Choosing an Authoring Program

[CathyT]

Hello everyone-

Would like some help selecting a DVD authoring program. I have tried several that always have some issue that make it unsuitable for me.

I am trying to make DVD's out of some TV programs I record using BeyondTV4. The files are MPEG2 format 352x480, 4000kb/s, are 1hour long and are 2GB in size on my hard drive. I would like to put 2 shows on 1DVD, but mostly the authoring programs complain that the project size is 5-7GB and too big for a DVD.


I have tried the following apps:

TMPGEnc DVD Author 1.6 Trial (menus created here do not work on my Sony DVD player)
Roxio DVD Builder...files too big to fit on one DVD
Ulead DVD Movie Factory 5 Trial....ran 6hours+ then hung only encode 1 show UGH!@#
Pinnacle 8


Also can anyone explain to me how adjust my BeyondTV settings for mpeg quality will affect the size of projects in the authoring programs.
For example, why do two 2GB files =5-7GB in a project, but not 4GB?
What should I set my bitrate to if I want to fit 3 1hour mpeg files on a 4.7GB dvd?

Thanks for any help...

CathyT

[guns1inger]

Look up bitrate calculators in the tools section. This site provides an online calculator, but a stand alone app is handy as well. I like vcalc, but there are others.

I would suggest that the applications that are taking a long time or that increase the file size are re-encoding. They may not recognise half-D1 as a valid DVD resolution, even though it is legal. Or they may just be re-encoding the audio to PCM, which eats a lot of space.

Of those listed, TDA is the best choice, and I am surprised to hear that your player does not like the menus it produces. Have you tried using different media as well, as this can also influence playback.

Other options of note, that don't re-encode compliant material, include Ulead DVD Workshop 2, and DVD Lab Pro. Both are powerful, both accept all compliant material, not just full D1, and both will do what you want. They are more expensive that the other applications you have listed, but they will grow with you as your skills mature and you get more adventurous, whereas they others will end up gathering dust.

Personally, I use DVD Lab Pro, but both have strong following here, so there is plenty of support.

[Radixmind]

i've always found DVDauthorGUI most accomodating, although the menu creation is rather limited it's still pretty good. And it's free, so nothing lost in downloading it and giving it a try.

[mats.hogberg]

DVD-Lab Pro? GUI for DVDAuthor?
2 x 2GB mpg should be authorable to one single layer DVD no problem. Apps that complain that it will be too big must surely be reencoding.
3 hours on a single layer DVD is stretching matters a bit IMO.

/Mats

[guns1inger]

At half d1, three hours is more than feasible. 4 hours is probably closer to the limit at that res.