How can one create a 2-4 hour DVD?

[FlipCyde]

Hi all, I couldn't find this information anywhere, and my searches in the forums turned up nothing. I was just wondering how I would be able to create a 2-4 hour dvd on a 4.7 DVD-+R. Films like Lord of the Rings or just family home videos are the kind of material I would put on the DVD. As it stands, the max length I can create is 2 hours. How can I increase it and what programs should I use? Right now I am using Intervideo WinDVD Creator 2. I don't care about dropoffs in quality, I just want to know how it is done, if it can be done at all. Thank you.

[redwudz]

If you are just backing up a video, try DVD Shrink. Other than that, you use an MPEG-2 encoder and adjust the bitrate to the time of the video.

If you look to the left in 'Tools' you will see several bitrate calculators. They will show you the settings needed to encode whatever length of video you require to fit on a DVD.

However, the lower the bitrate, the lower the quality. You might want to do some more reading....

[guns1inger]

4 hours is a bit on ask. 2 hours is about the practical limit for single layer disks. If you do want to put 4 hours on from VHS sources, you could try half-D1. This reduces the horizontal resolution 50%, but plays back at full frame. As VHS is pretty soft to begin with, you won't notice the difference. You could then get 4 hours at OK quality.

I would suggest getting a good encoder - tmpgenc, procoder express, CCE basic are all good. procoder express and CCE basic are substantially faster than tmpgenc, but you should test each of them against a sample of your footage and see which you prefer. You could also consider the free encoders - Quenc and HC.

Get familiar with the bitrate calculator on this site (look it up in the tools section) as well.