DVD Shrink and Video Studio 9se

[Feff]

Hi all,

Can anyone help? This is my procedure:

1. Have recorded movie on computer with tv card. File is approx 4.9GB which is a little to large to fit on DVD.
2. I have Already cut out ads etc using VideoRedo and saved file.
3. How can I get file to fit on 1 dvd without Ulead re rendering file again and taking 2 hours?
4. I have DVD Shrink but dont know how to use it to shrink the file ready for ulead to burn on disc.

I already know how to change bit rate of file so it will fit, but that changes file properties and therefore causes ulead to re render and take 2- 3 hours to burn etc.

Is there an easier and faster way??

Thanks.... Feff

[Ken Berry]

To use Shrink, you have to get your project into a 'DVD Folder' i.e. in the exact form that the final burned DVD would be structured. To do this, you have to go to Share > Create Disc > DVD, then insert your mpeg-2 file (which I am assuming is already DVD-compatible?) into the burning list. Build your menus etc, then on the final Burn page, uncheck the box 'Create to Disc' but choose instead 'Create DVD Folders' in the box immediately below. This will highlight where the final DVD folders will be located on your computer. Change this if you want. Then click the Burn button.

Once the 'burning' process has been completed, you then open Shrink and instead of "Open Disc" in the top left of screen, choose 'Open Files' beside it. Then point it at where the DVD Folders have been created on your hard drive, and more precisely, the one labelled 'Video_TS'. Shrink will then do a scan of this to make sure it can read it, and then it will prompt you as to whether it should do a Back-up. Click OK and it will then process the Video_TS folder you produced.

You will also have the choice whether you want to burn immediately to a DVD or create instead a new Video_TS folder in its shrunken form. I usually use the latter, but occasionally have gone straight to burning the disc if I know I only want one copy. If I know I am going to burn more copies for friends, family etc, I have the program burn another Video_TS folder on another disc and use Nero to burn this as many times as I like to DVD.

By the way, do not worry about the Audio_TS folder which is also created in the initial (or subsequent) Shrink process. It will, for video DVDs, always be empty, and you can safely ignore it. Any burning program worth its salt will automatically insert an empty Audio_TS folder before burning a disc.

[Feff]

Thanks Barry. That is very clear.

I had already followed those steps but fall over at the burning stage.

After DVD Shrink shrinks file, (which it does in ISO format) I insert DVD-Video file under Ulead create disc area. After this, the menus have all changed from original (no chapters) and the file is still too large even though DVD Shrink kept the green bar GREEN.

Could you please provide step by step (for a dummy) instructions to load ISO file into Ulead 9se and then burn to DVD (with original menu and chapters intact)--- but also so that Ulead doesnt rerender file again so it doesnt take 2-3 hours but 20-30 min like it should after Video redo had rendered it?

Keep up the great work Ken.

Feff

[heinz-oz]

You don't load an ISO file into VS. Use a burning program like Nero or Ulead Burn.Now to burn that file as is to a DVD blank.

[Feff]

Thanks H O.

I tried loading ISO file using Nero express 3 but I dont think it likes ISO files. I dont have Ulead Burn.

Thanks anyway.

PS> not as cold here in Melbourne this morning!!

[Ken Berry]

I have never used Nero Express to burn a disc image ISO file, and I refuse these days even to open the program as it appears to cause a conflict with the main Nero Burning ROM program, which I always use. But that is another story.

Anyway, if you don't have that full suite, you can use the VCD DVD Disc Image Recorder which comes as part of Video Studio. But you don't open VS to find it. Look instead in the main XP menu where you have VS installed, and in the bottom of that drop-down menu you will see 'VCD DVD Disc Image Recorder'. Click on that and a simple screen appears. Point it to where you have the ISO and burn to disc.

And more generally, I endorse what Heinz has just told you. Once you use Shrink, Video Studio is out of the equation. Once Shrink has shrunk , you either allow it to burn directly to disc -- I assume you are not given that choice; OR it will produce either the ISO you have produced (with which you do as per the above advice); OR the Video_TS folder in my original advice -- but again you need a third party program like Nero Burning ROM for that. The Ulead VCD DVD Disc Image Recorder will only burn ISO files.

[Feff]

Thanks Ken,

Great Stuff.

Feff