3 hours of video = 10 GB. WHY?

wolfegm98 wrote on 5/26/2007, 9:49 PM

Why does a DVD quality video, rendered in MPEG-2 format and transfered to DVD architect, show up as a 10 GB file with no transitions - only crossfades? I am trying to copy it to a dual layer disc. Is there some type of setting to change to make the video smaller without losing quality? Or should I render it as something other than a MPEG-2?

Comments

Chienworks wrote on 5/27/2007, 4:20 AM

If you are going to DVD then MPEG2 is the only functional choice. In order fit it on a disc you have to use a lower bitrate, which will mean less quality. However, 3 hours will fit on a dual layer disc without any substantial loss. Unfortunately Vegas Studio doesn't offer much control over bit rate senttings when rendering to MPEG-2. However, if you render to DV AVI in Vegas, you can then use the Fit-To-Disc option in DVD Architect to have it render to MPEG-2 with the highest bitrate possible that will fit on the disc. This does have two drawbacks, which are that you'll need about 40GB of space for the AVI file, and you'll have to sit through two rendering processes.

By the way, transitions & crossfades have nothing to do with the file size. You could have zillions of effects, titles, transitions, overlays, etc., or none at all, and the file size would still be the same.

OhMyGosh wrote on 5/27/2007, 9:49 AM

Thanks Kelly. I didn't know any of that, especially about that transitions, effects, and the like don't add to file size. Take care. Cin