Encoding mpeg2 for DVD - File limitations?

[Colmino]

I'm fixing to go ahead and let my PC do a few overnights encoding my first DVD worth of mpeg2 video. Before doing this, I thought it might be a good idea to see if I'm going to run into any filesize or similar problems.

First thing I'm going to want to know is.. Just exactly how large can I make the total mpeg2 data and still have room for a menu or two? It seems obvious to me, particularly since there doesn't seem to be a single encoder out there that lets you specify a final encode filesize, that it is not especially common to take up close to all of a given dvd-r when the project is finalized. The best one can do is calculate a bitrate and hope the encoder comes close. Still, it will help me to know the answer to this one. If the answer varies, then I will settle for whatever's typical.

I'd also like to know if there are any drawbacks to doing it the other way. Ie, using a series of smaller mpeg2 files. For example, I have to wonder how seamlessly the dvd player would transition from one video file to the next, if they were meant to be played as one movie. I consider it a safe bet, for example, that the audio would not transition well, but who knows.

Other than that... I am toying with the idea of arranging all two hours of video in Premiere Pro and encoding the whole thing in one go. I would be targeting the total filesize which corresponds to a typical dvd-r's capacity. I assume this would result in a single, large file. Is this correct? And would there be any reason why DVD-Lab wouldn't be able to make use of such a file? (Obviously I would assign chapters later on.)

Thanks for tolerating my dumb questions.

[guns1inger]

If it is a single movie, and you want it to play smoothly through regardless of which player you put it in, produce a single encoded movie.

As for size, it depends on what type of menu you are going to produce. A simple static menu with a couple of static scene selection menus and very little or no audio wont take up much space. Full motion menu with 2 minutes of multi-channel audio might require 200 - 300 mb.

The other alternative is to encode at a high bit rate (but within the DVD spec), create the menu that you want, and ignore size until you are done. Then use DVD shrink or similar to transcode it down to fit on a single disk.

Most decent encoders are reasonably good at guesstimating the final output size, especially if you use CBR. Leave yourself a little room for error and you should be fine.

DVD Lab quite happily handles 4gb files or more , so don't fret about it.

[dafreak]

use a bitrate calculator.

this is the one i use.
bitrate calculator clicky


if you have more than one clip that you want to add to a single dvd-r, add the lengths of the clips and enter the total length, in minutes, into the calculator.

[housepig]

First thing I'm going to want to know is.. Just exactly how large can I make the total mpeg2 data and still have room for a menu or two?

my basic, non-motion menus seem to be less than 2mb, so you can get pretty close to 100% and still have room for basic menus.

It seems obvious to me, particularly since there doesn't seem to be a single encoder out there that lets you specify a final encode filesize,

TMPGenc will let you specify output file size.