Despite being a common usage scenario, the process of burning a new DVD is not intuitive on a default Windows install. The question of how to burn a DVD is often answered with a counter-question about the type of data the user intends to burn. Will it be a video DVD, audio DVD or a data DVD? What about the source files? Are they in an image format, or are they files and folders on the hard disk?
This article exemplifies how to burn a DVD with the free DVD burning software ImgBurn, which can be used for all DVD burning tasks. In addition to the standard ISO format, ImgBurn supports a wide variety of alternative disc image formats including BIN, CUE, DI, DVD, GI, IMG, MDS, NRG and PDI.
Burning Disk Images
Burning a disk image is probably the easiest of all the DVD burning operations in ImgBurn. Users have two options to perform that operation. The first is to load the disk image directly in ImgBurn by right-clicking the disk image in Windows Explorer and selecting to open it with the DVD burning software. The second option is to open ImgBurn first and then click on the Write image file to disk option in the launch wizard. It is then necessary to select the disc image manually by browsing the file system.The user may now insert a blank DVD into the drive and click the DVD burning icon to initiate the burn process.
Burning Files And Folders
One of the options in the ImgBurn launch wizard is to write files and folders to disc. This opens a new window from where files and folders can be added to the DVD.
The left area with the source title is used to add the files and folders. Buttons on the right can be used to add metadata to the DVD. The calculator icon on the right side will display the size of all files and folders that have been added to the DVD. By default, ImgBurn assumes a single layer DVD for the calculating disc information, however it will automatically switch to a dual layer DVD if the total selected files’ and folders’ size exceeds the storage capacity of a single layer disc. Dual layer DVDs can store almost double the amount of data that single layer DVDs can. Most options in the configuration window can be left untouched. The destination menu can be used to select one of the DVD recorders if more than one device is connected to the computer system.
Inserting a blank disc into the active DVD burner will activate the “Burn DVD” icon to start the DVD burning process. ImgBurn will automatically display the default volume labels, which can be changed in that dialog.
The burning process can take some time depending on the type of DVD, the data that has been selected to be burned and the speed of the DVD burner. ImgBurn displays the elapsed time as well as the time remaining to complete the process in the progress window. Upon completion a confirmation dialog about the successful (or unsuccessful) job is displayed. It is recommended to write information about the contents of the DVD directly on the disc’s label surface so that it becomes easier to identify them. We recommend a special DVD pen for this to avoid scratching the label surface or damaging the sensitive plastic disc material.
Burning Videos
ImgBurn can be used to burn a Video_TS folder directly to DVD. Burning a Video_TS folder is slightly more complicated than burning a disc image. Start by selecting Mode > Build from the menu bar. Make sure that the Output parameter in the menu bar is set to Device. Now click the Browse For Folder icon and select the Video_TS folder on the hard drive of the computer system.
Click the calculator icon to make sure the data will fit on a blank DVD, and after inserting a blank DVD into the DVD writer initiate the DVD burning process by clicking on the Burn A DVD icon.
Imgburn in this regard is only handy if a Video_TS folder is available, for instance after ripping a DVD to the PC to create a backup copy of it. However, the software will not automatically convert video files such as avis or mpgs to DVD format for playback on a DVD player. Two tools for converting such files are are the Open Source software DVD Flick and Free DVD Creator. Both applications support tens of video file formats and include their own DVD burning modules.
This concludes the tutorial on how to burn a DVD with ImgBurn. Please leave a comment if you have questions about the process, additions to the article or want to tell us how you burn DVDs on your computer.
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I use DVDFlick a lot. It simplifies things greatly, making creating a viewable DVD a one-step process.I find that burning at 4x is better for older stand-alone DVD players.
One thing to note if you are burning DVDs for older DVD players such as you might find in a vehicle entertainment system like I have: the DVDs need to be Mastered. I do that by inserting a blank DVD, using Windows Explorer to “open” it, which brings up a dialog box. You need to set the option for Mastered and click OK. I then wait for the progress bar at the top of Windows Explorer to complete. Only then do I switch over to ImgBurn and burn the DVD.
DVDs burnt without Mastering them may still be viewable on a laptop/desktop computer but standalone DVD players typically can’t view them.
Dan, thanks for the tip, but I for one have never seen a right-click option for “Master” in Explorer. Could you please be a little more detailed as to how you access this?? XP SP3.
Hi Mike – sorry but I found that option under Vista. I should have mentioned that. In Vista I click on the Drive (e.g., E:) and a pop-up box appears. The radio button for Mastered is under Advanced tab, I believe.
When I had XP SP2 I had no problems with burned DVDs playing on my car’s DVD player. But when I switched to Vista I burned a whole lot of “coasters” before figuring that out.
Also one other thing I do, which is very helpful when it comes to burning DVDs meant for the car — I use DVD Fab to copy & burn only the main movie with no menu. That way I can pop in the DVD and the movie starts playing – no previews, no FBI warning page, no trying to remember the right sequence to start the movie. Works wonders when you’ve got young kids in the car waiting for it to start!