Video File Size Help

[SeraphXXVII]

I recently purchased Corel Video Studio Pro X6. So far it has worked great except for one issue. When using it to make DVD's, the file take up far more room than the actual file size is.

I've converted old VHS tapes to .mpg files and I planned on using Corel to create DVD's, with menus, for my family. I ran into the issue of the files being far too big, so after some research I discovered that .mpg files were not size efficient. I then used Corel to convert them to .mp4 files. So now, for example, a file that was 1.06GB (.mpg) is no 70.7MB (.mp4). So on disc the files are considerably smaller, with little to no video/audio loss. But, once I opened up Corel and started a new project and tried to use the new smaller files they still take up just about the same amount of space on the DVD's. On my HDD all of the converted files take up the same amount of disc space as just a few of the original files. Yet on the DVD I can still only fit 3-4 videos.

I've tried doing searches on Google and Corel's forums, but I have not seen anyone running into the same issue as me. So, I'm willing to bet that I'm doing something wrong. If anyone could provide me with some tips or maybe something I'm missing, I would greatly appreciate it. I'm trying to get these discs made before Christmas for my family.

Thank you in advance!

[canuck]

On a standard 4.7GB DVD all files have to be in the mpg format. So converting your captured video to another format is pointless since it will be converted back to mpg when you create a DVD.
The file size of a source file is almost meaningless. What is more important is the time length of the video and the bitrate you use. A standard 4.7GB DVD can only only hold 60 minutes of video at the best quality setting which would be a bit rate of about 8000. By lowering the bit rate you can get more video on a DVD but you will also lose quality. For video from VHS I would stick with the highest bit rate to keep quality.

Actually what you are describing is a fairly common misunderstanding and there are many google articles about video size, DVDs, etc.

[Ken Berry]

Canuck said:

On a standard 4.7GB DVD all files have to be in the mpg format.

To be more specific, the international DVD standard requires all files burned to a *video* DVD to be mpeg-2 (or in some cases, the older and much less used mpeg-1) with certain properties. The latter include a combined video and audio bitrate of no more that 10,000 -- though as Canuck has already said, in practice the highest quality video bitrate which just about all stand-alone DVD players can play is 8000 kbps. And one hour of video at that bitrate will produce an mpeg-2 of around 4.3 GB. Moreover, the mpeg-2 is changed somewhat in the production of a video DVD and becomes the files on the DVD you can see in a computer which have the .vob extension. (The other files on a video DVD are .bup -- backup -- and .ifo -- information -- files which in effect tell the DVD player the structure of the disc, where things are on it and what order to play the disc in.)

Sure, you can produce mp4 or DivX/XVid movies of much smaller size, and burn them to a DVD blank disc. But those discs are in fact data discs and not video DVDs. Most stand-alone DVD players will recognise DivX/XVid formats and play them (without menus). But they are still not *video DVDs* as they do not contain the required mpeg-2 format video. As far as I am aware, discs with mp4 on them can be played on a computer's DVD drive, but the great majority of stand-alone DVD players will not recognise or play such discs on your TV. The only player which I am personally aware of which will play mp4 on such a disc is the PlayStation 3 (and 4) which is a great Blu-Ray/DVD player in addition to its gaming abilities. However, the PS3 requires the video to be contained in a folder on the disc (or external hard drive or USB stick drive) labelled in upper case "VIDEO". It will also play AVCHD, HDV and other formats contained on such a disc and in such a folder. There are probably other Blu-Ray players out there which will also do this, but as I say, the PS3 is the only one I am personally familiar with.

[SeraphXXVII]

Thank you both for clearing that up for me. I really appreciate the detailed answers!