DVD size? I'm sure there's an obvious answer, i just don't know what it is?

Question

Why is it that i can't fit a whole movie onto a DVD when I can buy a whole movie and more on a disc? Even when I use dual layer discs?

Answer 1

You need to compress audio/video more.

Most DVD authoring applications will let you do this.  Sony DVD Architect is a good authoring tool.

You can download a trial version here:

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/down...

Answer 2

To add to what's already been said - commercial DVDs are encoded using very sophisticated multi-pass variable bit rate encoders.  Putting it another way, some parts of the movie can be compressed more than others - the encoders compress each part as much as they can while still keeping the quality high and fitting everything onto one disk (usually).    

Consumer level encoders usually use a fixed bit rate - everything's compressed the same way.  If you opt for high quality there's no guarantee that it'll fit on the disk.  Apps like DVD Architect can look at the size of the video and the size of the disk and adjust the bitrate so that it fits.

Answer 3

It must be a very large movie if if won't fit onto a dual layer dvd as these have a capacity of 8.6Gb. Most commercially released dvd's are the usual 4.7Gb discs, so there's plenty of scope for compressing your movie with dvd authoring software to fit the disc you're using and still get a good picture. So yeah, I pretty much agree with what others have said here.

Answer 4

Once you follow the advice of the two previous response you'll be good to go...

Answer 5

The software you use to create the DVD should give you the option of what type of compression to use, or it may ask you what quality level you want for the video and audio.  If you pick options that are the same as DVD quality, it should fit onto a dual-layer disc.  Also make sure your software is detecting that there is a dual-layer disc in the drive.