ISO File size

[Jaymz13]

I have a few questions, and to make sure I get a thorough answer without any confusion, I'll tell you what tools I'm using and what I'm trying to make them do. OK, here is what I use:

Hardware: TSSTcorp CD/DVDW TS-H552D internal DVD±RW drive
Toshiba D-R4SU stand-alone DVD recorder
Daewoo DVG3000N DVD player
Sony Playstation2 (which I also use as a DVD player)
Programs: DVD Shrink (used to rip ISO images from DVDs)
DVD FAB Decrypter (used to rip files to HD when DVD Shrink fails)
ImgBurn
Media: 8x DVD-Rs
16x DVD-Rs

For the most part, I have had no trouble ripping or burning movies. I copied The Others a few days ago, only to discover that the burned copy I made would not play in my Toshiba. It worked fine in all of my other players, and when I made a copy of that copy, it played in my Toshiba just fine. I'm curious to know why that is so.

But my biggest concern is this: I used DVD FAB Decrypter to rip 3 movies to files on my harddrive. Cars, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, and America's Heart & Soul. I then used DVD Shrink to rip these files into ISO images. Now those of you who have been around the block are all thinking to yourselves "That ISO image won't fit on a single DVD-R" and you are correct.

So I'm looking for options. If I re-author them to fit on more than one disc, is there anyway to retain menu functionallity? The default language track for Final Fantasy is Japanese. I want to be able to watch it in English without sub-titles, and I also want a finished product that is pretty darned close to the original disc. If it's not possible, should I use DVD-RAMs for large ISO images? I know they hold much more data than a DVD-R, but I don't know much else about them. Will they play in a normal DVD player? Or would I be better off going with dual-layer DVD-9s? Thankyou in advance for any advice you can give me.

[Gary D]

I shrink a lot of movies with full menus. I start to get concern about quality when the total time of the movie and extras is over 2.5 hours.

But to increase quality, I run MenuShrink with no audio. (Wonderful little application that saves tons of MBs.

Now, in PgcEdit. I run the disc through in trace mode with preview screen activated. When I get an annoying warning (or previews), I just tick the box on the preview screen to delete it. A blank cell or VTS is then substituted. Then when I am at button screens, I hit menu, then edit, and hide all of the non-working buttons. (For example, why would I want the French audio choice button to work when I have stripped the French audio. The same with subtitles and all of the previews I have deleted).

Then I run the files through FixVTS to re-capture all of the deleted space back.

I then watch the files in Media Player Classic to make sure none of the button choices have screwed up.

Then in Shrink, I delete all of the languages and subtitles I do not use BUT I do not logically remap the audio or subtitle outputs. (This way the menus will still work if selecting the non-deleted subtitles on for example). You can output as an ISO but I prefer file mode and let ImgBurn build and then burn it.

But I prefer to watch the files in MPC again after Shrink to make sure everything works the way it should. Note: You can watch an ISO in MPC if you mount the ISO with Daemon tools first.

[Jaymz13]

Are DVD-RAM discs an option?

I'm wondering if this is the fix for keeping large ISO images intact when burning to blank media. Any thoughts on that?

[Gary D]

This is the easiest way to make an ISO to a DL disk: LINK

Now since DLs are about 5 times as expensive as a DVD5, I prefer to shrink the files as files. I set my Shrink target to 4350MB and I prefer to use only Verbs.

Then I take this folder and open ImgBurn in build mode. I let ImgBurn convert the files to an ISO. Here is a link about build mode: LINK