PC to DVD Question

[StopTheGrays]

I got a bunch of video files in different formats (mov., avi., etc...)on my laptop I want to convert them to a format that I can burn to a DVD and play in the DVD player hooked up to my TV. Are there any freeware utilities that will allow me to do that?

[charby]

if you have a Mac IMovie and IDVD is pretty easy to use.

[lee n. field]

What you want ot do is DVD authoring.  I'm guessing that you've already discovered you can't just copy files to it and have it play.

For Redmondware, I assume.

Nothing I've found that works real well.  There's one on sourceforge.net that will output a DVD iso, that can be burned with another program.

Otherwise, Ulead Movie Factory is about the cheapest I've found.

[m1911owner]

I've been using the Nerovision Express package that came with my DVD drive.  It works after a fashion, with two substantial problems: 1) The sound is often out of synch with the video, and 2) It's really slow transcoding from Xvid avi's to DVD format--like three hours for 1:30 worth of video.

I too would like to find a better solution.

[lee n. field]

How I know anything about this at all:  One customer bought a computer from us, with a DVD burner, assuming they could make video DVDs.  This is a sheriff's dept. that wants to be able to make DVDs from video files from cop car cameras, for showing in a courtroom.  They had the idea in their heads that you could just copy files and it would work.

Turns out the freebie Nero that came with their burner will not author video DVDs.  (Full commercial version will.)  It will make video CDs (same idea, but with CDR media, and of course, limited in total time).  Video CDs will not play on all standalone DVD players, but would on their video room player.  I wrote up the procedure (it's pretty straightforward, Nero walks you through it), but they ran into some hitch with menus.

I will probably sell them the Ulead Moviefactory software.  It's about as stone simple as it gets.