Limits on DVD Shrink and Rebuilder

[barry_w2]

I am trying to decide the best way to put various sporting events on DVDs. These vary in length and I think it is possible that for different lengths different tools might give me the best results.

It would appear DVD Shrink struggles to reduce a file much more than 3 hours 30 min in length at SP to 4.7 GB.

Similarly although DVD Rebuilder does reduce files around 4 hrs 45 mins to 4.7 GB in actual fact it starts reducing them to 4.2 GB or less meaning there is considerable loss of quality.

Does anyone know the exact limits which are presumably an exact number of bytes similar to the number of bytes you can load to a DVD which I understand is 4,707,319,308.

[rkr1958]

Similarly although DVD Rebuilder does reduce files around 4 hrs 45 mins to 4.7 GB in actual fact it starts reducing them to 4.2 GB or less meaning there is considerable loss of quality.

4.2GB = 4.2 GB x 1024 MB/GB x 1024 KB/MB x 1024 bytes/KB = 4,509,715,661 bytes.

Also, if you're compressing almost 5-hours to a single layer DVD I'd go with half-D1 (352 x 240) resolution.

[kush]

Neither of the tools you mentioned will ever fill the media to 100% capacity..Why, you may ask? Because even the best of blank media will have burn quality issues at the outermost edges..Granted, you're less likely to have issues with Taiyo, Verbatim, and other quality MID's vs. the likes of CMC, but still.. DVD-RB, by default shoots for 4.32GB (not the just over 4.38GB max [or 4.7G if you prefer - just the diff btwn bits and bytes]); and there is a hidden setting in the rebuilder.ini file which you can ADD to force RB to shoot for any size you wish, ie: scale back futher from 4.32 or go chock full to 4.38.

Anyway, thread @ Doom9's DVD-RB forum re: the .ini setting..Remember, it's a 'hidden' setting for a reason..Be SURE you want to use it (or are willing to experiment & possibly screw it up) before you fiddle witht he .ini --- http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=115257&highlight=targetsectors.

Besides the point, 2.7% - the difference between your target and RB's output isn't a 'considerable' loss of quality..Although it's bound to be more noticeable on your source as you say your stuffing 3.5-5 hours on each disc correct? If I were you I'd DEFINATELY do the 1/2 D1 as previously suggested..Anything over 3 hours and the bitrate goes to low for decent full D1..And there's others that wouldn't go over even 1 hour without doing so, but they're not me ..Again, the source plays a role in all of this - GIGO [garbage in garbage out] - if you start with DVD sources, or properly converted HD sports events, it would be easier to convert than say a little league game recorded on a crappy handycam. Which brings me to another point..

You didn't state the source of your footage? HDTV captures, DVDs released by some sports outfit, kids little league game shot on the b&m electronics store bought Sony Handycam? The reason I mention this is simple (kinda!)..The encoder used by RB with have a much easier time allocating video bits to a quality HD source for example than a typical user cam shot kids game (while looking good [subjective] and not getting all blocky)..It's going to have a harder time dealing with the extra noise, the shaking from being moved around so much and the like. AFAIK no AFFORDABLE consumer level cam has image stabilization worth a damn. On a similar subject here (I could be totally off base maybe a cam and/or encoding guru could clear this up), if a handycam source, perhaps DVD-RB is having problems hitting the size target much in the same way as it is to get a 'quality' encode -- due to the noise and/or shakyness of the footage that I mentioned before.. Having issues allocating bits due to the widely varying quality of the video frames it's trying to encode.

Also, you didn't say what ENCODING MODE you used...Multi-pass VBR (max 2 unless you use the ~$2000 CCE SP/SP2), or OPV/1pass VBR? If OPV/1pVBR, that's probably your calprit right there. There's only so close an encoder will get pulling a birate size out of a hat..It needs to do a 1st pass to collect info for the video to properly allocate to the entirety.

Now, with all that BS out of the way, I'd throw another suggestion your way..A movie only (using DVD Shrink) cut of PORTIONS of your source, ie: split each 5 hours onto 2 discs..Set in/out point for each disc which encompass 1/2 of your disc and output. Also, there's a split disc function in DVDRemake (+ DVD Remake Pro) - my favorites for splitting/joining discs, but not free like Shrink. Back to the Shrink method though..You could either let it Shrink the resulting 1/2's itself (assuming there is any to be done), or set it no compression, and go back to DVD-RB and do a proper encode.

/rambling off - Hopefully I'm not totally pulling stuff out of my a** here, and you get what I'm trying to say...