Burning .mkv's to DVD

[animalia]

I need help finding software to burn my softsubbed mkv files to DVD.

[netmask56]

Burn them as Data. If you want to make them into a conventional DVD then you need to author them and of course the resolution will be reduced to the DVD standard. Most modern DVD players will play video files from a data disc. You may like to check the specs of your player. Software to do this is ImgBurn that can be found on this site under Software https://www.videohelp.com/software/ImgBurn

[orsetto]

Data discs are only really usable with BluRay players: most of those will also play mkv files directly from a USB stick. Standard dvd players are typically limited to dvd player format discs, some can also play DiVX files but MKV/MP4 long ago became more popular (dvd players usually won't play those formats).

Assuming you want to create a dvd disc with menu etc for a standalone DVD player: two popular tools can be downloaded from the VH software library.

DVDflick is perhaps simplest but is long obsolete so may not work properly with Win 10 (its fine under Win 7).

AVStoDVD is more involved, but a current app still maintained by its developer.

With either, you basically just import your videos, set your menu and chaptering preferences, and press a start button: an hour or so later you'll have a VIDEO_TS folder or disc image ready to burn. Note the soft subs built into the MKV file may not get automatically picked up by these dvd authoring apps: you might need to download coordinating external .srt files from one of the subtitle archive websites. Alternatively, there are utilities that can copy the subtitles embedded in your MKVs to external files.

[animalia]

Thank you. What should I use to burn the DVDs once I have the folders made?

[orsetto]

ImgBurn is the best available burning utility, downloadable from VH software library. But be very careful and attentive while running the installer, making sure to decline or cancel any spurious adware offers.

[netmask56]

If your original mkv files are say 1080p resolution or better the process of authoring a DVD will reduce the picture quality down to 720p. If you don't want that to happen the Data disc option doesn't affect picture quality. I have pure DVD players going back 10 years and they all handle data disks. Modern Blu-ray players are better of course. ImgBurn would be used to burn the file to a disc. Frankly DVD format is "technologically" speaking old technology because of it's limited resolution. If I want a movie or an anime by itself I pop it on a small memory stick. But at the end of the day it's whatever you are comfortable with.

[orsetto]

If your original mkv files are say 1080p resolution or better the process of authoring a DVD will reduce the picture quality down to 720p. If you don't want that to happen the Data disc option doesn't affect picture quality.

Agreed, except I believe authoring for dvd player disc format is standardized even lower at 480 (NTSC) or 576 (PAL), not quite 720?

I have pure DVD players going back 10 years and they all handle data disks.

Interesting! I've never personally encountered one in USA that would play data discs worth a damn, except for discs containing very strictly defined DiVX format video files, MP3 audio files (badly) and jpeg pictures (worse). A handful of no-name generic dvd players currently offered on Amazon claim they will play MP4, but again within very strict limits (480 only, no 720 or 1080 files will play at all). MKV format seems out of the question unless one moves up to a bluray player, which of course also adds full resolution playback of all files.

[netmask56]

If your original mkv files are say 1080p resolution or better the process of authoring a DVD will reduce the picture quality down to 720p. If you don't want that to happen the Data disc option doesn't affect picture quality.

Agreed, except I believe authoring for dvd player disc format is standardized even lower at 480 (NTSC) or 576 (PAL), not quite 720?

I have pure DVD players going back 10 years and they all handle data disks.

Interesting! I've never personally encountered one in USA that would play data discs worth a damn, except for discs containing very strictly defined DiVX format video files, MP3 audio files (badly) and jpeg pictures (worse). A handful of no-name generic dvd players currently offered on Amazon claim they will play MP4, but again within very strict limits (480 only, no 720 or 1080 files will play at all). MKV format seems out of the question unless one moves up to a bluray player, which of course also adds full resolution playback of all files.

My bad I had something else on my mind, yes DVD's are 520p even lower in the NTSC land standard at 480p In Australia (PAL land) every DVD player I've bought in the last 7 years were quite capable of playing Data discs with MKV, MP4 etc files. Being an experimenter I would try one and see if it works.

[animalia]

ImgBurn is the best available burning utility, downloadable from VH software library. But be very careful and attentive while running the installer, making sure to decline or cancel any spurious adware offers.

Thank you. This has worked.