How To Burn Videos To DVD

We here at Ghacks are very fond of the commercial DVD burning software ConvertXToDVD when it comes to burning videos to DVD so that they can be viewed in a standard DVD player. There are some free alternatives that can be used for that as well.

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.

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