You want to send that special someone a DVD, but you don’t know how to get the video file off of your computer and onto a DVD disc. Don’t give up. It’s easier than you think. Basically, all you have to do is download some free software, install it, convert your video to a DVD format, burn the video, and send it to whomever you like. Here are the nitty-gritty details:
1. Pick a good program.
There are a lot of good programs out there on the Internet for converting videos to DVD. However, one of the best ones is DVD Flick. It’s a simple, but incredibly powerful, free DVD converter that lets you author your own DVDs and burn them to a disc. It can take multiple files on your computer, fuse them together, allow you to create a cool title screen, menu, and then burn the whole thing to a DVD disc. The resulting disc will play on pretty much any modern DVD player or computer capable of playing standard DVDs.
2. Install it.
The installation process is pretty straightforward. Download the program and click the .exe file. The program will install onto your computer. When it’s done, you’ll see an icon to open the program.
3. Convert the files.
Open the program. Click “add title.” Then, select the movie file you want to convert. One it’s uploaded into the DVD Flick program, go to “edit title.” Under the “general” tab, click “normal” under “target aspect ratio.” Also, make sure you create chapters every 10 or 15 minutes or so (this setting is below the “target aspect ratio” option).
Under the “video source” tab, you can select more videos you want to put on your DVD. You can add subtitles and audio tracks.
When you’re satisfied with the number of videos you’re going to convert, go to “project settings.” Under the “general” tab on the left select your target size. For most DVDs this is going to be in the 4 gig range. “Encode priority” should be set at “normal.” “Thread count” should be set to “2.”
Under the “Video” tab, you can adjust the video formats and profiles to suit your needs. Unless you know what you’re doing, leave everything set on the defaults. On Audio, select “5.1 surround sound” if you have surround sound and you want to make use of it. Under “playback,” you shouldn’t need to change anything. Under “burning,” select “burn project to disc.” The ISO file is if you want to burn the disc later. When you’re done, click “accept.”
Click on “create DVD.” A popup message will appear to confirm you want to burn the DVD and that the DVD you want to burn to is in the disc drive. Click “yes,” and the program will burn your DVD. It should take several hours to finish the process.
4. Send it on its way.
When you’re done, your DVD will play in any DVD player, including those found on newer laptops. You’ll also have chapters similar to a standard movie DVD as well as your custom menu so that whoever is watching it can skip to the section of the disc that they want to see.
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