DeVeDe displays a disc type selection wizard on start up. Most users will use the program to transfer video to DVD, but it can also be used to create Video CDs, Super Video CDS, China Video Discs and Divx and MPEG-4 media files compliant with players that support the DivX format.

Once you have made your initial selection you are taken to the disc structure menu. You add video files to the disc here. The add video window offers many configuration options, from selecting audio tracks to adding subtitles and previewing the selection.

The program displays the total disc space requirement which can be used as an indicator of how much free disc space is left on the selected output disc format. It can happen that the file size of all videos that you want to burn on the disc is larger than the available disc space. You can either click on the adjust disc usage button to adjust disc usage automatically or switch to another disc type to increase the available space. The program will convert the video files automatically if the first option is selected.

The program displays information about the selected video source and output. This includes the original and final size, the play time, video rate, audio rate and frames per second.

It is furthermore possible to edit and preview the menu here. Editing options include changing fonts, selecting menu background images and menu music, changing a title’s position and if the disc should display the menu on startup or play the first title right away.

A click on Forward in the main configuration window runs the conversion. Devede creates an ISO image by default, the output format can be switched to a Video_TS structure or a conversion of the films to compliant MPEG files.

The DVD authoring tool is a suitable program both for inexperienced and tech savvy users. Inexperienced users can create video DVDs with just a few clicks. Experienced users will like all the advanced options that the program offers.

Windows users can download DeVeDe from the Windows project site. the program is compatible with all recent 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system. The program manual, support forum and source code can also be accessed there. Linux users find the latest version of DeVeDe for their operating system here.

Free Video to DVD converter is such an alternative. It requires almost no configuration at all and can convert most popular video formats to a DVD compatible format.

The program is offered as a standalone software and as part of a suite at the developer’s website. Both applications are free and offer the same functionality. We did have troubles with the standalone software which did not install properly on our Windows 7 test system.

Uninstalling that version and installing the complete software suite solved the problem. The installer offers to install a toolbar during installation which most users probably do not want at all. Unchecking the box will prevent the installation of the toolbar.

The interface of Free Video to DVD Converter is as basic as it can get. There are virtually no options except for the presets where the quality and video standard (NTSC or PAL) can be selected.

The program supports both single layer and dual layer DVDs and displays the output size of the added video files in a bar at the bottom of the screen to give an indication if the user has to burn a single or dual layer DVD.

Files can be added by clicking on the browse button in the interface. The program does not limit the video files that can be added for conversion (or warn the user) which means that it is possible to end up with a size that does not fit on one DVD. This is obviously problematic as it is not possible to burn the videos to DVD if they exceed the maximum capacities. The program does not split the DVDs or reduce the quality settings automatically.

The user has to make sure that the maximum capacities of a single or dual layer DVD are not exceeded. The converter will create a Video_TS folder out of the video files that are added by the user.

It is possible to just create the Video_TS folder or burn the DVD automatically in the end. Another nuisance is that the program will display an advertisement to install the toolbar again when the user closes it.

Free Video to DVD Converter is nevertheless one of the easiest to use programs to burn videos to DVD. Users of all experience levels can use it to create video DVDs easily. The developers should consider to add warnings when the space limit is exceed or implement an option to automatically split the videos on multiple DVDs if the space is exceeded.

Free Video to DVD Converter can be downloaded from the developer’s website. The program is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system. A free alternative with an advanced functionality is DVD Flick.

ZC DVD Creator Platinum can turn video files into DVDs in three steps. It begins with the selection of the video files from the local hard drive. The program will show them in a preview and notify the user about the remaining free space on the DVD.

A design template for the DVD can then be selected and customized in step 2 of the process. Several backgrounds and frames are available in the program.

The tv system (NTSC or PAL), aspect ratio, DVD label and destination (hard drive or DVD recorder) can be selected in the third and final step. The DVD creator will then convert the video files into DVD format.

ZC DVD Creator Platinum is currently offered as a free full version at the German Winload website. It has to be noted that an earlier version of the software is offered as a free version, not the latest version. This does not reduce the quality of the free version in any way though. This version is multi-lingual.

All that it takes to get a registration code for the DVD creation software is to sign up for the newsletter at the Winload website. Here is a quick walkthrough for non-German speaking readers:

1. Open the Winload website in your web browser.
2. Locate the E-Mail form at the top and enter an email address

3. Check that email address and click on the verification link

4. The page that opens contains the download link and registration code for the full version of ZC DVD Creator Platinum

Feature list:

• Video source support AVI, DIVX, XVID, RM, RMVB, MPEG, MPG, VCD, SVCD, WMV, ASF, ASX, SWF, MOV/DAT, FLV(Flash Video), 3GP( 3gpp, 3gp, 3gp2), MP4(mp4, mpeg4), Nullsoft Video(NSV),AVS, Decrypted DVD File(VOB), MKV, DV video, mts, m2ts, formats.
• Video trimming and split cut edit-able.
• Video file playback preview.
• Any video scene image specifiable to be DVD Menu thumbnail image.
• Themed menu templates and customize your own Hollywood-style DVD menus.
• DVD Menu Background Music specifiable as your will.
• DVD Menu Background image specifiable as your will.
• DVD Menu item short description editable.
• Create and burn DVD-5 DVD movie and DVD-9 DVD movie.
• World-class video encoder guarantees that you will always get the best picture quality DVD movie within one hour.
• Automatically select Nero burning engine if you installed full copy Nero later 7.2.0.0
• Support NTSC and PAL TV system.
• Support widescreen (16:9) and standard TV (4:3).
• Advanced dolby digital audio,give your movie theater quality sound.
• Automatically match a broad range of DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW burners.
• Burn DVD-Video compliant Disc that playable on any car or home DVD player.

ZC DVD Creator Platinum is an easy to use program. It makes the DVD creation process an uncomplicated experience even for users who are not that tech savvy. The developer website contains additional information about the program.

The main argument for using DeVeDe is the ease if use of this application. It just takes a minute to add the videos to the application and start the creation of the DVD which does not require user input at all. The program keeps the advanced parameters like audio and video bitrates in configuration dialogs that a normal user does not need to bother to look into.

One nice feature of the video to DVD software is the ability to automatically adjust the size and the quality of the videos that are added to the application so that all movies fit on the selected medium. The medium that is created can have a size between 185 Megabytes and 8.5 Gigabytes which can be selected from templates.

The user can specify the output format of each video file that he adds, select an audio track if multiple are available and add subtitles from the computer. Advanced users can take a look at detailed information and settings and change settings like the aspect ratio, the scaling mode or several quality settings.

The title menu of the DVD can be configured extensively. A user who just wants to play the videos one after the other can keep the default settings. Users who want to define font size, background image and sounds can do that as well.

If the computer uses more than one cpu core then users should enable the optimization for multi-core cpus in the advanced options of the main menu. The video to DVD software saves the new DVD in iso format on the hard drive which can then be burned to a blank DVD. Other options include the creation of a video_ts folder.

DeVeDe is an excellent video to DVD program for Windows and Linux.