burning an avi file

[dags260]

i have downloaded a movie (in avi format) and am trying to burn it to dvd. nero gets 1/4-1/2 way through then spits it out and says there is an error. the computer plays the file no worries start to finish, try to put it on my laptop to burn and it says file type not recognised so it wont play or burn. is it possible the file is corrupt somehow or am i doing something wrong? ive done some searches of the site and tried a couple of things but still dont understand codec and iso files and terms like that.......yes im a noob
thanks for your help
Dags

[guns1inger]

ConvertXtoDVD, or it's free older sibling, DivxtoDVD.

[dags260]

does that convert and burn? if it just converts how much does it increase the file size and is nero fine to burn it?
thanks for your help

[guns1inger]

ConvertXtoDVD has a built-in version of CopytoDVD's DVD burning engine.

If you want control over file size, use a standalone encoder and set the right bitrate. ConvertXtoDVD will use as much space as it can to provide the best quality it can. For a standard 90 - 100 minute movie it will use around 4gb.

[dags260]

k. so if i use divxtodvd then burn with nero. not that stressed about size. 90 mins is about the size of a movie so 4g will do.

[guns1inger]

It aims to fit it on a disc. DivXtoDVD uses a different encoding algorythm to ConvertXtoDVD, so it may use as little as 2 GB for a movie

[dags260]

cool, like i said in the original post. not sure of alot of the terminology, new to burning. if you reckon it will work ill give it a crack. the only free one is v 0.5.2 that do the trick? what about a good ripping program so i can copy dvds? any thoughts there?

[mats.hogberg]

To backup DVD, use DVDDecrypter for 1:1 backups, DVDShrink for DVD9 -> DVD5 backups. Many newer discs have more "protection" - usually handeled by ripping with DVDFab Decrypter or having AnyDVD running while using DVDDecrypter/DVDShrink.

/Mats

[dags260]

thanks mats. have another question.....hard to believe i know! i have done the conversion and it has created about 6 files they are 2 .bup files, 2 .vob and 2 .ifo the conversion took about 35 mins or so. when i went to burn it i just selected the whole folder containing all these files. burning only took 3 mins does this sound right or was i supposed to select each individual file to burn.

[guns1inger]

That sounds about right, however, it depends on how you burned it. In Nero, you need to use the Burning Rom component, and select the DVD Video template. You drop the 6 files into the Video_TS folder in the template, and burn.

If you just burned the files, chances are you have a data disc, which may or may not play, depending on your player, but isn't a DVD Video disc.

[mats.hogberg]

What you should have, is a VIDEO_TS folder + an AUDIO_TS folder right beside it. The former should contain .ifo, .bup and .vob files, the latter should be empty.
You then write these folders to the disc. My way is to first make an ISO image of these folders with ImgTools Classic, then burn it with imgburn.
35 minutes total for converting a 90 min AVI to DVD is extermely fast - too fast for not suspecting that the conversion has been interrupted/aborted prematurely.
My take on this affair, is that the AVI you've downloaded is (like so many - a majority, I'd say! - "found" on the Internet) damaged in some way. That it plays fine on your computer is no proof it's good for conversion.

/Mats

[dags260]

the files are allready in the video_ts folder, do i say i want to make a dvd video then select that folder to burn or each individual file? really sorry to make you dumb everything right down for me but i am a real dvd burning noob and i really appreciate your help.

[mats.hogberg]

LIke I wrote, my way is to first make an ISO image of these folders with ImgTools Classic, then burn it with imgburn. I tend to avoid involving Nero as much as possible (which isn't all that hard! )

/Mats

[guns1inger]

Isn't that what Add/Remove Programs is for ?

[dags260]

can i ask what an ISO image is? so if i run imgtools and make an iso image of the video_ts folder (is that like copying it?) then burn that iso image with imgburn? you can call me names if you want.

[mats.hogberg]

Isn't that what Add/Remove Programs is for ?

True. Exactly what I've done. Long ago.

/Mats

[guns1inger]

We wouldn't do that - yet.

A ISO is essentially a disc image. If generated from a DVD, it is a bit for bit copy of the disc content as it is stored. This is different to simply copying the files. If you run imgtools classic it will generate an ISO file that contains the DVD Video contents as if they had veen on a DVD. IMGBurn only burns images, not files, so you need a disc image to use it. It just happens to be a much better burner than Nero for DVD Video. It is also small and free (unlike Nero, which is not free, and is bloated)