Everything needed going from avi to DVD that plays on DVD player?

Okay so I've been reading around and avis don't play on dvd right?

You gotta convert them to mpeg2?
I have a question, so does this mean mpeg1 doesn't work?

So say I have a 700mb movie that is an avi encoded with Xvid or DivX or something. If I convert it to mpeg2 how big will the file be? How many of those 700mb avis can I fit on a dvd?

Okay, so back then when making VCDs you convert avi to mpg then stick some them in nero and choose the VCD option then burn.

What option or what program do you use that lets you make a DVD like that?

 

The rule is this one:
all DVD players can play DVDs and VCDs; many of them (but not all, read the instructions of your DVD player) can play SVCDs.
VCD are MPEG-1; SVCD and DVD are MPEG-2. MPEG-1 is CBR (constant bit rate), MPEG-2 is VBR (variable bit rate).
- VCD resolution = 352x288/240 (PAL/NTSC)
- SVCD resolution = 480x576/480 (PAL/NTSC)
- DVD resolution = 720x576/480 (PAL/NTSC)

A CD-R can keep 80' of VCD movie. SVCD and DVD are VBR but the 'rule of thumb' is (to keep a bitrate large enough to have a good movie): 55' of SVCD on a 80' CD-R and 155' of DVD movie on a single-layer DVD-R (4,7 GB), up to 310' on a double-layer DVD (9 GB).

So, the length of a MPEG-1 is fixed: 10 MB x length (in minutes); for a MPEG-2 it's you who you decide the size (for example, FitCD is able to tell you the good bitrate settings to insert in the chosen encoder to fully fit in a CD-R 'a certain amount of minutes' of movie, and if the length complies with the 'rule of thumb' above written the result (55' in a 80' CD-R) the resulting SVCD is good, otherwise it has a poor quality with respect a 'normal' SVCD).

The problem is that garbage in = garbage out ('rule' often ignored). Therefore I hate this forum's name (AVI to DVD) because AVI -> DVD is very popular but often it is a waste of time: making a DVD movie from a 700 MB AVI will give the same result (apart the necessity to split it in 2 CD) than making a VCD with it.
Whan it very useful, for me, is 'authoring' a DVD full od VCD movies (DVD Lab is the only software that allows you to put VCD movies on a DVD). If you manage to make it, since 120' VCD movie = 1.2 GB , you can fit 7 VCD movies on a double layer DVD, which is very good, since the quality from a 700 MB AVI won't be great anyway and you can store many movies on the same support.
This is your choice. I seem to be the only guy in this forum who likes VCD movies and refuses to make DVD movies starting from average-quality AVIs...

Ah, use Nero carefully. It is great to make MPEG-1 --> VCD and MPEG-2 --> SVCD, but often it 'tries' to encode the movies (if you put iy an input AVI it tries to encode it in mpeg form) , and as encoder it's lousy. TMPGenc, Cucusoft and Cinema Craft Encoder are much better to encode AVI --> mpeg...
More, to make DVDs you need an 'authoring' application to make DVD MPEG-2 + AC3 / WAV audio (+ subtitles and/or chapters info, if needed)--> DVD image, and there are better authoring applications than Nero, the little (and freeware) ReJig 0.7 is one of these...

 

[bold]What a top class, quality answer![/bold] Couldn't have asked for more, well explained, I've signed up on this forum just to say thanks for taking the time to write it, I will probably not be back for another 5 years, but you've helped me understand it all for now Cheers, Dave