Hi guys, I have a 4 DVD collection box of Kids programmes for my children and I wanted to back them up. I wanted to squeeze the 4 DVD's down to 2 DVD's.

I checked them all and they are 4 Gig in size. I was trying to keep the original menus and sort of making a new VTS menu that would point the original menus of both the DVDs i wish to compress.

I tried using DVDShrink to squeeze them down to size and maybe fit them both on one DVDR.

Is there a way to import the menus into DVD-Lab?

Also would it be better for me to compress the DVD's main features with KDVD and try importing the menu's after that?

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Regards.

Michael.

Of course it's better
4 DVDs recompressed to 1 DVD with DVDShrink
You won't like the result at all
It's better to recompress.

-kwag

Thanks for the reply Kwag i appreciate your input.

I want to convert 4 DVD to 2 DVD as opposed to putting all 4 DVD's to one as I do want to maintain some quality.

If I do a 2DVD to 1DVD comression is it possible to keep the original menus and import them into DVDLab and make a main VTS menu that links to the 2 menus for the relative movies.

__________________
Regards.

Michael.

Yes, but still, that's too much data to put on one DVD with DVD Shrink
Recompress, recompress, recompress

-kwag

Lol, I get the message thanks again Kwag I will recompress with KDVD.

Is it best to use CCE for KDVD?

Is Calcumatic the best way to predict the final size of both DVD's?

__________________
Regards.

Michael.

CCE is an encoder. KDVD is a format/method specification
If you meant CCE or TMPEG, for low bitrates TMPEG will give you better results. As you are trying to put teo movies on one DVD, I would use TMPEG with KDVD Full D-1 template, and change the resolution to 704x480 with 2 overscan blocks. Use MovieStacket to get your correct values, and also use the MA script. CalcuMatic is a bitrate calculator
It will give you the correct average bitrate.
If you meant CQMatic, well, it's a russian roulette
90% of the times, you'll get your correct file size. The other 10%, it will fail miserably, thanks to TMPEG's non-linear CQ curve.
If you have a lot of time to spare and because your target is MPEG-2, and you have CCE, then by all means go 2-pass with CCE so you get your target file size correct.
Even TMPEG doesn't work correctly in 2-pass mode, as recently reported

-kwag

But the CCE One Pass is better than the 2-pass.

Thanks for the info guys much appreciated.

Kwag I my source is PAL and the DVD in question is based on old Children's TV shows and is in 4:3 Ratio with no borders.

I have the latest MovieStacker and it reports my source as being 576 x 320 what aspect ratio would you recommend? Keep the same ratio?

Thanks in advance.

I thought as I was doing a KDVD it would be better using CCE as Ive heard so many bad things of late with TMPGEnc.

I know TMPGEnc is better for Mpeg1 but I always thought Mpeg2 was better in CCE?

I would use Vmesquita's Mencoder-Me but im not sure how to predict with that and what the final quality would be like.

EDIT: How come MovieStacker always reports my D2v file as a XVCD in the source? I have to untick GripFit and change it to DVD. Any ideas

__________________
Regards.

Michael.

Actually he asked if CCE is good FOR KDVD, not "or" Kdvd

Hey guys i dont understand whats happening with the new MovieStacker.

I loaded a DivX I made ages ago which has a Res of 352 x 288 just to test MS.

However now when I use my d2v from my DVD source is stays at 352 x 288 even though I know my DVD source is 720 x 576 is there something wrong with my d2v file

__________________
Regards.

Michael.

-kwag