Hello. Great site & great forums. Currently have two approx. 700MB-each AVI files I'd like to shrink down to something 'manageable' to accommodate a one-layer 4.7GB dvd disc (ken burns' 'jack johnson'/unforgivable blackness - great show). Simply can't figure it out. Have tried to convert it to perhaps a smaller 'container' such as MP4 but the quality suffers, etc. Have also gone ahead and converted it into one ISO file w/Roxio DVD software and saved image on the HD to further shrink down with DVDshrink but am getting the DVDshrink error message 'improper structure, cannot read file' or some such (& know DVDshrink no longer has updates post-2004 or whatever so am stuck in that regard). So, basically, I surrender to my incompetence. (just trying to get all monster-size files off the HD and onto DVD - also prefer to watch same on stand-alone player vs. computer screen)
Try 'DVD Flick'. Add the titles (AVI files) and create the DVD. Each title will be assigned a menu item (if you elect to create one) and it will optionally burn the disk using the included IMGBurn app. The included help is concise and informative. http://www.afterdawn.com/software/video_software/dvd_tools/dvd_flick.cfm
Thank you, Attar, for the helpful tip(s) but, sad to say, I have tried DVD flick - a great program indeed (for the addition of non-embedded subtitles especially which others can't handle, like Roxio, Nero) but got the same 'file exceeds capacity' bit on this program as well when adding anything slightly over 1GB....unless I'm missing something obvious . Will try this again and thanks much!
The total size of the avi files once converted should be a little over 1gb. You should have no problem putting 2 and sometimes 3 converted files onto a blank dvd.
Thanks all! Took the approach that it's in fact the 'running time' vs actual size of input files into account and simply kept experimenting with whittling down incrementally the 'custom bitrate' parameters under the 'video' project settings. As this is/was basically still photos with narration (a Ken Burns doc) the quality wouldn't by any stretch be compromised (it wasn't) whereas I could foresee a problem with an actual film/moving picture(s). Don't quite understand the latest comment re: ability to fit 2 & perhaps 3 avi's on one DVD. That for me is the mystery, i.e., how does one most effectively compress AVI files (or any files for that matter) to a viable format that does not hamper quality by doing so? A recent d/l freeware, MediaCoder, does an excellent job of conversion to a variety of formats but even this does not shrink down a let's say 700MB AVI file to anything approaching dvd-compatible size (i.e., about half of/350 to accommodate multiple files on one). Gets tiresome downloading Yet Another Program simply to perform ONE function (shrinking avi's, etc). Thanks for all your help! Will keep experimenting!
That statement means nothing. Final size depends on the video bitrate used to convert. If you don't mind bad quality you can get 5+ hours on a DVD using a very low bitrate As was noted when converting to DVD, source file sizes are not relevant. It's all about the running time. You don't shrink your source files, you simply use the appropriate vid bitrate when converting to DVD. If I choose to covert a 90 minute vid to Xvid (avi) I can make it any size I choose, from lets say 500mb (poor quality) to 2GB (great quality). The converting programs don't care about the size, they look at the running time. If someone wants to convert either the 500MB or the 2GB version to DVD a vid bitrate of about 6500 kb/s is needed for 90 minutes to fill a DVD 5.
