Is there a trick to bruning long DVD's?

G_Balliando

How do I fit more than an hour or so on a DVD? As I was burning the wire seasons 3 and 4, I had to burn each episode on one disc and it left barely any room. I want to know how to burn an entire movie to DVD (1.5-2 hours). If I'm starting with an avi, am I out of luck? There's something about the compression I'm not understanding. I have movies that I got from other people that fit onto the DVD just fine. Any help is much appreciated. I have the /avi for The Departed and I'd really like to watch it in the living room and not on the computer. Same with Cocaine Cowboys. Thanks.

edith head

How do I fit more than an hour or so on a DVD? As I was burning the wire seasons 3 and 4, I had to burn each episode on one disc and it left barely any room. I want to know how to burn an entire movie to DVD (1.5-2 hours). If I'm starting with an avi, am I out of luck? There's something about the compression I'm not understanding. I have movies that I got from other people that fit onto the DVD just fine. Any help is much appreciated. I have the /avi for The Departed and I'd really like to watch it in the living room and not on the computer. Same with Cocaine Cowboys. Thanks.

i know for a mac, you can download mac the ripper for free to rip the dvd. to burn it, you can use roxio popcorn. it automatically compresses commercial dvds to fit onto a dvd+-r

G_Balliando

well, i'm on a pc, but I know they make roxio products for both. Maybe I'll try this popcorn program you speak of. Thanks for the tip!

G_Balliando

well, i'm on a pc, but I know they make roxio products for both. Maybe I'll try this popcorn program you speak of. Thanks for the tip!

Further investigation reveals that this program is only for Mac. Any PC heads know the deal?

bonus question: Any PC users know what's up with Windows Vista? Any good? +'s? -'s?

DjArcadian

Find a program called DVD Shrink.

E_Daily

double layer

the3rdstream

to play an avi on your dvd player you need a dvd player that plays avi files and divx stuff, you can find one cheap and you you can fit a bunch of movies on a dvd, i suggest you get one of these, it sounds like your torrenting and this is the best thing if you are, you dont have to convert shit and can store a bunch of shit on one disc, tonight iam watching children of man

but if you dont want to go down that road you can use a conversion software to change it from avi to dvd, i have some freeware at home that does this but the name escapes me, i'll check when i get home

twoply

I've heard DVD Santa works to convert .avi into DVD.

pjl2000xl

i use dvdsanta for everything. You can fit up to almost 5 hours on a 4.7 gig dvd-r. Search some torrent sites for santa and you should be on your way. Its real easy to use and burn the shit.

hertzhog

to play an avi on your dvd player you need a dvd player that plays avi files and divx stuff, you can find one cheap and you you can fit a bunch of movies on a dvd, i suggest you get one of these

I got a divx dvd player a year ago:

twoply

i use dvdsanta for everything. You can fit up to almost 5 hours on a 4.7 gig dvd-r. Search some torrent sites for santa and you should be on your way. Its real easy to use and burn the shit.

So can dvd santa get those damn wire season 1 .mkv files onto dvd?

pjl2000xl

actually no. I have used tons of different programs and still could not burn those mkv joints. There are other season 1 torrents floating around though in avi format so use that. DVDsanta encodes avis, mov's, iso's, and VOB. It doesnt do bin/cue files. For that you would need alcohol or maybe nero.

G_Balliando

So, DVD Santa, essentially, can compress the files to fit on a single layer disc and still be viewable on a regular DVD player? That's what I'm looking for. I researched a little more and realized that I am burning to single layer and most movies are on double layer. Or something like that. So as long as this Santa program can compress the files enough, I should be set. I will torrent that tonight and give it a try, thanks for all of the suggestions.

edith head

So, DVD Santa, essentially, can compress the files to fit on a single layer disc and still be viewable on a regular DVD player? That's what I'm looking for. I researched a little more and realized that I am burning to single layer and most movies are on double layer. Or something like that. So as long as this Santa program can compress the files enough, I should be set. I will torrent that tonight and give it a try, thanks for all of the suggestions.

you can also buy dual-layer dvd-rs now, but they're expensive. you will get quality as good as the original commercial dvd though

the3rdstream

So, DVD Santa, essentially, can compress the files to fit on a single layer disc and still be viewable on a regular DVD player? That's what I'm looking for. I researched a little more and realized that I am burning to single layer and most movies are on double layer. Or something like that. So as long as this Santa program can compress the files enough, I should be set. I will torrent that tonight and give it a try, thanks for all of the suggestions.

if all you are doing is copying a dvd (dual layer to single) you can also use dvd shrink which I have had zero problems with, never used santa, plus you can download shrink right here

twoply

So, DVD Santa, essentially, can compress the files to fit on a single layer disc and still be viewable on a regular DVD player? That's what I'm looking for. I researched a little more and realized that I am burning to single layer and most movies are on double layer. Or something like that. So as long as this Santa program can compress the files enough, I should be set. I will torrent that tonight and give it a try, thanks for all of the suggestions.

if all you are doing is copying a dvd (dual layer to single) you can also use dvd shrink which I have had zero problems with, never used santa, plus you can download shrink right here

Yes, for just copying DVDs, DVD Shrink is the way to go. Just leave the settings at default and the program will shrink all DVDs down to the size of a DVD-R or DVD+R. It's fast, too, usually taking around 25 minutes on my computer.

jaymack

to play an avi on your dvd player you need a dvd player that plays avi files and divx stuff, you can find one cheap and you you can fit a bunch of movies on a dvd, i suggest you get one of these

I got a divx dvd player a year ago:

seriously, do this!!!!!
i did last year and havent looked back. you can fit, like, five movies or so onto a single dvd. the dvd player is like forty bucks!
do it. do it!

johmbolaya

If you don't want to compress the files, then you have to burn it on a "dual layer" DVD. Now here's what you have to watch out for:

DVD-R DL will play on most DVD players. It will also play on your PC.
DVD+R DL will not play on many DVD players. It will also play on your PC.

However, not all burners will burn DVD-R DL, which I learned when I bought a spindle of them and found out it didn't burn. However, my burner will burn on DVD+R DL. Through my nephew, I have learned that DVD+R DL will play on the X-Box 360. It should play on the PS3.

Options have already been mentioned. Compressing the DVD by half can be done if you use DVD Shrink. Quality may suffer, but if you're not too worried about that, that's fine. As others have mentioned, you can compress to DiVX, the basic codec is free. They do have players that play DiVX as well, and they are fairly cheap (I've seen a few for under $60). They are useful if you download DiVX-encoded clips/movies but would prefer to see them on a bigger screen. Perfect for repeated viewings of Latex Soccer Moms[/b].

Of course, if you get one of those 400GB external hard drives, even better. Just drag everything to that, and you have an entire library ready to go. Or just get the 2TB buffalo:

G_Balliando

Damn, I think I might cop a DivX DVD player, that sounds like the joint. I may also try for some double-layer dvd+r's, although most of the time, I'm burning from torrent downloads or something else similar, so I'm not getting great quality as it is. It's probably just as good compressing it to fit on a single layer than burning an avi to a more expensive double layer, no? Thanks again for all of the input. If this place wasn't a nerd fest I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Soulstrut rocks. '07 til inifnity.

G_Balliando

Or just get the 2TB buffalo:

HAZ

DVD Shrink is fast & easy. To convert avi/divx to DVD I suggest a program called convertxtodvd. Converts in burns in a couple simple steps. Even lets you add subs easily.

peace

h

dCastillo

So, DVD Santa, essentially, can compress the files to fit on a single layer disc and still be viewable on a regular DVD player? That's what I'm looking for. I researched a little more and realized that I am burning to single layer and most movies are on double layer. Or something like that. So as long as this Santa program can compress the files enough, I should be set. I will torrent that tonight and give it a try, thanks for all of the suggestions.

if all you are doing is copying a dvd (dual layer to single) you can also use dvd shrink which I have had zero problems with, never used santa, plus you can download shrink right here

Yes, for just copying DVDs, DVD Shrink is the way to go. Just leave the settings at default and the program will shrink all DVDs down to the size of a DVD-R or DVD+R. It's fast, too, usually taking around 25 minutes on my computer.

let me ask this to verify:

Pt 1: does DVD shrink decrypt and rip VIDEO_TS information from DVDs, so that I may burn a copy of them?

Pt 2: It will take my AVI/divx files and make them ready to be burned to a DVD video as well?

I just bought 25 dual layer discs and have been downloading mad dvd-r torrents, but I have some avis I'd like to watch on the tube as well as a netflix subscription so I can have a nice janky library of copies of some things...

HAZ

So, DVD Santa, essentially, can compress the files to fit on a single layer disc and still be viewable on a regular DVD player? That's what I'm looking for. I researched a little more and realized that I am burning to single layer and most movies are on double layer. Or something like that. So as long as this Santa program can compress the files enough, I should be set. I will torrent that tonight and give it a try, thanks for all of the suggestions.

if all you are doing is copying a dvd (dual layer to single) you can also use dvd shrink which I have had zero problems with, never used santa, plus you can download shrink right here

Yes, for just copying DVDs, DVD Shrink is the way to go. Just leave the settings at default and the program will shrink all DVDs down to the size of a DVD-R or DVD+R. It's fast, too, usually taking around 25 minutes on my computer.

let me ask this to verify:

Pt 1: does DVD shrink decrypt and rip VIDEO_TS information from DVDs, so that I may burn a copy of them?

Pt 2: It will take my AVI/divx files and make them ready to be burned to a DVD video as well?

I just bought 25 dual layer discs and have been downloading mad dvd-r torrents, but I have some avis I'd like to watch on the tube as well as a netflix subscription so I can have a nice janky library of copies of some things...

For pt 1, I use nero, just out of habit. DVD shrink should work, too. For pt 2, I'd suggest getting convertxtodvd. You can get both on torrent sites.

peace

h

dCastillo

For pt 1, I use nero, just out of habit. DVD shrink should work, too. For pt 2, I'd suggest getting convertxtodvd. You can get both on torrent sites.

peace

h

Nero decrypts? I have version 6, but was wondering if it handles that ok--I'm scared to test it on a $2 disc to find out.

the3rdstream

Pt 1: does DVD shrink decrypt and rip VIDEO_TS information from DVDs, so that I may burn a copy of them?

yes, dvd shrink makes a copy of the video_ts file and puts it on your hard drive and then you just burn it like a data disc and your good to go, if the dvd you are trying to copy is a dual layer (over 4 gigs) it wil shrink the disc to fit on a single layer, this means you will lose some quality but thats ok when it comes to burning tv shows, when it comes to movies you can isolate the movie and just rip the feature and not all the menus and extras so that you lose little or no quality

Pt 2: It will take my AVI/divx files and make them ready to be burned to a DVD video as well?

I just bought 25 dual layer discs and have been downloading mad dvd-r torrents, but I have some avis I'd like to watch on the tube as well as a netflix subscription so I can have a nice janky library of copies of some things...

refer to what haz said on this

HAZ

For pt 1, I use nero, just out of habit. DVD shrink should work, too. For pt 2, I'd suggest getting convertxtodvd. You can get both on torrent sites.

peace

h

Nero decrypts? I have version 6, but was wondering if it handles that ok--I'm scared to test it on a $2 disc to find out.

I have Nero 7. There's the odd time I can't copy with Nero because of copy protect softwear. Its not often. If you have a problem with decryption, use DVD Decrypter & then burn it with Nero or whatever.

peace

h

johmbolaya

Damn, I think I might cop a DivX DVD player, that sounds like the joint. I may also try for some double-layer dvd+r's, although most of the time, I'm burning from torrent downloads or something else similar, so I'm not getting great quality as it is. It's probably just as good compressing it to fit on a single layer than burning an avi to a more expensive double layer, no?

Definitely, for simple viewing and stuff like that. Also comes in handy if you're renting from Netflix or any other rental site.

johmbolaya

Or just get the 2TB buffalo:

It could become the Soulstrut Mp3 p2p compound.

twoply

Pt 1: does DVD shrink decrypt and rip VIDEO_TS information from DVDs, so that I may burn a copy of them?

yes, dvd shrink makes a copy of the video_ts file and puts it on your hard drive and then you just burn it like a data disc and your good to go, if the dvd you are trying to copy is a dual layer (over 4 gigs) it wil shrink the disc to fit on a single layer, this means you will lose some quality but thats ok when it comes to burning tv shows, when it comes to movies you can isolate the movie and just rip the feature and not all the menus and extras so that you lose little or no quality

You just burn it as a data DVD? When I tried that with Nero it didn't work, my comp just read it as a data DVD with files. I have to burn it as UDF DVD (whatever that means).

HAZ

Pt 1: does DVD shrink decrypt and rip VIDEO_TS information from DVDs, so that I may burn a copy of them?

yes, dvd shrink makes a copy of the video_ts file and puts it on your hard drive and then you just burn it like a data disc and your good to go, if the dvd you are trying to copy is a dual layer (over 4 gigs) it wil shrink the disc to fit on a single layer, this means you will lose some quality but thats ok when it comes to burning tv shows, when it comes to movies you can isolate the movie and just rip the feature and not all the menus and extras so that you lose little or no quality

You just burn it as a data DVD? When I tried that with Nero it didn't work, my comp just read it as a data DVD with files. I have to burn it as UDF DVD (whatever that means).

The DVD shrink that I use will shrink & burn the DVD in one step. When using DVD Shrink, I don't bother using Nero or anything else. I'll use Nero if I use DVD decrypter, tho.

peace

h

the3rdstream

Pt 1: does DVD shrink decrypt and rip VIDEO_TS information from DVDs, so that I may burn a copy of them?

yes, dvd shrink makes a copy of the video_ts file and puts it on your hard drive and then you just burn it like a data disc and your good to go, if the dvd you are trying to copy is a dual layer (over 4 gigs) it wil shrink the disc to fit on a single layer, this means you will lose some quality but thats ok when it comes to burning tv shows, when it comes to movies you can isolate the movie and just rip the feature and not all the menus and extras so that you lose little or no quality

You just burn it as a data DVD? When I tried that with Nero it didn't work, my comp just read it as a data DVD with files. I have to burn it as UDF DVD (whatever that means).

did you try the disc in a dvd player hooked up to your tv?
iam just using the sonic shit that came with my computer to burn the discs, i have tried fucking with nero and don't like it