Question 1.
At that bitrate, of course, the MPEG is out of spec for DVD-Video, and probably won't play in most any machine. Some players probably can, but not too many.
That concern aside, a range of 15,000kbps is a good step, but also consider lowering the GOP (temporal compression) to either all I frames, or IP or IBP. That will help some, too, in keeping it "semi-uncompressed" (or "semi-lossless"). Technically compressed, yes, but not "compressed" as most people think (artifacts, etc).
When burning to DVD, remember to use UDF mode. And if I were you, I would keep valuable videos not only burned to disc, but go get yourself a 1.5TB hard drive for about $100-125. I see USB2, Firewire and eSATA drives regularly in that range. I've been
posting them a lot in our Daily Shopping Deals forum.
As far as easiest way to cut the output file, guess -- with the help of a calculator. You have 60 minutes in an hour, and just over 4.3GB available on the disc. So if a file is 50GB in size, and 150 minutes in size --
just as an example -- then you'd have a simple algebra equation
(the only time I ever use it, I wish I could tell my 8th grade teacher!). Looking at 50 over 100 equaling 4.3 over
x. 50x = 645, and 645 divided by
x (50) is going to be 12.9. So you would fit about 13 minutes to disc. Maybe have to round down to 12 minutes. 150 min divided by 12 min gives you 12.5 new files (each fitting on a 4.3GB DVD), so looking at 13 DVDs for that encode, split across discs. I know -- eww, yuck, math. Anyway, that's the easy way.
On a related note, when it comes time to design things, you'll NEVER find me searching Google for some silly template. I pull out my ruler and a calculator, and do it myself in Photoshop or InDesign (formerly Quark Xpress or PageMaker).
Question 2.
Assuming you just want to watch the videos for an in-motion A/B test, then all you need to do it get the
freeware player VLC. Either from the menu, or right-clicking while the video is playing, pick one of the deinterlace modes. "X" or "Mean" often work well. If you want to watch it interlaced, select none.
If you want to create still image screencaps, then you'll want to go the
VirtualDub route. Use version 1.8, and then run the Deinterlace Area-Based on it, and find a semi-still frame. You can
download my full VirtualDub setup (which includes that filter) on the forum, using the link.
Question 3.
I forget what capture card you're using. ATI AIW, right? Almost ALL capture cards and DVD recorders do top-field capturing. Only DV input and some oddball cards do bottom-field.
I don't know that you can ever avoid trial and error, but I try to help reduce the mystery and guessing!
Also...
Answering these questions takes a lot of time, and is surely more valuable than a magazine would have been. I recently picked up a copy of PC World and it was $11. Yikes!
Maybe consider
upgrading yourself to Premium Member status? That helps cover the time and costs associated with the site, and you're guaranteed to get in-depth help on a pretty quick turn-around.
I've probably gone a little more in-depth than I should have, for Free Members, from time to time. Now would be one of those. Slow morning is to blame. Under normal or heavy times, it may not be as quick or detailed, preference given to Premium Member questions.
In addition to Premium Membership and donations,
shopping from our affiliates is another great way to support the site. Same prices for you, but we get a tiny % of the profits instead of the store keeping it all for themselves.
Trying to budget for some upgrade hardware and software that powers the site right now.
Anyway..
Hope all this helps!