Video Convert

[Holuigue]

I have a series of *.flv files which I want to put on DVD

I want to put several on one DVD, to run via a Menu

I need to convert them to a format acceptable to MYDVD

What is the preferred format to convert to, so that I get the best quality ?

Thanks,

Gerard

[sknis]

I have a series of *.flv files which I want to put on DVD

I want to put several on one DVD, to run via a Menu

I need to convert them to a format acceptable to MYDVD

What is the preferred format to convert to, so that I get the best quality ?

Thanks,

Gerard

 

No Roxio product will convert a flv file. You must use a third party converter. Use cnet to search for a good free program. You must convert the file to mpg2. Unless you are making AVCHD or blu-ray discs, all standard DVDs play 720 by 480.

[Holuigue]

"no Roxio product will convert .Flv files" ????

I just did, using Roxio NXT Pro ... no problems.

 

By the way, my concern is to avoid a chain of conversions which can only impact quality.

In the end, this is what I did:

1. Using convert, I had 3 FLV files listed in the left window

2. I selected "convert to DVD"

3. my 3 files were converted into a directory (My Movies) created by Roxio. I am no Guru, but it looked like the files created were ready to dump on a DVD.

4. I did not create the DVD from there. I went back to MyDVD, added a movie, pointing to a file called something like VIDEO_TS

5. MyDVD automatically created 3 selectable entries in my main menu

 

Done

[sknis]

Sorry, I didn't know that NXt would handle flash. I think that may be new.

[bimicher]

Video_TS is the actual folder of a standard DVD which contains all the files necessary to burn and play the DVD. If you look at a commercial DVD you will see they all have such a folder which contains a number of ifo, bup and vob files..

[Holuigue]

Thank you.

I had gathered/guessed that much (about the significanve of the Video_TS files).

Hence I presumed that the actual video files had already been converted to DVD format through a single convert process.

I then assumed that the end result would be better that going through the "flv" to "wmv" to MyDVD path, since I could not plug in an flv file directly into MyDVD.

(It would also save time !)

As it goes, I am putting 3 big documentaries (47 mns each) onto a DVD DL disk. Each file conversion takes about 50 mns.

Next problem will be to find out if my TV connected player will play a DVD DL disk !

 

By the way, I could have gone directly from converting my flv files to creating a DVD ... but I had started with MyDVD, so ...

[sknis]

3 won't fit unless you reduce the quality. You can get about 2 hours of video on a DL disc at the best quality. You may get a message to that effect or the program will hang, possibly cutting off the end of the third documentary

[Holuigue]

I just ran a series of lengthy tests, since the Roxio documentation was sorely lacking.

For that, I downloaded a rather short Video (Using RealDownloader). So, I started with a .flv file of 4.08 MB, lasting 1:05)

And I went through various Roxio Convert possibilities.

I am no Graphics technician, and I presumed (?) that the size of the output file might give a rough idea of its visual quality.

I accept that, in theory, the quality can even be improved: I have seen how technology can even put flesh back on a 10,000 years old skull !

1. Smartphone: I get an mp4 (MPEG-4) file of 2.88 MB (LQ) or 20.9 MB (HQ)

2. DVD: I get VIDEO_TS directories of 61.4 MB (LQ). Same size for MQ and HQ

3. WMV 1080: .wmv files of 61.7 MB (LQ), 85.8 MB (MQ and HQ)

4. WMV 720: .wmv files of 51 MB for LQ, MQ and HQ

5. Video: MPEG-2 files (.mpg) of 6.76 MB (LQ) and 101 MB for MQ (what a jump !). I tried HQ and the program hung, so I will stay away from that type of conversion.

 

 

I also found that RealDownloader comes with a "Realplayer Converter". There are no Options, and it gave me a .wmv file of 4.08 MB

Visually, I checked that the quallity of the ouput was, altogether, consistent with the quality of the Input (no magic there !)

Good enough for me, since I don't run an art shop anyway.

 

I started this investigation with a series of captured presentations from Richard Dawkins ( Sex, Death and the meaning of life): 3 sessions of 47 minutes each, which I wanted to archive on 1 DVD.

Done: using the RealDownloader converter, I got 3 .wmv filles of 258 MB each. Using MyDVD, they fitted confortably on a DVD +R DL (Used: 6771 MB, Free: 1768 MB, according to Roxio).

One more problem though: I am not sure yet that my DVD player can play DL DVD's !

[bimicher]

I just ran a series of lengthy tests, since the Roxio documentation was sorely lacking.

For that, I downloaded a rather short Video (Using RealDownloader). So, I started with a .flv file of 4.08 MB, lasting 1:05)

And I went through various Roxio Convert possibilities.

I am no Graphics technician, and I presumed (?) that the size of the output file might give a rough idea of its visual quality.

I accept that, in theory, the quality can even be improved: I have seen how technology can even put flesh back on a 10,000 years old skull !

1. Smartphone: I get an mp4 (MPEG-4) file of 2.88 MB (LQ) or 20.9 MB (HQ)

2. DVD: I get VIDEO_TS directories of 61.4 MB (LQ). Same size for MQ and HQ

3. WMV 1080: .wmv files of 61.7 MB (LQ), 85.8 MB (MQ and HQ)

4. WMV 720: .wmv files of 51 MB for LQ, MQ and HQ

5. Video: MPEG-2 files (.mpg) of 6.76 MB (LQ) and 101 MB for MQ (what a jump !). I tried HQ and the program hung, so I will stay away from that type of conversion.

 

 

I also found that RealDownloader comes with a "Realplayer Converter". There are no Options, and it gave me a .wmv file of 4.08 MB

Visually, I checked that the quallity of the ouput was, altogether, consistent with the quality of the Input (no magic there !)

Good enough for me, since I don't run an art shop anyway.

 

I started this investigation with a series of captured presentations from Richard Dawkins ( Sex, Death and the meaning of life): 3 sessions of 47 minutes each, which I wanted to archive on 1 DVD.

Done: using the RealDownloader converter, I got 3 .wmv filles of 258 MB each. Using MyDVD, they fitted confortably on a DVD +R DL (Used: 6771 MB, Free: 1768 MB, according to Roxio).

One more problem though: I am not sure yet that my DVD player can play DL DVD's !

 

Your test really do not mean very much. There are all sorts of "variations" for the same format and you can create different file sizes for the same video file. There are low quality mp4 videos and HD mp4 videos and they would have different file sizes and still have the same mp4 extension.

 

 

Do not equate file size with quality. The best quality that can be achieved for a proper video DVD is using the HQ setting. This allows for about 60 minutes for a 4.3GB DVD and under 120 minutes for a DL DVD. All video DVDs use the mpeg2 format.

 

Some of your results are strange. For a DVD for example, you state you get the same size for HQ, MQ, and LQ. I don't think this is correct. The HQ setting should give a much larger file as you show in the #6 test.

[Holuigue]

I explained the limits of my investigation. Of course, given that the techniques of encoding are different, I expect differences in size.

However, I also ran the resulting files and visually appreciated the differences (or lack of).

And yes, some of the results are puzzling !

But I re-ran the tests and the results were confirmed (I run Windows 7 Ultimate. Figures from file Properties).

 

In relation to my Conference series:

I now have 2 DVD's which I find not significantly visually different when run on my PC (37x23 cm display)

1) DVD+R DL (8.5 GB)

Burned using SP quality level (Standard Play)

Roxio estimates: used 6,771 MB, free 1,768 MB, time left 36:55

Works fine on my computer. As expected, does not play on my player+TV

2) DVD+R (4.7 GB)

Burned using EP quality level (Extra Long Play)

Roxio estimates: used 3,593 MB, free 1,107 MB, time left 43:38

Videowave crashed near the end, but the CD is complete and usable: I just watched it on my player+TV