How long does it take to make a DVD? 19 hrs seems long!

[siratfus]

I was working with Pinnacle Studio 9... Add all my mpeg files, did all my text and transitions, background picture for the menu and background mp3 for the menu. I'm compiling a bunch of mpeg 1 onto a dvd. It took up a little less than 4 gigs. Everything seem so easy... then when I click to burn to dvd... I guess there is some encoding process and you can actually see your mpeg files in slow motion, there is a count down timer which says 19 hours!! Is this right???? Is it normal to take a whole day to a make a dvd? Is it because I'm running a dinosaur? I have a p3 866 mhz and 512 worth of sdram....
When I get my p4 for 3.2 ghz and 1 gb of ddr ram... Will that improve the process?? Please advise, I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or if I indeed need new computer.

[johns0]

Encoding time will be much faster but the mpg files that are being re-encoded are they mpg1 cause they if they are they dont need to be put thru that long process.Can you give some details on what the mpg files that you are authoring.

[BobK]

19 hours is about right. I started out (a year ago) using Studio 8 with a P3 850 and 256 meg of sdram. It took 20-21 hours to encode and compile 4 gig of video for a DVD.

Shortly after that I went to an Athlon 2 Ghz chip with 512 of DDR. That cut it down to about 6 hours. I'd guess if you go to a P4 3.2 Ghz it'll be under 4 hours.

If you're going to be working on a lot of video and are willing to give up a slight bit of quality for a major decrease in time, I'd suggest you capture directly to DVD compliant mpeg and use different authoring software. I now use a Snazzi III PCI card to capture and author with either TMPGEnc DVD Author or Power Producer 2.0. Instead of 6 hours it takes about 15 minutes.

[siratfus]

19 hours is about right. I started out (a year ago) using Studio 8 with a P3 850 and 256 meg of sdram. It took 20-21 hours to encode and compile 4 gig of video for a DVD.

Shortly after that I went to an Athlon 2 Ghz chip with 512 of DDR. That cut it down to about 6 hours. I'd guess if you go to a P4 3.2 Ghz it'll be under 4 hours.

If you're going to be working on a lot of video and are willing to give up a slight bit of quality for a major decrease in time, I'd suggest you capture directly to DVD compliant mpeg and use different authoring software. I now use a Snazzi III PCI card to capture and author with either TMPGEnc DVD Author or Power Producer 2.0. Instead of 6 hours it takes about 15 minutes.

I don't need to capture. THese are mpeg files already ripped on my computer, they are ripped from vcds. So I guess they are mpeg 1? I don't want to reduce quality, I guess I'll put off this project till I get my 3.2 ghz.

[scottoinkingsburg]

If the video is from a VCD the video is MPEG-1. The screen resolution on a NTSC VCD is 352x240. Please realize that NTSC DVD files are in MPEG-2 at a 720x480 resolution. Do not expect to get good quality video out of this. Also do not rely on Studio 9 so much. I have studio 8, and only use it to capture video from my camcorder. Other than that, as a program it is a P.O.S. I heard 9 is better, but invest in Adobe Premiere or AIST. I would try Virtualdub MPEG to open the mpeg file and resize the video to 720x480 and save it as an avi, then use TMPEG Encoder to make the video a DVD compliant MPEG-2 file. Your video will still probably look like junk considering your source video file is coming from a resolution that is a quarter of the screen size of a compliant DVD screen size.

[johns0]

Use a dvd authoring program such as tmpgenc dvd author if the files are mpg1(vcd) cause you wont have to re-encode the mpgs cause they are already dvd compliant,the only thing is the audio will need to be resampled to 48khz which tmpgenc dvd author will do for you,this will save you many hours if thats the case.Dvd files can be 720x480/576 mpg2,352x480/576 mpg2 and 352x240/288 mpg1.

[lordsmurf]

If the video is from a VCD the video is MPEG-1. The screen resolution on a NTSC VCD is 352x240. Please realize that NTSC DVD files are in MPEG-2 at a 720x480 resolution.

The DVD spec is much larger than you think.

As long as the sequence headers are present, then MPEG1 at a range of up to 1856k CBR is compliant DVD video.

You can let that freeware program MPEGSequenceMaker (I think that's the name) make seq headers if they're missing. TMPGENC DVD author will convert the audio for you.

Don't use Studio 7/8/9 for anything other than a drink coaster. Pinnacle is only a "pinnacle of crap" in the software department.

[pete2828]

you can have mpeg1 or mpeg2 files at the vcd resolution for DVDs. I would use any authoring program like rejig or dvdauthorgui to author the dvd then just burn.

You will need to upsample the audio, I am pretty sure some programs do this

[siratfus]

Thanks for all your help! A little over my head but I'm trying.

For those suggesting TMPGENC DVD author , does this have program give you transition effects and writing in titles? And it won't take 19 hrs??

Well, I download it and I couldn't get it going. Everytime I try to open my mpeq-1 files it says , A VIDEO SEQUENCE HEADER IS NECESSARY FOR EVERY GOP, etc........

So I took the advice of using MpegSequencer.. All you have to do is open the mpeg-1 file in the INPUT FILE BOX right? However, when I go to my mpeg folder, it's EMPTY. The program doesn't see any of my mpeg files.

TMPGENC DVD AUTHOR sees the files, they just won't take it because it has no sequence header. Yet MPEGSEQUENCER doesn't even see my files, so how can I use it to make the headers? I'm going in circles!!!

[DVD_Ripper]

I thought the last time I used Studio V8 that it did not re-encode compliant MPEG's ... so the only time it needed to encode was for transitions and titles.

Has that changed with V9... or is that version recognizing the MPEG1's as non-compliant?

[lordsmurf]

Thanks for all your help! A little over my head but I'm trying.

For those suggesting TMPGENC DVD author , does this have program give you transition effects and writing in titles? And it won't take 19 hrs??

Well, I download it and I couldn't get it going. Everytime I try to open my mpeq-1 files it says , A VIDEO SEQUENCE HEADER IS NECESSARY FOR EVERY GOP, etc........

So I took the advice of using MpegSequencer.. All you have to do is open the mpeg-1 file in the INPUT FILE BOX right? However, when I go to my mpeg folder, it's EMPTY. The program doesn't see any of my mpeg files.

TMPGENC DVD AUTHOR sees the files, they just won't take it because it has no sequence header. Yet MPEGSEQUENCER doesn't even see my files, so how can I use it to make the headers? I'm going in circles!!!

You may need elementary streams. Demux.

You want to edit in effects on VCD files? No. Give up now. That's going to look bad. Maybe play with Womble some, but .... no.

[presto]

Just don't use S8 to make the DVD. But do use it to do the transitiions etc. Just take the video you have allready edited and output it to mpg instead of to disk. Then use Tmpgenc DVD Author to take that mpg and make a DVD.

Since the video is in VCD complian format, be sure to output to the same format so it won't get re encoded. With Studio 9 this works as it should. With earlier version the video sometimes gets re encoded when you don't want it to.

Video quality is a very subjective thing. If the video gets re encoded the quality will suffer but it is up to you wether it is acceptable or not,