AVI - DVD..a simple solution please

[kazz0817]

i have been using cucusoft video convertor to make avi files into dvd files, then burn using movie factory 3, however some movies are taking upto 25 hours to convert, whats the fastest way to convert avi - dvd, preferably a simple method as i dont want anything to technical, thanx

[teegee420]

This isn't what you want to hear but you're probably better off sticking with your current method. There is nothing fast or simple about this particular conversion. You'll have a whole new set of problems without much increase in speed if you attempt a new process. Stick with what works for you.

[kazz0817]

ok, will do....is it ok to still use the pc whilst its converting? or could this decrease quality? or cause errors, i dont mean run games or anything like that, i mean like is it ok to still surf the net and download files whilst im converting an avi - dvd

[kazz0817]

i noticed some stand alone dvd players now play avi files, mpegs etc, directly off data discs, one i was looking at in particular was one made by kiss technologies (think it was about £170) are these players any good? and is playing avi files on them as simple as it sound? or is encoding - converting still involved?

[mats.hogberg]

is playing avi files on them as simple as it sound?

As long as the AVI falls within the specs of what the player handles, you should be fine, but since "AVI" can contain just about anything, don't expect every AVI you find on the web or thru P2P networks to work without problem.
I've never found using the computer while encoding affecting the quality of the encoding. It's just that it's a pain trying to use a computer that wants to use 100% processor for encoding...

/Mats

[teegee420]

is it ok to still use the pc whilst its converting? or could this decrease quality? or cause errors, i dont mean run games or anything like that, i mean like is it ok to still surf the net and download files whilst im converting an avi - dvd

Surfing should be fine. If you are downloading files, try not to put them on the same drive your converted mpeg is writing to. It will probably slow things down a bit. Nothing major, but that way your hard drive won't have to work as hard.

By the way, I've heard some good things about the KISS players. Might be worth looking into. That would save you a lot of time re-encoding and losing quality. Make sure you read up on the exact type of files it plays.

[kazz0817]

yeah they sound good, you could fit more movies onto a dvd, would be cool

[Hardcoreruss]

I am looking at getting one of those kiss players also, they accept wireless pci cards also so you can stream from the pc apparently.

[kazz0817]

some of my avi's are taking upto 94 hours!! to convert to dvd and im getting like 0.5fps convert speed, surely this isnt normal, can it really take 94 hours to convert one movie? must be a faster way

[mats.hogberg]

Extract audio with VirtualDub: 5 min max
Decode audio to wav if in mp3 with CDEx: 10 min max
Encode audio to ac3 with ffmpeggui (if not in AC3 already): 10 min max
Encode AVI to M2V with MainConcept (resizing and frame serving with VirtualDub): 1.4 x real time.(2-3 hrs)
Author with IfoEdit: 1/2 hour
Create DVD image with imgtools classic: 10 min
Burn image with DVDDecrypter: 20 min

Worst case total: 4.5 hours
(Intel Pentium IV 1700MHz system)

/Mats

[kazz0817]

is there a guide in detail on how to do all that? or is it pretty simple?

[mats.hogberg]

I don't think so, but all I know in this area, I've learned here at DVDRHelp. Basically I've read and tried every possible guide that even remotely fit my purpose, and picked a little wisdom here and there along the way to come up with my own process.

/Mats

[kazz0817]

if i download all the software you mentioned, then tried it myself, is it fairly straight forward, or am i better looking for a guide for each individual step u mentioned? thanx for the help btw much appreciated

[mats.hogberg]

Since it's all freeware utilities (except for MainConcept), the workings and user interfaces might seem a bit daunting, and takes some time getting used to, but don't let them scare you! It's fairly straight forward, yes, but not something you'll learn during a coffee break either. But if one DivX takes you 94 hours to complete, while it takes me 4.5 hours, you can safely spend 89.5 hours trying to figure stuff out and still finish a movie in the same time as before! You will learn a lot in the process.

/Mats

[sihyp]

If you give a look to some of these guides,
https://www.videohelp.com/guides.php?tools=&madeby=&formatconversionselect=AVI+to+DVD&ho...or+List+Guides, I'm sure you'll find yourself the right way of doing things correctly.

Even better, start by loading your AVI file with Gspot and take the information about which video codec and soundcompression is in the file, then you certainly will be able to restrict the number of the guides a lot.