How to render video to auto fit DVD-5

burchis13 wrote on 10/21/2009, 2:23 PM
Can Vegas Pro 9 determine the bit rate to use that would automatically encode a project to fit on to a DVD-9 disk, assuming with in reason the file is not too long?

i.e. I have a video that is 1:45:00 long and after encoding the end file is bigger then 4.7 gb. Although once I load the file into Architect I do have the choice to re-compress but this requires another hour or so. It would be nice if Vegas Pro would properly encode the file where it would fit without having to re-encode again.

Thanks for any help.

Comments

rs170a wrote on 10/21/2009, 3:31 PM
The only way that this can be done is to render out an AVI file and then give that to DVDA.
The drawback is that DVDA now determines the proper encoding settings and re-encodes the AVI file for you.
I say drawback because letting DVDA do this is not as good as you entering proper settings in Vegas.
Use a bitrate calculator such as http://www.johncline.com/bitcalc110.zip and determine optimum encoder settings yourself.
Save it as a preset and you'll be ready for the next time.
I've got several different presets created that I use all the time.

Mike
musicvid10 wrote on 10/21/2009, 6:22 PM
If you shot DV-AVI, you can smart-render DV-AVI in Vegas which doesn't take very long (depending on transitions, FX, etc.), and let DVDA do its fit-to-disc thing. You haven't lost any quality nor very much time doing it this way.

The disadvantage is almost no control over the render in DVDA. For that reason, I use a bitrate calculator similar to the one Mike linked, and do the mpeg render in Vegas.
Ben Longden wrote on 10/23/2009, 3:05 AM
Strange but true, and I cant get an answer why....
but
If I render to an .avi in Vegas, then import that into DVDA, I get a cleaner, crisper result on screen than going the 'usual' method of render to MPEG2 using DVDA template in Vegas then importing that into DVDA.

If the file is over 60 mins, and I'm worried about fitting the project to disc, then I use "optimise" (in preferences) to 'auto fit' it.

Ben
John_Cline wrote on 10/23/2009, 3:31 AM
"If I render to an .avi in Vegas, then import that into DVDA, I get a cleaner, crisper result on screen than going the 'usual' method of render to MPEG2 using DVDA template in Vegas then importing that into DVDA."

It's 4:28 am and I'm sleepy, so I'm in no condition to go into a lengthy technical explanation but the DVDA template in Vegas is just a place to start, it's hardly optimized for every situation. If you understand bitrates and 2-pass vs. 1-pass encoding plus colorspace conversion, you will be able to easily tweak the template and make MUCH better looking MPEG2 files out of Vegas than DVDA could ever make.

Also, for DVDs of less than about 74 minutes which use AC3 audio at 192Kbps, you can encode the video in Vegas using CBR at 8,000,000 with the Quality Slider maxed out at "31" and make some very nice looking MPEG2 files.
craftech wrote on 10/23/2009, 5:20 AM
Here is a solution that works well for me.

Render at a CBR of 8000 as John described. If it doesn't fit use DVD Shrink to make it automatically fit on a DVD5.

John
John_Cline wrote on 10/23/2009, 1:03 PM
Seriously, what's so difficult about plugging a few numbers into a bitrate calculator and coming up with the custom values to maximize the video quality of specific project?
craftech wrote on 10/23/2009, 2:46 PM
Seriously, what's so difficult about plugging a few numbers into a bitrate calculator and coming up with the custom values to maximize the video quality of specific project?

Usually works for me, but IF it doesn't fit for one reason or another, DVD Shrink works well with little effort.

Just giving the OP a few alternatives to mull over.

John