Free DVD create program for AVI / MP4 / MKV etc

jimbo45

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Hi there

Trying to find a decent program to create a DVD from rips / downloads of movies such as MP4 / MKV etc is a pain --there's the PAID for version CONVERTXTODVD but a good one is the FREE Linux program DEVEDE (works on .RPM distros (Opensuse, fedora etc) and there's also a version for DEBIAN/LINUX MINT and UBUNTU. The created DVD will play DVD's in stand alone DVD players.

Read the documentation as it's a little bit confusing -- also ensure you have the FFMPEG package installed and either MKISOFS or the CDR-TOOLS (or any other package that contains the mkisofs library). Ignore any missing dependencies when installing using your package manager - it's usually looking for mkisofs which is often incorporated into other libraries --it works OK.

Program will add subtitles too if you want it and you can adjust the disk usage (quality will adjust to the amount of DVD space you use.

Works either on a Linux HOST or a Virtual machine - I'm testing mine on a "Portable Linux" booted up on a USB3 thumb drive.

Here's how to use the program -- the link refers to UBUNTU but the program is the same on other distros too.

HOWTO: use DeVeDe on Ubuntu

Cheers
jimbo
 

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After doing conversions to and from DVD for several years I bought a Set Top Box. The particular one I bought was WD HDTV for USB. It was the first edition, not the "Live" box. I found that I spent much less time doing video conversions. And those were mostly remux with only audio processing as in the case of MP4 output from MKV input. The rare attribute of this player is that it would play HD AVI files.

Using my Philips Upconverting DVD player I was put in the ludicrous position of having to downsize AVI videos to NTSC or PAL
just to have the player upconvert them. The DVD player would not play AVI at higher resolution than standard PAL.

With the set top box I side stepped all that. The drawback being that the video files must be stored for all practical purposes on
disk drives rather than as discs. MP4 can deliver high quality HD at a low bit rate. Often a 2 hour movie can look great at 2 GB.
It's a shame to double the size only to diminish the resolution and quality.

Understandably you may want to share with people who can only handle standard DVD. But I think it's a mistake to hobble your
own library just to reach least common denominator.

A very good Windows freeware to produce MP4 from MKV as mentioned earlier is MkvToMp4

Edit: These factors make MkvToMp4 an excellent choice for Windows:
Multithreaded and designed for batch processing;
if you have a stack of MKV to process and a multicore machine this will go right through them.

Portable;
If you have an SSD you can put the program folder, input and output folders all on the SSD for lightning
fast muxing. You can just watch the progressbar slide across.
 

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Hi there

@MilesAhead --the problem WASN'T to produce an MP4 from a MKV or similar - but to CREATE a DVD that would be playable on a normal (I.e Stand alone) domestic DVD player / recorder FROM an AVI/MP4/MKV movie or TV series Rip.

I was trying to make a playable DVD with subtitles from an MKV DVD rip I'd already got of Captain America 2014 ripped from a Blue ray disc in full 1080HD quality. The DVD player needs DVD-VIDEO to play a home made DVD. I've already got the software that creates the DVD iso nicely (including menu('s) and subtitles - burning the iso image to the physical disc is the least part of the problem !!! Any old burning software will do that. (K3B on Linux or similar, various on Windows).

Cheers
jimbo
 

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I understand. But many people who format to DVD are unaware there's other ways to do things. Rather than be ruled by the fact they have a DVD player they could think out of the box and get a set top box. :) . The best example was the one I gave where HD AVI files are being downsized then upconverted by the DVD player in a total waste of time and quality. I found no DVD player that played native HD AVI.

There isn't all that much video conversion traffic on this board. So I thought I'd mention it. :)
 

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FHi there

For my part I don't need a set top box -- we've enough rubbish around a TV as it is (cable ISP, Satellite X 2, terrestrial atenna, phone, LAN etc). I stream my stuff from NAS / laptop or connect Laptop. However I basically wanted to give the DVD to people who are far more "technologically challenged" than we are here --they have a basic DVD recorder / player and don't want any set top boxes etc so giving them a playable DVD was what I wanted to do.

Sometimes there ARE better solutions but we have to bear in mind that these solutions might not be the best for everybody.

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
FHi there

For my part I don't need a set top box -- we've enough rubbish around a TV as it is (cable ISP, Satellite X 2, terrestrial atenna, phone, LAN etc). I stream my stuff from NAS / laptop or connect Laptop. However I basically wanted to give the DVD to people who are far more "technologically challenged" than we are here --they have a basic DVD recorder / player and don't want any set top boxes etc so giving them a playable DVD was what I wanted to do.

Sometimes there ARE better solutions but we have to bear in mind that these solutions might not be the best for everybody.

Cheers
jimbo

I get it. But the folks receiving the DVD are not the (only) ones reading the thread. Sorry if it seemed like a hijack. I just thought it was info that may be useful to some readers and it is related to video conversions/formats.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.0 x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satelite C55D-A Laptop
    CPU
    AMD EI 1200
    Memory
    4 gb DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Raedon 340 MB dedicated Ram
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Built in
    Screen Resolution
    1366 x 768
    Hard Drives
    640 GB (spinner) Sata II
    Keyboard
    Built in
    Mouse
    Touch pad
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