Reducing movie size to fit on a DVD

Delan wrote on 9/8/2008, 1:46 PM

I'm using Studio Pro 8. I know this topic has been addressed before and I've searched these forums for answers. The issue is that I have numerous VHS tapes I'm converting into DVDs. When I get everything prepared in the Studio and render, most often the resulting file size is over the 4.7GB of a standard DVD. This requires that I recompress the file in Architect. Needless to say, lots of time is wasted for the render and then a recompress.

I've read all the help I can find for Studio, but there doesn't seem to be a way to render the movie to make sure the final size is less than 4.7GB. I know about bit rates and other techniques. The problem is that I want to render using the MPEG-2 codec, which I understand is the standard for DVDs. Unfortunately, Studio doesn't allow custom operation with this codec, nor with any of the others suggested for use with Architect. So I can't change any parameters and get the file size smaller. I could use a customizable codec, but then it would still have to be changed into the DVD format (I assume).

Anyone have any ideas? I'd like to only render once in Studio.

TIA

Comments

Eugenia wrote on 9/8/2008, 2:18 PM

The only way to get around this is to export with a lossless codec, e.g. the open source Lagarith http://lags.leetcode.net/LagarithSetup_1318.exe (hopeffully DVDA supports Windows-wide installed codecs). I suggest a lossless codec because it doesn't lose quality during the jump to DVDA. This codec can be selected under the AVI "custom" screens, and all the info regarding resolution, frame rate, field order and aspect ratio must be filled up manually. In other words, to export in AVI Lagarith you need to know what you are doing. Usually, I would suggest Cineform, but it is not clear that DVDA has access to it. IF your source footage is miniDV, you might also consider the DV AVI codec.

Then, when in DVDA, there should be a checkbox called "Fit to disk" during the final stages. Check that, and DVDA will do a re-render that should fit on a DVD disk.