Something just doesn’t make sense. I use Nero Vision 4.9.7.6 for certain projects and have found it to be a decent program. Are you maybe overloading Nero causing it to have to re-encode?
I’ve used it with previously prepared videos from various sources and have no problems. Here’s a quick shot of a few clips (un-merged). Encoding was originally done with a combination of QUenc, HCenc, Nero Vision, and ConvertX.

Here’s the complete ‘Details’. Note[B] no [/B]encoding will be done (100%)
[I]Audio format: Automatic
Sample format: Automatic
Encoding mode: High Quality (2-Pass VBR)
Nero SmartEncoding: Automatic
Number of titles: 7
- Alina When you Leave basshunterCXD (Video Title, 0h 03m 16s)
- Audio SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Video SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Armond Van Held Shake that ass (Video Title, 0h 03m 25s)
- Audio SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Video SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Britney Womanizer (Video Title, 0h 03m 45s)
- Audio SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Video SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Buy now body crashHC (Video Title, 0h 02m 37s)
- Audio SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Video SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Willa Ford I wanna be bad CXD (Video Title, 0h 03m 10s)
- Audio SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Video SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Skreatch and joe Milkshake (Video Title, 0h 03m 12s)
- Audio SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Video SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- VTS_01_1 (Video Title, 0h 12m 54s)
- Audio SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
- Video SmartEncoding ratio: 100.0 %
Number of menus: 1
I just went back, merged them all, then under Edit I added ‘Random Transitions’. And under Chapters had it automatically add them for each vid. Its now one titleset. Here’s the new Details.
[I]Audio format: Automatic
Sample format: Automatic
Encoding mode: High Quality (2-Pass VBR)
Nero SmartEncoding: Automatic
Number of titles: 1
- Alina When you Leave basshunterCXD (Video Title, 0h 32m 05s, 7 chapters)
- Audio SmartEncoding ratio: 87.4 %
- [B]Video SmartEncoding ratio: 97.8 %[/B]
Number of menus: 1
- Menu for Alina When you Leave basshunterCXD (2 pages)[/I]
Nero Vision will now be re-encoding 2.2% of the project, [B] only[/B] the transitions and chapter points.
I’ve also grabbed VOBs from my Shadow Dancers DVDs and used them to create promo/ad videos. Trimming and adding various fancy Text Effects and Transitions every so often during the vid ( daily specials etc.). Again Nero Vision only drops out of the ‘Smart Encoding’ mode when these additions occur.
I don’t mean to ramble but it often seems Nero Vision gets a bad rap, always re-encodes etc.
If your clips have to be converted to DVD compliant mpegs Womble MPEG Video Wizard is not a good choice. With already compliant mpegs it works well (I like the audio normalization function, with Nero you have to go by feel)) and provides better trimming than Nero, but the Menus are rudimentary and often problematic.
Rather than going through Windows Movie Maker, if no editing is required, you might find that ConvertXtoDVD 3 will produce a nice DVD with a large and decent, motion Menu choice.