How much mpeg can fit onto a DVD

[vcd_user]

I want to backup a number of VCDs onto a DVD without loosing a lot of picture quality. I also need to play each VCD as chapter on my DVD player.
I used VCDgrear to convert the .Dat file on the VCD to mpg. Each mpg file is about 460 Meg. Since a DVD is 4.7 G, I expect that I can put close to 10 VCDs on a DVD.

I used Nero 6 and use the option "create your own DVD video". First I added 8 mpg file to the project, it complained that the number of mpg files is too much for the DVD. I started to remove mpg file from my project. I am down to 4 , it is still complaining that it is too much.

One thing I did notice is NERO said that my DVD is 4G and I need 4.15G when I am down to 4 mpg files. I think it will work if I bring it down to 3 mpg files. But I want to know if I am doing it right before I continue down the path. I definitely feel that a DVD should take more than 3 450Meg mpg files.

1. I think DVD-R are 4.7 G, any idea why NERO says it is 4G
2. Why DVD require so much more space , 4 mpg file of 450 Meg each is only about 1.8G ?
3. Is my method of doing this correct ? Is there any other suggestion that I can do this easier and faster ?

[jimmalenko]

I wouldn't use Nero to author, because it sounds like it's trying to re-encode. I'd use TMPGEnc DVD Author and just drop your MPEGs into this (it will convert the audio to 48KHz, but that's all it will change).

See this sticky for more information.

[vcd_user]

Thanks for the suggestion. However I like to use whatever software I already licnesed or use freeware, if there is any available, before spending money on another software.

[lacywest]

I wouldn't use Nero to author, because it sounds like it's trying to re-encode. I'd use TMPGEnc DVD Author and just drop your MPEGs into this (it will convert the audio to 48KHz, but that's all it will change).

See this sticky for more information.

After you've done that ... and the project is too big to fit on a DVD-5 ... use DVD Rebuilder 0.66 ... to make it smaller ... notice I didn't say compress.

Want to compress ... use DVD Shrink, Nero Recode ... etc ... etc ... but quality wont be as good ... use DVD Rebuilder to maintain good quality.

[jimmalenko]

Thanks for the suggestion. However I like to use whatever software I already licnesed or use freeware, if there is any available, before spending money on another software.

TMPGEnc DVD Author has a free 30 day fully-functional trial, so it won't kill you to try it

[monzie]

After you've done that ... and the project is too big to fit on a DVD-5 ... use DVD Rebuilder 0.66 ... to make it smaller ... notice I didn't say compress.

Why didnt you say COMPRESS? Is there another way?

[bugster]

I wouldn't use Nero to author, because it sounds like it's trying to re-encode. I'd use TMPGEnc DVD Author and just drop your MPEGs into this (it will convert the audio to 48KHz, but that's all it will change).

See this sticky for more information.

After you've done that ... and the project is too big to fit on a DVD-5 ... use DVD Rebuilder 0.66 ... to make it smaller ... notice I didn't say compress.

Want to compress ... use DVD Shrink, Nero Recode ... etc ... etc ... but quality wont be as good ... use DVD Rebuilder to maintain good quality.

DVD Rebuilder WILL compress, by re-encoding. DVDshrink etc compress by transcoding. Subtle difference but still compression.

@vcd_user: To put VCD onto DVD, the video is fine, you just need to re-sample the audio to 48khz. After tha you need an authoring package that will accept these mpegs, not re-encode and not convert the audio to PCM. I don't know what Nero does in this respect, perhaps you can use it by changing some settings, but TmpGenc DVD Author & DVD-Lab are 2 tools that will do what you need. Both are trialware.

[lacywest]

I wouldn't use Nero to author, because it sounds like it's trying to re-encode. I'd use TMPGEnc DVD Author and just drop your MPEGs into this (it will convert the audio to 48KHz, but that's all it will change).

See this sticky for more information.

After you've done that ... and the project is too big to fit on a DVD-5 ... use DVD Rebuilder 0.66 ... to make it smaller ... notice I didn't say compress.

Want to compress ... use DVD Shrink, Nero Recode ... etc ... etc ... but quality wont be as good ... use DVD Rebuilder to maintain good quality.

DVD Rebuilder WILL compress, by re-encoding. DVDshrink etc compress by transcoding. Subtle difference but still compression.

@vcd_user: To put VCD onto DVD, the video is fine, you just need to re-sample the audio to 48khz. After tha you need an authoring package that will accept these mpegs, not re-encode and not convert the audio to PCM. I don't know what Nero does in this respect, perhaps you can use it by changing some settings, but TmpGenc DVD Author & DVD-Lab are 2 tools that will do what you need. Both are trialware.

DVD Shrink will shrink/compress and it's a freeware program

When I use DVD Rebuilder I use CCE 2.5 ... and it is not free [or is it ?? ... depends] CCE 2.5 can cost $2000 bucks

The difference in price is not subtle.

DVD Rebuilder is recommended for movies over 2 Hours ... especially some of the ones I have ... 3 hours in length ... adult movies ... LOTR ... etc.

Read the reviews and reports on DVD Rebuilder ... it is the best ... but takes about 4 hours to re-encode a DVD video.

Just start the program and go to bed ... when you get up in the morning you will have a beautiful copy of your favorite DVD movie. You can even include the DTS audio with the Dolby Digital audio ... Too ! !

[thecoalman]

And to answer how much, Using Media studio Pro and a black video with silent audio on the lowest possible seetings MSP will allow I can get about about 60 hours.

[bugster]

When I use DVD Rebuilder I use CCE 2.5 ... and it is not free [or is it ?? ... depends] CCE 2.5 can cost $2000 bucks

The difference in price is not subtle.

DVD Rebuilder is recommended for movies over 2 Hours ... especially some of the ones I have ... 3 hours in length ... adult movies ... LOTR ... etc.

Read the reviews and reports on DVD Rebuilder ... it is the best ... but takes about 4 hours to re-encode a DVD video.

Just start the program and go to bed ... when you get up in the morning you will have a beautiful copy of your favorite DVD movie. You can even include the DTS audio with the Dolby Digital audio ... Too ! !

I wasn't commenting on the quality difference you may see with DVD Rebuilder and DVDShrink, just your use of the term compress. Both compress, just that one achieves compression by transcoding and the other does it by re-encoding. I agree that esp for longer movies/larger degree of compression, re-encode will produce better quality, so DVD rebuilder is one way of doing this.

[ronnylov]

Sidenote: DVD Rebuilder may also transcode if using it with ReJig, and it may also use only freeware to re-encode if using it with QuEnc.

A DVD is only around 4 700 000 000 bytes which means if you calculate like Microsoft that one kilobyte is 1024 bytes and one megabyte is 1024 kilobytes then you can only fit around 4482 megabytes on one DVD. You may only fit 9 discs if each contains 460 MB (but normally a full VCD is 800 MB).

You need to change audio sampling frequency to 48 kHz when traqnsferring VCD to DVD. VCD audio is encoded at 224 kbit/s. You can save some space by encoding the audio to a lower bitrate and this way you still may be able to fit all 10 VCD files on a DVD.

[mats.hogberg]

You need to change audio sampling frequency to 48 kHz when traqnsferring VCD to DVD.

The reason for using TMPGEnc DVD Author/DVD-Lab to author VCD as DVD, is that both apps realize that the video is fine and shouldn't be touched, the audio does need resampling, and does this for you.

/Mats