Converting avi file to mpg makes file size larger??

[Nik22]

Hey...I downloaded a movie file which is about 600mbs but when I convert it to mpg for vcd burning it's over 800mb which obviously will not fit on my 700mb cd. Is there anyway to make the file size smaller without splitting the movie? Any help is appreciated...thanks!!!!

[BJ_M]

you would have to (re)encode the movie to a smaller bit rate ....

[Nik22]

ok and how would I do that?

[kayfam]

http://www.vcdhelp.com/convert

[Nik22]

Im very well aware of that link I was hoping someone could explain it here thanks!

[BJ_M]

well the guide could be be reposted here -- but its pretty through as it stands ...

[Nik22]

Well there's too much there for me to find what im looking for oh well

[BJ_M]

well i will make short version then :


1. open tmpgenc
2. start wizard - pick vcd
3. load avi
4. check output estimated file size - if to large go to adjust bit rate and reduce and recheck untill correct.
5. hit the go button

[Nik22]

ok thanks but how do i know if the birate is right? Its a bunch of numbers I dont wanna mess the file up

[BJ_M]

in the wizard as you come to the end it will show how big the file is going to be .. if it is over 1 cd , well it is to large a bit rate .

please remember that in mode2 cd burning you can fit a lot more than 700megs on a cd ...

cant remember how much but its like 800meg i think .. someone can conferm that ... (you can fit a 830meg bin file on a 700mmeg cd - but some of that bin file size is not data)

[end80]

I have been toying with getting a full movie on one cd from a downloaded avi file...
I finally succeeded with the help of the forum post by newgen found at: http://www.vcdhelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=84759&highlight=xvcd

Just skip the first part where it talks about ripping a DVD with CLAD...

Your first step would begin right after that; where it says to open TMPG..

worked like a charm.. and he explains it step by step

Thanks to newgen!

[KingJohn]

Hey...I downloaded a movie file which is about 600mbs but when I convert it to mpg for vcd burning it's over 800mb which obviously will not fit on my 700mb cd. Is there anyway to make the file size smaller without splitting the movie? Any help is appreciated...thanks!!!!

If you make the size smaller by changing the bitrate, or anything !, you no longer have a VCD, you have a XVCD, and it might not play on your DVD stand alone.

I guess you have not tested any before ?

With the price of disks these days, and the speed a mpeg can be cut in half, is it worth the poor quality your going to get even if it does play ?

Better to cut the trailers, and a bit from the start !

[end80]

The "XVCD" plays fine on my Aiki 760
I agree it does lessen the quality, but it still looks better than what a vhs tape does after its been used several times, and it is so much more convenient to be able to put a whole movie on just one cd.

However I agree I would rather split it across two cd's for the sharper image when it comes to movies I really want, but for the casual viewing of movies I downloaded from the net just because they were easily available at the moment.. well.. I don't know, at the present I prefer the convenience of one disk.

My attitude towards this may change...

[KingJohn]

Some of the downloads are not worth putting on any disks Maybe CDR-W perhaps !
Maybe the bad ones should be watched on the PC only

[end80]

I agree, some are not worth putting on disk.. and I was wondering about that..
For example I just finished downloading "The Sum of all fears.. it's a little over 700mgs as a avi file and it had "divx" in the file name (I have found that usually when divx is in the file name it is good quality), so I expected some high quality because the JasonX file I downloaded was about the same size, also divx and it was excellent..
But this one I just downloaded is fuzzy and no where near the quality - The movie Snatch which I downloaded and then downsampled to fit on one cd still looks 3 or 4 times better than this avi file I just got.

The two worst quality movies I have downloaded so far both had a logo imposed in the upper left corner (this one was PDivx - I forget what the other logo had, but it was a starwars movie - also crappy resolution) - the higher quality ones had no logo imposed

So...
I was curious why these movies, being about the same size and format was such poor quality as some of the others which were exceptional quality - it's rather frustrating to have spent a few hours downloading a crappy quality.

Well, like I said, I am a newbie.. live and learn.

There has got to be a better venue somewhere to trade downloadable movies...

Next I am getting a dvd player to put in my computer so I can do some ripping on my own.

[KingJohn]

Ah, well the top quality DivX movies are all DVD rips !. After that the quality could be "Screener" "Reel" "Cam" with diffrent quality, Cam being the worce out of the lot.

Then you have those people who are making them they take a good DVD and make it into a bad DivX Then they come along here to find out what went wrong....

Size, well usally 700Mb + DivX movies are good, but you could have a high bitrate Cam and it would be bigger.

The Sum of all fears, the first one of that was terrable, I just took a look at the latest "716,494 KB" its got 3.5 stars

I give it 3,5 stars. No glitches. The colours could have been better.

"colours" must be someone in the UK then

sig2dat://|File:%20The%20Sum%20Of%20All%20Fears%20[DivX].avi|Length:%20733689856%20Bytes,%20716494KB|UUHas h:%20=GdQ+iVzLI1HB75FbwCKzRoY85r0=|/

[DJRumpy]

Nik22, to answer your original question, the file you downloaded was probably a DIVX file. DIVX is based on MPEG-4 technology. VCD is based on MPEG-1 technology. The difference between the two is like comparing a sports car to a moped. The compression for DIVX allows for much greater detail, and sound, while using less space.

To answer your second question, you should have tried to burn your MPEG to CD. It would probably fit without any problems. File size is irrelevent when it comes to video. Movie length is what is important (the old adage is true..size doesn't matter.. )

A good rule of thumb is 10MB per minute, or 80 minutes = 800 megabytes. Considering that most burners allow you to overburn (burn more than the rated capacity of a CD, then you could probably fit an 800+ megabyte movie onto a VCD without a problem.