Toast makes DVD file huge: HELP!

[pastark]

I'm trying to author a dvd of some material from school assemblies that I need to make into a presentation DVD.

The friend who shot the video footage edited it into mpeg2 (video only) files. There are 3 segments, for a total running time of 1 hour 55 minutes. The m2v files are 0.9, 0.8gb, and 0.6gb, for a total of 2.3gb. The video quality is fine for what I need.

I matched audio to the video segments using tape recordings with better sound than the camcorder sound. I converted the sound to mp2 and muxed each segment. The mpeg2 files are 1.1 gb, 1gb, and 0.75gb, for a total of 2.85gb. The mpeg2s look good on my iMac.

When I tried to make a Toast image using the mpeg2 files, I get an image that's 6.88gb!

I tried using the elementary streams instead of the mpeg2 files, but I still get 6.88gb.

I can't figure out why the image is so huge.

If I have to give everybody involved 3 DVDRs instead of 1, I can't afford the project.

Can anybody enlighten me on how to get Toast not to bloat the size?

Thanks!

[born bad]

Toast is reencoding the audio, the video or both -- maybe it's on the "High" quality setting? Try authoring the raw m2v and mp2 files with Sizzle (v.1) instead, using the MPEG-2 Elementary Streams setting. Each segment will be its own chapter.

Sizzle version .5 is rather slow and can present unwelcome surprises, but version .1 is very stable as long as you've got valid m2v and mp2 files.

[Frobozz]

Are you using Toast 6.0.3? This sounds like a Toast 6.0 issue.

[terryj]

Easiest way to tell what Toast doesn't like, look at the
folder called "Roxio Converted items" on your desktop
or user folder.

Also, you say you muxed each segment. I assume you mean audio to video to create MPEG-2 files. Your muxed files are most likely the problem..How did you mux your files? ffmpegx? Compressor?
Please elaborate. It seems like Toast did not like your muxing, and is having to re-create your elementary streams to make its
own QT compatible MPEG-2 files.....

[pastark]

The elementary streams and the muxed versions yield precisely the same result, down to the last byte.

The muxed mpegs played perfectly on the Mac. I muxed with ffmpegx. The elementary streams were for burning; the muxed version was originally just for viewing on the computer before burning.

Toast 6.0.3.

Thanks for the suggestions... I'm going to try to re-encode the m2v files at a lower bitrate (they're already pretty low) and shrink the file that way. If the results are acceptable, I'll try saving a disk image again.

[pixeljammedia]

Download Sizzle http://thegoods.ath.cx/~hmason/sizzle/sizzle0.1.dmg and use that to author your DVD. It will make an .img file, which you can drop into Toast under your Copy tab. No re-encoding neccessary

[puddle]

how do you know if you have valid m2v and ac3 files?
does sizzle just seem to take forever or is it really slow?

i've got a 350MB and 50MB m2v file and sizzle doesn't seem to be doing anything.