[D]

Here's my question.

These past few days I've been capturing some home movies off of my old analog camcorder so that I can burn them onto DVDs.

I capture the video using Adobe Premiere Pro. The videos are all about 45 minutes long, and Premiere captures them in AVI format and creates a usually 10GB file. After it captures the video, I export it so that I can use it in MyDVD.

Once I import it into MyDVD, it shows that the video is going to take about 3.4GB of the available space on the DVD (that's with everything on full quality). Everything burns just fine but there is one thing that is troubling me.

Isn't 3.4GB a little too big for a 45 minute video. I know that AVI files are usually very large, but I would think that once it converts it to MPEG2 format, it would only take up about 1.7GB or so. That is my experience with burning DVDs. I can usually fit a 1.5 hour movie onto a DVD without any compression at all. Is there something that I'm doing wrong, or is it normal for it to take up that much space? Is there some option that I need to turn off (I do turn off the Fit-to-Disc option, so that wouldn't be it)? Is MyDVD converting the AVI file into something other than MPEG2 format?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx in advance.

[Beerman]

In order to make a dvd, MyDVD converts the avi file to a dvd compliant mpeg. I don't think the numbers you mention are a problem at all. I usually don't use the Fit to Disc option and let the project encode to whatever size it turns out and burn to an image file. Then I allow Disc Copier to burn the ISO (image file) to disc to fit at best quality. I find this works much better.
Not that it matters but have you tried capturing with EMC?

[james_hardin]

The reality is that a 4.7gb DVD holds about 1 hour of DVD Movie at Best Quality.

If you put 1.5 hours on a 4.7gb you did so at a reduction of video quality.

You are dealing with the Standards for Players not what various codecs can produce on a computer.

[Beerman]

The reality is that a 4.7gb DVD holds about 1 hour of DVD Movie at Best Quality.

If you put 1.5 hours on a 4.7gb you did so at a reduction of video quality.

You are dealing with the Standards for Players not what various codecs can produce on a computer.

I agree totally but I have been very happy with the quality of discs produced as I stated in my post even at 1.5 hours of video.

[malatekid]

Isn't 3.4GB a little too big for a 45 minute video.

Mathematically, the number makes sense given that a 4.7GB DVD can hold a 60 minute video at Best Quality (4.7/60 * 45 = 3.53). But this is only from numerical point of view. As pointed out, as time increases, there is degradation in video quality.

[ggrussell]

And HOW MUCH more you add with 'acceptable' quality is purely subjective. Everyone's opinion on that will be different. Since I got my new 42" HDTV, even the highest quality is no longer looking good when it has to be stretched that large and that's with the anti-aliasing ability of my video card.

[D]

To Beerman, no, I haven't tried capturing with EMC? I don't think I've ever heard of it . I'm fine with Adobe Premiere since how I just figured out how to use most of the programs' functions. I'm comfortable with that software, and it gets the job done quite nicely.

So, everything you guys said made sense, but it also arose another question...just for curiosity. How are commercial movies burned then? How do you for example fit, lets say, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on two layers (that's a 3:20 hour movie) when technically on Best Quality two layers should only be able to take 2 hours of video. Do they use some kind of compression? I'm just curious about how it's done.

And again, thanx in advance.

You guys have been a great help.

[grandpabruce]

To Beerman, no, I haven't tried capturing with EMC? I don't think I've ever heard of it . I'm fine with Adobe Premiere since how I just figured out how to use most of the programs' functions. I'm comfortable with that software, and it gets the job done quite nicely.

So, everything you guys said made sense, but it also arose another question...just for curiosity. How are commercial movies burned then? How do you for example fit, lets say, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on two layers (that's a 3:20 hour movie) when technically on Best Quality two layers should only be able to take 2 hours of video. Do they use some kind of compression? I'm just curious about how it's done.

And again, thanx in advance.

You guys have been a great help.

I hope you don't really think that the movie industry uses a program like EMC 9 to burn their DVDs.

Millions of dollars of hardware and software enables them to "press" their discs, not burn them like consumer grade programs.

[Larry]

As noted, commercially produced discs is a totally different technology than what is available to the general public. The GP couldn't afford the 10's of thousands it would cost them anyway. Those are basically DL discs, and they didn't put movies like LOTR on a single disc. The movie is a 2 disc set.

[Beerman]

I thought commercial dvd's were pressed and not burned and supposedly, makes a big difference.

[grandpabruce]

I thought commercial dvd's were pressed and not burned and supposedly, makes a big difference.

That's what I said in my post.

[Beerman]

That's what I said in my post.

You posted? What makes you think I read your posts? You just trying to 'press' you point?

[grandpabruce]

You posted? What makes you think I read your posts? You just trying to 'press' you point?

ROFLMAO!

[D]

As noted, commercially produced discs is a totally different technology than what is available to the general public. The GP couldn't afford the 10's of thousands it would cost them anyway. Those are basically DL discs, and they didn't put movies like LOTR on a single disc. The movie is a 2 disc set.

Point taken. But, Lord of the Rings is not on two discs. It's on one DVD. Yes, it has a 2 DVD set and a 4 DVD set, but those are all extras. The movie itself is only on one DVD and it's as I said 3:20 hours long. But I guess what you and grandpabruce said does make sense.

But yeah, I was just curious about what the film industry uses to make so much fit into one DVD without shrinking the crap out of it.

I hope you don't really think that the movie industry uses a program like EMC 9 to burn their DVDs.

I sure hope they don't

[james_hardin]

I don't pretend to know what software is used in commercial DVD's, but I am sure they use several for different purposes and that includes some from Sonic.

One of the differences is that use variable bitrates throughout the movie. It might go as low as 3mbps for still scenes but jump to 8mbps for action scenes. They will also vary the resolution depending on the scene.

For a relatively short clip, it will require multiple rendering passes that may last 24 hours or more. Few home users would have the patience for that!

Keep in mind that they are using double layer discs which are going to hold about 2 hours of material at best quality. So a commercial movie of 3:20 is about the same as putting 1:40 on a 1 hour disc.

[grandpabruce]

Point taken. But, Lord of the Rings is not on two discs. It's on one DVD. Yes, it has a 2 DVD set and a 4 DVD set, but those are all extras. The movie itself is only on one DVD and it's as I said 3:20 hours long. But I guess what you and grandpabruce said does make sense.

But yeah, I was just curious about what the film industry uses to make so much fit into one DVD without shrinking the crap out of it.
I sure hope they don't

Touche.

This post has been edited by grandpabruce: 18 March 2007 - 05:13 AM

[Larry]

Point taken. But, Lord of the Rings is not on two discs. It's on one DVD. Yes, it has a 2 DVD set and a 4 DVD set, but those are all extras. The movie itself is only on one DVD and it's as I said 3:20 hours long. But I guess what you and grandpabruce said does make sense.

But yeah, I was just curious about what the film industry uses to make so much fit into one DVD without shrinking the crap out of it.



I sure hope they don't

Actually, the movie itself is in two parts split between Disc 1 and Disc 2 and labeled as Part One and Part Two, with "some" extras on those discs also. If you have the 4 disc set, like I do for all three movies, then the 3rd and 4th dics have some additional extras they call Appendices.

[D]

Actually, the movie itself is in two parts split between Disc 1 and Disc 2 and labeled as Part One and Part Two, with "some" extras on those discs also. If you have the 4 disc set, like I do for all three movies, then the 3rd and 4th dics have some additional extras they call Appendices.

Huh...I don't remember changing DVDs when I was watching the movie. The only movies that I have that are split on two DVDs are the ones like 1900 or War and Peace which are over 5 hours long as it is. You kinda would have a hard time fitting that on one DVD.

But yeah, I got the answer I needed. Thanx to everyone for the support