VOB file too big for its type?

[Mike Kujbida]

“When I click on “Optimize DVD” in the General tab of the main movie the Total audio bitrate (Mbps) reads 0.192 and is in red”

If the files were encoded at the proper bitrate, there’s no need to “Optimize” anything.
The audio bitrate reading is correct as this is the value that Vegas encodes it at.

“When I try to render the DVD, it stops after about 45 minutes and a box comes up with the message:
“An error occurred while writing a file. The VOB file is too big for its type.” I shortened the backround audio file that plays with the menus but this didn’t change anything”

I’ve never seen that message before so I’m not sure what to suggest.
I will ask you how long the project was and what template you used.
Also, if you customized the bitrate, what were the numbers and was it CBR or VBR?

[Diane Sosnoski]

The project is 01:18:16:10.
I encoded it by using the custom template:
DVD Architect NTSC Video Stream.
Video rendering quality: Best
Variable bit rate- 2 pass
Audio saved as Dolby Digital AC-3 Pro

[Mike Kujbida]

You didn’t say what the bitrate was so I used my calculator and got the following numbers.

7,832,000 / 7,120,000 / 3,560,000

These are definitely on the conservative (i.e. low) side but, if yours is close to this, then there’s no reason that I can think of that it shouldn’t work.

[Diane Sosnoski]

Sorry, here’s the bitrate:

9,500,000 Max
6,000,000 Average
192,000 Minimum

Should I change any of these?

[Mike Kujbida]

Diane, you rendered using the default settings which, while they’re OK, are defaults and not adjusted for maximum quality.
To be honest, I’d change all of them and try the numbers I mentioned.
My numbers (Max, Avg, Min as well) were obtained using a bitrate calculator which is a tool I highly recommend.
If you look at the differences between your numbers and mine, you’ll see that the Average value is much higher which will result in better picture quality.
I’ve always felt that the default Minimum is way too low and all the reading I’ve done confirms this. I make sure my Minimum never goes below 2,000,000.
Maximum values are another issue. I personally stick to a limit of 8,000,000 but have been told that a higher number (such as yours) is OK because it’s only a temporary spike that would ever get that high.

To modify any of the default values, click the “Custom” button next to the Template box when you go to render.
Then click the “Video” tab and adjust the values accordingly.
These new values can be saved as a preset by typing a new name in the Template box at the top of this tab and clicking the Save button.
This new template will now show up in the Template box for your render options.

Here’s a link to a thread where I gave links to even more threads discussing how to maximize quality for a DVD as well as a link to the bitrate calculator I use.

I recognize that this is a lot to learn but telling Vegas what bitrate to use for renders is the best way to get the most out of your final DVD.

[Diane Sosnoski]

I followed all your instructions Mike but when DVD Architect got to the point of writing the DVD, the same message came up.

“An error occured while writing a file. The VOB file is too big for it’s type.”

When I look in the prepare folder I find this data:

VIDEO_TS.VOB 232 KB VOB File
VTS_01_0.VOB 1,024,000 KB VOB File

Any ideas?

[Mike Kujbida]

This is getting stranger every day 🙁
Diane, I just checked some folders on old DVD files and I can tell you that those file sizes are perfectly normal.

When you said …when DVD Architect got to the point of writing the DVD…, do you mean that you’re using DVD Architect to do the burning for you or is this during the “Prepare” portion?
I’m asking because I use DVD Architect to “Prepare” but use RecordNow to do the actual burning.

I did a search of the DVD Architect forum on the Sony site and could only find one thread with your error message.
Here was the author’s solution.

——————————
It seems by menus were too long so i changed the structure.
There was one menu composed by 7 pages, each one during 6 minutes.
——————————

One last thought.
You didn’t say what version of DVD Architect you’re using but, if it’s 5.0, Sony just release an update today.
It might be worth downloading it to see if that fixes your problem.

[Diane Sosnoski]

Mike,
Thanks for all your help. I downloaded the 5.0 upgrade, went over all my project settings and the problem disappeared. DVD burned and it looks good.

One more question, I’ve always heard that the High quality, Variable Bit Rate and 2 pass settings produced the best results. Why do you prefer CBR single pass?

[Mike Kujbida]

Diane, I’m very glad to hear that you finally got it resolved as I was out of ideas.

I don’t claim to be an encoding expert so my opinions are based on advice offered by those much more experienced than I am.
As long as the video is evenly lit (i.e. no extreme lighting situations), properly shot (with a tripod) and under 70 min. in length, there’s nothing wrong with a CBR of 8,000,000.
When you exceed this length or your video is comprised of problematic video, then VBR or even 2-pass VBR comes into play.
Most of my work tends to be short-form (under an hour) and I can afford the time to to take care in how it was lit and shot so I’ll use the CBR setting I mentioned.
There are times though that a program will be closer to 2 hr. and I have little control over the lighting (college graduation ceremonies come to mind) so I’ll do a 2-pass VBR on this footage.
John Rofrano does a good job of explaining the benefits of one type over another in the recent CBR vs. VBR thread.

One last adjustment I forgot to mention.
When you’re creating a Custom template, move the Video quality slider (it’s in the Video tab) to it’s maximum of 31.

[Diane Sosnoski]

Dear Mike,
Thanks for all your help and patience! I downloaded the Bit Rate Calculator and will try and use that on my next project.
I’m not sure if it’s relevant but in addition to upgrading to 5.0, there was one other thing I adjusted before I was able to burn the DVD. In Preferences, I had changed the Default Prepare and Temp Files Folder to the same drive where I was creating the DVD. I did this because my C drive is pretty full. After upgrading to 5.0 I used the default, Document & Setting folder for the Prepare & Temp Files folder.
Could that have had any impact?