AVI to DVD?

[jimmieone01]

Alright, i'm gonna admit it, i'm the new guy.....and i thought i knew a good deal about video files hahaha. Anyway here's the deal, i'm wanting to burn AVI files from around 600-700 MB onto dvd-R's but it's driving me insane! Within the past few days i got the following programs, TMPGE, Avitodvd, WinAviVideoConverter, DIVx Converter, and my burning program is Nero Express version 6.3.1.12

From what i've always learned there is no way to burn an AVI file to a DVD-R so you must then convert. I converted both the video and audio at the same time with the highly recommended TMPGE program, it converted it to MPG and boosted the file size from 700MB to 4.3GB, but this was still ok because dvd-rs are 4.7GB. After it converted i tried burning the program using Nero and it won't even let me add the file, it just freezes up, and forces me to shut the program down.

I'm fine with starting all over again if someone can please point me in the right direction, any type of file that will look good on dvd, i will convert it to anything as long as it fits. I did alot of reading up on the forum but it looks like you guys are asking more advanced questions which makes me feel like an idiot, but i read alot about Nero Vision, would this perhaps be better than my nero express for burning it after converting? Any help is greatly appreciated more than you'll ever know!

Thanks,
Jimmie

[fatbloke88]

try this its simple and it works

http://www.vso-software.fr/products/convert_x_to_dvd/

[jimmieone01]

Hey, thanks alot, i appreciate it, anybody else have any suggestions just in case i'm too stupid to figure this one out? haha It is appreciated though, thank you

[deckard8]

D2MP is the best all-in-one Avi>DVD converter I have used (and I've tried most of them) albeit with a slightly buggy gui. It converted for me where all else failed. I was so pleased I donated to it.

[jimmieone01]

Thanks guys i appreciate it, i'm gonna try them both, but for the kick of it, does anybody know if the new Nero 7 with vision can convert AVI files as well as the others? One more stupid question, my pc came with a DVD RW drive, so should i buy DVD-Rs or DVD+Rs?

[redwudz]

Whether you use -R's or +R's depends on the writer. You would need to know the model or it's specifications. -R's may be a little more common, but most newer burners can use both types. The brand and manufacturer of the DVD media is also very important. Using a good brand that is most compatible with your burner and with your players will assure the best results.

Nero may be able to convert, but many of us don't recommend using it for that. There are many other programs that seem to do a better job. I use ConvertXToDVD for quick and easy conversions. There is also an older DivxToDVD version that is freeware. WinAVI is also not that popular for conversions and we seem to see a lot of problems with it here.

If you want the 'best' way to convert AVI type formats to DVDs, then you need to learn to use a standalone encoder like TMPGEnc or HC or one of the others, then author the MPEG-2 files to the DVD format with TMPGEnc DVD Author or one of the freeware authoring programs like GUI for dvdauthor or similar. For burning, ImgBurn seems to do a good job.

[nbarzgar]

Do you add the mpeg2-file to Nero "as is"? If so, that might be the sole problem, as DVDs need a certain structure, inside of two folders called "VIDEO_TS" and "AUDIO_TS". (Those are created by Nero for DVD-Video burning projects, but inside are the .vob-files etc., needed for DVDs.)

To get these, you need to do what is called "authoring" your mpeg2-file to DVD. AFTER that you would be able to burn the DVD structure from your hard-drive to DVD-/+R or DVD-/+RW.

TMPGenc is one of the best encoders out there, so no need to go for one of the "one-click"-solutions mentioned in previous posts. You may, of course, if you prefer "one-click"-procedures. Output in some cases differs in quality, but VSO's "ConvertXtoDVD" does a fine job in a comparatively small amount of time.

For authoring your mpeg2-file TMPGenc DVD Author is highly recommended, as very easy to use, well organized, easy interface and very reliable output. Never produced any errors for me and I have used it on over 200 DVD-projects.

Nero Vision so far is a bit round-about in its approach, prone to crashes and takes quite some time to get a finished project, although easier then some Pro softwares, like Adobe Encore, etc.

You may want to refer
1. to the "Tools"-section of this site, click, than see "Authoring (DVD)" (on the left of this page, menu...)
2. to the "How To"-section, see "Author" and - probably - "How to burn...".

Good luck!

[jimmieone01]

I'd be totally lost without you guys, thanks for everything, you guys are the best!

[fcb1012]

I use ConvertXtoDVD and when I convert it then burn. Is there a way to make the converting faster? It usually takes me about and hour or so to convert then another 30min to burn. Can I speed up the converting? avi to dvd that is.

[guns1inger]

Get a faster CPU and a faster HDD. Encoding is a CPU intensive task, so CPU speed is by far the greatest factor in encoding speed. You have a single, small HDD. Chances are it is also heavily fragmented. Put in a second, fast HDD and do your video work from that. You will get incremental improvement if you do.

But CPU is the main factor.