MPGs, WMVs, quality and DVD playback time

[mclemons]

I've been recording 2 half-hour TV programs every weekday using the ATI software that came with my ATI All-In-Wonder video card. I chose the high quality DVD setting which writes MPGs which are 1.8 GB for each half-hour show. That means that I can only fit 2 half-hour shows on each DVD, which is only 1 hour's worth of playback time. I even tried converting the MPGs to WMVs and they're only 440 MBs which would let me put 10 episodes on a DVD theoretically, but when I import them into MyDVD, they get converted back into MPGs and they still only fit 2 per DVD. Is there a way to compress the MPGs without losing quality so that I'm able to fit a bunch of them onto 1 DVD or must I switch back to EP mode on the good old VHS tapes? Also, if there's a software out there which will make movie DVDs from WMVs without converting them to MPG format, that would help, too.

I'm using ATI Multimedia Center 9.0 Personal Video Recorder software to record the program onto my hard drive and then I'm using Sonic MyDVD to create the DVDs using the MGPs I recorded.

[setarip]

Compress the DVDs that are on your hard drive with FREEWARE DVD Shrink...

[mclemons]

DVDs same as MPGs?

I guess I'm confused about how the term "DVD" is used with regard to "backing up DVDs which are on the hard drive." I have WMVs and MPGs on my hard drive and would like to burn them to DVD-R disks which will be playable on any DVD player. But they're too large for Sonic MyDVD to fit more than 2 episodes on a playable disk. Will DVDshrink compress them without sacrificing quality so that I can fit more on a playable DVD??

[setarip]

"I guess I'm confused about how the term "DVD" is used with regard to 'backing up DVDs which are on the hard drive.'"

Rather than burning the converted-to-DVD format files, save them to your hard drive. Then, compress the DVDs that are on your hard drive with FREEWARE DVD Shrink...

[mclemons]

DVD Shrink

DVD Shrink is looking for IFO files or for disks. I can't pull WMVs or MPGs into the dialogue box. I haven't created or converted any DVDs. I've only recorded TV shows straight onto my hard drive via my All-In-Wonder video card which has a TV tuner built into it. I WANT to burn DVDs of these shows but the files (MPGs which I've now converted into WMVs) are too large yet are perfect resolution for DVD creation. Maybe I need an MPG compression program, or?

[setarip]

Use your Sonic MyDVD to create the DVD "packages" on your hard drive...

[mclemons]

No luck yet!

Well, I tried bringing 8 clips into MyDVD and saved it as a *.DVD file (only option), but DVD Shrink doesn't see that file either. How does one make a DVD package with MyDVD?