This may not be the correct place for this, if so please point me elsewhere.
My other half doesn’t have broadband, so I’m looking to write dvds so we can watch then on a dvd player.
To this end I’ve gotten a copy of ashampoo and downloaded some films (.mkv files) and I’m now looking to copy them onto dvds. Now I know I can’t just copy the files on, and the software’s asking for mpeg files only.
Has anyone come across - or know how to actually convert and write properly? A guide perhaps?
I know it’s old technology, but it’s gotta be better than just watching the crap on free tv. TIA.
Edit: many thanks to all for the great - and varied answers. Certainly lots of info to ‘chew’ on.
Back in the day I used dvdfab a lot: https://www.dvdfab.cn/products.htm
The easiest program I can think of is ConvertXtoDVD. Chuck almost any file you like at it and it will convert the film into a proper DVD ISO or files to play on a DVD. It will also create a DVD menu as well if you wish.
Thanks. That looks OK, but it’s a 7 day trial with a yearly subscription of £35.99. I’ll need to do a bit of research and maybe try it and see before I can commit to the sub.
Try imgburn
https://youtu.be/T-v4ojCVSBI?si=vakuObTRVuJsNL51
PS: why not get a super cheap android tv box instead? install vlc on it and plug usb. Just sayin, I had a bit of experience on burning dvds and they take a lot of time if the discs (like x8) and your dvd burning drive was super old
Imgburn is what I used back in the day.
why not get a super cheap android tv box instead? install vlc on it and plug usb.
I’d also look into Casting it to the TV.
Well, that would be a good option as well but IMHO, im not 100% onto casting since there is like a sync delay which may ruin the watching experience and also I just added “the tvbox idea” because ngl, burning cds is a bit time consuming, unless you have like blank dvds laying around and a burner hardware.
I do and I still wouldn’t bother because storage is so cheap and plentiful.
If they’ve got a games machine or smart TV/media player they’d likely not even need an Android box.
I’ve never had much luck with casting. I’d also need the subtitles to sync properly too. I usually have to turn them off. Would you cast from phone then - to what - a chromecast?
Depends on the TV, some you can cast straight too.
If latency is an issue then you could try plugging in some kind of storage device with the films on. Again, it might depend on the hardware but I’d imagine most TVs have the facility.
Just tried it - it was fast, but it just copied the mkv file as is. Don’t these need some conversion work on them first so they play as a movie ?
Thanks for the idea of a cheap android box - sounds plausible. Any good ones that spring to mind?
Neat! Not sure about that since it depends on the player. Some players has mkv support and vise versa.
Im satisfied with mxq pro as my 1080p media box, but if you want some tinkering, you may go with tanix tx6 or q+ tv box then install armbian on it, or any sbc that can be installed with libreelec
I never thought to check what the dvd player supports - duh! I’ll do that next. Thanks for the info on the boxes.
Im not sure with dvd players with big names like sony, lg etc. Most cheapo with unknown brand/rebranded has mkv support
Ps: i forgot to advise that you need to convert it 1st to mp4 before burning it, i would advise handbrake https://handbrake.fr/
DVDFab DVD or Blu-ray Creator can convert your .mkv files to MPEG format and write them onto a blank DVD. There is a german website maybe useful for you: “Mit dem DVDFab koennen Sie einfach DVD oder Blu ray erstellen”.
Many thanks, I’ll look into it.
I really like DVDStyler: https://www.dvdstyler.org/en/
You can either just make regular simple DVD, or make menus if you want. You can also set the disc type which will determine the resulting quality. The standard is 4.7GB SL DVD, but you don’t need to use such heavy compression with a 8.5GB DL DVD.
DVDStyler is FOSS, licensed under GPLv2. It is available for Windows, Mac OS and GNU+Linux.
I had a look at the website and it looks cool. A one-stop-shop for creating dvds and it’s foss too - nice. I’m definately gonna have a play. Many thanks.
Look up a free program called Handbrake. It converts video files to mkv, mp4, and webM. It also handles subtitles. If you need mpeg only then this person’s setup is too old. You can check wikiHow to convert files to mpeg.
I second the recommendation to get a media box or a cheap bluray player that has a usb slot. Burning dvds will be a pain in the ass because you have to manage file sizes, take time to burn the dvds, and you will end up with useless piles of plastic discs when you’re done. Sharing one or two usb drives is much easier.
I’ve heard of handbrake and it’s probably worth downloading and having a play. Appreciate the advice, thanks.
In order to burn your videos to a dvd, you’ll need a workful DVD maker to help you. Hope you can find your answer from this article.
