Thanks Kameron,
>>Can I assume you mean you re-rendered the file (so you rendered an MPEG2 from an MPEG2)?<<
All I had was the mpeg2, it was my only option right?

>>Check your settings in DVDA and make sure you are not trying to optimize it and force a recompression.<<
I'm not sure what settings you're talking about, when I select "Make DVD" and then "Prepare and Burn" I get all these messages that DVDA is going to recompress all of my video and audio.
Now I'm wondering what the whole process should have been from the start (starting from an already compressed MPEG2. I did forget that I could have saved the .wav separately (with same name as MPEG2 video in same folder) and select PCM to avoid DVDA recompressing the audio but I thought I would have to recompress again to MPEG2 for DVDA to even accept the video...right? How would you go about this Kameron?
Randy

You are right on the money as far as the PCM is concerned.

In Vegas, what I do is -

Render the file as an MPEG2 without audio.

Render the audio track as a PCM file.

Bring everything into DVDA and the whole prepare/burn process takes about 20 minutes. (depending on what I'm burning, of course).

When you hit "Prepare and Burn" but prior to hitting the OK button to start the project...check out the Optimize screen.

If there is a check in "recompress video" then regardless of what your video is - DVDA is going to want to recompress the video. I'm not sure, but it may be checked as a default sometime. Just double check to be sure.

As far as the wav portion of your audio is concerned - that may be doing it. The screen should tell you, however, what it has to compress. That is it may say it has to compress the audio or the video.

But if everything is good to go from Vegas (and it is small enough to fit on your DVD disc)...then the process should be relatively quick.

I use to just render as straight MPEG2 in Vegas - and still have to wait for DVDA to re-render some of the video and all of the audio until I just decided to spend all my time rendering in Vegas.

The only time I have to spend anytime re-rendering is when my video won't fit on the disc, so I optimize and bring the bitrate down....so DVDA has to rerender the files I told it to shrink. But....I normally just let it do that when I'm sleep so I don't loose any PC time.

Hope that helps.

>>>If there is a check in "recompress video" then regardless of what your video is - DVDA is going to want to recompress the video...<<<

Hmmm, mine is indeed checked but greyed out to where I can't uncheck it...I couldn't find anything under project properties or preferences that would let me change it either.

>>>As far as the wav portion of your audio is concerned - that may be doing it. <<<

For this particular project I just saved both audio and video as the default MPEG2 in V4.

>>>The screen should tell you, however, what it has to compress. That is it may say it has to compress the audio or the video.<<<
It wants to compress both audio and video.
Thanks Kameron,
Randy

Well as it turns out I am an idiot. I'm sorry to have wasted your time Kameron but I just noticed they're not even >MPEG2s ...I rendered them in V4 as .AVIs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Geez....sorry,
Randy