problem w/ MP2 -> DVD encoding - too big for DVD-R

[mrbillz]

good morning all!

just tried to make my first dvd - from the series finale of the X-files. Ended up being a just-under-90-minute .mp2 after capture to my computer from the HD recorder sans comercials. (using the capture app that came w/ my ATI allinwonder) I used the default parameters for capture "DVD high quality" ended up w/ a 90 minute ~3.6GB file in .mp2 format that plays fine on the 'puter.

When I tried to create the DVD w/ Sonic MYDVD (3.0) and it transcoded to 5.6GB and wouldn't fit a DVD-R. I played w/ ReMPG trying re-encode at a lower bitrate but the program said "failed" after examining the original .mp2 file. Then tried creating the DVD on the HD which it did, also tried recoding the individual .VOB files which ReMPG was "unable to open file". (Advice from the Doom9 site)

Any suggestions on converting the current .mpg file or am I gonna have to just capture it again at a lower butrate or in a different format?

also had another curiosity maybe someone could enlighten:

as I was capturing the file, the program was indicating remaining HD space - this is a 60GB partition nearly empty. original remaining time ~ 14hrs gradually ticked down as expected but--- at regular intervals, the time remaining would suddenly decrease to under 60 min and gradually update to larger times until it got back to the expected ~ 14hrs, and this lower time also gradually decreased as the capture progresses to a minimun of ~ 9 minutes when the capture was almost done... Any idea what id going on here? This is an IBM UDMA HD w/ I think a 2MB buffer. I have 512MB ram and a 2GHz Intel P4.

Thanks for the suggestions / advice!

best, BS


Thanks much for your suggestions,

bs

[Xtasy2002]

MyDVD if you're using the same one that I am using re-encodes the MPG file to a higher resolution & bitrate. It shouldn't do this, but it does. That is why your file is so much bigger. Obviously you want the DVD to be compliant with DVD players out there, and there's only a few various resolutions that are. I have found 352x480 Res mpg to be the best in terms of size/quality.

You can't use MyDVD if you want anything other than 704x480 NTSC dvd. It will automatically make all MPG into that size no matter what & increase file size. Use something like SpruceUp instead, it has the ability to create Video_TS & Audio_TS DVD folders of any resolution MPG for burning to DVD and keeping original file size.

[Baldrick]

MyDVD also converts the audio to uncompressed PCM(10MB/min). Try instead author with for example the very simple Ulead DVD Workshop
http://www.vcdhelp.com/dvdmoviefactory.htm

[mrbillz]

Thanks for the replies! I thought that was what MyDVD was doing but no appearent way around it other than to start w/ a lower quality capture... BUT, can I use spruceup on the DVD audioTS and VideoTS folders that MYDVD has created to reduce the bitrate? I really don't want to recapture the file if I can find a way around it. It seems form reading the info that TMPGEnc will reencode an mp2 file - Can I lower the bitrate this way?

Thanks!

bs