Question About DVD Burning

[ALMOSTsaved]

Okay, I'm fairly new to DVD burning and I often record television shows on to DVD using my Sony home DVD recorder. Once I have something recorded, I like to load it on to my computer so I can create a cool menu with music and such. The question I have is regarding transferring and saving these DVD files to my hardrive. I have both Nero and Roxio and I've often taken a DVD, checked the properties and as an example, let's say that it's listed as 3.23 gigs. However, once it is stored on my hardrive and I check the properties it will now say, 6.65 gigs and thus is now too big to be burned on to a regular single layer disc and this is BEFORE I even create a menu. Does anyone have any idea why the disc is now doubled in size once saved to the drive? It could be something fairly simple or something could be really fucked up...All answers welcome. Thanks!

[FORD]

Originally posted by ALMOSTsaved
Okay, I'm fairly new to DVD burning and I often record television shows on to DVD using my Sony home DVD recorder. Once I have something recorded, I like to load it on to my computer so I can create a cool menu with music and such. The question I have is regarding transferring and saving these DVD files to my hardrive. I have both Nero and Roxio and I've often taken a DVD, checked the properties and as an example, let's say that it's listed as 3.23 gigs. However, once it is stored on my hardrive and I check the properties it will now say, 6.65 gigs and thus is now too big to be burned on to a regular single layer disc and this is BEFORE I even create a menu. Does anyone have any idea why the disc is now doubled in size once saved to the drive? It could be something fairly simple or something could be really fucked up...All answers welcome. Thanks!

1) Never use Roxio, unless you like converting DVD's to beer coasters.

2) The reason the space needed on your DVD is more than currently used by your hard drive is in the formatting. Nero first converts the video files, then burns them.

3) There's a freeware program called "DVD Shrink" that you might want to try. It uses the NERO engine to burn the DVD, but it gives you more control over getting all that video on the 4.5 gig disc. Just do a Google search and you should find it easily.

[ALMOSTsaved]

Thank you Ford. Good advice! I also have Nero, so if I were to use it to "capture" or "copy" said DVD it would work better than the Roxio? I have the shrink program as well. Was just curious as to how or why Roxio was making files already on a regular DVD disc too large to be transferred to another...

[twonabomber]

step one:

throw that Roxio shit out, right now.

DVD Shrink is no longer supported, so it may not copy the latest DVD's.

[Hardrock69]

THere is also DVD Decrypter.

DVD Shrink is the bomb....it works on a majority of DVDs.

Even those with copy protection.

But certainly for stuff he has created by himself, it would work fine.

[ALMOSTsaved]

Great answers guys. I do have the DVD Decryptor AND the DVD shrink. A buddy of mine gave it to me at work. I used those for commercial DVDs I wish to copy. Hell, if they'd just come down on the price of the dual layered DVDs, there'd be no worries as far as my own personal recordings go.

[FORD]

Originally posted by ALMOSTsaved
Great answers guys. I do have the DVD Decryptor AND the DVD shrink. A buddy of mine gave it to me at work. I used those for commercial DVDs I wish to copy. Hell, if they'd just come down on the price of the dual layered DVDs, there'd be no worries as far as my own personal recordings go.

Yeah I heard ya on that one. My new DVD burner is both dual layer and the new "light scribe" feature, which burns labels right onto the disc rather than printing them in ink. Problem is that you need a special media for it, and it's even harder to find than the dual stuff.

Dual layer burners are pretty much standard now, so I imagine the price on that media will take a serious drop within the next year. Hopefully the light scribe media will soon follow.

I didn't upgrade for those features, but just because my old burner was refusing too many DVD's and new firmware wasn't helping. So I just consider the new features a "bonus" until they price the media in a range that makes them practical to use.

[Douglas T.]

I like DVD Shrink!