Output size in AVStoDVD

[VenusAndMars]

Hi, I am about to burn some AVI files to DVD using AVStoDVD. Actually, I have burned the same files to DVD once before, and that time it went great.

But this time, when I add the first AVI (which is 528MB in size) the output size is reported @ 3399MB, i.e. some 76% of the DVD..!?

And, of course, if I add the other two AVI's that went into the DVD last time, I get an error message when it comes time to burn.

What is wrong? How can 528MB translate into 3399MB? How come it worked last time?

Thank you.
♀♂

[guns1inger]

VStoDVD attempts to maximise the use of the available space to maximise the quality of the video. Is you use AVStoDVD you are converting to a DVD compliant format (Mpeg-2). The important this is not the size of the source video, but the running time. Different codecs compress differently. An Xvid/Divx video converted to mpeg-2 usually requires around 3 - 4 times the space of the original to maintain the same quality. At the maximum available bitrate, 3400MB is around 44 minutes or so of video. If you add more video to the compilation (i.e. add another title), the bitrate will drop (as will the quality, potentially), to accommodate the size limit (DVDs have finite space, after all). This should happen automatically (it does for me), so I don't know what problem you are having.

Perhaps if you explain what you are using for burning, and what error message you are getting.

[VenusAndMars]

Thanks for replying guns1inger. You say: "Perhaps if you explain what you are using for burning, and what error message you are getting."

I use, or rather AVStoDVD uses, IMGBurn. The error message, I think, was something to the effect that 'there is not enough space on the disc, do you want to continue anyway?' to which I must have answered 'yes' last time, since I got a quite watchable DVD out of it.
No quality issues as I recall. Yes, the bitrate is apparently automatically adjusted.

I appreciate the explanation, again thanks
Atwood