Burning software question

[europhan]

I have a bunch of avi files I want to convert to DVD. I am a looking for what software would be best for this.

I usually use ONES to burn DVDs but I don't think I can do the conversion thing with ONES. I have a new computer running on Vista. Everything I have read about Nero 8 (only Vista compatible verson) has been very negative. And with Windows DVD Maker there is major problems with the aspect ratio. All movies are stretched for some reason (think old Westerns or old VHS tapes.) There are complaints, and really no solutions, to this, all over the web.

I also have SmartSoft Video Converter Pro. With that, it did the conversion (took forever) and burned the DVD (with DVD files), but I do not have menu features and if I try and skip to the next chapter the DVD stops. Otherwise plays fine and I can use the seek button. Not sure but maybe doing something wrong there.

Any help with the SmartSoft or any suggestions on software or program to use to do this conversion (avi to DVD) would be greatly appreciated.

[DanielG]

I have a bunch of avi files I want to convert to DVD. I am a looking for what software would be best for this.


What sort of AVI files are they? (eg. are they DV-AVI from a video camera or DivX/XViD files?)

Do you want high quality encodes or are you looking for something quick and easy?

[europhan]

Hey Daniel...They are DivX/XViD files. And, yes, I am looking for highest quality possible. I don't mind something taking time as long as it works. I've wasted like 6 or 7 disc trying different stuff. And the new computer is a quad-core with 4 GB of RAM, so using a program that would normally be considered a system hog, would not be an issue.

[DanielG]

If you're looking for a simple all-in-one conversion tool, then take a look at ConvertXtoDVD. You can download a trial version from: http://www.vso-software.fr/products/convert_x_to_dvd/ to see if it suits your needs. ConvertXToDVD automatically detects the aspect ratio (either 16:9 or 4:3) so you shouldn't have any issues with stretched videos. Depending on the quality of the original DivX/XviD then the reduction in quality shouldn't be too much (of course this depends on how much video you put onto a DVD)

If you want to have more control over the MPEG2 encoding, then you should look into a specialized encoder. There are a number of MPEG2 encoders on the market with TMPGEnc being one of the more popular.
TMPGEnc DVD Author 3 with DivX® Authoring allows you to encode your AVI as well as author menus and chapter points.
http://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/download/tda3.html

In both cases, I would recommend getting a software DVD player so that you can check your final output before burning to a disc. Your computer probably came with one (look for WinDVD or PowerDVD) but if it didn't there's a fantastic multimedia player which also plays DVDs called VideoLAN (VLC). It can be downloaded from: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/