DVD Workshop - avi too big?

[sterankin]

My friend wants to put his holiday movie on a dvd. He edited it in Window movie maker.

The avi file is 6.7GB. I am assuming it is uncompressed (I dont know how long it is).

He says it wont open in dvd workshop2.

Is it too big, I cant seem to find an answer anywhere.

Should he compress it a bit before trying to add to windows moviemaker?
What codec? (I dont have windows moviemaker)

Many Thanks

[Blazey]

If it's an AVI you need to encode it to DVD specs before you try to author it. Use an Mpeg encoder like:

TMPGEnc
Cinema Craft Encoder
Procoder
Main Concept.

TMPGEnc has a free trial that is fully finctional, so I would suggest you start with that.

[sterankin]

Thanks

but can you not add AVI files to an authoring program? And does it not convert it for you?

You can capture with DVD Workshop - surely it is captured in DV AVI?

[reboot]

Authoring programs only author compliang mpeg, or mpeg streams, not avi's.
You need to encode the avi to mpeg-2 first, then author.
Some of the "one-click" junk stuff does convert and author all at once, but the quality sucks.
I have no idea if Ulead stuff does this.

[Blazey]

Some you can, some you can't. I don't have the software you mention, so I can only offer the solutions I know of. I do know if you search this site for DVD Worksop guides you may find your answers.

What I am confident of is that using a standalone encoder will A) produce better results than letting the authoring software encode and B) not take any longer than using the authoring software to encode it. It's just an extra step and a very easy one if you follow the guides. Lordsmurf's TMPGEnc guide will produce great results from a quality file.

Good luck with your project.

[Blazey]

Authoring programs only author compliang mpeg, or mpeg streams, not avi's.
You need to encode the avi to mpeg-2 first, then author.
Some of the "one-click" junk stuff does convert and author all at once, but the quality sucks.
I have no idea if Ulead stuff does this.

Your too fast reboot - I thought I had you beat for an answer this time!

[thecoalman]

You can import AVI into DVD Workshop. And no file size doesn't matter. DVD Workshop is like a trashcompacter it will take just about anything.

Use G spot to determine the file attribute and post a screenshot or what they are.

FYI Workshop uses the mainconcept encoder and produces great results.

[Richard_G]

Coalman, I'm glad you got in first, I was about to rip little pieces from reboot and Blazey! If you don't know anything about the software in question, why bother answering? Particularly when the answer you give is a load of old bollocks!

Some one click junk stuff is crap, but when you pay the sort of money Ulead want for DVD Workshop, you'd sent it straight back if it wasn't perfect

To the original question, DVD Workshop should, as coalman says, take anything. I regularly give it a 20 or 25GB DV avi file and tell it to turn it into a DVD.

[canadateck]

Coalman, I'm glad you got in first, I was about to rip little pieces from reboot and Blazey! If you don't know anything about the software in question, why bother answering? Particularly when the answer you give is a load of old bollocks!

Some one click junk stuff is crap, but when you pay the sort of money Ulead want for DVD Workshop, you'd sent it straight back if it wasn't perfect

To the original question, DVD Workshop should, as coalman says, take anything. I regularly give it a 20 or 25GB DV avi file and tell it to turn it into a DVD.

I agree, I love Ulead and the quality its great...

But reboot, said he didnt know if Ulead did this..

[reboot]

I'm gonna have to dig out my DVDWS and see...might be worth a second look.
How does it do with audio sync? Any issues I should be aware of, before I junk it?

[Richard_G]

I give it either DV avi or mpeg2 files and I have never had a problem with audio sync. I've done 1/2 D1 projects that run to a final DVD run time of nearly 3 hours with no loss of sync. The only issue is that it can be a bit complicated to learn if you start trying to get clever.

Mind you, I'd love to know what people do to manage all these sync problems. The last time I suffered I was capturing analogue using a Pinnacle DC10+ in a machine running an AMD Althlon 600....

[reboot]

I "manage" sync by processing audio completely separately from video.
Rip in virtualdub/mod.
Adjust if needed in Goldwave.
Transcode to AC3 in ffmpeggui.
Author in dvdlab.
NEVER had a problem yet.

Back to DVDWS...I just tried a short avi clip.
Can't figure out how to make firstplay a menu, instead of my clip (I know, RTFM!), but it does take all sorts of inputs, and make a dvd out of it.
No right-click menus for anything, makes it cumbersome to use. Jerky video output, but not constant throughout (strange). No cropping/editing features that I could find. (RTFM again?). Seems too difficult to create anything but basic menus. Templates suck.

[thecoalman]

I'm gonna have to dig out my DVDWS and see...might be worth a second look.

Let me give you an example. Bear in mind I haven't tried anything this crazy, I have done within a few formats, and we'll say they are all 29.9 fps. You can set a project up like this so I don't see why it wouldn't.

You can put mutiple types of files. AVI, mpeg, dat, mov, qt.... 16:9 or 4:3 Compliant or non compliant all in the same project. Set the "do not convert compliant" checkbox.

The only thing it will convert is the non compliant ones to whatever the project settings are. Insta disc from multiple files.

[thecoalman]

Can't figure out how to make firstplay a menu,

Just don't put a file in the first play spot.... your so used to complicated your overlooking the obvious.

[canadateck]

Seems too difficult to create anything but basic menus. Templates suck.

Joking right?

[thecoalman]

Templates suck.

I wouldn't know do they? :P

[GeorgeW]

some users have reported issues with large dv .avi files.

I'm wondering if they have a combination of Fat32 and NTFS hard drives??? maybe the software is installed on a Fat32 drive, while the large dv .avi files (larger than 4gb) are stored on an NTFS formatted drive?

Or maybe they are dealing with DV type-2 files???

I haven't seen a pattern yet, but it's true that some users have had problems with large DV .avi videos...

George

[Steve Stepoway]

Or maybe they are dealing with DV type-2 files???

I haven't seen a pattern yet, but it's true that some users have had problems with large DV .avi videos...

I use DVDWS, and have had trouble in version 1.? with type 1 AVIs that were larger than 4Gig, or perhaps AVIs that weren't quite type 2 (vdub output using Panasonic DV codec). Run them through the Canopus File Converter to convert to type 2 and all should be OK, at least it was for me.