I've had much success previously using DvDFabDecrypter to strip encryption and DVD shrink to compress and burn the Video_TS files. I was hoping someone would be able to assist me with a few issues I've been recently having concerning AVI files. My question is focused on 2 different areas: 1. I've recently started working on trying to burn Dvd's based on AVI files and I'm having trouble. After some research I downloaded and used avi2dvd on the avi file. From the resulting output I used the ISO file created and I then used DvdDecryper (not DvdFabDecrypter) to burn. The dvd did burn successfully with minor skipping. (The skipping I'm not terribly concerned with as I know this can be a media issue). The problem is that the DVD burned in Fullscreen format as opposed to Widescreen. I know that with DvdDecrypter you can choose the ratio (16:9 being widescreen) but remembered reading that avi2dvd only compresses the top and bottom of the screen to give the widescreen look, thus hurting the overall appearance. Does anyone know if this is true or a myth? Is there another combination of programs I can use to achieve a better conversion of the AVI file so that it can be burned in a widescreen format? 2. My second question has to deal with creating a menu screen to access different chapters or files. I have several AVI files which are not part of the same dvd but are basically like separate stories or chapters (episodes if that makes more sense). I can use avi2dvd to burn them to a disk but it places each one after another, so to get to the 5th file I would need to click next several times to get to it. Can anyone recommend and easy way to re-author the avi files with a menu to create something with a similiar appearance to a tv season dvd? Thanks to any and all help!
Give VSO ConvertXtoDVD a try. Nothing else needed and it does create a simple menu for you but the trial will put a watermark in your video. Skipping issues can also be due to burn speeds too. 4x is a good starting point and a good rule of thumb is to burn at 1/2 the media's rated speed.
I just read through the tutorial guide on ConvertXtoDVD and it looks incredibly straight forward and exactly what I was looking for! Thanks very much for the suggestions. For any others needing similar help, the guide is located at: http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/archive/vso_convertxtodvd_guide.cfm Page 3 offers information on constructing a menu Page 4 shows how you can select the output (widescreen vs. fullscreen)
