I need a very good converter

[JRyan2K]

I thought I should ask for your opinions on which program is a really good converter. I want to convert my .avi files to either MPEG-2 so that I can convert to DVD and burn, or convert straight to DVD....but I'm looking for a program that won't give me such a large file size. I mean, using TMPGEnc, it converted a 170MB vid to over 650MB. I don't know if that is just something that has to be dealt with or if there is a program that can handle the size better and still deal out high quality. I don't mind it taking a long time to convert or encode, what really bugs me is only being able to get like 4 video files on one DVD because the files are so large. I'm running WinXP on an HP, so I can't run any programs that were written for MAC (just so no one recommends any programs for that OS). If anyone can please help me, I'll appreciate it greatly. Thanks in advance.

[jimmalenko]

File size is totally dependant on bitrate - nothing more, nothing less. http://members.dodo.net.au/~jimmalenko/AVI2DVD.htm provides guidance for using a bitrate calculator, as well as selecting an appropriate frame size for that bitrate. It then follows through the conversion process using TMPGEnc Plus.

[daamon]

File size is totally dependant on bitrate - nothing more, nothing less.

Not forgetting the running time too...

But as you're talking individual files, then the running time is fixed and so only the bitrate used in encoding will be the influencing factor - I'm guessing that's where jimmalenko was coming from...

@ JRyan2K

For example: if the running time was the same for two files, then a bitrate of 4,000 on one would produce a file half the size of the other if the second was encoded at 8,000.

The same applies the other way around: Two files encoded at the same bitrate, the one running for half the time of the other would have a file half the size too.

[diat150]

sounds like what is happening is you have a divx or xvid avi and when you try and convert it to mpeg 2 you see a huge increase in file size because mpeg 2 isnt as compressable and the bit rate needs to be higher for good quality. I may be wrong though, but it seems like that is what is happening.

[jimmalenko]

But as you're talking individual files, then the running time is fixed and so only the bitrate used in encoding will be the influencing factor - I'm guessing that's where jimmalenko was coming from...

Good to see you were able to raise yourself up to my level ...

[Chronic]

I have fit about 10, 22 mins videos on one DVD I use WinAvi I do quality as high , then proforamce by speed The files come out to be 500-700(i don't remember if it is that high) megs each as vobs . Then i use DVD Shrink to transcode them to about 400 megs or less each. I like Winavi because it does a great job of encoding with little artifacting and it is fast encoder

[JRyan2K]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations and help...I think I'll try that DVDShrink out and see if i have any luck. I have another question tho, last night I made a DVD with 4 small clips to see how much i needed to compensate for my TV's overscan and it looks like I'll need 40 pixel black bars on every side of my video to have the entire video show on screen. I was resizing the video to 720X480, with the actual video of it being resized to 640X400 with the remaining space being the black bars on each side. Before I try this idea I had, I thought I should ask about it...if I set the size of the actual video to 640X400 (having no black bars inserted at all), will I probably still end up with overscan on my TV? Or should I just stay sizing it to 720X480 and having the 40 pixels of black space on each side? It just seems to me that there is all that space being wasted up in the file, you know? Someone let me know what I should do, before I try it and end up making a DVD that won't be like I want it to be.