HELP with IDVD and IMOVIE

alright guys i recorded a fight on my home dvd recorder. I took the dvd and converted the video to mp4. But i can't use it in idvd or imovie. I've been trying to do this for weeks and still can't do it. What do i need to do to be able to work with the mp4 file? How can i convert dvd to dv? Please help i've searched all the forums but nothing. I know imovie supports mp4 but it won't use my file. TIA

I haven't used one of those DVD recorders yet, and I'm assuming you can read the file from the DVD.

You would want to open it in iMovie but likely will have to convert it to DV format. A program such as VCDGearX (http://homepage.mac.com/bauer.w/vcdgearx/) or MPEG Streamclip (www.alfanet.it/squared5) maybe you answer for that. If you can, convert it from the disc file rather than the mp4 file. It may be digital, but multiple conversions does cause quality loss.

By the way, I know iMovie HD 6 can import mpeg4 files. Problem is, the one I imported had no sound due to my digital still camera creating an incompatible sound track. I'm not sure when iMovie allowed importing of mpeg4 files.

Once in iMovie, you'll import the new DV file. It will be much larger than the mp4 file.

Another one to try is ffmpegX available at http://homepage.mac.com/major4/