DVD file joining and file max size help please!

[hoody]

Hey,
I’ve been trawling through this great web site for a couple of weeks now, and still have had no success with what I’m trying to do.

I have a dvc150 box, and so far I am happy with what it does below 1 hour, as above that, stupid MovieStar will split the file. I cannot find any other software that will support the USB dvc150, so until someone suggests a good free alternative, I’m stuck with that. (Moviestar customer support helfully informed me last week that it doesn't create files over 4gb as Windows does not support that. I e-mailed them back and told them to come look on your website before they offered any more "help").

Next, I have tried many of the suggested programs to join my files together, and had no luck. Say Moviestar captures a 2 hour video, I end up with 2 files around 3.7gb, and 500mb. I tried to join with EasyJoin, and got a 32gb file! All the other “joiners” seem to create a file that’s smaller than it should be – 3.7gb. I don’t want to lose quality, and the “join” that I recorded onto DVD is jumpy and not good to watch.

I am about to buy the book “DVD Authoring and Production”, so may eventually learn what to do, but any help will be gratefully accepted – or I might see if Best Buy will take the box back and get another capture device!
Thanks in advance!
K.

[Vejita-sama]

Hmm, you seem to be asking a lot of different questions and making several (incorrect) assumations. I'm not sure where to start so here's an overview:

First, DVD videos use a file structure, NOT a file format. That means you CAN NOT cut/paste them like normal video. A DVD must be authored. Authoring is the process of taking the elementary streams: video (m2v) audio (ac3 or PCM, sometimes mp2), subtitles, etc. and merging them into VOB/IFO files. Authoring is also when you set the menu buttons, chapter points, etc.

Once authored you really can't change anything in the DVD. There are programs (IFOEdit) which allow you to edit the IFO files but for most newbies they are pretty confusing.

Instead what most people do is re-author the DVD files. A popular freeware program to do this is DVD Shrink. I'll come back to DVD Shrink in a bit.

A DVDR disc holds 4.3GB of info. Unlike VHS there is no quaility setting (SP, LP, EP) to deterimine how much time you can fit on each disc. In the digitial world it's not about time, it's about size. 4.3GB is your max size.

File size is a combination of bitrate and runtime. The resolution, size of source, etc. doesn't matter. If you set the bitrate at 1000kbit/s and record a 10sec film the size will ALWAYS be 10,000kbits.

Now video quaility is a combination of bitrate and resolution. So if you lower the bitrate to get more video (runtime) per disc you'll hurt the quaility.

If you have a 3.9GB DVD (A) and another 3.9GB DVD (B) there's no way to put them on 1 DVDR discs (4.3GB) without lowering the bitrate and thus the quaility. But how much of a quaility hit you'll take is a matter of much debate.

Again DVD Shrink can do this. You can re-author the DVD using both original DVDRs, then shrink/compress the files to 4550MB, and burn a new DVDR disc.

Take a look at "what is a DVDR" to the right and the DVD Shrink guides (excellent ones at http://www.dvdshrink.info) for more info. Luck

[hoody]

Hi,
Thanks so much for the excellent and fast reply.
I obviously don't understand things too well - my dvc150 capture box will capture from video directly to what it calls "dvd format" (I think), but the files are .mpg files. That's why I assumed I could "join" them - I do not want Moviestar to split the capture, but it does whether I like it or not. The resulting files if "joined" should add up to no more than 4.3gb.

Is there anyone would recommend any good books on this subject? DVD Authoring and Production looked good.

Also, what about a recommended capture device - there seems to be a lot of mixed opinions on every single device out there.

Thanks!

[ZippyP.]

Also, what about a recommended capture device - there seems to be a lot of mixed opinions on every single device out there.

The Canopus ADVC-100 or the Datavideo DAC-100 are highly rated.

BTW,If you have several mpegs to put on a DVD then they don't have to be joined in order to put them on the same DVD. You simply author them together when creating your DVD.

[hoody]

Thanks.
I might swap for my dvc150.
My authoring software - DVD Complete - doesn't seem to let me author files together - it creates separate menus, and stops at the end of one, going back to the main menu. I haven't had much luck with any other DVD authoring software yet.

[bottle-necked]

Yea, you're confused. Don't feel bad cause I think we're all a little confused too. 8)

First: I'd consider taking that box back and getting yourself a good capture card instead. You may not be that kind of person so "give that sucker to somebody you don't like". (Ross used to say that) I like and recommend ATI Video/Capture cards. Their not cheap. Their a high quality card and will produce consistant results. And they can capture DVD Compliant MPEG2 video in realtime. Not all capture devices can do that!

Second: Joining video clips is easy once you get used to it. Actually there is very few actual video projects that doesn't include some joining operations. MovieStar can do that. joining video is nothing. Really.

Third: It's easier and faster to capture in the format - framesize - bitrate -etc that you intend to produce in. If you're making a DVD Video then you should capture in DVD Compliant format. You should do some calculations before hand to figure your allowed bitrates, setup your capture template, then go for it. No lenghtly reencoding processes. No unnecessary time consuming steps. All you haft to do is be able to figure your allowed bitrate and get your template rigged right.

Fourth: DVD Complete is a usable program but to get some of the high functions out of it takes a little experience. It can author DVD disks and make menus. It will come back to the main menu after playing a clip "if you don't set it up not to". It defaults that way. Don't judge it too harshly. I've made some pretty nice menu screen with it. Better than with any other author software I've been able to use.

Last: If you want some reading try the help files for the programs you are using now. DVD Complete will say in it's help file what type of video file it will allow, then it's your job to create them under those guidelines.

This is all easy stuff. You can do it. We do.

Good luck.