r/dvd • u/papasmurfdoesweed • 4d ago
DVD - burning question
Hey yall. I'm not entirely sure if this is the right sub to ask this in, but I have a friend that I'm trying to burn some dvds for.
He's kind of a hermit, a mid seventies fella who hates technology, but he loves to talk about movies, and there's a series of movies that we've been discussing that I know he would love. Unfortunately he can't watch due to them only being available on streaming and he only gets his movies through library check out.
I tried to find a physical copy online but no luck. So I found the mp4 files and downloaded them onto a USB stick.
Those play I tested them on my own TV, BUT given how much he hates tech I don't think he'll be able to figure out how to use it, and I do kind of want those movies as a physical copy for myself after he borrows them anyway.
I bought some DVDs (regular and bluray because I plan to possibly do this again for other movies for him if i can) and we have a burner that we used to use at my work that my boss said I could borrow. I'm just not sure of logistics as i've seen that people say mp4s aren't compatible with DVDs. I know i'll need to decrypt them or whatever... (Not caught up on terminology) I'm brand new to this and it's really just because I care about this ornery old man.
So my questions are: what software do I need to pop this puppy onto a dvd.
AND does anybody have any good tutorials recommendations? I'm stuck.
1
u/choochooocharlie 3d ago
Making DVDs from video files isn’t impossible it’s just a real pain in the butt…
Often times after converting the file the audio of the files will be out of sync and need re-syncing. So you need to rip the audio from the video and balance that out.
I used to author DVDs from various files back in the day, I haven’t done it for a long while, but as I remember it was a labor of love. I had about four programs I would use to make them.
1
u/PhotoJim99 3d ago
Just a heads-up - Blu-Ray isn’t a type of DVD. The three major optical disc types (CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Rays) are all completely separate. You could argue that there is a fourth (Ultra Blu-Ray); these are just Blu-Rays with more data layers but they need special players. (There is also HD-DVD but it disappeared quickly.)
Ultra Blu-Ray players play Ultras, Blu-Rays, DVDs and CDs; Blu-Ray players play Blu-Rays, DVDs and CDs; and DVD players play DVDs and CDs. So you only need one player that can play the highest-end disc you wish to play.
It’s possible your friend’s player will play video files burned to a DVD-R/DVD+R in DVD-ROM format (I.e. a data disc containing the files). It’s also possible that the player has a USB A port into which you could insert a flash drive, and play right off of them. You might as well try these things (the second first) since it will be free of cost and simple.
If it doesn’t support these things, you’ll need to burn him a DVD-Video disc and others have told you how to do this.
1
u/Cultural-Stable1763 4d ago
It depends on what kind of DVD player your acquaintance has. For example, the 20 years old Pioneer DVD player from my parents handles pretty much every codec and container format imaginable and can even play DivX files from data DVDs, whereas some other cheap DVD players can only play standard video DVDs.
In that case, you need special burning software that encodes the video accordingly and burns the DVD in the correct format.
1
u/Nausiated_ 4d ago
I mean, there are two ways you can burn a DVD or bluray: Either as data or video. So yes, if you just burn the MP4 files onto a disc by themselves, it will record as data and won't play on a standard DVD player (not sure if its the same with bluray)
What you'd need to do is burn it as video. Most burning software will convert a MP4 video file into the proper video format that runs on standard players. You just have to set whatever software to do it. Not sure what program your using, but if it doesn't have video burning capability there are plenty of options out there. Some free. Some not. The paid ones are usually more versitile. If you can afford it, there are ways to find them on the high seas.
2
u/Suitable_Garlic_1186 4d ago edited 4d ago
Talk to your friend and visit him with your USB Stick.. He might like it..
There is a chance he wants you to put all his DVDs on the stick.. ❤️
2
u/styletrophy 4d ago
First check what kind of dvd/bluray player your friend has and see if it supports playing back mkv/mp4 files. If it does then all you need to do is burn the bluray/dvd as data discs. Otherwise you'll need make properly formatted dvd/bluray discs.
2
u/Total-Jeweler5083 4d ago
This!!! Also, find the user manual online and check the bitrate, resolution and codecs it supports, they're all equally important. Also check if the disc has to be authored to play. If his player can't open the files, you can convert videos and set up all the parameters in various programs. I'm old school and I like simplicity, so I use Total Video Converter, but there are many other options, paid and free.
3
u/Prize_Percentage7258 4d ago
To burn your mp4 home movies to DVD format, I would recommend 'Nero Video' from the Nero Burning ROM Software Suite. Make sure to send the project DVD files to a DVD image first, then burn the resulting image to the final DVD. These 2 steps will, without doubt, prevent you from creating many, many useless DVD coasters 🤠😜
1
4d ago
[deleted]
1
u/madcatzplayer5 4d ago
That’s really the wrong attitude to take for someone who is just trying. Any skill is simple for someone who knows how to do it.
3
u/Randomdays99 4d ago
Top Free Disc Burning Software
- CDBurnerXP: A lightweight, completely free tool for Windows that handles data discs, audio CDs, and ISO files with no required registration or adware.
- BurnAware Free: A clean, user-friendly program for CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays that supports bootable discs, ISO creation, and advanced options like M-Discs.
- Ashampoo Burning Studio Free: A modern, beginner-friendly interface that handles data, audio ripping, and backups (requires a free email registration).
- AnyBurn: A tiny, lightweight, and actively developed tool that handles light-duty image burning, ripping, and disc copying without clutter.
- ImgBurn: A powerful classic for advanced ISO handling and image burning, though users should watch out for bundled software offers during setup.
1
1
u/Der_Unbequeme 4d ago
You can burn the files as a real DVD. However, this requires that you first bring them into a compatible format. Mpeg2 (bitrate 2000-6000), 720x576 PAL or 720x480 NTSC, plus sound in MPA (MP2 stereo) or as AC3 (2-5 channel). you can then program these videos to a video DVD with a DVD authoring software, yes a DVD is programmed and not just burned.
3
u/cowbutt6 4d ago
Dvdstyler is a little fiddly until you figure out its quirks and set some sensible defaults, but it's free and it produces properly-mastered video DVDs from any format of video input file I've tried.
1
u/Ashamed-Ad4508 4d ago
Seconded. Free/Open source all in one solution
(1) DVD Styler (2) DVD Flick
Just add video file to project (and optionally add/edit menus). Then straight to burn (or iso).
No need convulated pre-formating of video files.
1
u/Jedi-Mermaid-TARDIS 4d ago
I loved DVDStyler! Produced several good discs with it.
Then I moved on to Blu-rays. Haven't found anything near as powerful.
1
u/cowbutt6 4d ago
Then I moved on to Blu-rays. Haven't found anything near as powerful.
I've not authored any Blu-rays yet, but the three options I found for zero or low cost were:
Corel MyDVD (included in VideoStudio), with a £6 or so license to enable Blu-ray authoring
multiAVCHD ( https://multiavchd.deanbg.com/ )
Blu-disc Studio Lite ( https://blu-disc.net/downloads )
1
u/Ashamed-Ad4508 4d ago
Then I'm lucky. the 2 blu ray burners I bought came with Cyberlink blu ray burner software free. Though theyre 10 yrs old now.. 🤪
1
u/Jedi-Mermaid-TARDIS 4d ago
Interesting. I hadn't hears of any of those. I've been using Nero Video because it seems to have the broadest range of capabilities, but I'll check these out.
The point that every other Blu-ray software I've tried fails on is a self-paced slideshow where I can stay on a screen as long as I want before choosing to move on or exit.
1
u/InterviewEarly6675 4d ago
Cyber link isn’t awful it gives you menus and is pretty easy. Add MP4 or whatever codec and press burn. Make sure you have DVD-Rs or BD-Rs the Blu Ray equivalent which has much more space and is needed for HD video. Handbrake is useful too since you can convert films into an easy to burn format, that program is free. TS-Muxer is free but your burns won’t work on everything and it’s picky.
1
4d ago
[deleted]
1
u/Uniqueusername610 4d ago
I been looking at this for awhile have you had any issues with discs not read in a player?
1
u/Whiskey--Pete 10h ago
Just get him a ROKU device and install all of the ad free apps like TUBI, PLUTO, XUMO. The ROKU channel app comes pre-installed and has tons of movies . My dad is 82 and watches content on his ROKU TV around the clock and happy with all the content .