Re: Creating a DVD

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"Trevor Lawrence" <Trevor L.@Canberra> wrote in message news:erd4zxVZIHA.5900@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have tried several times to get some general info on creating DVDs, but I never seem to get what I want

I have Ulead Movie Factory, and I have been able to create with it a DVD with menus, etc. that plays perfectly on the PC.

What I want is a DVD that plays on a DVD player. As far as I can tell my DVD Player supports MPEG1 and MPEG2.

When I create the DVD in ULead, the input is an AVI file, and I choose an appropriate output, e.g PAL - for Australia. This creates VOB files which I write to DVD.

I am wondering - are the VOB files merely containers for the actual files which are themselves AVI ? (This may explain why they don't play on the DVD player.)

Is there some way of telling what they contain, e.g. is there some software that reads the files and reports what they are - what codecs, if that is relevant ?

Would converting the files to .mpg (MPEG! or MPEG2) first change what is output ?
If so, what free (and virus free) conversion software can I find ?

I have downloaded Plato which seems to work OK - at least the converted file plays OK on the PC. It may be this one http://www.download.com/Plato-Video-Converter/3000-2194_4-10375465.html
a.. License:Free to try; $39.95 to buy
a.. Average User Rating: (out of 53 votes) Rate it!
a.. Downloads: 66,426
a.. Requirements: Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003 Server
a.. Limitations: 50-percent conversion trial
a.. Date Added:January 24, 2008
I note the limitation, but I don't know what it means - 50% of what?
I actually got it from http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/plato-video-converter/ (no longer available)

Or are there other better ones? (I have had SourceForge suggested.).
Or would Windows Media Encoder do this?

I have a couple of years of avi tapes that I can only play directly on the TV or copy to VHS, so I need all the help I can find to create a playable DVD. .
--
Trevor Lawrence
Canberra
Microsoft MVP - FrontPage
MVP Web Site http://trevorl.mvps.org






It might be a simple matter that the type of media you are using to burn the DVD movie onto is not compatible with your home DVD player. Some home players are picky. If you use any program that burns a movie as a DVD (in that you get VOB files, and the like) then you are creating an actual DVD. I believe the compression that DVD uses is Mpeg-2 (or is it 4??) so to answer one of your questions, no, the VOB files do not contain the avi files. they contain video files in MPEG compression format.

Try your burned DVD's in another home player, or try switching DVD media. I have always found Verbatim to work good for me, but I am sure others will have their opinions as well.

One last point. Are you finalizing the DVD?? If you do not, it won't play in a home player.


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

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