how can i take an avi file (DivX) and burn onto a DVD

[Briden]

Hello, this is my first post here, I'm quite the newbie to the world of video manipulation.

I have a file i would like to burn onto a DVD. The file is an .avi, and i think it's a DivX (although i am not completely sure on that)

I have taken a look through the site, looked at some basic tutorials, but I am not quite sure exactly what i need to do. I was planning on following this one:

http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/mpg/dvd2svcd-avi.htm

I downloaded a program called Gspot to see what kind of video i am dealing with, here is what it showed me:


incidentally, despite the fact that it says i do not have the proper video codec, the video will play fine in Windows Media Player 9, or DivX Player 2.5.1

Am I on the right track here? what else will I need to download to get this burned onto a DVD? I don't care about any chapter info, multichannel audio etc. I just want it to play is all, in as good a quality as possible, with stereo sound.

I have filled out my computer information as well, i do have a DVD burner cabable of both DVD+R and -R, whichever one will play on more commercial DVD players is what i would like.

[Melkor]

I'll give you a brief outline of how I go about doing this. Just understand that there are a million different ways to go about it... different preferences in software, etc., etc..

Using G-Spot is the first step. I will usually take a screen capture of the output and save the .bmp in a folder called "Movie Info" just so I can recall it anytime I need to.

Note: Make a folder to save the audio/video stuff in.

From there I open Virtualdub (freeware found in the "Tools" section) and open the avi file.... then scan the video stream for errors. If all checks out ok I'll seperate the audio. Go to "Audio" ~> Source Audio ~> Direct Stream Copy ~> Save As wav. I then use ffmpeggui to convert that wav into ac3 audio. On a source file like yours, I'd go with 224kb/s. Now you have an ac3 file.

Now to the video. Open Virtualdub and select "Video" ~> Direct Stream Copy ~> Compression ~> Uncompressed... "Audio" ~> No audio, then save as Movie.avi in your audio/video folder. You now have an ac3 audio and no-audio avi video file. Now we need to frameserve that video file to your mpeg encoder. You can do that in Virtualdub as well.

Now,
I use MainConcept's MPEG encoder but many here use the TMPGEnc Encoder, plus I've found that there's alot more customizing information for the TMP converter due to it's popularity. With a good source file (I prefer avi sources in the ~1.3 GB range) I can encode an avi to DVD and my friends can't tell it's not the real thing. Plus, MainConcept's encoder is very quick, almost encoding in real-time. A 1 hour 45 minute movie usually takes right at 2 hours to encode on my system. That's using a very "exact" Search Method and the widest Search Range.

Now, the encoder stuff I'm gonna skip because there is just too much info to post. Besides, we don't know which encoder you'll use. One thing's for sure, you'll need to calculate your bitrate when setting everything up. That calculator is also found in the tools section here.

After encoding, you have an m2v encoded video file and an ac3 audio file. You now need an authoring program to load them into. I use DVD-lab and really like it. Lots of info on the web for this software plus you get a 30 day trial. The basic process is to load the audio and video files and let the program mux them together. You will also create chapter points, a start menu, etc, in your authoring program. Then you compile the DVD (make sure you have plenty of h-drive space) and burn the information to the DVD.

On compatability, I believe -R is %-wise the more compatible. Plus it's a little less expensive.

This isn't meant to answer all your questions... it won't.
So, when you need more help just ask. There are alot of guys and gals here who can help you better that I.

Take care.

[ZippyP.]

what else will I need to download to get this burned onto a DVD?

Even tough you can play it you need to install the xvid codec as identified by Gspot, you should find it in the Tools section.

The guide you selected is for SVCD, you need an AVi to DVD guide, here is a good basic one written by Baldrick, the site administrator.

As for -R vs +R, they are both very compatible so that isn't really an issue. What is important is that you get some good quality media as there is a lot of crap out there. Do a search or look in the media forum for some good brands. Generally, name brand is best.

Hope that helps.