Convert and Burn Video MP4 To DVD

Owned by Josh Hiner
Last updated: Nov 08, 2018
4 min read


Notes

  • WARNING: There is a lot of adware and malware out there. Converting video files to DVD is a popular task. As a result most tools you will find will be malware.
  • With the decline of DVD as a technology the many tools out there have not been developed in years. I could not find one tool that would work for the complete project. For this reason the solution uses two tools.

Linux (Ubuntu)

  • Download DeVeDe. Works perfectly. The only solution here that seems to work perfectly http://www.rastersoft.com/programas/devede.html
  • Still supported even in 2018
  • Add your media files. If there are multiple videos I add a menu and flip the menu font smaller so it fits on screen.
  • Select "add a play-all option" too at the bottom for ease of playing everything right through.
  • It will even allow you to burn the dvd at the end as long as you have a blank disk in the drive. Worked perfectly.
  • Deb file for installation: python3-devedeng-bionic_4.12.0-ubuntu1_all.deb

Windows

Phase 1 - Convert the video file

  1. WARNING after running freedvdcreator about 10 times it wants a "free license key" and the website is broken and wont generate them. The key requires authorization via their server so using someone elses key wont work. → Download and install Free DVD Creator from here: freedvdcreator.exe . Install ffdshow and "more codecs" which is just K-lite codec pack.
  2. Later after you run the program It will ALWAYS ASK YOU to install FFDShow codec and "More Codecs" regardless if you have already done so. Just Make sure FFDshow codec is installed as well as K-Lite-Codec-Pack: K-Lite_Codec_Pack_1410_Full.exe and ffdshow_rev4533_20140929_clsid.exe
  3. Run and say no to check for updates. It does not have a mechanism to check for updates and just sends you to a web page that serves adware. I got freedvdcreator from softpedia. It was the only site that didnt include adware in the install.
  4. Click Create Video DVD (here it asks to install ffdshow and more codecs. Say no.
  5. Click ADD and add your mp4 file. You can add as many files as you want.
  6. Uncheck create DVD Menu on next step (lower right) unless you really want a menu. Dont do this for security footage submitted to the authorities.
  7. Make sure the radio buttons on the bottom under your file list make sense. The defaults are usually ok keeping in mind you have 4.7gigabytes to work with unless you are using dual layer disks (rare).
  8. Make sure a blank DVD is in the DVD drive. Tell windows to cancel/ignore when it pops up asking what to do with it. DO NOT say ok or yes as it will then title the disk and use it as a weird data disk and ruin it.
  9. Click Next
  10. On the burning screen name your DVD. Only use alpha characters and the underscore for spaces.
  11. Look at the Working folder. It defaults to C:\DVDTemp and that is probably ok. IMPORTANT!!! Delete the videos in here later if its security footage.
  12. Select your burner in the Device drop down
  13. Click "Start Burning"
  14. It Will convert and then when it reaches the point where it starts burning it will probably error out with : cant find burning hardware (or something like that). If not. LUCKY YOU! You are done. Test the disk in a dvd player.
  15. If it did not burn go to Phase 2 (do not delete the videos out of the temp directory yet).

Phase 2 - Burn the converted files to DVD

  1. Install ImgBurn. Warning. Most sites serve up adware/malware with ImgBurn. Here is an OK installer: SetupImgBurn_2.5.8.0.exe
  2. Again, blank DVD still in drive Run imgburn and click Write files/folders to disk upper right corner
  3. Now in the next window Under Source a white square pane is visible. Click the folder with a magnifying glass over it.
  4. Browse to c:\dvdtemp or whereever you chose as your tempfolder for freedvdcreator
  5. It will label each conversion folder a number. If this is the first conversion your files will be in the folder simply named "1". 
  6. Go in the appropriate number folder. Select the VIDEO_TS folder
  7. Now go to the same place and select AUDIO_TS (yeah its empty but still needed)
  8. Only select one folder at a time. Selecting multiples will not work even though it seems to let you.
  9. Now Uncheck Verify checkbox (unless you really want to)
  10. Under Label tab on the right using alphanumeric or underscore for space give it a title under ISO9660 and UDF both.
  11. Click the button which looks like a folder pointing to a DVD/CD (to start burning)
  12. Idiotically it will give a snarky message about how you didnt label your disk (you did). IDK... type it all in again I guess. Clearly the programmer needed more chicken nuggets.
  13. It will burn. Test in a DVD player afterwards.
  14. DELETE ALL VIDEO FILES OUT OF THE C:DVDTEMP

FFMPEG

  1. This tool is all cli pretty much. After you convert with ffmpeg you'd have to go to Phase 2 above and burn it to disk with ImgBurn
  2. Write instructions please

OSX/MAC

Use the burn app (Only good if you have Quicktime)

  • The burn app is older. Since it was written Quicktime has been removed from OSX/abandoned. Probably works in 10.10 and under: Burn.zip

Use iDVD

  • Converting security footage from Unifi resulted in a DVD of solid green video. It didnt work. YMMV
  1. Open iDVD. On the FIRST SCREEN do not click any buttons. Go to file→one step DVD from movie
  2. Select your file and let-er rip. Maybe it will work for you. Didnt for me.

FFMPEG

  1. This tool is all cli pretty much. After you convert with ffmpeg you'd have to go to Phase 2 above and burn it to disk with ImgBurn
  2. Write instructions please

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