Losing cat is losing.

[cyrano]

Apparently, I cannot fit a copy of Cast a Deadly Spell onto a single DVD if I saved it at high quality. Don't ask me how the DVD companies all do it and then include 73 hours of special features because I couldn't tell you.

Comments

[evilmagnus]

Dual Layer disks, my man. Dual Layer disks. 'tis a dark art. What's your process? You might be able to drop some language tracks and other extraneous stuff ... the actual movie part *usually* fits on a standard 4.3GB single layer DVD after trimming.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Um. My process was (a) make TiVo watch the movie on the VHS player and (b) get up this morning and try to use the TiVo burn function. I'm what you might call lo-tek and was only able to accomplish step (a) with help from the housemate. (:
Given that it was a VHS recording, I don't think there are any language tracks to drop... I guess I'm buying a few Dual Layer discs!

[evilmagnus]

Holy granola!

So what you've got there, chief, is likely a very messy, very large mpeg2 file. All hope is lost; the Elves diminish, and go into the West.

There are Ways to get stuff off VHS and onto DVD, but it should involve some post-capture steps and not involve a TiVO.

I would ... do VHS to a raw (uncompressed) AVI file, via a tv capture device (either a PC card or a usb thingie), then do some post- cleanup and compress it with something sane - mp4 or Xvid or something. But these are not neophyte ways, and I don't have a capture card. ;-p The end result, though, would be something that would fit on a single layer DVD - and probably look closer to the VHS that the Tivo migration version does.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Alas!
I know Tersa got the Star Wars VHS tapes onto DVD using this method, but she may not have gone for High Quality. I'll dial it back to Basic and see if that is acceptable to the TiVo gods.

[carabosse.livejournal.com]

Would it be easier for me to just send you the extra copies I have?

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

I'm looking at burning, like, eight copies. So it's probably best if I can make this one work. (:
What we *should* do is get a public access channel to give us a couple of hours of broadcast time....

[merlinofchaos]

DVD companies have very expensive very efficient machines that Do Video Compression, and they pay people who specialize in video compression to tune, tune and re-tune the compression process *for every DVD they make* so that they can get a high quality compression. Your TiVo won't do that.

That's why early DVDs looked so shitty. They weren't as good at compression 10 years ago.

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

I love having smart friends.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

Well, drat. I was pretty sure the Best Quality meant 2 hours of DVD burn, so sorry, that was my fault.

But it came through, which means we can just do it again. NBD.

(ETA): And no, don't go all the way back to Basic. I set it up for Best. We just need to step down to High.

Next time, you should ask the person who knows how the TiVo works about it first. :)

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

I'd planned on it, but I knew you were at work and so I didn't want to bother you until tonight. (: Plus, with Daily Show and whatnot, finding a clean break before the weekend will be tricky so I didn't think there was a rush.

[tersa.livejournal.com]

But there isn't much recording before TDS/TCR. :)

I just started up a recording for High Quality

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Very smart housemate! Clever housemate!