Capture too large even after clipping content

[the wordsmith]

I captured 1 hour and forty five minutes of VHS using Ulead MF in 90 minute mode and naturally wound up with two clips.

I then switched to TMPGEnc Author DVD to remove the commercials and do some basic titling and chapters (the latter being automatically inserted wher the commercials were removed).

The resulting file size for the two clips joined was timed at 1 hour and twenty six minutes, but it still showed as being 5.6 gig in size. I had to use DVDShrink to fit it onto a single disc and there was noticeable quality drop from the original MPEG capture files.

Does anyone know what happened here? Does the original material that was authored out still reside somewhere in the amended file? Is there a better way to remove the commercials permanently from the MPEG files before re-authoring titles and chapters, so that the resultant MPEG retains its full quality but reduces in size

[Blazey]

You encoded/captured at too high of a bitrate for the dvd. I don't know what 90 minute mode is, but it sounds like it will fit 90 minutes on a dvd. You said you captured 105 minutes, so I didn't fit. No big surprise there.

Use the bitrate calculator in the tools section and you will get it right next time. Is there a setting to choose the bitrate you want to capture at? If not, try different software like a Virtual Dub/TMPGEnc combo. Guides at the left.

Womble Mpeg2VCR is a good choice to edit out commercials from an mpeg file without re-encoding. Lordsmurf has some excellent guides for this.

This is more of a capturing issue, not an authoring one

[reboot]

Author it, and use DVDShrink to make it fit.

[bugster]

Author it, and use DVDShrink to make it fit.

As a last resort or if only slightly over, then yes, but getting the bitrate correct right from the start will usually result in a better quality final product.

[hudsonf]

He did use DVDShrink and was not happy with the results. Getting the bitrate correct is the best way to go.

I had to use DVDShrink to fit it onto a single disc and there was noticeable quality drop from the original MPEG capture files.

[reboot]

I should read more carefully
Why does UMF make two clips?
Can you not adjust bitrate during capture to get the right filesize mpeg to begin with?

[the wordsmith]

Thanks to everyone for the really fast responses, but here is the real bug in my ear.

Movie Factory set at the 90 minute mode is supposed to give right bitrate for 90 minutes on standard DVD disk. So I wound up with two clips - so far so good.

Then I removed all the commercials from both clips and rejoined them in TAD, and added my menus (chapters gleaned from commercial breaks, not from extra input by me). So what I am asking is why the new edited MPEG file in TAD was still 5.6 gig after editing it down to 86 minutes? Did the bitrate suddenly increase? I can't see how. So does this mean that the commercials are still embedded somewhere in the joined clips, but just not visible on playback, hence the still oversized file?

Maybe this is too technical, so the other question was how to remove the commercials without sacrificing quality overall? I basically realise that I could have captured the show in the first place using a lower (120 minute) bitrate, but that doesn't answer my real question.

No offense to anyone who replied - you guys are all great for taking an interest.

[reboot]

I would use Cuttermaran to edit out commercials, ending up with one mpg, that's not re-encoded.
Actually, I would choose a different method of capturing, so it was one file to begin with. Then I would cut commercials, and author it, putting in chapter points at that stage.

[hudsonf]

What audio compression and audio bitrate did you use when you authored?

[Nelson37]

What were the filesizes of the original capture files before editing?

This will tell whether the commercials were actually removed from the new file.

Target bitrates for real-time captures are often off by quite a bit, and will vary considerably depending on the video captured.

[the wordsmith]

What were the filesizes of the original capture files before editing?

Actually, I think you just answered my question. The original file sizes were 4.192 and 2.357 respectively. I hadn't really checked this before, but it looks more like the size of a 60 minute bitrate capture doesn't it? (sorry if I am a bit vague around these figures - that is why I stick with MF so that I don't have to make these calculations myself)

I was certain they were done in the 90 minute mode, but if the two files started out as a total of 6.549 gig and wound up at 5.816, I guess the edits did work fine and I need to get new glasses (or brain surgery) since this suggests that I inadvertently selected the 60 minute format.

Anyway, I did get one suggestion for some different software to remove the commercials in future. That seems to be the end of this thread unless someone wants to give me a drubbing for my stupidity.

Thanks to everyone who responded. You guys are all the greatest!