Moviemaker will include it when they come out and Sonic DVD writing programmes also include it.

But I am still struggling to get it and am no better qualified to find it than anyone else.  Where can we get sonicencoder.msi

What a rip-off  heh.