Lenght of footage I can put on a DVD? at DVinfo.net

Todd Evans · October 23rd, 2006, 05:56 PM

Hi guys,

I wonder how much footage can take a DVD 4.7gb -compression? - but still in high quality..
What's the difference with double layer DVD's

thank you

Emre Safak · October 23rd, 2006, 06:38 PM

I would say 3-4Mbps @24fps is a good rule of thumb for MPEG-2. That would leave you with up to 3 hours of material. Double that for dual layer, and adjust accordingly for 60i (i.e., reduce by 20%).

Todd Evans · October 23rd, 2006, 07:16 PM

I have to film a seminar 3 hours -I use GY-HD100U -so I understand that I should export the footage MPEG-2
I use Avid Liquid 7
thanks

Guillaume Iacino · October 29th, 2006, 11:18 AM

There are 2 kinds of DVD-Video. DVD5 and DVD9.

DVD5: is a single layered DVD which can contains up to 5 GB of data (4.7GB really). You can burn those DVDs on any DVD burner.

DVD9: is a double layered DVD which can contains up to 9 GB of data. Most likely you will not be able to burn/press the DVD9 yourself. You will have to export your DVD project to DTP tape and bring it to a shop to do it. Most of the time, you need to request a minimum numbers of DVDs (500 or 1000).

Concerning the amount of data available, the support dictates it. DVD5 -> 4.7GB, DVD9 -> 9GB. You could actually have a double sided double layered DVD (DVD18) which gives you 18 GB.

That said, the DVD support does not obligatory dictate the total duration of your content. The compression ratio is the key. You can fit 10 hours of content on a DVD5 if you compress it a lot. Of course, the more you compress, the more the quality will degrade. It also depends on your content, you can obtain a better compression ratio of a 10 hours of talking head, than for high actions content (fast motion, explosions etc..).

To sum up, you are the only one who can define how much of YOUR footage can be put onto a DVD5, based of the content and the quality required. Start with some standards compression settings and adjust from there until you are happy with your compression ratio and the quality.

October 23rd, 2006, 05:56 PM	#1
Todd Evans Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 28	Lenght of footage I can put on a DVD? Hi guys, I wonder how much footage can take a DVD 4.7gb -compression? - but still in high quality.. What's the difference with double layer DVD's thank you

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October 23rd, 2006, 06:38 PM	#2
Emre Safak Trustee Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brookline, MA Posts: 1,447	I would say 3-4Mbps @24fps is a good rule of thumb for MPEG-2. That would leave you with up to 3 hours of material. Double that for dual layer, and adjust accordingly for 60i (i.e., reduce by 20%).

October 23rd, 2006, 07:16 PM	#3
Todd Evans Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 28	I have to film a seminar 3 hours -I use GY-HD100U -so I understand that I should export the footage MPEG-2 I use Avid Liquid 7 thanks

October 29th, 2006, 11:18 AM	#4
Guillaume Iacino New Boot Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: NY Posts: 10	There are 2 kinds of DVD-Video. DVD5 and DVD9. DVD5: is a single layered DVD which can contains up to 5 GB of data (4.7GB really). You can burn those DVDs on any DVD burner. DVD9: is a double layered DVD which can contains up to 9 GB of data. Most likely you will not be able to burn/press the DVD9 yourself. You will have to export your DVD project to DTP tape and bring it to a shop to do it. Most of the time, you need to request a minimum numbers of DVDs (500 or 1000). Concerning the amount of data available, the support dictates it. DVD5 -> 4.7GB, DVD9 -> 9GB. You could actually have a double sided double layered DVD (DVD18) which gives you 18 GB. That said, the DVD support does not obligatory dictate the total duration of your content. The compression ratio is the key. You can fit 10 hours of content on a DVD5 if you compress it a lot. Of course, the more you compress, the more the quality will degrade. It also depends on your content, you can obtain a better compression ratio of a 10 hours of talking head, than for high actions content (fast motion, explosions etc..). To sum up, you are the only one who can define how much of YOUR footage can be put onto a DVD5, based of the content and the quality required. Start with some standards compression settings and adjust from there until you are happy with your compression ratio and the quality.