What am I missing here? Getting the correct MPG size for DVD

[bmcquinn]

This is my first shot making a DVD, but I've been making SVCD's for awhile, maybe I'm still missing something. I used TMPGENC to encode an mpeg for DVD. I used the wizard this time, followed it through. I increased the bitrate at the end of the wizard, so it would take up %97 of a DVD+R. Here are the file details:
4.3 GB mpeg2, about 145 minutes long, 3800Kb/s
After trying a Pinnacle studio and Sonic MYDVD with no luck, I tried making a DVD with Roxio DVD builder. Before I do anything in DVD builder, it says the estimated disk size is 26MB. I drop the movie in, and the estimated disk size jumps to 6.6GB! Why would a 4.3GB file jump it up to 6.6GB? No menus, nothing extra on the DVD.
Overnight, I re-encoded the file, using the NTSC low-resolution DVD setting in TMPGENG, which claims about 160 minutes of video per DVDR. At the end of the wizard, it gives the option to fine tune the bitrate, and said it would take about %47 of the disk. The file I got was 2.1GB in size, again about 145 minutes long. I drop this into Sonic MYDVD, and it took it. It then said that the estimated free space on the DVDR was about 583 MB. So 2.1 GB is about as big as a file as it is going to let me put on a DVD.

In other words, this 2.1GB file is going to take about 4.2GB of space on the DVDR.

Am I doing something wrong, or is it something with the format I do not understand? My first guess was the program was estimating the size based on the movie length, rather than actual size, but now I'm not sure.
In the conversion guide here, they show the same thing, the screenshot of TMPGENG shows making the .mpg file %50 of the disk size for DVD, so now I think there is something else to it. Please help me understand, the bitrate calculators and other guides I've seen seem to tell me I WAS calculating the file size correctly, so why won't it fit on a disk?

[Baldrick]

Get a DVD Authoring program that do not reconvert your source, like TMPGENc DVD Author, DVD-lab, Moviefactory(sometimes it does though).

Sonic mydvd ALWAYS converts the audio to uncompressed PCM, that means that the audio will be 10 MB/minute instead of compressed audio 2-3 MB/minute.

[bmcquinn]

That makes sense. Well I guess I'll forget about those programs and try something else for now. Before I go get another program, maybe I'll try IFOEdit or something to see if that will at least get this movie on DVD. Thanks!

[SaSi]

That makes sense. Well I guess I'll forget about those programs and try something else for now. Before I go get another program, maybe I'll try IFOEdit or something to see if that will at least get this movie on DVD. Thanks!

IFOEdit is the fastest and cheapest way to make a single movie DVD with a single audio channel. If you have a program stream file (multiplexed audio and video on an mpg file), demux them with Tmpgenc into a video (mpv) and audio (mpa) file and import them into IFOEdit following the Author NewDVD menu.

Make sure you also select an output directory, or you will end up like me, searching my disks to find where IFOEdit put the VOB and IFO files

[bmcquinn]

Thanks to the wonderful guide here, got through it pretty easy. It worked fine, thankfully.
Now my only other problem is that I spent forty bucks on a spindle of TDK DVD+R's, and the one I burned will not play in any of my DVD players except my computer. "BAD DISK" it says. the DVD+RW's work fine in my apex. Is it because the data side is such a dark purple, or could I have possibly used the wrong file system (UDF, I think)? Any recommendations as to maybe a more compatible brand?

[SaSi]

The purple colour of the recording surface is normal. All DVDRs (both +R and -R) I tried are the same colour. RW are more like CDRWs, they have a metal like shine.

I have also seen several older PC DVD-ROM drives refuse to work with both DVD+Rs and DVD+RWs. Perhaps your DVD player refuses to work with DVD+Rs.
Check the DVD Players https://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers on the left pane for your player to see what people say about it and various media. TDK media is good.

It is also possible that your recording s/w did not do the proper file system. What recording s/w did you use? What settings?

[bmcquinn]

I think I figured it out!
I got a small pack of DVD+R's, thought I would try a different media, and this one stated it was 2.4x and 4X compatible. There was a big warning on the inside of the jewel case that 2.4x drives may not write reliably to 4x media without a firmware upgrade. I went and updated the firmware on my DVD+R/RW drive, and the next disc I burned worked fine! It even played in my Audiovox 1500 portable DVD, which was a surprise, that thing is so picky.
I'm guessing the old firmware on the drive was the problem. To be on the safe side, the one I messed up was burned with Roxio easy CD creator, and I have since upgraded Nero to work with DVD's. I used Nero to make the DVD that works, and since I like it better anyway, I'll just stick with it for burning to DVD+R's.

[txpharoah]

DVDit! does not re-encode MPEG files for authoring.
Nero 5.5.10.20 or higher great for burning DVD-Video.