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Fitting 128 minutes on 120 minute DVD-R

D

DrumaChick420

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 7, 2005
25
0
DrummerLand, Connecticut
Hi everyone,
I've been putting some things onto DVD, I have 128 minutes that won't fit on my 120 minute, 4.7 GB DVD-R's. Am I not formatting or compressing correctly? The only thing I can fit these on are the Dual Layer Discs which are a lot more costly.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Thanks.
Jennifer.
 
I don't believe it can be done. I think 120-mins is the maximum amount of playing time according to the DVD standard specifications. Compression doesn't matter. You'll either need to go to a (more expensive) dual-layer DVD-R or possibly re-encode the whole thing at a slightly faster playback speed. If you were to speed-up the entire movie by 6-7% you could squeeze it in and it would barely be noticable. iMovie allows you to speed-up (or slow down) individual clips in this manner.

Edit: Upon further investigation, this is incorrect... see below!
 
eRondeau said:
I don't believe it can be done. I think 120-mins is the maximum amount of playing time according to the DVD standard specifications. Compression doesn't matter.
Click to expand...
Looking at a section called "General DVD Limitations" in the DVD Studio Pro manual shows no such limit. The rumor keeps coming up, though, I assume because of limits of some authorizing software packages (I know iDVD specifies a limit of 120 minutes for a single layer disk). What software are you using, Jennifer?

If you have 128 minutes of video, using the formula "bitrate = 560/minutes" suggests an average bitrate of 4.3 Mbps, assuming your audio is AC3 encoded as opposed to uncompressed. 4.3 Mbps isn't a lot, so don't expect too much in terms of picture quality.

- Martin
 
It appears I have been fooled again! Doing some quick research on this, and it seems that there is no such 2-hour limit on the DVD format. It really DOES all come down to compression settings....

http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.3

Even the Toast 7 user manual says that with typical compression, you can expect to squeeze 150-mins on a standard single-layer DVD. So maybe take a look at the compression setting you're using and see where you can cut back a little bit. How many audio tracks are you recording? Do you have a 10-minute long opening menu loop? Lots of options...
 
I assume you are using iDVD? Then the 2-hour limit applies, although I would suggest breaking up the video in 60+ minute chunks and burning across two DVDs (2-DVD special edition! :))

Next step up from this would of course be Compressor and DVD Studio Pro, which allows 6-hours plus, albeit at VHS quality.
 
It has to be, I know Lord of the Rings (unextended) came out on 1 DVD, and that was at least 180 minutes

The most bothersome limitation I encountered with DVD authoring were subtitles, which cannot be too complex
 
Macnoviz said:
It has to be, I know Lord of the Rings (unextended) came out on 1 DVD, and that was at least 180 minutes

The most bothersome limitation I encountered with DVD authoring were subtitles, which cannot be too complex
Click to expand...
LotR (like most Hollywood movies) most likely came out on a dual layer disc, plus big budget movies can get better quality out of lower bit rates (compared to consumer or "push button" programs) because they are compressed by people who do nothing but compress movies for a living using hardware and software costs upwards of $30k.


Lethal
 
LethalWolfe said:
LotR (like most Hollywood movies) most likely came out on a dual layer disc, plus big budget movies can get better quality out of lower bit rates (compared to consumer or "push button" programs) because they are compressed by people who do nothing but compress movies for a living using hardware and software costs upwards of $30k.


Lethal
Click to expand...

Do all DVD players read dual disc?
 
iBookG4user said:
New DVD players should read them fine, however first gen DVD players might run into some problems with them. Or at least that's what I've heard.
Click to expand...

Yeah you're right, most any DVD player can read a dual-layer disk. If you ever find a DVD player that can't, go directly to Best Buy and spend $30 on one that can.
 
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