Newbie question - DVD length/size

[rhegedus]

Hey all,

I've just got my hands on a DRU-500, so I'm trying to learn about ripping to DVDR.

I presume that, like with other media, the amount of video that a DVD can hold is a product of the file length (in minutes) and the video bit rate.

So, in order to fit A Beautiful Mind (130 min) onto a DVD-R (4.7Gb / 120min) I’ve ripped with SmartRipper and re-encoded with ReMpeg2 and authored with IfoEdit. This has worked exactly as the guides have said it would .

However, I’m having problems with Three Kings (111 min). By rights, after stripping out the unnecessary files it should fit onto a DVD-R without having to re-encode. But it doesn’t (4.8G), so does this mean that the bit rate is set higher than normal, in which case I have to re-encode , or have I still left something unnecessary in the rip ?

Regards,

Rob

[JasonK]

It should? How do you figure? A DVD will hold 4.3 (4.7 million bytes). So there's no way 4.8 gig will fit. You can verify you rip out extra audio streams (sometimes several hundred megs) and credits at the end of the movie. If it still doesn't fit, then you have to reencode (compress further) or split to 2 DVDR.

[rhegedus]

I wasn't expecting it to be 4.8G because it was 'only' 111mins long, hence my question about length and bitrate.

Regards,

Rob

[JasonK]

Like you said, it's also a function of bitrate ALSO. So reencoding will lower the bitrate. Regards.

[rhegedus]

This then raises the question whether some DVDs have video files with artificially high bitrates so as to prevent copying without re-encoding (not really a barrier, but definately offputting to someone still using a PIII or equivalent). There must surely be a point at which the increased bitrate is lost on the average TV.

Regards,

Rob

[dc91gt]

This then raises the question whether some DVDs have video files with artificially high bitrates so as to prevent copying without re-encoding (not really a barrier, but definately offputting to someone still using a PIII or equivalent). There must surely be a point at which the increased bitrate is lost on the average TV.

Regards,

Rob

DVD's are encoded with VBR (variable bit rate) - bits are used as needed.
Chances are they figured they'd be over the 4.7 limit with the extras and what not and just set a higher average bit rate for the hell of it.

-d