splitting an AVI file in 2

[ultravox]

I have a movie in AVI format that I would like to convert to a VCD to watch on my home DVD player. Nero can convert it to an MPEG 2 format but the file size is too big to fit on a 700mb CD. Someone suggested I try Ulead Video Studio but I will die of old age before I can figure out how to do this. Is there any proggy out there that can help me split the AVI file into 2 manageable files that can be burnt onto 2 CDs ? The original AVI file size is 634Mb.
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[oldfart]

634 meg AVI is VERY easy to fit on a VCD. I've compressed 20 Gig files onto an (S)VCD. You need to compress it, not split it. Spend some time HERE It will help a lot.

 

[ultravox]

But If I compress an avi file it still won't play on my home DVD player...I want to make a VCD that willplay on my home theatre DVD. Don't I have to convert it to mpeg 2? It is of exceptional quality and I would hope to keep it as such on a vcd.

 

[Doh!]

I may be wrong but oldfart might have meant to say "encoded" instead of compressed? (not really different but since you seemed confused about the compression part)

You can use TMPGEnc to convert an .avi file to a vcd format that can play in your stand-alone dvd player. Better yet, if you want to retain the high quality, I suggest you convert it to svcd (as long as your dvd player supports svcd - not many Sony can do it but Pioneer or other brands have no problem - check the site oldfart linked for a list of dvd players that can handle svcd files).

I use Cinema Craft which results in very high quality and is the fastest but it's pretty expensive (TMPGEnc is free). The reason Nero's converted file is too big is probably because the default settings in Nero is set too high (i.e., bit rate, sound options, etc.). You can adjust the settings according to your preference to fit the entire file in one CD. 634mb of AVI sounds like an easy task to fit in one CD while retaining the quality of original video and audio.

 

[ultravox]

You can adjust the settings according to your preference to fit the entire file in one CD. 634mb of AVI sounds like an easy task to fit in one CD while retaining the quality of original video and audio.

what settings do you suggest? The originl avi file is 624X304 widescreen. Will Nero once configured to the job for me? How do I go about changing the settings?

 

[oldfart]

DVD players play MPEG1/2 that are encoded into VCD/SVCD/DVD format. 634 MEG AVI is nothing. This should fit very easily. BTW, you can fit ~ 800 Meg on a 700 Meg CDR when making an (S)VCD. The format is different.

And yes TMPGEns is a great tool. I used it to make ~ 25 SVCDs before I got my DVD-R.

 

[Doh!]

Originally posted by: ultravox

You can adjust the settings according to your preference to fit the entire file in one CD. 634mb of AVI sounds like an easy task to fit in one CD while retaining the quality of original video and audio.

what settings do you suggest? The originl avi file is 624X304 widescreen. Will Nero once configured to the job for me? How do I go about changing the settings?

Instructions w/ pictures

I would start with a Bit calculator to determine the maximum settings (video/audio) for using 1 CD.