Rob, my guess is that you used one of the default templates.
They're OK to a point but they don't take long programs into consideration which is why I use a calculator on anything over 70 min. in length.
If the video is under this, then I use a CBR of 8,000,000.
http://www.johncline.com/bitcalc110.zip (goes to a zipped file) to the bitrate calculator I use.
For your programs, I get the following numbers (assuming AC-3 audio).
If the quality of the video leaves something to be desired or if there's a lot of low light footage, do it as a 2-pass encode.
It will take longer but, IMO, the gain in quality is worth it.
1 hr. 30 min.
7,904,000 / 6,320,000 / 3,792,000
1 hr. 45 min.
8,000,000 / 5,392,000 / 3,232,000
2 hr.
8,000,000 / 4,688,000 / 2,808,000
BTW, no matter what the calculator says, never go over 8,000,000 for a max number on home made DVDs. Some players and cheaper blank media can't handle higher bitrates and will skip and stutter.
Also, stick to good name brand media.
The two that are most often recommended are Taiyo-Yuden and Verbatim.
