Multiple video files to 1 DVD w/ menu

[vanquish42]

Hello,

I want to know how to burn multiple video files (TV episodes, recordings, etc.), ranging from 6 to 18 files and 6 to 18 hours, onto a DVD with a menu. (I understand that with ~3 or more hours of video the video must be compressed and have no problem in doing so, but also don't know how to do so.)

My first attempt was with NeroVision. It said the videos won't fit on the DVD (DVD 5); I tried lowering the encoding settings, but even on the lowest ones, NeroVision still said they won't fit.

Next I tried FAVC, which took approximately 3 hours to encode, but in the end didn't create an image, or at least a functioning one.

I know about DVDFlick, but it doesn't allow the user to create a menu. Does it automatically render a simple one? If so, then it's possibly acceptable

I tried Avi2DVD, but it didn't let me add more than one video per project, and therefore, per image, i.e. DVD.

I tried Satuski All2DVD, but it only runs on XP, and I have Vista.

I've heard of convertx2dvd. It looks ok, but I prefer a freeware solution. However, if there isn't one (which I doubt - there has to be a way for people to do this using freeware), it is certainly an option.

There must be an easier way of doing this as it is conceivable that many people do it. Can anyone help?

[vvw]

Use TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 - but make sure you have a DivX ultra compatible dvd player or you'll lose your menu and even the abililty to jump between chapters/movies. I didn't realise this when I went to the trouble to make a customised Star Wars (all six movies) DVD for my kid for Christmas yesterday, and all the time consuming work has gone to waste.

That said, the program is pretty easy to work out how to use, and worked nicely for me yesterday, so I'd recommend it for your purposes.

Admittedly to get 12 hours of movies onto the disk means some pretty hefty compression but that's the nature of squashing lots onto one disk.

It took about an hour per movie to run the processing once I had set it all up too, so plan to not use your PC when that's happening.

Good luck!

[vvw]

You probably don't want to hear this but another recommendation is to forget about the menu idea and instead, simply name your files intuitively and in alpha-numeric order before you burn them.

Not quite so pretty, but it's simple, quick, and effective, and doesn't require DivX ultra compatibility on your DVD player.

And to get your compression done... I have tried oodles of packages lately and IMHO you can't go past avi.NET - a free solution which is pretty straight forward.

[vanquish42]

Use TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 - but make sure you have a DivX ultra compatible dvd player or you'll lose your menu and even the abililty to jump between chapters/movies. I didn't realise this when I went to the trouble to make a customised Star Wars (all six movies) DVD for my kid for Christmas yesterday, and all the time consuming work has gone to waste.

That said, the program is pretty easy to work out how to use, and worked nicely for me yesterday, so I'd recommend it for your purposes.

Admittedly to get 12 hours of movies onto the disk means some pretty hefty compression but that's the nature of squashing lots onto one disk.

It took about an hour per movie to run the processing once I had set it all up too, so plan to not use your PC when that's happening.

Good luck!

Is TMPGEnc DVD Author an all-in-one solution, i.e., will it take my 6-18 videos (6-18 hours, accordingly), compress them to fit on a single DVD, convert them to MPEGII (DVD format), allow me to create a menu, and then render an image or burn the videos to a DVD that can be played on most DVD players? Is the compression process - if one exists - simple and mostly automatic, for I don't know much about making videos smaller in size yet still good in quality.

[vvw]

TMPGEnc can help you author a DVD Video or DivX DVD right through to completing the burn. It's a fairly straightforward wizard run set of processes and should in theory do everything you have mentioned, although I haven't tried to make a standard DVD yet (about to try that since my divX file turned out to not be suitable). I can't guarantee that you will be able to fit all 16 hours on a disk, but it will tell you when you have reached your limit, and does have target size settings in the output part of the process. I have cut and pasted more info below from the application.


From the TMPGenc help files:

Advanced features in TMPGEnc DVD Author 3
TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 offers a variety of tools that allow you to create incredible DivX content with advanced features, using almost any kind of video, audio, or image source. You can even import video if you have a capture device connected to your computer. Some of the most notable features are listed below:

High-speed cut-editing
The cut-edit feature has a fast thumbnail display, which makes navigating through and editing your video clips easier. With this feature, you can quickly trim your video and remove unwanted parts.

Multiple track creation
TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 can create multiple tracks which includes normal, wide, full, and half D1 video material, all on the same disc. If needed, TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 automatically re-encode the sources within a track to create a continuous compliant track.

Slideshow
The slideshow feature lets you turn your digital photo collections into high quality virtual slideshows, complete with transitions and background music, so you can enjoy them on any DivX certified player. The slideshow feature generates video clips from your digital images that can be combined with other video clips in your compilation.

Multi-track audio
TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 supports video clips that contain up to two different audio tracks. In other words, you can now make your own bilingual DivX file, or add a commentary track or an alternate soundtrack. To add a secondary audio track, you simply specify the extra audio source file when you design your project. After your DivX file is created, you can choose either of the two audio tracks with your DivX Ultra certified player remote control.

Bilingual
The bilingual feature is useful for video that has stereo audio where the left and right channels contain different audio tracks (e.g. television programs where the left channel contains the original audio and the right channel contains a dubbed version in another language). TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 enables you to convert the left and right channels into two separate audio tracks. After outputting the DivX file, these separate tracks become selectable via your DivX Ultra certified player remote control or from an optional language selection menu.

Menu creation
TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 also helps you create professional quality menus by using combinations of still pictures, video, and background music. Using the new Menu Wizard, which helps you through all the necessary steps, you can choose from a wide selection of built-in menu templates or design your very own.

Menu simulation
The menu simulation feature lets you test your menus before you start the final creation of your DivX file. The simulator offers a simple controller interface with buttons for direction, activation, and track menus, similar to those found on a player.

Target size
TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 also provides you with the Target size feature allowing you to specify a maximum output file size so you can fit it into a CD-R or a DVD-R, up to the encoder capabilities.

New features in TMPGEnc DVD Author 3
TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 marks a new stage in terms of versatility while retaining the same ease of use of its famous predecessors. Moreover, this version brings you the access to the DivX video format in its most advanced form: The DivX Ultra. You will find below a list of the principal new features you are about to enjoy in TMPGEnc DVD Author 3.

Input and output
DivX ULTRA file output
DivX certified players could just offer a simple file playback. DivX ULTRA, now available on most new DVD players - See the DivX ULTRA certification logo- offers more by adding menu capabilities embedded within a unique file. Using TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 you can now create a near DVD-Video experience with a DivX file, including up to two audio tracks and two subtitle tracks.

Subtitles importation and creation
TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 offers the possibility to import up to two subtitle tracks from a DVD-Video, or create your original subtitle tracks from scratch. Subtitles are available for both DVD-Video and DivX output, and can be activated and selected during playback using the menu or the player's controls. (Subtitles imported from a DVD-Video being in graphical form rather than coded characters, they cannot be edited. Subtitles created with TMPGEnc 4.0 XPress and saved in *.subtitle format can be imported and edited in TMPGEnc DVD Author 3). The slideshow editor also provides a full subtitles editor.

Full encode mode
Previous versions could only use DVD-Video standard compliant MPEG video sources, highly restricting the available sources. TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 breaks the format barrier by including a multi-format decoder in input, allowing the use of almost any available video source file format such as AVI, Quicktime etc. TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 now provides all the functionality allowing the creation of a DVD-Video or DivX file with advanced features from a DV and even HDV video camcorder.

Clip linking
Among the new TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 options is the clip linking, allowing to seamlessly merge two or more clips together into a unique file. MPEG files having the same characteristics (in the case of DVD-Video standard compliant MPEG) can now be re-encoded locally using smart rendering. The result is a smooth playback without any interruption or pause. (In case the clips' video files characteristics are different, the shortest clip's video is fully re-encoded.)

Menu creation
Link edition
In a menu page, previous versions would automatically assign the links between the different menu's elements, and those links could be changed only by moving an element. TMPGEnc DVD Author 3, while still automatically assigning the links when creating the base menu, gives you now the complete liberty to change the links in custom menus.(Template based menu does not allow link edition.)

Title menu page
The menu possibilities expands by offering a new type of menu page called the "Title menu" page you can place above the Top and/or Track menu. This page is accessed first then

Note menu page
Menu can be just more than choosing what to play. Up to 99 "Note" pages can now be added to the top menu and each track. A note page is provided almost empty, with just the navigation buttons, you can freely add text and picture contents. (Note page availability depends of the menu template in template based menu creation mode. Custom menu creation mode always provides note pages.)

Subtitles menu page
Since DVD-Video and DivX Ultra allow subtitles, TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 also provides the possibility to create a subtitles selection page. You can also elect to merge the audio and subtitles selection into one unique, or have them in two different pages. (Some menu templates do not offer the subtitle selection page option. In such a case, use the player's controls to activate or select the subtitles stream.)

Menu, Subtitles or second audio stream of a DivX file with advanced features created using TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 cannot be re-imported in TMPGEnc DVD Author 3. Only the main video and the first audio stream can be imported.

[freebird73717]

For 6 hours of mpeg2 video that will take a bitrate of approximatley 1450kbs. To make this watchable you are going to have to use vcd resolutions for your video. If vcd video is acceptable for you then have at it. You will never fit 18 hours with mpeg2. If you want to do that look into divx like already suggested.

My suggestions would be to not look for an all in one solution. Find a few apps that do specific jobs very well rather than one app that does several things kind of well. Use HCenc for your video encoder, aften for your audio encoder, and guifordvdauthor to author your dvd. Burn the authored dvd with imgburn.

[MysticE]

I've heard of convertx2dvd. It looks ok, but I prefer a freeware solution. However, if there isn't one (which I doubt - there has to be a way for people to do this using freeware), it is certainly an option.

There must be an easier way of doing this as it is conceivable that many people do it. Can anyone help?

The easiest way is ConvertXtoDVD. You'll note that most of the pros here use free solutions, but to a novice it is far from easy. Many of the free solutions take a solid understanding of the underlying video/audio concepts. Look on the left of this page and start your education.

[vanquish42]

TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 encodes to standard DVD, or only to Divx DVD? In other words, can TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 make a DVD that can be played on most players, or can it only make a Divx DVD that requires a Divx-enabled player?

If it can make standard DVDs, has a simple overall process, allows me to put several hours of videos on one DVD (albeit with compression - so long as the compression process is direct and mostly automated), then I believe it is my solution.

By the way, as of December the 15th, the beta version of DVDFlick includes simple menu creation.

[TBoneit]

For what you want if it is a standard DVD it'll be VCD quality. 352 by 240 resolution Mpeg1. And most likely need a +R Dual layer disc. If you want Divx with menus and chapters then you need a Ultra Divx player.

TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 will do either for a standard DVD you pick target size at the end before encoding. It can be used as a all -in - one type of application or as a DVD authoring only.

However squeezing as much as you want will be poor quality.

Mpeg 1 as a VCD is 60 minutes of video is roughly 600 megabyte you can do the math. 6.5 to 7 hours on a Single layer DVD.

[vanquish42]

Is there a freeware alternative to TMPGEnc DVD Author? I can't imagine that all those who want to do what I want to do have to pay for and use TMPGEnc DVD Author.

[t0nee1]

Yes there is, DVDShrink in Re-author mode to make your compilation and TitleWriter to make your menu......
http://www.dvdshrink.info/compilation.php

[vanquish42]

Yes there is, DVDShrink in Re-author mode to make your compilation and TitleWriter to make your menu......
http://www.dvdshrink.info/compilation.php

Will DVDShrink accept video files (.avi container with Divx codec, for example), or only DVDs or ripped DVDs (i.e. DVD files)

[vanquish42]

Yes there is, DVDShrink in Re-author mode to make your compilation and TitleWriter to make your menu......
http://www.dvdshrink.info/compilation.php

Will DVDShrink accept video files (.avi container with Divx codec, for example), or only DVDs or ripped DVDs (i.e. DVD files)?

[t0nee1]

DVD's as well as iso's......no avi's.

[vanquish42]

For now, DVDFlick is my solution. I burned 8 hours of video to one DVD at bitrate of 1000, with a menu. The quality is apparently lower but entirely watchable.

Thank you all for your help.

[skaleton]

DVDShrink in Re-author mode to make your compilation and TitleWriter to make your menu.

Thanks t0nee1. TitleWriter is the perfect complement to DvdShrink. Both are very easy to use and Free.

[guns1inger]

I would give FAVC a try and use the VCD option. It can do simple menus and is good at low bitrates - and you are talking about very low bitrates.

The problem with DVD Shrink and ConvertxtoDVD is that they only work at full-D1 (the newest ConvertXtoDVD may work at lower resolutions), which is simply too big for the bitrates you are talking about.