Maximum file size for importing VOBs

[chickster25]

Hi,
I have been using the DVD Workshop 2 for some time now and made a number of DVDs but they have all been short chapters. I am importing VOB files off a mini-DVD straight out of a camcorder.

I have created two new VOBs about 10 minutes in length and they are about 500Mb in size. But when i import them into DVD Workshop, it splits them into two parts each, with the first part being 295,500kb and time of 302.280 seconds and then the second file is the remainder.

This is no good as I want them to play on my DVD as one chapter linked to a button, not two diferent bits of video. Is there a maximum file size or length you can import or am I doing something wrong?

This is ruining my DVD

[GeorgeW]

The DVD Import function will break the imported video into Titles at each Chapter Mark or change in .vob -- as you have a small dvd disc, it probably isn't the 1gb .vob that's causing the split -- most likely you have some sort of chapter marker where it's splitting (or maybe between recording sessions)?

If you download the Trial of DVD MovieFactory 4 or VideoStudio 9 -- they have a new funtion that allows you to import as one long Title (instead of splitting them up).

[chickster25]

Thank you for that. I wasnt aware of any chapter points being put on the DVD by me or the camera.

I found a way around the issue, by getting some software to convert the complete VOB to an MPEG and then importing the MPEG in one go. It also has the advantage of crunching a 300MB VOB into a 50MB MPEG

[heinz-oz]

300 MB VOB(mpeg2) crunched down to 50MB mpeg, wow, you should get this patented. Have you done anything yet with the resultant file? Did you burn it back to DVD? Don't forget, you need a minimum of 1 GB on the DVD to be compatible with all players. Would be interested to hear what sort of quality you get with that rate of compression.

[maddrummer3301]

>>If you download the Trial of DVD MovieFactory 4 or VideoStudio 9 --
>>they have a new function that allows you to import as one long Title
>>(instead of splitting them up).

That's true and works nice. But, many people using the camcorders are
starting & stopping the cam which everytime they do that will create a
separate mpeg2 file on the dvd. So if on a dvd someone has started &
stopped 8 times then when they import the dvd there will be 8 separate
mpeg2 files. Even using the new importing module. That is a limitation of
recording directly to dvd so instead of starting & stopping the cam it's
best to "Pause" it if possible. Pausing leaves the mpeg file open and
doesn't close it until you press stop.
Experienced editors know why because to import all those mpeg2 videos
as one file, then they would have to be re-rendered into one file.
Seems like the pro's that make these camcorders & dvd recorders also
realize it's not simple to merge mpeg files together without re-rendering
the stream.
Panasonic dvd recorders that have built-in harddrives can re-render to
a different bit-rate for transferring to dvd. You can merge mpeg's into
one movie etc. Nice units, and the video is still acceptable quality after
re-encoding.

MD

[chickster25]

300 MB VOB(mpeg2) crunched down to 50MB mpeg, wow, you should get this patented. Have you done anything yet with the resultant file? Did you burn it back to DVD? Don't forget, you need a minimum of 1 GB on the DVD to be compatible with all players. Would be interested to hear what sort of quality you get with that rate of compression.

Well Im pretty sure thst is what happened, although im no expert. The single VOB file was huge and came off the mini-DVD as one file but was loaded into Workshop 2 as 2 files. I downloaded a tria lprogram that converts VOBS to MPEG, ran it through with all the default settings and ended up with one MPEG file, the time was the full duration on the complete VOB file and it was about 50 MB. I can get the name of the software when I get home so you can all prove me wrong

I then loaded the "video" file into workshop 2 and added the video to a button and all seems great when I test it. All seemed quite simple but im no genius so cant understand if I have done something cool

[maddrummer3301]

Hi,
>>get home so you can all prove me wrong
This forum is to discuss and exchange information and experience.
Not all computer software will import a dvd the same. I posted how
the ulead importing module works and partially how a vob is a container.

No, your not wrong at all. What the program did was combined the
videos (separate mpeg2 files) on the dvd into one video which is
called re-rendering. There are a few methods that programs use to
do this without losing any quality. As long as the videos that are
being combined are the same attributes (recorded at standard play)
that usually works.
If you have mixed videos like some recorded at high quality and
others at standard or even long play mixing can be harder for the
software and can generate program errors.

That's what Heinz's post was, your 300 meg vob shows the approx size
and quality of the videos in it. When properly combined the resulting file
should be approx as large as the VOB file (that depends though because
vob's are also padded).
When you imported the files using ulead, what file sizes were they?
That program should combine them so the resulting video will be the
total file size of both the 2 videos.
Hence, it sounds like that program re-rendered the videos down to a
lower bit-rate since it's only 50 megaBytes. Both video will be there but
the qualityof the videos may be lower.
If the quality when played back on a dvd isn't that good then change
the settings in that program that merged them to a higher quality setting.
(The preview screen in ulead may/may not look like the finished product).

All ulead videos products will combine mpeg2 files using smart-render
without loss of quality.

You also can import the 2 videos into the ulead product and burn them
as separate menu items onto a dvd. Then, later or any time in the future
you can get them back off the dvd you created and combine them.
By doing that you will always keep the same high quality of the original
video. That is one of the best methods to transfer the material to dvd
with custom menus are archiving the videos.

I'm also still learning the new importing module in MovieFactory4 and VS9.
It's different than previous versions (better but picky).

Hope this helps,

MD

[chickster25]

Please excuse me, I only mean the phrase "to prove me wrong" as a small joke as I dont know a lot about this stuff and there are some very clever people here

The combined total of the two files in DVDW2 did add up to the total size of the file. I was not able to burn them as two seperate items as I need it to play through as one whole DVD item as its a lesson and the video was broken right in the middle of a speech.

I am pretty sure the quality of the modified file will be less as I used MPEG1 and thta was a rate set, but as its only a shareware product I will have to pay to get that option. Thanks for the not about checkign the quality as it does look ok in DVDW2 but as you say the final DVD may not be so good.

Hopefully as the lesson was filmed in a fixed spot, perhaps there has been a lot of compression as the background was pretty static the whole time??!! Just a guess...

[maddrummer3301]

Hi,
Excuse me also. Didn't mean to come across abruptly.

I haven't found a way to join 2 files in WS2. When they re-wrote
MovieFactory 4 they added an export feature so maybe in the next
release of WorkShop they will have an export video feature.

You could purchase VideoStudio 9. That contains the new
import module and also burns dvd's. It will merge all the videos files etc.
Nice program. If the recordings are from a dvd camcorder they are most
likely dolby audio so the Trial version of VS9 doesn't support dolby I dont'
think.
I would reccommend the retail box version anyway. Many people have had
corrupted downloads plus the downloads are very large.

Hope this helps,

MD