FOAK: .avi to DVD

Right, I know the square-root of ****-all about this shit, so assume
you're talking to an idiot[1].

I have some .avi files[2] that I'd like to watch on my telly. I have a
DVD player. Is there a way to do that which doesn't involve a lifestyle
change?

Thanks most awfully.


[1] We'll take that response as read, OK?
[2] Oddly enough, not porn.

 

Nero will do it. Have a look at http://www.doom9.org/ see if there's
anything there. Personally I got fed up with the faff and bought DVD
players that understand MPEG4. Available from Ebuyer ~£30.

 

I used Nero for that very purpose yesterday.
Don't know if you can download a demo version but my official copy
satisfies all my CD and DVD writing needs.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Eiron

Okey-doke, two votes for Nero. Trial version downloading as I type.

Thanks folks!

 

Once you've got it downloaded, there's two ways to do it.

a) burn the avi files as avi files - this is quick, but requires your
DVD player to be able to read and play them.

b) set Nero to convert the avi files to dvd format - so essentially you
end up with a proper dvd. Depending on the size of the data and the
size of your processor(s), this could take quite some time. Hours in
fact.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique,

Well, shit!

The trial version of Nero 9 appears to decline to do this.

**** it. Too hard. I shall watch the series on my PC.

 

If you want to give it another go, head to www.tmpgenc.net

Use that to encode to Mpeg2 which will should then be accepted by
Nero. TMPGEnc encodes very quickly, but you are still going to have
fun sorting out resolutions and interlacing and stuff.

IMHO DVD is a fucked format. It's caused me more grief than any high
end broadcast format that I work with all the time. OK, it's intended
as a delivery format, but it isn't a very good one.

Kev

 

Give devede a go. It's so easy even I can use it.

A windows version of it can be found here:
http://www.majorsilence.com/devede

 

If you have a DVD player made any time in the past few years, it will
probably play them fine. Just burn as a data disc and pop it in.

 

I always used AVI2DVD before I went to the HTPC method.

http://www.trustfm.net/divx/SoftwareAvi2Dvd.php

How big are the avi files? Some kind soul around here may be able to
convert them for you.

 

It might be a bit pikey for you but Tesco do a value brand DVD player
that will play .avi files for just £20.

 

Super, does it all;

http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html

 

Don't all modern DVD players have a USB port? Mine does, and it's a cheapo.
I don't bother with all that rendering to DVD lark any more - takes ages.
Just store all the films on the NAS and chuck 'em on a DVD stick to watch
them. That way you don't have to shrink the 9s either. Is there a reason to
prefer DVDs? I suppose it's nice to have the chapters for replaying bits -
especially if you just missed what someone said.

 

I'd second that. Really simple to use.

 

It depends on the video format inside the AVI file, because AVI files are
just containers for any type of video. Other responses have assumed it's
MPEG4 or Xvid/Divx, which are the most common these days.

If your DVD-player doesn't handle such formats then you'll need to convert
the video to MPEG-2, which can be a time consuming faff, in order to
create a pukka DVD.

Depending on the video files, you might be happy to use an online
converter. Something like http://www.freefileconvert.com/ should do the
job.

 

Think seriously about getting one of these:
www.wdc.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=735
The Western Digital Live unit. About £93 on Amazon.

It will stream just about anything to your TV via HDMI up to 1080P, which
you can convert for Pikey TV's. It has SPDIF to feed a proper sound system.
2 USB ports for portable drives/Sticks and Ethernet. It just bloody
*works*, bit of a revelation really.

I nearly tripped up by going down the road of (re)building an HTPC that
could play HD video and DTS-HD sound, which was going to be (at this time)
expensive and a lot of work to build, whereas one now only needs a PC that
can rip/record/store and play conventional def stuff via DVI/HDMI, which I
have. Though I haven't bothered to play anything directly from the PC since
I got the WD.

It plays .iso files, so I keep ripped DVD's in those containers. Makes it
easy to flash them onto a DVD if someone wants hard media. As well as all
the usual formats. HD/Blu-Ray I usually get as .mkv's.

Any stuff that people have on their laptop etc, as long as it is in a folder
share, is easy to pick up and stream.

 

No I don't think so. Well not into my Pana 50' Plasma anyway.

 

You'd think. I was looking into this last year when I was looking at HD
TVs. Some support DNLA, and some have USB support, but they all appeared
to have limitations, particularly on the formats that it would support.

Some sort of media tank that just plays everything is reet handy.

 

Most TV shows (for me) have reached the point where I won't watch them on
TV. I download them and watch 'em at the puter with no fucking adverts to
interupt "the flow"


--
Beav

VN 750
Zed 1000
OMF# 19

 

I wouldn't want all that inside my TV. A £90 seperate box if just fine.