Maximum video on one DVD

[fmillion]

I have TV shows captured from cable that I wish to burn to DVD. I wish the DVD to be compatible with normal DVD players, most importantly my portable player. The TV captures are pretty low-res with mono audio - 352x240 with 48000 1ch audio. Can someone recommend the lowest bitrate I can encode at and also about how much time that will result in on one DVD? I have Adobe Encore DVD for encoding to AC3 audio as well so consider that. I have also seen DVD VR machines record at 352x240 and fit a lot more video on a disc - how is it done? I'd guess I could maybe even squeeze 8 hours or more on a DVD if I was accepting of low quality - which this footage isn't all that high of quality anyway.

I haven't seen if my portable player will play a "Video CD DVD" but if it does that might be my first step towards high-capacity video on DVD's...But VCD's don't offer the menuing options that DVD Video does.

Flint

[Baldrick]

Convert to low resolution dvds, 352x240 mpeg2 with low bitrates similiar to VCD and you can store about 7hours/dvd. Convert with for example tmpgenc xpress or tmpgenc plus (use the wizard). Then add the mpgs in adobe encore dvd and author....if now encore supports 352x240, if not use something else tmpgenc dvd author ot dvd-lab.

and this is not dvd to dvdr. moving you.

[jimmalenko]

At 'VCD' quality (1150kbps video, 224kbps audio), you can fit a touch over 7 hours on a 4.7GB DVDR. It depends on if squeezing as much time as possible onto a disc is more important than keeping it watchable. How low you should go is really up to you - do some tests at low bitrates and see if the quality is acceptable, or conversely, break out the bitrate calculator and input the amount of time you'd like to fit to disc, then take note of the bitrates suggested and use them.

[mats.hogberg]

VCD video is also DVD compliant, so you can well use the same video material and author as DVD (and get all Video DVD bonuses). This way, 6-7 CD worth of VCD material can be authored on one DVD - more than 8 hours. If you have VCD mpg, TMPGEnc DVD Author will accept it "as is".

/Mats

[Cole]

But VCD's don't offer the menuing options that DVD Video does.

True, but when you author a DVD (with a program like TMPGEnc DVD Author) and the source films are VCD compliant, then you still build a DVD menu in the same way.

[mats.hogberg]

...and it will be a video DVD.

/Mats

[spiderman2k1]

Alot of the newer DVD recorders now have 8 hour mode to record in. For DVD-R.

[mats.hogberg]

Yes, and...?

/Mats