I have a 4.3 gig MKV file of a French movie including subtitle which I want to preserve. When using ConvertXtoDVD to convert and burn to DVD, the program warned me that using a single layer disc will yield only 'good' quality; I must use a double layer disc for 'excellent' result. I did use one of my expensive double layer discs, and yet somehow the resulting file shrank from 4.3 gigs to only 2.41 gigs. This means, I guess, that ConvertXtoDVD heavily compressed the file. And it totally wasted a d/l disc. This has happened before. Am I losing video quality? I don't know how else to burn the MKV file and keep the subtitle. Any reasons why I'm ending up with a file so much smaller than the original? Cheers and thanks
Meaningless words. If the movie is 2 hours or less, it will look fine on SL DVD. If more than 2 hours, you'll want DL DVD, yes. Or switch to 352x480, and have up to 3-4 hours on SL DVD.
Meaningless answer. My question was why does the DVD file from ConvertXtoDVD end up so much smaller -- half the size in fact -- than the original MKV file? Your idea of 'fine' is probably different than mine since I'm watching movies on a 120-inch screen. I thought that an MKV file would be expanded, not compressed, when converted to a VOB file. Thanks anyway for answering. If you do know why that MKV file is compressed so much when converted, I'd like to know......
Have a read in this thread: http://forums.vso-software.fr/how-to-get-best-quality-max-of-files-doesn-t-fill-dvd-t11326.html The VSO team claims they have a new "encoding" strategy in ConvertX2DVD, and bigger size does not equal better quality.PLus, did your MKV have HD content? You can try and use another encoder and compare the results(DVD Flick , FAVC , The FilmMachine)
Now I understand. Thanks for the answer and for the lead to that very interesting guide to how ConvertXtoDVD works. Yes, the file did include HD content -- which does result in a better DVD than normal due in part, I guess, to the extra care given to the original movie transfer. So my only quibble/problem really is the way ConvertX asks me to use a D/L disc instead of an S/L, and then wastes that disc! After reading your answer to my original question, I guess the answer to that is that the original ConvertX disc-size assessment can't take account of the actual reduction in data-size made during conversion. The answer is to always convert to hard-drive, and only THEN burn to disc using DVDFab or Nero when the actual data size is known. Thanks heaps for that; I really appreciate the advice. mozartmo
That is one of "the" most important things that many people refuse to understand, and waste discs and such. Many things can happen during an encoding, like the output size mismatch in your case, or audio/video sync issues, stuttering...First save the compilation to HDD and then burn, after you make sure the result is acceptable. No need to use DVDFab, is not a burner. To burn the resulting ISO/Video_TS folder you can use Nero or ImgBurn. I guess no, the initial "output size assessment" is not very reliable. Especially if you do a 2 pass encoding, the result might change slightly.
