Too big to fit DVD -what to do now?

Question

I've made a 2hr 20 min movie in iMovie which I want to burn to a DVD, but iMovie tells me it's too big.
I've already done all the menus and so on in iDVD, and if I click on the "Info" tab (after clicking on the "Customize" button in iDVD's main window it says:
DVD capacity: 9.4GB og 8.0GB
I noticed that if I go to the preference menu and choose "Best performance" under "Encoder settings" it becomes a lot bigger (18.9GB), so I've set it to "Best quality". What does that mean anyway?
The movie I made was originally shot on a VHS tape, so although quality is good for it naturally doesn't compare to DVD quality (I imported it through my Mini-DV camcorder which Vidi (http://www.mitzpettel.com/software/vidi.php) was used to capture -iMovie apparently can't capture anything which isn't on DV tape).
I assume I'm really wasting a lot of additional space on the DVD for the added quality which the movie doesn't take advantage of, so is there a way I can make space on a DVD without sacrificing quality (or at least not too much)?
It would be really nice to put it all on one DVD (my PowerMac G4 has a dual layer Superdrive, though I've never actually tried burning anything other than "normal" 4.7GB DVDs with it).
Alternatively, how do I go about splitting my video into several parts so that it will fit on several DVDs?
Message was edited by: osmanthus

Answer 1

Just a suggestion for splitting your project ... (will require major memory 'til you split it)
I would think your project is saved and named? Copy and put it in another folder, then chop the other, delete first half, SAVE AS a different name BEFORE you Empty the Trash. I hit Save again and close.
Open the original again and chop the last half .... I used to overlap the second half 2-3 minutes ... a sort of reminder of the "last episode". Save as the different name ... Part 2 or something!! Then empty trash .... Save BEFORE emptying cuz my iDVD anyways, just Dumps and Saves, I have No choice!! You don't want to destroy the COMPLETE Project just yet. So SAVE,SAVE,SAVE Before you empty the trash!!!!
So now you should have 3 projects .... 1 complete, 1 first half & 1 second half (see major memory temporarily used) Then I test burning the first half to a ReWritable DVD ... (I wasted sooo many discs with this bloody program.) If it says it's Successful .... TEST that disc in a DVD player, 2 different ones if you have them ... Do this BEFORE you touch the computer, It should be asking to burn more or are you Done! If it works in the player then I go on, I put a Write only dvd in the disc tray and close it ... it should take over and burn another and 2,3 4 more whatever.
I then Erase the DVD-RW and repeat this circus with Part 2 onto the RW, test in dvd player then burn permanent discs.
ONLY after I know Part1 & Part 2 (in iMovie or iDVD) can stand alone, do I trash the Complete Mega Gb project to free up some space.
(I have to look for another DVD Burning program, this iMovie & iDVD I find too clumsy, restrictive and tooooo hungry for memory ... for what you get!)