DVD9 to DVD5 burning Problems

[jmarkoa]

First, please be patient with me, I've only been working with this for about two weeks.

I'm trying to back up my entire DVD collection onto 4.7 GB DVD+R's. I'm only interested in the main movie with the 6ch audio, no subtitles and only wide screen. I want the closest to DVD quality I can get without using a second DVD. I have the new 2.4 Ghz HP Pavillion 732c that comes with HP Record Now. I've used this to burn some DVD's that were under the 4.3 GB mark(after stripping everything possible with IFOEdit091) by placing them into a VIDEO_TS folder and everything came out fine.

For those that were still to large(over 4.3GB)after stripping, I used TMPGEnc. In the wizard, I chose DVD NTSC to start, then interlace, bottom field first, 16:9 display, and film movie. I used source range to cut out the credits at the end of the movie, then changed the average video bitrate to 3650. This shrank my file size from 4.9GB to 4.0GB and filled 96% of the DVD. Under Advanced in the settings, I changed to Full screen (keep aspect ratios) so that the picture would not look streched out. After the encoding finished, I ended up with an InterVideo Media File that will play just fine in my media player, but I don't know how to put it onto a DVD+R.

Here's what I don't understand:

Is this some kind of file wrapped around all the IFO and VOB files?
Can I simply put this file in a VIDEO_TS folder and record it?
If so, will it play on a set top DVD player like my other DVD+R's?
Or will the fact that I changed the bitrate cause problems?
Have I done anything wrong so far that I should change?

Any answers to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated!!

[The_Flash]

You'll have to author your new video file. You can't just place mpegs in a VIDEO_TS folder. I think the best guide for DVD-9 to DVD-5 is:

http://www.trilight.com/guide/

This requires you understand the basics, but is definitely the easiest method if you're interested in keeping the original menu's and such. Definitely easier than breaking out Scenarist

[jmarkoa]

I don't undrestand how authoring will help me. I've already read it many times (along with every possible guide I can get me hands on!) and it doesn't seem to apply to what I need to do. I've done everything I want to do to this file (stripped EVERYTHING but the movie) so that I can now share it on a P2P site. Now I just want it to some type of format that will allow me to play it on a stand alone DVD player.

Anyone understand this, or am I just totaly screwed up!!

(Thanks for the reply, Flash)