[Call_me_Dave]

Hi all

Would you advise people converting .mp4 files into .avi first then burning them or wouldn't it matter?

And does it normally take longer to burn an .mp4 file compared to an .avi one? - I'm using Freemake Video Converter btw.

Thanks in advance.

[barky99]

depends on what machine you plan to play dvd/cd on ... many can play mp4

[c4rv]

burning them how ? Creating a video DVD or just copying the files to a DVD

Remember every time you do any sort of conversion you are going to lose quality so unless the device you are playing them back on does not support mp4 I would leave them as they are

[Call_me_Dave]

Originally Posted by barky99

depends on what machine you plan to play dvd/cd on ... many can play mp4

Ah, ok.

Originally Posted by c4rv

burning them how ? Creating a video DVD or just copying the files to a DVD.

Yes, creating a video DVD.

Remember every time you do any sort of conversion you are going to lose quality so unless the device you are playing them back on does not support mp4 I would leave them as they are

Thanks for the info

[d'@ve]

Originally Posted by Call_me_Dave

Ah, ok.

Yes, creating a video DVD.

Thanks for the info

It won't be standard DVD-video though if you don't convert/burn it as DVD-video i.e. using mpeg2 compression, so not all players will play it.

And frankly, the quality loss if you convert it at maximum DVD quality (7 to 8 Mbps for an hour of video) won't be noticeable unless it's HD. Even squeezing 90+ minutes on at 5 Mbps won't really be noticeable on SD material, so unless it's a 2 hour+ movie, I'd just do it in mpeg2 (not .avi) for maximum compatibility..

[chrisjr]

If you burn the file as DVD Video then it will be converted to MPEG2 format as used on DVD Video disks anyway. Even if you did convert from MPEG4 to AVI so no point converting really.

By the way a DVD disk with a video file on it is not the same as a DVD Video disk. A DVD Video disk has a specific format that allows the disk to be played back in any standard DVD player (well in theory anyway ). A DVD disk with a video file on it might be able to be played back on a stand alone player but there is no guarantee the player will be able to understand the format the file is in.

[c4rv]

Freemake Video Convertor can create basic video DVD with just a few clicks, that can be played back on standalone player and it uses just about any file format as input.