Guide : Avi or any video format to DVD
Posted on September 3, 2009
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Hello Friends! Today I`ll post for convertation – avi or any video format to dvd.
VSO’s ConvertXtoDVD software can take almost any common video file you have, encode it to MPEG-2, build a DVD compilation and Burn to a blank DVD, and the best part is how easy it all is. It has the ability to convert multiple file types, including AVI files (DivX or XviD supported), Quicktime files (MOV), Matroska files (MKV), Windows Media Video files (WMV) etc.. to DVD. It produces a VIDEO_TS folder containing your DVD files (.VOB, .BUP and .IFO) and can burn it directly to DVD. It can convert NTSC to PAL and vice versa, 4:3 or 16:9 output and also has more bitrate options than previous versions of the software. It has support for manual or automatic chapters, subtitle streams and multiple audio streams also. It can also output an interactive Menu; complex with motion and audio, or a simple still menu, it’s your choice.
1 – Introduction & Requirements
You will need to have enough free space for this process. Depending on the amount of video files you add to the process, it could produce a DVD compilation up to 4.36GB (single layer, up to 8.5GB for dual layer if you select it). You will need that and more in free space. The process will also take some time to complete, maybe hours, but relative to other encoding options, ConvertXtoDVD is very fast.
Please note that ConvertXtoDVD is not free; but you will be able to use it free for a limited time before you will need a license to keep using it.
VSO ConvertXtoDVD Installation
The ConvertXtoDVD installer is as easy to use as can be. Simply follow the steps. When you get to the screen shown above, it gives you an opportunity to set region settings that will determine default settings in the program. You can set anything you want here and change it later on if need be within the program itself. Simply finish the installer and then run ConvertXtoDVD from the shortcut on your Desktop or Start Menu.
2 – ConvertXtoDVD First Run
When first run, ConvertXtoDVD will look just like the picture above. It is pretty simple to understand and following this guide, it’s ease of use will become apparent. There are also two windows you can add to the Interface; Video Preview and Log. To add those, which are not default you can select them from Window in the top bar. Now that we have the program installed and have it running, let’s get right into it and add video(s) to the project, then select what Audio and Subtitles see down!
3- Open Files with ConvertXtoDVD
To add movies to the program could not be easier. Simply drag the file or files into the tree view window or hit the Add button that looks like this; . If you hit Add then you will have to browse your hard drive for the file or files.
4 – File Information – Input
Once the Video file appears in the list, click the + beside it (it will be listed as Titleset 1). Now from the new set of options that emerges you will find an option for Source file(s) info. Tick the + beside it. Below is the kind of information you will receive, compared to the image above.
- Input file type: In the image above it’s an AVI file, a very common multimedia container. Generally AVI files have only one video and one audio stream, whereas if you have an MKV file, you could be looking at multiple streams of each and even subtitles.
- Estimated framerate: In the image above it is 23.98 frames per second, which is technically NTSC. It will encode well to PAL, which is 25.00 frames per second. Another common frame rate is 29.97 frames per second – all three are part of the DVD-Video standard. Whatever the case, the output will be either 23.97fps, 25.00fps or 29.97 fps. If you have a file with a low framerate like 15.00fps, ConvertXtoDVD will duplicate frames to make up the difference, which can affect quality but is unavoidable.
- Duration: The more content you try to cram on a DVD, the less quality you will achieve. Keep an eye on the length of your videos. Generally speaking ConvertXtoDVD will produce good quality up to about three hours, relative to the input quality.
- Aspect Ratio: The Aspect Ratio is 2.35 in the image, which tells me right away it is anamorphic/wide. 4:3 would indicate a fullscreen file, while 16:9 may also be a result for wide.
- Stream Count: If you are working with MKV particularly, it can help to check the total stream count, as the file may have multiple different languages or audio tracks with a different number of channels.
It’s not vital that you remember this information, as ConvertXtoDVD will output DVD suitable to any region you live in and will make an educated decision on the output Aspect Ratio, but remember this is a good practice to keep up when you are encoding files so you know what you are working with.
5 – File Information – Output
We can now use the information that we learned earlier to make changes to how ConvertXtoDVD will output a DVD-Video compilation. Again, click the + beside the video to expand the options. In the list, you will find Video, click the + beside it. In here we can make some changes that will greatly affect the output.
- Resolution: By default, ConvertXtoDVD will always choose Full D1 resolution (720×576 for PAL, 720×480 for NTSC). It is highly recommended for the sake of quality that you don’t change this setting for good quality video content. However, if you have poor, low-resolution video quality, then you can choose another option, like Half D1, which will reduce the resolution and thus, the need for higher bitrates, meaning you can squeeze more on a single disc. Note however that changing from Full D1 might cause problems with some DVD players.
- Format: Depending on where you are living, you will have to choose a PAL or NTSC output. While PAL and NTSC have more to do with color in practice, they also define a frame rate. We know that the input video in this example is 23.98 frames per second, that’s NTSC, so we can match it to NTSC for the best quality. However, I live in Europe, which means I need to choose PAL, so ConvertXtoDVD will convert the 23.98fps, to 25.00fps, which will change the playback a bit but not noticeably. As a rule of thumb, if you live in Europe, Australia, NZ, then go for PAL. If you live in North America or Japan, then go with NTSC. This is more to do with compatibility with your television than anything else, so it is important that you get it right.
- Aspect Ratio: You have two options, 16:9 or 4:3. In the example, we had video that was 2.35:1, which is meant to be displayed on a widescreen, therefore I will go with 16:9. If yours specified 4:3, then go with 4:3. Note that if you have different aspect ratio values than have been discussed here, don’t worry about it because most of the time, ConvertXtoDVD will guess it right.
6 - Output Settings – Choose Audio
In most cases you will only have one Audio track in your multimedia file. However, when working with MKV and other flexible containers, this isn’t always the case. Click the + beside the video you want to choose audio for. You will then be able to expand the Audio options too, like in the picture above. If you have MP3, AC3 (Dolby) or DTS audio, it will list the tracks. To make sure you select the right track, right click and select Play Audio. This will now play the audio track for you so you can be sure you have the right language etc. For all the audio tracks you don’t want, simply right-click and click Remove audio stream.
Notice that by right-clicking on an audio stream you also have an “Add Audio” option, which will allow you to add audio from an external file.
7 – Output Settings – Choose Subtitles
Click the + beside the video you want to change Subtitles settings for. Underneath Audio, there is a Subtitle category. If there are Subs within the multimedia container, then ConvertXtoDVD should detect them and you should be able to click a + beside Subtitle to expand a list. If it doesn’t have any subtitles, you can add some yourself from an SRT file by right-clicking and clicking Add subtitle. Also note that any Subtitle streams you would prefer not to be on your Output DVD can be removed by simply right clicking on them and clicking Remove subtitle stream.
8 – Automatic Video Chapters
One of the most important features of DVD-Video is the ability to set chapters for specific times or frames. Going through the video yourself and adding chapters at necessary points might be something you want to do, but if not then you will like ConvertXtoDVD’s ability to automatically add chapters based on some conditions. Click Settings in ConvertXtoDVD, and click Chapters, and you will get a new Window open that appears the same as the window above.
- Create Chapter every: If selected, you can set a number of minutes and seconds between chapters. The default is 5:00
- For titleset longer than: What is the point in having chapters for a 15 minute video? This setting will specify a playback length that a titleset (video) must be before it qualifies for auto-chapters to kick in. The default is 15 minutes. Of course if it is longer than 15 minutes, chapters will be set before the 15 minute mark too, not just after it.
- Automatic chapter button text naming: This setting is on by default but only kicks in if you are using auto-chapters anyway. Basically you can’t do much with it, it is just syntax for automatic naming. To describe it basically, each Chapter must be labeled as something on the menu. If you don’t want to label it yourself, then this will automatically label it “Chapter” and then the “#%d” instructs the program to number the chapter names sequentially, so the result is the chapter at 5:00 is “Chapter 1″, at 10:00 is “Chapter 2″ and so on. If you change the word Chapter to something else, like Part, then it would become “Part 1″, “Part 2″, or if you completely removed the “#%d” then they would all be labeled whatever word you put in.
9 – Manual Chapter Creation
Of course, you do not have to settle for automatically generated chapters, and can add your own chapter (timecode) by clicking the + beside your Titleset (video), right clicking on Chapter and clicking Add Chapter. You will now be able to set a time that you want to specify a chapter point be located. Note also that you can change the chapter named by clicking the + beside Chapter, and then click the + beside any chapter you want to add a name to, and you will see the option to add text.
10 – Choose Menu Type
As mentioned in the Introduction of this guide, ConvertXtoDVD can create menus that range from simple still picture menus to complex motion menus that have small thumbnail sized clips from your videos. Also, importantly, it has the option to not use a Menu at all. Since this guide is not about to spend paragraphs going through all the menus, I suggest you simply take a close look at them to see which you’d prefer, or you can opt for the “No Menu” option.
To get to the list of menus tick the + beside DVD Options as shown in the picture above. You will see a “Template Now Used” option first. Click it so it is selected, and then click it again. You will notice a select box will appear. Click the box and you will have the full list of available menu templates from ConvertXtoDVD. My suggestion is to stick to simply classic menus if you have a lot of video content on your DVD, like 3 – 4 hours+ of material. Other than that, feel free to experiment with any of the menus you’d like, or choose not to use a Menu, which makes sense for a DVD with just one movie.
11 – Further Menu Settings
Under the DVD Options settings there are more things to change than just the menu template. Here are some options and what they are…
- Auto-start Playback: If this is selected the menu will be skipped when the disc is inserted into a DVD player, the menu will be shown after the Title.
- Loop playback: Instead of going back to the Title Menu when the last Title (video) on the disc has finished playing, if this option is selected you will be returned to the first Title (video), instead of the Menu.
- Play titles one after the other: With this option selected, each Title (video) on the disc will play sequentially, that is when the first is finished, it will automatically play the second and so on, without going back to the Menu.
- Skip root menu initially: The Menu that will display when you insert the DVD is the “Title Menu”. Each Titleset (video) also has its own “Root Menu”. If this option is selected, then you will bypass the Root Menu when you select a video on the Title Menu. This is recommended because it saves time and effort.
- Return to the title menu after titleset playback: This is closely related to the above setting. In this case, one a titleset has finished playing, it will return straight to the Title Menu and bypass the Root Menu altogether.
- Don’t create title menu for single video: If selected, any DVD you are making with ConvertXtoDVD that contains just one video will not have a Title Menu at all, as it really doesn’t require a Menu.
12 – Change DVD Name and Titleset Label
At the top of the Menu created by ConvertXtoDVD, it will display the DVD Name. The default DVD Name as you might have noticed, is “My DVD”. To change this, click “DVD Options – Disc Name” so that is appears selected (blue), then click it again (don’t double click fast or it won’t work) and you will be able to edit the name of your DVD. You will also notice (from the picture above) that you can do it for all Titlesets (videos) that you have added to the compilation. Remember each video will also show up on the Menu, so be sure to remember to customize this as above.
13 – Encoding Quality
To put it as simply as I can, the more time ConvertXtoDVD is allowed to spend encoding your video, the higher the output quality will be. Click Settings and click Encoding, and you will see the same options as shown above.
- Encoding quality –> speed: Here you can choose to have High quality video (with the longest encoding time), Medium quality (with the medium encoding time) and Low quality (with the fastest encoding time). My recommendation always has been and always will be that if you are going to do this, you should do it right by always choosing the highest quality option.
- Target size: Do you have a normal blank DVD-R, or a dual layer blank DVD? If it is simply a normal blank DVD (DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW or DVD+RW) then choose the option DVD-5 (4300 MB). If you have a dual-layer blank DVD (DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, DVD-RW DL or DVD+RW DL) then choose DVD-9 (8100 MB). If you know what you are doing, you can also set a Custom limit on MB of data that can be used.
- Conversion priority: Each program that runs in Windows has an assigned priority – that is, programs are given resources based on their priority. Encoding will use a lot of resources (100% CPU usage for sure) so you have the option of changing its priority. However, I have found that opting for Highest or Time Critical simply doesn’t help very much. I would suggest keeping it at Normal priority.
14- Conversion
Start Convert and Waiting few hours.
Tags: avi, clips, format, movies, mpeg, player, quicktime, video, Video files, Video Guides, windows
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