Reduce a DVD 9 to DVD 5 with best quality results?

[testing]

Hi - I require a software that can shrink/reduce a dvd 9 (8.5GB) to DVD 5 (4.7GB), i seem to have tried every single software i think there is in the world but the resulting quality is poor!

I stress empahsis on quality of the dvd, am no expert on this but have tried the many softwares mentioned below, please add comments on specific softwares if anything like bitrates or passes need to be changed on the below softwares that i may try.

Please also reccomend software(s) that should be able to include chapters & subtitles & menus. Below is a list of softwares that i have tried:-

Mediachance DVD Lab Pro
DVD Rebuilder Pro
Ulead DVD Movie Factory 4
Ulead DVD VideoStudio 9
DVD Shrink 3.2
Elby CloneDVD 2.3
DVD Decrypter
Nero 7 Ultra Premium Edition

I would like to re-iterate that I am looking for best quality when shrinking/reducing the DVD. Any reccomendations? Thanks in advance.

[techreactor]

Since you have already mentioned DVD rebuilder, i doubt any other tool will be able to give you good results under these conditions.

Only if you have followed the right process:

- Whats the length of the movie ??
- Did you blank out the extras from the source ??
- Did you shrink your menu ???
- Did you crop the credits from the movie???
- What was the bitrates allocated during the prepare stage of rebuilder.

Usually you are required to do all/some of these to reduce the source size and then you should process the source with rebuilder for best results.

[blutach]

In addition, remove unwanted audio streams.

Regards

[testing]

well i have tried all the reauthoring process but it doesnt make much difference, using dvd rebuilder i had all the defaults loaded. is there any other format that i can convert it to then convert back to dvd....like i tried to convert it to mpeg 4 using nero & the results were excellent but the only problem is that how do i convert it back to dvd?

[tigerman8u]

I wouldn't convert to one format then back to another. the more you convert the more quality you wil lose plus it takes longer.

[sonic_emperor]

you cant really expect good quality if trying to back up to dvd5 and keep all the features...some things have to be "sacrified",i am extreme in doing that,so i only leave one audio-english mostly and one subtitle stream,i usualy get 90% compression ratio,and lot of times,no compression is needed...now you dont have to get this extreme,but as already said...do everything possible to make all the extras & menu "smaller" in size/quality,remove "exotic" audio and sub streams(expecialy dts stream takes a lot of space in my experience so leave ac3).. so more bitrate /space will be left for the main movie...i think dvdrb rules when it comes to results...

[testing]

well i am trying to shrink seminars/lectures so there isnt much to remove there is always 1 suibtitle & 1 audio (not dts)...the problem is that it is about 6 hrs long...& i have seen a dvd9 shrunk to dvd5 with better quality than what the programs i have mentioned offer!

[UncasMS]

use rebuilder,
reduce resolution to half-d1,
use a smoothing filter which will help compressing,
use an encoder like procoder but definitely NOT cce or try hc enc with a low bitrate matrix

[r0lZ]

Why not CCE?

[sonic_emperor]

bad with low bitrates......as i heard

[jsoto]

AFAIK, CCE is not too good in MPEG-1 (there are others better) but it is good in low bit rates...

Reducing to half-d1 is a good choice, and a simple smoothing filter, very useful is:
Undot().Deen()

BTW, 6 hours in full DVD resolution in a DVD-9? Never saw it...

jsoto

[blutach]

This is one of the very rare occasions where my opinion will differ from jsoto, whom I respect enormously.

For mine, CCE is not good at low bitrates. As UncasMS said, freeware HCEnc, or the best around is Procoder2. Just MHO.

I also do extras in half D1. Is a good choice. So we don't differ too much Jesus

Since this is just seminars/lectures (not movie quality), I wouldn't worry too much. Go half D1 for the lot.

Regards

[testing]

ok - so i got canopus procoder 2 - but when converting it doesnt give me picture - there is sound but no picture!

[blutach]

Have you set it up properly in DVD Rebuilder? You need to point EclPro.exe (which is in the EclPro subfolder of the Encoders sub-folder) to procoder2.exe

This sets up an ini file there, which typically looks like this:

[Options]
Delay=0
Pause=10
Priority=0
Minimize=1
NoPathWarn=0
Procoder=C:\Program Files\Canopus\ProCoder 2\Procoder2.exe
[Quality]
Quality=4
AlwaysGOP15=0
AutoParameters=1
Alwaysframe=0
[Debug]
StrictGOPBrateControl=0
Legacy=0
[Temp]
Filename=

Regards

[testing]

oh ok - i didnt try it from Rebuilder i was using the wizard on its own from Canopus! Shall try that - thanks.