Coverted file gets so big. Why

[Joa]

I'm converting a 250 mb avi file to make a VCD and it ends up over 800 mb as an mpeg. I've chosen videocd NTSC. very low quality and 16:9 625 pal. What am I doing wrong? I want it smaller!
The properties of the file are: 320 x 240, 24 Bits, 151719 Frames, 29.970 Frames/Sec, 50 KB/Sec, MS-MPEG4 V2

//Jocke

[Dhruv]

Lower the bitrate in your settings.

[Vejita-sama]

The thing you have to understand is that the size of the source has NO EFFECT on the size on the encoded MPEG. The MPEG file size is 100% dependant on the bitrate you use (video and audio).

The standard VCD bitrate is video=1150kbit/s and audio=224kbit/s. Notice that that's per second. So it's the runtime of the sorce that determines size.

At the standard VCD bitrate, 1min=10MB. So a 60min clip will encode to a 600MB MPEG. As you burn x(S)VCD as mode2 data a 74min CDR holds 740MB of data, and an 80min CDR holds 800MB of data.

If you lower the bitrate you can get more runtime per CDR, but the quaility goes down. Raise the bitrate and the quaility goes up, but ther runtime per CDR goes down.

Take a look under the Tools section to the left at the vcdhelp.com bitrate calculator, and play with the settings to get an idea/feel for everything.