Problem understanding file size on drive vs svcd size on CD.

[Empress_X]

I have several tv shows I am trying to convert from avi to svcd.

I also have a tv show I have in avi where I was able to find another copy of it online in svcd format already. When the svcd is burned and I play it in my DVD player it is gorgeous ( I imagine the result of having a good source file and really knowing what you are doing ). The svcd data file is 808 megs. Ulead Movie Factory 2 says it is 703 meg on CD and I only have a 702 meg disc but it did successfully burn it.

When I load the avi's directly into Ulead Movie Factory 2, though they are only 127 meg data files, it says it will take 888 meg on a CD. I have read a few posts and howtos on changing the bit rate, so I run the avi through TMPGEnc (lowering the bitrate) and rip the audio and video as separate files. I then mux using TMPGEnc MPEG tools and end up with a file that is smaller than the above mentioned svcd file I have.

When I load that file into MF2 it says it will take 888 megs of CD to burn. In fact I have tried lowering the bitrate more than once and each time the resulting file is smaller. I got the resulting data file down to 702 meg one time, but it still says it will take 888 megs of CD to burn.

Any idea what I am doing wrong? I don't mind being directed to a howto or something else where I can do some more reading. This is getting frustrating though, especially due to the PC downtime involved (PIII 700 w/650 Megs of RAM) and then it doesn't work again.

Also, when I burned the svcd I mentioned above MF2 immediately burned it to disk as an svcd, the ones I convert it spends a long time saying "converting videos". I am not creating true svcd files with TMPGEnce?

Help!!!

[Empress_X]

Anyone have any suggestions?