Creating DVD from Mixed Content

[lcymru]

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, be here goes. I'd like to create a "compilation" DVD from a mixture of downloaded .mpg files of various quality plus segments cut from DVDs I have. My main editing/rendering tool is Sony's Vegas Movie Studio + DVD 6. I've been able to import the pieces I want into a time line in Vegas (after coverting the DVD AC3 sound to LPCM with Nerovison Express), and am able to edit as desired. I'm not sure what to do now to maintain the highest quality I can. That is, I don't know whether to render my compilation directly to MPEG, or instead to render to AVI (or DV AVI) and then import the AVI file back to Vegas and then render to MPEG. I was thinking that directly MPEG rendering already-MPEG-compressed content might degrade quality, and that maybe an intervening AVI step might be better -- but I really have no clue.

[mic]

Re-rendering video will reduce it's quality, so you're better off rendering in Vegas to start with. But, Vegas isn't the greatest at interpreting mpg2 video to re-encode it, so you'll lose some quality there -- DGIndex & DGdecode work much better on mpg2. Run some tests to see what you think, but might be better off rendering to avi using DGIndex to V/Dub, then using that avi in vegas. If you do use mpg2 in Vegas, make sure to check your output for dropped frame sequences (sections of black video).

[lcymru]

Thanks mic. I'll have to learn how to use DGIndex and VDub to create an AVI file for input to Vegas. I downloaded and tried VDubMod for the heck of it and, whew, the output AVI file size for a 14 minute cut from one of my DVD mpeg2 sources reached 20 GB halfway through before I aborted. I must be doing something wrong.

[mic]

You'll want to use a codec for the avi, HUFFYUV & Picvideo are popular, and I think there are links to more posted here in the forums. You'll probably encounter somewhere around 22 gig for a 1.5 hr video.