I do kinda the same for my members, but I do not do them at 12 min. I break them into 5 minute (approx)) segments. I do some 12+ minute stuff for a clip store I sell in addition to website money, and those are larger files.
To kinda cut to the chase, a lot of it has to do wtih how your encode it. I use same dimensions you do, but I encode them in DivX to get the file sizes down. Noone wants to d/l a 400 mb DV AVI regardless of quality. If they want that kinda quality so badly, they can buy the DVD's we offer.
So you need to encode them in something other than you original mpg/avi. You could pick DivX, or Xvid. Each has their advantages. Best points would be you still get decent quality clips, but the file size is dramtically reduced.
