VCD ---> DVD-R Please help

[creamygoodness]

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately, I need help. I`ve been trying to get some files onto DVD-R from some VCDs I created some time ago. Basically they`re 10 files and rather than spread them across 6 cds I wanted to fit them onto one DVD-R. Initially, I encoded them from VCR source and made VCDs from these, but I`m having trouble making the final disc and I`d appreciate some help on where I`m going wrong.

I used the following tools as advised by someone I know :-
(S)VCD2DVDMPG - To take the original MPEG file and convert them to Elementary streams, mpv and mpa files.
Then I use DVD-Lab 1.1 to Author the original, I read this is able to take SVCD files directly and demux them so they can be burnt onto DVDR, but from what I see, it doesn`t let me get that far. I made a pretty little menu, but when I added the files, it would accept the mpa file no problem, but always crashes when i try to add the mpv file to Movie 1 etc.

I have tried the only other DVD Authoring program I have, Ulead DVD Movie Factory, which seems to take the original MPEGs in OK, but looks like it`ll take about 10 hours to make the final disc (and my PC is P4 2.53Ghz), I know it doesn`t always take that long because I used it to create a DVDR of a holiday video direct from my DV Camcorder and the final DVD was made in just over an hour for that, so I presume its encoding.

Can anyone tell me...
(a) Am I doing anything wrong?
(b) Is there a bug in DVD Lab I don`t know about and is there a patch to fix it?
(c) My friend told me VCD files should be able to be burnt direct to DVDR without any conversion, so why is this so much of a problem?
(d) Can you recommend any ideas so I can get this fixed? Or Any other software you reckon would do the job? Or anything that is like Movie Factory, but a darn sight faster.

Thanks for your help in advance.

[bigbus01]

Creamy,

I created a number of DVDs (mine were +R but it would be the same for -R) from old VCDs I had using TMPG DVD Author. I just copied the .dat files from the VCDs to my hard drive (and renamed the files so I knew what they were) and then put them into DVD Author. You get a chapter for each .dat file.

On my PIII 800 MHz, it took 2 hours to author (the program had to re-encode the audio to 48 kHz) a full DVD. The videos looked the same as they did on VCD (the files were not re-encoded). I got 6 or 7 VCDs on one DVD and now I have menus/chapters for each disk and file. :)

Use the trial version of the software.

Bigbus

[creamygoodness]

Thanks Big Bus, I`ll give that a try.

I`ve used TMPG Encoder before to convert files over, but have never seen a DVD Authoring package by them, I`ll give the demo a try

Cheers!

[Dennis1968]

if you use AC3 audio. you can get 9 hours of VCD video onto a DVD-Video. If have done it many times. It works