Chienworks,

I don't have the DVD version of V4. So all I can do is export from V4's timeline in NTSC DVD format, no authoting, no nothing.

I can see video, but no audio ... Weird.

Gilles

The real question is WHY do you want to try to put DVD quality on a CD? I for sure can put my left shoe on my right foot, but why would I want to?

DVD is for HIGH bitrates. There simply isn't enough room on a CD to get much of a DVD quality vid on one. That doesn't mean you can't put MPEG-2 on a CD. Just don't try such a high bitrate. Have you tried making a SVCD or XVCD? Both use MPG-2 so have higher bitrates than VCD. The first is more or less standard and should play on nearly any set top. The second is non standard and will play on less players but you can get higher bitrates.

BillyBoy,

I successfully put SVCD on a CD and had it read by a desktop DVD player but at certain points, I can see the compression.

Never heard about XVCD. What is it?

I understand that 700MB is a small media vs 4.7GB, but I don't have a DVD burner and the project is want to burn is 5 minutes long.

Just wondering if this is possible: have a CD-R with DVD media work as a DVD in a desktop machine.

Gilles

Chienworks,

Regarding your coment: "Anything higher than this and there will be noticeable audio skipping during scenes with lots of detail or action."

I burned my first DVD-RW on DVDA last night. For the most part it looked fine but I did experience a lot of VIDEO skipping in scenes with lots of detail or action. Just kind of got a jerky picture motion. The forum helped me solve an earlier problem with this project regarding some jerkiness in the monitor view. This was due to the video card. But this is different.

Here is my process:

1. 16mm film to DVD-R via lab.
2. Convert .vob file to .avi file (no compression)
3. Edit .avi file in V4 to add titles, Video Fx, and sound
4. Create MPEG-2 file using DVD NTSF template
5. Edit MPG file in DVDA to author
6. Create .vob file in DVDA to DVD-RW at 1X.

My question is, where in this process would the skipping most probably occur? Again, it is only very obvious in scenes where there is a lot of action.

1. Are there "rules of thumb" to follow regarding bitrate (I used the default of max 8,000,000 and min 192,000).
2. Does DVDA do anything wierd during the prep state?
3. Any ideas on what causes this?

Thanks,

TomG

The "X" stands for extended. You should be able to get about 20-25 minutes on a CD. Haven't been there for a long time, VCDhelp probably has lots of stuff about it. You can't render it directly from Vegas (I don't think so anyway), but you could render to uncompressed AVI then do it in TEMPGnc or another app. You're getting into a uncharted area and if or not your DVD player will play it is a toss up. Check the compatibility list over at VCDhelp. BTW, VCDHelp and DVDHelp are one and the same sites. Old habits die hard. I always referred to them as VCD...

Try this:

http://www.dvdrhelp.com/tmpgencxvcd.htm

The major difference between DVD blanks and CD blanks in this instance is that the physical bits on a CD are much larger than the bits on a DVD. Since they're larger, it can take more time for a DVD player to read them. If the bitrate is too high then it may not be able to read them fast enough to keep up with the data stream. When encoding in VBR, the bit rate increases whenever there is lots of detail or action. Hitting a maximum rate of 8,000,000 on a DVD usually isn't a problem, but 4,000,000 may be over the limit for what a DVD player can read from CD media.

TomG, it's possible the skipping could be caused by inferior DVD-R Media, for instance Memorex is one I gave up on.

Brands like Sony, Maxell, Apple, TDK, Fujitsu and others are touted to be trouble-free. At the bit rate you're talking about your DVD should have looked pretty indistinguisable from playing the avi through your camcorder.

Thanks, Paul.

The media I am using is the DVD-RW which came with my new Pioneer A05. When I show the original DVD-R on a 53" Sony projector TV, it looks fine. But once I convert the .vob file to .avi then to .mpg, there is a lot of video "noise" being introduced somewhere along the way. I did a PTT and noticed the same result so I think I have elminated the DVD burning aspect. The mpeg seems to look OK on my 17" computer screen. I may try to burn that file to see if I can hone in on the problem.

TomG

If time is not an object on your project, you might try TMPGEnc VBR encoding. That sudden fast motion you are describing is exactly why VBR encoding is useful. The encoding for VBR takes much longer than CBR because the encoder goes through and examines each frame first (looking for those changes in detail and action), makes note, and then adjusts bitrate accordingly, and as gradually as needed, when the actual encoding is done. Probably your skipping problem is from something else, but, if the video has a lot of motion, VBR is a wise choice anyway. Have you tried the DVD in any other players to see if the same skipping occurs?

TomG, i'm just curious, but why are you going from the .vob file back to .avi and .mpg? Why not use your original source material? Or, if you're just copying your DVD, then why not just copy the DVD itself rather than going through all those conversions again?

The only reason I am going through these conversions is that I can't seem to be able to work on the the original source material (the .vob file) directly in V4. When I lay it on the timeline, the 27 minute clip is compressed to 30 seconds on the time line. Not sure why this happens. So I thought I would have to yank the video (there is no audio) out of the .vob file in order to edit it. As I mentioned, once the timeline is rendered to mpeg-2 for DVD or avi for tape, the results look the same. It's not that bad but in comparison to the original DVD (that was created from a lab from 16mm footage on DVD-R) the action is more choppy.

I have not tried the VBR encoding yet and maybe that's the next place to go.

Thanks,

TomG

Videogram.... I have burned DVD to CD. The "old" name for this is CDVD. The advantage is the ability to put SMALL amounts of information on a CD (like a demo reel) and it acts exactly like a DVD. Why would you want this? For small runs (under 500 units) the cost can be a factor...a CDVD will cost about 20 cents versus a couple bucks for the DVD. You can include a DVD player on the CD incase some people do not have one. It works great...you can have all the menu interaction you would program on a standard DVD also...when you put it in your set top or your computer...the user cannot tell its on a CD! I have had no problem using inexpensive Memorex CD-R, 48X, 700MB disks- on sale for $20 for 100 in most stores! lol

I've tried to burn a couple of CD's that hold DVD material and have them play in the set top DVD - but I haven't got it to work just yet.

One of the main reasons I would want to do this is casue I have some family members (all with DVD players) who don't have PCs...and probably won't get them - or have PCs but don't really know what they are doing - and we have pictures and video and stuff we would like to share.

Burning them on a CD to play in a PC is easy (even to make it an interactive CD is super simple)...but to be able to just pop it in any DVD player and act like a DVD is what the goal is.

Sure the file size is a lot smaller for a CD than a DVD...but until I get my DVD Burner (in a month or so...) CDs seem the way to start.

Plus...demo's sound good too. I wold rather put together a demo "reel" on a $0.10 CD than on a CDV - to give away, that is.

D1....know of any utilitity to burn a CDVD?

From personal experience, very few set top players will work with DVD files on CD-R media. I produce these miniDVDs when the source material is short, and the target audience will play them on a computer. They look great and have normal DVD navigation (ie. hot targets on menus). The person doesn't even need a DVD drive, just DVD software like PowerDVD.

If your goal is to make great quality material on CD-R and play on a standard player, I suggest you try SVCD. If you do a good job with encoding (try TMPGEnc with VBR) you can make a disk that is hard for the casual observer to tell from a DVD. www.dvdrhelp.com is loaded with information, tutorials, and suggested settings. They also have an exhaustive listing of what standalone players can handle SVCD. If you also search for players that will play miniDVD, you'll see that it is a very short list!